Tag: garden

The Main Event: Tomatoes – BLTs

The Main Event: Tomatoes – BLTs

Gardeners and gourmands wait all year for August tomatoes, and right now we are thick in the middle of tomato season. For many, they are the main event of the year; meaty and juicy, they are a gardener’s dream. Since they are so good and 

A Trip to Italy – Grilled Bruschetta

A Trip to Italy – Grilled Bruschetta

About 10 or 11 years ago, we were lucky enough to take a family trip to Italy. Our children must have been about 6 and 8. On this particular day, we spent a long time driving to our next destination; a beautiful hotel in the 

Digging for Buried Treasure – Smashed Potatoes

Digging for Buried Treasure – Smashed Potatoes

The fun aspect about growing potatoes in my garden, is that I never know what I’m going to find until harvest time. It’s like digging for buried treasure. Some years my crop fails and I get only a few puny spuds. Other years, as I 

The World’s Most Perfect Sandwich – Banh Mi

The World’s Most Perfect Sandwich – Banh Mi

Banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich made on a toasted French baguette, may be the world’s most perfect sandwich. There are a riot of flavors and textures in every bite that balance each other perfectly. It is sweet and crispy from the daikon radish and carrot 

Shishito Pepper Roulette – Blistered Shishito Peppers

Shishito Pepper Roulette – Blistered Shishito Peppers

The best summer foods to grow in your garden are the ones that have the simplest preparations for the table. Asian shishito peppers are one of those foods. They grow easily and abundantly, and when it’s time for harvest, you pick them, sear them for 

99% Vegan, 98% Gluten Free – Pineapple with Basil

99% Vegan, 98% Gluten Free – Pineapple with Basil

I am definitely a carnivore. I wish it wasn’t so, but alas, I do like eating meat and poultry. But I try to make several meat-free dinners a week and we have plenty of friends for whom I cook who are vegetarians. So this I 

Garden Candy – Sugar Snap and Snow Peas With Sesame Oil

Garden Candy – Sugar Snap and Snow Peas With Sesame Oil

People sometimes ask me about my favorite fruit or vegetable that I grow in the garden. Truthfully, the answer is whatever is ripe at the time. But, there are definitely some crops that rise above all others. For example, fresh garlic, which is sticky and 

Garlic: The Gift That Keeps On Giving – Sautéed Garlic Scapes

Garlic: The Gift That Keeps On Giving – Sautéed Garlic Scapes

I love growing garlic in my garden because it is the gift that keeps on giving. In early spring I can pick green garlic, whole immature plants that are similar to scallions, before the bulb forms into garlic cloves. July is the main harvest time 

Modern Foraging – Seared Scallops, Sautéed Leeks, Asparagus, and Snow Pea Leaves

Modern Foraging – Seared Scallops, Sautéed Leeks, Asparagus, and Snow Pea Leaves

Foraging is the art of going out in the wild to search for items to consume; think searching for wild mushrooms. If you read food magazines, you know it has become very popular lately. You can even take classes on local foraging in a lot 

A is For Asparagus

A is For Asparagus

A is for asparagus, the first vegetable of spring. B is for…oh, never mind.  Let’s stick with asparagus for a while. It’s coming up in the garden right now and will only be here for a few weeks. It lets me know that I will