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Royal Treatment for the Food of the British Isles
The UK has just finished celebrating British Food Fortnight, an event that commenced two decades ago to encourage consumers to buy from local farms. The idea was that the fun of a national celebration would encourage people to actively seek…
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Can You Name That Apple Dessert?
This is the time of year when my mother and grandmother would get together to make apple pies that were put unbaked into the freezer for a future dessert. They were masters at pastry, and the apples were from my…
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Adding a Little Spice to Your Life
I have an ample supply of herbs and spices in my pantry and herb garden, but I know that a lot of home cooks get by with just a few – the ones that they use over and over again.…
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What to Do with All Those Tomatoes?
I have a bounty of tomatoes in my garden, and I’m looking at new ways to use them. It’s been a good season, a welcome change from last year. But after a few BLTs, several different salads, salsa, and a…
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Whetting Your Whistle with a Refreshing Drink
Hot and muggy summer days are still with us, and you yearn for a refreshing beverage – something beyond a cool glass of water – that will not only satisfy that thirst but tingle your taste buds. I found a…
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The Many Delights of Baked Beans
A half-century ago when I was serving in the Army, my boss periodically ate lunch at his desk. To my curiosity, one of his periodic lunches was a baked bean sandwich, a taste sensation that I had never experienced growing…
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Creating a Community Cookbook
The New York Times declared in April that the community cookbook is experiencing a renaissance. I hope they’re right: Mrs. Farmboy and I are responsible for shepherding creation of our own local community cookbook: The Community Cooks, The Newbury Town…
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Cool as a Cucumber
My garden is about to produce a big crop of cucumbers, and I want to put them to good use. After all, cucumbers are among the human race’s oldest cultivated vegetables – technically, a fruit. The Oxford Companion of Food…
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Cool It This Summer
The heat of summer is upon us. Growing up on the farm in Illinois, for me, July and August were centered around baling hay, harvesting oats, and then baling the oat straw. That meant spending those 90-degree-plus, extremely humid days…
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Parsley, Sage, Red Madder, and Thyme
My kitchen garden provides a pleasant variety of fresh herbs to enhance our meals. Those plants had their origins in our local nurseries. But I recently learned that I had a lot more to learn about herbs from my long-time…
