Toss the first of spring watercress with the fall of the apples. I lived in my 1810 house for 20 years before I had the sense to look down at the spring behind it and recognize fresh watercress. There it was, looking just like the store-bought stuff, but younger and fresher. If you live near […]
Now that goodies are popping out of the ground in rapid succession, it’s time to lather toasted baguettes with everything local. So disobey your mom and play with your food. Fool with anything farm fresh, from goat cheese and sun-ripened berries in June to roasted butternut squash puree with fresh sage in October. I made […]
Fresh Chive Noodles with Arugula & Fiddlehead Ferns (More variations below) On Sunday, my 8-year old niece, Sadie, and I popped over to my neighbor Ruth’s place to visit her parrot and chickens and pick up a dozen fresh eggs. Black and white with deep red beaks, Ruth’s hens pecked grain out of Sadie’s small […]
Ramp Pesto I bumped into two fellow foragers gathering ramps two miles from my house. Even from my car, I could see the woods were lousy with ramps as well as the red flowers topping endangered trillium. So I scissored a large bowlful of ramp leaves, leaving their roots to regenerate next year’s crop, but also […]
(This is a stuffed peach. We’re going to do the same thing with pears. Fabulous.) Let’s celebrate the thaw of spring with this menu inspired by the flavors of Italy. Join me in a hands-on workshop using Italy’s signature flavors in dishes that will quickly become family favorites as the new season unfolds and all […]
After my our annual strawberry picking at Ioka Valley Farm, our favorite feast is strawberry shortcake — warm, dense biscuits topped with juicy ripe berries and fresh whipped local cream from High Lawn Farm. I sometimes plan ahead, making biscuits before we pick, then storing them, uncooked, in the freezer on parchment-lined sheet pans. That […]
Three local ingredients — rhubarb, yogurt and mint — one simple spring lunch. The longer I cook with fresh local ingredients the less I want to fuss with them. Why mess with a good thing? But you can certainly play with other seasonings, such as lemon or orange zest, a pinch of allspice or freshly […]
It didn’t feel like the dormant season when I drizzled balsamic syrup over local baby greenhouse spinach from The Berry Patch, wilted in garlic oil, with storage beets from Farm at Miller’s Crossing, roasted up until tender, then topped it all with winter market shiitake mushrooms and Rawson Brook Farm goat cheese. Make ahead tip […]
Mixed braising greens from Markcristo Farm in Hillsdale, NY. Wok-braised greens using the alternative light braise in step # 2. (I added freshly grated ginger and stock.) Wokked or Braised Greens from The Locavore Way CSA farmers frequently tell me that the question most asked by members is, “What do I do with cooking greens?” […]
(Picture from The Berkshire Food Journal, where you’ll find loads of great audio/slide show clips on farmers and chefs) Fennel is a three-in-one vegetable, each tasty but surprisingly different. Its top sports green herbal fronds, gentle and sweet. The crisp bulb has a light licorice flavor raw, but is mysteriously subtle when stewed, as it […]
USDA approved school-tested local food recipes and a supplement for educators.
