Farm Stories
Unique and charming stories about Lynn growing up on a farm. What inspires his meal planning and recipes.
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Building a Great Summer Dinner Salad
Summer’s here in the northern hemisphere! This is the time of year when we hanker for a nice, refreshing salad at the end of the day – when we don’t feel like a big meal or working in a hot…
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Pulling Up Free Veggies
When I was growing up on the farm, weeds were the enemy. A noxious-weed commissioner would regularly patrol the area, perusing fields to make sure that none of those offending weeds were going to seed and multiplying. Offending farmers were…
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Bright, Light Spring Vegetable Soups
We still have cold nights, but spring is clearly on the cusp, and Daylight Savings Time is upon us. It’s just the right time to be making spring soups. They’re lighter – mostly broth and possibly milk – and filled…
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What the Ancient Romans Could Tell Modern Cooks About Adding Flavor
From your email, please click on the title to view the photos and comment online. On the Website, you can read past blogs, search for recipes, and browse. When Julius Caesar or Pliny the Elder or Augustus wanted to…
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Reflections on Spring Planting Season
This past week, a good friend and reader, who grew up in the same area of northern Illinois, asked me what’s going on with food availability and prices. Turns out that it’s complicated – and a long story. It’s planting…
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More Than a Kernel of Flavor from Whole Grains
I used to love the time of the oat harvest in the late summer. When I surveyed the 30 or so acres of near-ripe grain in a summer breeze, I could see the rolling waves, just like the ocean. And…
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Why – and How – to Create a Family Cookbook
Just over two years ago, I wrote a blog about trying to recreate my Grandmother Bess’ “mystery” pie. This thin vanilla custard creation is a mystery because no one knows how to make it. My 97-year-old mother would love to…
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Can This Vegetable Garden Be Saved?
Here in eastern Massachusetts as the dry weather continues with no substantial rainfall on the horizon, everybody is worried about their lawns. At least the intense heat has let up. But we have bigger problems. If you’re a gardener, the…
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Chilling Out with Blueberries
Back on the farm in the 1950s, I knew what the arrival of blueberries in the local store meant: my grandmother’s blueberry pie. Like many families, our blueberry expectations were centered around desserts. Occasionally, we had blueberry pancakes, and someone…
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A Meditation on Farm Foods of My Youth
During these dog days of summer, I’m having a hard time gaining any enthusiasm for cooking a meal. Instead, I find myself musing upon the favorite foods of my youth. Food nostalgia is built into our DNA early in life,…
