“I like food, food tastes good.” – Descendents
The food that we grow ourselves is special and its only natural to want to honour the work you put into it by making something spectacular. In this section you’ll find information on preparing, cooking, preserving, canning, storing, eating, and using edible plants.
Everything Roasted. I know I have mentioned at least a few times that this is one of my cooking mottos. I am yet to discover a vegetable or fruit that doesn’t taste good roasted in the oven, their juices caramelized, concentrated, and full of flavour. Roasting is also easy work. Lazily chop up ingredients. Toss …
I’m currently preoccupied with preserving the harvest [aside note to say that Preserving is now a category on this site rather than a tag]. This list includes herbs and while there are several ways that I go about ensuring that the herbs I grow are put to good use and available year-round, drying is by …
Yes, again! My zucchini aka summer squash harvest has been killer this year, and a few have got lost in the foliage too, which means we’ve accidentally grown a few monstrous fruits to boot. There will be squash (another film reference)! Or at least, I would like there to be, which is where freezing comes …
Here’s something delicious that you can make this long weekend. It took me a few attempts, but I’m finally happy enough with this peach and blackberry loaf to share it with you. It’s not too sweet — in fact, my personal favourite version has 1/4 cup less sugar than what I’ve posted here. I prefer …
More squashes have joined the pile since I took this photo! Can you tell the real squashes from my ceramic collection? Earlier in the week, Toronto was flooded for the second time this season. We needed the rain, just not that much all at once! My garden is a mess. Vines that weren’t properly secured …
Canning jars are everywhere in my home. There are jars in the fridge and freezer, and populating the cupboards and shelves in my kitchen. Many are bursting with dried goods of all sorts and others are filled with assorted and sundry floating in acidic and syrupy liquids — an apothecary of deliciousness. There are other …
If you’ve read my books or attended my presentations, you’ve probably heard this one by now. This method of storing freshly harvested, edible blossoms over the short term is a miracle worker and has completely altered my ability to keep and use them more effectively.
My friend Abbey has lent me her Excalibur 9 Tray Food Dehydrator for the weekend. This gorgeous beast is the queen of dehydrators. I used to wonder if it was worth the expense or if the excitement around it was mostly hype. I was officially sold when Abbey bought hers (the machine I am borrowing …
This is how my friend Abbey stores a large quantity of freshly picked apricots over the short term. She uses recycled egg cartons to prevent the fruit from touching, which she says decreases their chances for rot. Brilliant, don’t you think? And a great way to recycle egg cartons, too!
Shiso (Perilla frutescens) is a beautiful herb that self-seeds with abandon. It’s flavour is hard to pinpoint, something akin to mint meets a savoury herb like caraway with a hint of citrus. I’ve been growing it for years, but it’s aggressive nature always seemed to be curbed on the roof where conditions could be exceedingly …
It has been unbearably hot and muggy here over the last few days. If you’re living with the same conditions, I recommend waiting for the humidity to lift before attempting to air dry any significant quantity of herbs. However, the other night Davin picked too much thyme for a meal and spontaneously constructed this contraption …
Lara was randomly selected as the most recent book giveaway, Backyard Medicine: Harvest and Make Your Own Herbal Remedies by Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal. I’ve decided to extend this giveaway to one person on the newsletter list. I’ll be randomly choosing a winner on the morning of Monday, July 22, so you have until …