So, after having confessed to my limited gardening success as far as growing tomatoes is concerned, I came back from vacation to … an ample tomato harvest. Though most of the varieties have suffered just as I expected, the partially…
Last time I wrote how long I had to wait to make the cherry tomato clafoutis. But that really was nothing compared to waiting to make these rolls. Somewhat by accident, I watched Jamie Does Sweden, where Jamie Oliver made…
My parents are more successful at growing tomatoes than I am. That, I would like to point out, is not because they are better gardeners. It’s because they have a better place to grow them. First, the climate in the…
I love foraging. It runs in the family. My 15 months old niece is an incredibly picky eater. She doesn’t eat vegetables or rice or yoghurt. She will also not touch a banana or a store-bought apple. But anything she…
When summer, like now, really is summer and the sun is shining all the time and it’s really warm and not like last year when the only difference between summer and fall was the date on the calendar, you probably…
In summer, we usually don’t make dessert, we pick it. Or rather, let everyone pick their own. Conveniently located next to and above our outside dining table, we grow a succession of summer berries. First to ripen is the yellow…
Summer typically brings a dilemma. On one hand the garden is brimming with wonderful produce to cook with. On the other hand one’s desire to cook typically diminishes as fast as the temperature rises. Luckily, summer produce usually doesn’t need…
I like gooseberries, because of their “just right” blend of sweet and tart, but also because of their undeniable seasonality. Unlike strawberries that you can buy pretty much anytime (though they won’t always be worth eating), gooseberries are only available…now.
Broad beans (also known as fava beans) are the only hardy beans. That means that unlike other kinds of beans, they can be sown early. They can even be sown in November and left in the ground to overwinter, more…
Because I read cookbooks instead of bedtime stories, I have long known that the only correct way to make risotto is by adding a ladelful of stock at a time, stirring continuously. Interestingly, our Italian friends were not aware of…
When I get a chance to eat as many cherries as I want, I’ll eat kilos of them. I don’t often get a chance. Last time was when I was sixteen and spent the first week of my summer vacation…
Turnips are another of those little-known, little-grown and little-loved vegetables. And that is a shame. Because like broccoli rabe, they are undemanding, fast growing and can be harvested early in the year. I am now specifically talking about the small…