I cook because I love to eat. I garden because I love to cook.
Tomatillos (sometimes called Mexican green tomatoes) are a funny fruit. Not particularly well-known or used in the US, they are a distant relative of tomatoes. They come encased in a papery husk that must be removed before they can be used. As a kid, we …
One problem with a big garden is that when one type of vegetable is ripe, you are swamped with it. I know, I know, if all our problems were only this big and serious. Cue the violins. When I experience this garden overflow, I share …
Children don’t always eat their vegetables. With my son it was no problem; he would sit silently in the back seat of the car during long trips, for example, munching an entire feed bag full of raw vegetables. My daughter Ariana…well, not so much. I …
Mid June brings my favorite garden vegetable – sugar snap peas. They are sweet treats hanging on six-foot tall vines getting more plump with each passing day. As soon as they form I want to pluck and gobble them up, but I know I am …
My children have always loved pesto; since they were little, pesto on spaghetti has been one of their favorite meals. Before they got wise and refused to help, I tortured them annually with the Great Basil Harvest. We sat outside for what seemed like hours …
One of the great pleasures of home gardening is that each year, you get a fresh start. If a particular crop or variety of plant did not work out, grow well, or produce much, each spring you get a do over. You get to start …
As the cold of winter continues, I have time to reflect in this off season about the crops I grew in my garden last year and changes I want to make in the coming year. During this time, I like to review the list of …
In the cold of winter I miss my garden. While I may be able to pick a little hardy kale if the temperature is not too low and I haven’t used it all, the garden is mostly barren this time of year. And even though …
After noting that I often serve empanadas with a bowl of chimichurri on the side, several readers asked for the recipe for this fresh, uncooked, herb-based sauce. It also goes beautifully as a marinade or finishing sauce on grilled steak, chicken, or fish. I love …
It is always better when food looks good, in addition to tasting good. In upscale restaurants chefs have to be artists on two fronts; each course is a meticulously prepared work of art, not just in terms of flavor combinations, but also as a fleeting, …
