A root vegetable, beets are delicious in sandwiches, salads, pickled and more. Want to cook beets? Here’s how to boil beets whole. Canned beets were the bane of many a childhood – but not mine. In my house, fresh, round beets from the farmers market were destined for boiling in our kitchen on the cooktop. They…
Eating Locally
Spiced Applesauce with Honey | How to Can Applesauce
Seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg and sweetened with honey, my recipe for Spiced Applesauce with Honey is something I’ve been making since my oldest child was a wee toddler. He still loves it today. Naively, I used to think that my memory was special – it was long and detailed and, I thought, indestructible. I…
Dilly Beans or How to Make Pickled Green Beans with Dill Weed
The word pickles probably conjures an image of small cucumbers in brine or other pickling solution. But so many foods can be pickled — including green beans. This recipe for Dilly Beans, or Pickled Green Beans with Dill Weed, is a lovely way to preserve summer’s green bean harvest for enjoying all year. The beans came…
In Our Maine Garden, Week 7 … or the Tomatoes Cometh
After last year’s disappointing tomato season, we worried about trying to grow them again. Fortunately, the worry was for naught, as you’ll see in the seventh installment of In Our Maine Garden. Three tomato plants. That’s all we planted this year. Last year’s tomatoes were so sad, I didn’t have the heart to devote any more…
Carrot Top Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
Carrot tops combine with garlic, crushed red pepper, olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt to make a lovely Carrot Top Chimichurri sauce. This sauce is delicious with steak, seafood, on roasted veggies and more. As a nation, we aren’t really in tune enough with food. Real food, that is — the kind that grows…
In Our Maine Garden, Week 6 … Or Holy Growth!
Green beans and tomatoes and beets, oh my! It’s been a good growing season so far. Check out the progress in the sixth installment of In Our Maine Garden. This week, we harvested several pounds of green beans. We ate about half of them and I transformed the remainder of the beans into dilly beans. More…
In Our Maine Garden: Week 5, Or First Harvest!
We had our first harvest! Our plants are growing so well this season. Check them out in the fifth installment of In Our Maine Garden. Lettuce and shishito peppers, oh my! Our first harvest made a lovely salad. The variety of lettuce we’ve been growing (I think it’s a butter variety) has firm, bright leaves with…
In Our Maine Garden: Week 4, or I Can’t Believe We Grew This From Seed
Someone pinch me! Our garden is growing and I am still amazed that we did this all from seed. That’s what I am sharing in the fourth installment of In Our Maine Garden. When we planted radishes last year, I was surprised when they grew and even more surprised when the row was lush and full. Every…
How to Make Garlic Scape Pesto
Fresh garlic scapes, basil and parsley combine to make an herby, fragrant pesto in this easy Garlic Scape Pesto recipe. Garlic is a root. It grows underground, developing a papery exterior that covers the bulb. But above ground, garlic has many lives … and they’re edible. When garlic grows, first it sends up greens (sometimes…
In Our Maine Garden: Week 3 … Or, Look at Those Rows!
Things are growing! When we planted our gardens a few weeks back mostly from seed, I was worried they wouldn’t but our community garden plot is showing good progress. That’s what I am sharing in this, the third installment of In Our Maine Garden. A funny thing happened in the garden this week. Okay, maybe not…