Eric and I love carrots.  This is a good thing since they’re a much cheaper vegetable than some of our other favorites like asparagus and bell peppers.  This year I wanted to come up with a few more affordable Thanksgiving side dishes.  I’ve been doing a lot with the food bank and talking to their clients about using special ingredients in small amounts to turn ordinary foods into fancy dishes.  These Maple Orange Carrots with Sage are a great example, and go amazingly with roast turkey or chicken! Read more

Last year we got a TON of corn with our CSA.  If you’ve been trying to figure out how to freeze sweet corn, don’t worry, I did all the figuring out for you!  This year I got it down to a science.  With the first frost we recently, it’s time to start preserving all that lovely corn we’ve been seeing at farmer’s markets.  Fortunately, preserving corn in the freezer is so easy! Read more

After my first experience with fennel a couple years ago, I’ve become a bit obsessed.  Fennel is in season year round (check out what food is in season when!) but I seem to always use it as a transition vegetable.  I love to work it into recipes when the season is changing.  For this one, I use some of summer’s zucchini roasted with fresh picked fennel, onion and garlic. Read more

I’ve had many nicknames in my life.  Dianasaur followed me into adulthood, but most of them I outgrew.  The other title I still earn on a regular basis was given to me by my father: “The Pickle Monster”.  Both my sister and I have been pickle lovers since we could eat solid food.  Our family would go through at least one large jar of pickles a week because not only would we pile 10-20 pickles on each sandwich, but we would often eat them straight from the jar whenever the craving hit.  Our brand of choice was Heinz Hamburger Dill Chips, and nothing else would satisfy.  Fortunately, after 3 years of experimenting , I’ve created my own perfect pickle recipe. Read more

I just had to share this quick tip with you.  I’ve been getting flowers every week from our CSA, but they’re not my only way of bringing freshness into the house.  Whether you grow your own carrots, get them from a farm or from the store with the tops on, don’t toss those tops!   I’ve shared this before but thought it bears repeating.  Even fresh greenery can brighten up a room. Read more