Mixed Greens Blog

Roasted Garlic Bliss . . . or Beast

For me it’s bliss and our garden has just produced a healthy harvest of Duganski & Oregon Blue. It was touch and go there for a while, but it’s back and we’re thinking garlic feast. Some might say beast.

Turn the page if you have an aversion to garlic. One of my friends does and when [...]

Make Some Gribiche, Capiche?

No need to do much fancy cooking with all the tender vegetables available at the farmers market now. I’m pretty content just steaming, roasting or tossing everything into a raw salad but as the season moves on, it’s nice to have a few simple sauces in your bag of tricks, especially as we get into [...]

Tame Some Nettles: Make Pesto

Last weekend on Orcas Island, just as I was settling in by the wood stove after a long hike for what I thought was cocktail hour, my brother suggested we all go out to gather some nettles for dinner. Couldn’t pass that up so it was back on with my boots, grabbed my camera and [...]

So Sorrel-y

Bright green arrow-shaped sorrel leaves have been up and waving in the breeze for over a month now, along with rhubarb (its cousin), one of the earliest spring edibles. It’s an herb, but because it’s broad leafed like a small lettuce I think of it more as actual food. Like most herbs, it packs a [...]

The Darker Side of Chocolate

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, we’re all thinking about the sweetness of relationships but it takes a little more effort to delve into the deeper, more complex aspects of love. Similarly, chocolate’s savory side isn’t usually sought after or easily understood. Just try adding a little unsweetened cocoa powder to a dish for [...]

Regional Character in a Dungeness Crabcake

If there was a throwdown for a dish that best characterizes our state, culinarily speaking, crabcakes, along with salmon and something-apple, would be primary contenders. What other dishes would be nominated?
People would gather around, supporting their favorite and Tom Douglas would be there for sure, rooting for the crabcakes. Or maybe not. He of [...]

Roasted Tomato Sauce, A Walk in the Park

In the day or two before leaving on vacation I’m running around like crazy, and really, I wouldn’t mind a walk in the park. I’ll be in *Desolation Sound, maybe kayaking, maybe swimming or tide pooling as this post is published, but in the meantime I have all these tomatoes on the vine that [...]

Peachy Mornings on the Horizon

. . . thanks to Billy.

In the pouring rain we dashed in and out of our farmers market the other morning with solid intention to buy only what we needed for dill pickle making – cukes, garlic and fresh dill. We accomplished that, plus some cauliflower, at Whistling Train Farm where Shelley had it [...]

‘Tis the Season for Roasted Cranberry Sauce

Slice peel into very thin strips about 1½ inches in length and place in a large bowl with 2 cups of fresh cranberries, the juice of one orange (set 1 tablespoon aside for later), 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves, 4 cardamom seeds smashed, 1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. … tname=foodspice&dbid=145 The World’s Healthiest Foods: A cousin of the blueberry, this very tart, bright red berry can still be found growing wild as a shrub, but when cultivated, is grown on low trailing vines in great sandy bogs.