Tzatziki is one of those funny Greek words that’s hard to pronounce (tsah-ZEE-kee) but boy is it good to eat! Just the thought of Greece conjures images of lazy summer days, sun-kissed beaches, white-washed buildings with bright blue shutters and long afternoons in tavernas sipping glasses of retsina and dipping pita into big bowls of tzatziki. But if you can’t make it to the Greek Isles this summer, you […]
I’m always happy when baby artichokes are in season and I can I pick them fresh from the garden. But last month when I added all new soil and compost to the planter on my deck, my three-year-old artichoke plants went into shock and didn’t survive. So until later this summer, I must rely on Trader Joe’s or Farmer’s Market. Today I decided that if I had to use store-bought artichokes […]
I don’t know about you, but when I saw leafy veggies in the market like Swiss chard, collard greens and kale I never quite knew what to do with them. But all that changed last September when I went to Tuscookany, the best cooking school in Italy, and met my chef, Franco. Franco had us use Swiss chard in his famous minestrone soup, which with his permission, I’ll share in […]
I was just in the garden for the last of my winter harvests. The cabbages are ready to pick, but since I’m late for a St. Patrick’s Day boiled dinner, I’ll braise them instead. Even non cabbage lovers love it cooked like this. I’m always battling snails, especially with the cruciferous family. I’ve tried everything. My latest attempt to win that war was to line my raised beds with copper tape. […]
Winter is a great time for beets. And they’re really easy to grow. Just throw the seeds into good soil that you’ve worked with lots of compost and wait and wait and wait. They do take months to grow. Once you see their little tops peaking out of the ground, thin them, otherwise you’ll have long skinny beets that look more like skinny carrots. (I already made that mistake). You’ll […]