Our bees are really, really angry and who could blame them. Today, we took away from them their whole summer’s work, so we could enjoy the fruits of their labor — honey. The late, hard frost in April damaged our bees because they could not feast on their favorite food: cherries, apples, and other beautiful […]

Today we dug up our potatoes. Cut a freshly-dug potato and they crackle and snap like a crisp apple. The taste of a fresh potato will spoil your taste buds against the commercial potatoes held in storage for months. Fresh potatoes, boiled until tender, are so creamy they hardly need butter, but, of course, I […]

Fresh basil (locally grown) is now available at Kitchen Conservatory. Come by and pick up a bouquet for $2, since there is no such thing as too much basil. Even if you don’t use it in cooking, the sweet aroma of basil makes a lovely centerpiece. Or use the basil in this salad to remember […]

Cast iron is very versatile in cooking and no kitchen is complete without a cast-iron skillet and dutch oven. The pans can be heated to high temperatures (perfect for searing); they can hold low temperatures for a long time (perfect for stews); they can maintain a temperature very well (perfect for deep-frying); well-seasoned pans are […]

People who are passionate about food, often called foodies, are a thrill to meet. Today, I was fortunate to meet Justin Rashid, the founder of American Spoon, who produces a stunning variety of fruit-based condiments. He took us on a tour of his production facility in Petoskey, Michigan. American Spoon uses all kinds of fruits […]

How to get the freshest fish? Go fishing. I fished last night in Lake Michigan at sunset. The water was calm and the full moon rose as the sun was setting in the opposite sky. The first fish we caught were lake trout, which we will bake on cedar planks and serve with new potatoes […]

potato gaufrettes

Every June, my aunt calls to alert me that the gooseberries on her 40-year-old bush are ripe. I rushed over to pick several pounds, because I cannot get them anywhere else and gooseberry pie is delicious. Gooseberries are a rare fruit, but worth seeking because of their tart lemony taste. They are rare because for […]

According to French tradition, each vegetable in ratatouille is cooked in separate pans in order to achieve the correct doneness. This technique is great for the cook, but awful for the pot-washer. If the vegetables are added in order of cooking time, the results are just the same. Eggplant is the one exception and must […]

pancetta wrapped scallops with lime caper butter