Category: tend

On a recent library excursion, Justin & I picked up Pati Jinich’s Treasures of the Mexican Table. What a book! One of the things I appreciate most about Pati is that she explains how to prepare items not usual in our regional cuisine, case-in-point: nopales. I’ve eaten nopales plenty of times, but always they have…

As is tradition in our collective family, we went camping for “birthday week.” I guess it has been a while since we’ve camped at Cape Cod, what with a global pandemic and high anxiety and all, but this year we were able to make it back for a visit. The campground we like to visit…

At the end of every winter in New England there is a period of time we sometimes call “fool’s spring,” which starts with an unseasonably glorious and warm day which makes you think actual spring has started. Today was that day. It was a sunny, warm, and delightful 63F by 11am today. We took advantage…

Gosh, we’ve been so busy these past few weeks that I’m not even sure where to begin regarding our newfound obsession with bayberries. I guess it’s been about three weeks since my last post, so I’ll try to recap as best I can. A few weeks back we were exploring the woods that line the…

In these very home-bound and isolated times, Justin and I have found the pastime of taking afternoon / early evening “nature baths” in our local wooded parks. We live within feet to a river that opens out into a bay a few miles south, so the landscape is part brackish swamp with an overtone of…

This has been maybe the most fun, most exciting, severely delicious experiment we’ve done so far. I. Am. Hooked. So a few weeks ago, we made Ginger Ale. While that was delicious and 100% worth doing again, we wanted to try for a root beer. We worked with what we had on hand at the…

This year has been a lot of things, many of which have been a bummer, but I guess if there’s a lining somewhere, it’s in the tomato season. This year’s tomatoes have been straight fire, and there’s still more to come. September is the harvest month for tomatoes around these parts; at least, that’s how…

Guys: I am so jazzed. A few weeks ago, Justin & I were on a walk when I spotted what I thought might be an Elderberry bush. It had big, bouncy umbrella-like clusters of pale green berries buried in these rich, green leaves. A few of the berries had even started to change color, but…

I almost can’t believe it myself, but this mushroom jerky is THE BOMB, YO’S! A little while back, I saw a recipe from three foragers about how to make jerky out of Hen-Of-The-Woods. I love Hen-Of-The-Woods, but it’s not quite season, and I’m not that good at finding it. I posted the recipe to a…

Through the pandemic, one of my nephews has caught fermenting fever and has inadvertently rekindled my counter-culture adventures. It has been great fun comparing notes! He calls this drink ginger beer, but I have always called it ginger ale; he might be right, though. According to “the googs,” ginger ale is just ginger syrup with…

This year I started a bunch of very old seeds from my stash, unsure if they would even sprout. The Old German tomato was one of them, but I think it was mislabeled as a Orange German Strawberry tomato, which I heard can happen. The Orange German Strawberry tomato is an oxheart, which traditionally have…

Let me start out by saying I’m in this awesome group that joyously trashes inauthentic Mexican food. I love it! I think this dish would be a good contender for the group, but I probably won’t submit it. From the group, I’ve learned so much about regional Mexican cooking and the United States’ obsession with…

I’m sure I’ve mentioned it in past posts, but it’s hot. I mean real hot. Additionally, it’s been that Covid hot that disallows visits to the beach, or anywhere, really, because people are such asshats you can’t go anywhere without them breathing all over you. Add to it a stomachache which can only be healed…

As is custom to this time of year, we are beginning to pickle just about everything. This time it’s the pepperoncini and mouse melons we grew at home. Most of the peppers we grow were started from seed right here at home, but not the pepperoncini. I suppose that’s why I’m already able to harvest…