Oh my goodness, is it the summer solstice already??? That means my sour cherry tree is just about ready. I picked 3 quarts today and more are on the way. It’s a race between me and the birds so I have to be on my guard. Read more ›
Ever wonder what I do with all my canned tomatoes or my backyard chicken eggs? Here are two super easy recipes right out of your pantry: Fire Roasted Tomato Butter Sauce and Spaghetti and Eggs. Read more ›
Why marmalade? Marmalade captures the bittersweet tangy brilliance that is citrus and preserve it for later in the year – like summer. I think that one of the only redeeming parts of winter is citrus fruit. I hate the cold and I live in Minnesota, so this is for reals. Read more ›
We are deep in indian summer here in Minnesota. A couple light frosts have hit the gardens, but produce still continues to ripen, unaware that it’s almost October. Peppers seem to be the last thing to arrive in the garden, and with 80 degree days, they just keep coming. To preserve the late bounty of my garden, I made Italian-style giardiniera. Read more ›
I can a lot of heirloom tomatoes. Heirlooms are know for being a bit watery, so after canning the tomato flesh, I am left with loads of juice. What’s a girl to do? Make Bloody Mary Mix, of course. The mix is super easy. Just combine juice with seasonings Read more ›
Summer holds such promise – big, bountiful gardens, lots of fruits and vegetables, excellent foraging and amazing farmer’s markets. In deep winter I plan all the amazing things I will do with summer produce, along with the great blog posts I will make to accompany them. Then summer hits me like a full bucket of water, and I am deluged with the harvest. Read more ›
Sour cherries are my most favorite fruit and sour cherry jam is the one jam that I am truly addicted to. I fondly remember picking cherries as a kid, which my mother packed into jars and preserved for pies in the winter. Cherry pie is also my favorite pie, in case anyone wants to make me one. Read more ›
I know, I know. It’s a little late to be making hot pepper jelly, right? It’s almost Thanksgiving. We got a little busy, what with a vacation to New Orleans, winterizing our gardens and chicken coop, and a way-to-early snow fall and hard freeze. Read more ›
Pluots are a lovely plum/apricot hybrid stone fruit that pop up in markets in early to mid summer. More plum than apricot, they come in a wide variety of jeweled colors from black purple to pink to coral to yellow. The intensely sweet fruits hold up well in fruit salads, pies, and sangria. Oh, the sangria. And thus begins my story. Read more ›
I have a vivid memory from when I was a little girl of hiding beneath a long row of plants in my Mother’s garden. It was a very hot day and these tall plants made a good shady place to sit. Plate-sized leaves floated above my head and huge yellow flowers dotted the foliage. I felt like Alice in Wonderland, except I was sitting in the okra patch. Read more ›
Minneapolis is looking an awful lot like Seattle this year. We’ve had 17 days of sun since April 1st. The rest of the days have been cloudy or rainy, heavy on the rain. My rhubarb could not be happier. The leaves are gigantic, the stalks, prolific. Read more ›