Rhubarbarian
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....
View ArticleTarragon Pickled Eggs
The first cucumber pickles I make for the season are French cornichons, those tiny sour gherkins that light up a summer picnic or brighten up a winter roast. Alas, the summer vegetable garden will be...
View ArticleDried Tomatoes with Herbs
The tomatoes just keep coming. Minnesota is having a very delayed summer with the heat moving well into September, so my garden is still going strong. At the moment, I have put up about 36 quarts of...
View ArticleCandied Beets
It’s almost the winter solstice and my fridge is still hiding a few gems from my summer garden. The produce bin sports a couple dozen carrots, three purple cabbages and a big bag of beets. I love...
View ArticleFermented Corn Relish
Last Sunday I had the pleasure of presenting and cooking at our local Linden Hills Farmer’s Market as part of their Chef Guru series, produced by Kitchen in the Market. The topic was what to do with...
View ArticleHandmade Soaps at Home
Domestic arts, homesteading and urban agriculture play a very big roll in the day to day life of me and my family. In addition to scratch cooking, preserving of all kinds, and making our own beer, we...
View ArticleHoney Candied Ginger
Ginger makes one of my favorite candies. Spicy, chewy and amazing in desserts, I serve candied ginger as an after-dinner treat. Slices of candied ginger are also delicious at the bottom of your cup of...
View ArticleSunny Meyer Lemon Limoncello
I need a heavy dose of sunshine, preferably the kind accompanied by a beach, a tan and a handsome Italian cabana boy asking me what I’d like to drink. Sadly, I’ll have to settle for a sunny bottle of...
View ArticleQuick Pickled Baby Beets with Stems
We’ve had plentiful rain and moderate summer temps the last few weeks and the garden grows by the minute. Sweet snap peas are bountiful, greens overflow my crisper and the tomato plants are 3 feet...
View ArticlePickled Dilly Beans
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...
View ArticleSmall Batch Bloody Mary Mix
I can a lot of tomatoes, many of them heirlooms. Heirlooms are know for being a bit watery, so I often scoop the tomato flesh out to can, and then am left with loads of juice. What is a girl…Read more ›
View ArticleLemongrass Vodka
Every year I grow lemongrass, but Minnesota winters are to cold for the perennial grass to survive the hard frosts. In past years I’ve only used it seasonally during the summer, but this year I had a...
View ArticleTangy Mayonnaise
I have a confession to make. There are two condiments that I consistently buy and rarely make from scratch: Heinz Ketchup and Hellman’s/Best Food’s Mayonnaise. For this scratch cook, this is a...
View ArticleMandarin Orange Grapefruit Liqueur & the Four Muses Cocktail
One of my favorite ways to preserve citrus is by making boozy concoctions (you may have noticed) because the alcohol really captures the essence of the fruit flavor. That, and if I am forced to by...
View ArticleLazy Citrus Marmalade
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...
View ArticleRhubarb Vodka & Cocktail
Rhubarb is the first fruit-like produce on the scene after winter. And while it’s around for a few months, I always forget to preserve it for winter. Vodka and gin are a lovely way to capture that...
View ArticleEasy Kimchi
With summer produce in full swing, now is the time to start preserving the harvest. One of my staples is kimchi. Many people are surprised to learn that fermenting kimchi from scratch is really easy....
View Article3 Fresh Cheeses from 1 Recipe
Exciting news this month! I wrote an article for the local Twin Cities beer rag, Growler Magazine, with how to make three fresh cheeses from one easy recipe. Check it out! How To Make Three Fresh...
View ArticleSour Cherry Season is Here!
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...
View ArticleFresh Paneer Cheese
Fried, grilled, or baked, paneer is a great fresh cheeses to make from scratch. The delicious milky lemony flavor can be tilted to sweet or savory dishes. Paneer is a lightly pressed cheese, which...
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