Archive for October, 2008
At the Locabar: The Beet Goes On
Today is Halloween — time to hit the Locabar and concoct a ghoulish cocktail. A friend once told me about a movie idea of hers. A woman would be shown washing what looked like blood from her hands while clutching a very sharp knife. As the camera zoomed in, you would find out that she [...]
Rutabaga Groove
You gotta love a food that sounds like a dance, a raunchy one at that. Actually, rutabagas are pretty tame, like a potato, and they have a culinary vocabulary in common: gratins, purees and soup.
Rutabagas are in season, a reason to celebrate for those who eagerly await their return each fall. [...]
Cook Up Some Collard Greens
Being the resident Southerner, I feel compelled to talk about collards. I don’t remember having them at home but in the school cafeteria I can still picture those huge pots filled with “a mess o’ greens” served with a cruet of vinegar on the side. Turnip greens, collards, mustard greens all in a soggy heap [...]
Pumpkin Pie from Scratch
Every fall my husband, who’s a decent cook and an excellent bread baker, launches into his one dessert specialty, pumpkin pie from scratch. 
Pies made from a can of Libby’s are so good it’s hard to imagine the effort being worth it. … For years he made the pies using the recipe on the back of the Libby’s can, but with his own freshly roasted pumpkin; he tried Macrina Bakery’s recipe for Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pie which is a winner.
PC Fast Food @ Burgerville
The concepts of political correctness and a cheeseboiga don’t seem compatible. Oxymoronish maybe. But then there’s Burgerville, a fast food joint with sustainability at its heart. Go figure. If you’re traveling the I-5 corridor between Centralia, Washington and Albany, Oregon (also east on I-84) you can treat yourself to fast food that’s appropriately [...]
Roasted Garlic Soup + Chantrelles
When I was a young mother, I was always amazed at how easily I became connected with a community of other parents with children. No matter where we were, if there were other kids there, I felt connected, even if it were only by a smile of recognition. Now I’m finding food can provide the [...]
Full of Beans, Fresh & Seasonal Shelling Beans
Shelling beans are available right now at farmers markets. You may have noticed them, beautifully mottled and colorful with long leathery pods. Last year I bought fresh beans already shelled. This year I bought three pounds of Stregonta, with a few other varieties mixed in, from Shelley at Whistling Train Farm and removed the [...]
Fresh Shellfish and Yoga
And the connection is?? Orcas Island, of course. A perfect place to spend a quintessential fall weekend partaking in all the local specialties. We heard that Buck Bay Shellfish Farm was open for business and decided to take an excursion to one of my favorite parts of the island — Olga. Just around the bend [...]
A Green Recession?
Can our bad economy have a silver lining? One way to look at it is that we may end up with a cleaner environment and a healthier population despite ourselves. The recent spike in the price of gas reportedly had an effect on our driving habits. Many people have considered and are using alternatives to [...]
Will a Farmer in Chief Plant Veggies in the Rose Garden?
I wish. While apples are baking in the oven read Michael Pollan’s article from Sunday’s New York Times. I’ll say right up front that it’s long, nine pages, but it’s a doozy, an open letter to the next president, the next Farmer in Chief. Maybe you’ll just read part of it, or skim quickly [...]
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