Category Archives: cooking

Pea Pod Broth

Posted on July 11, 2013 by diary of a tomato

So much of cooking, especially preserving, is born of necessity. It’s always disturbed me that we didn’t use the pods left from shelling peas. Their skins dense with pea flavor, it seemed a wasted opportunity to just chuck them in … Continue reading →

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Red, White and Blue Potato Salad with Peas

Posted on July 4, 2013 by diary of a tomato

New potatoes are popping up at the farmers’ market, with these red, white and blue ones arriving just in time for an Independence Day picnic. Steam them in their jackets, let cool, and toss with a cupful of freshly shelled … Continue reading →

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Barley Scones with Rhubarb-Ginger Jam

Posted on June 28, 2013 by diary of a tomato

I’m a terrible shopper when traveling. Fortunately, the Gardener is not. Other husbands may bring home gifts of meat. Much like the Will Ferrell character in the movie Stranger than Fiction, mine brings me flours. There was buckwheat flour from a … Continue reading →

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Cooking with Spring Roots: Kohlrabi, Turnips and Radishes

Posted on June 14, 2013 by diary of a tomato

At the moment, local farmers’ markets are overflowing with greens, and the spring roots appearing alongside, or even attached, complement them well. At their simplest, radishes, small turnips and kohlrabi add color, flavor and texture to tender salad greens. Some recent … Continue reading →

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Agretti Spaghetti with Spring Onions and Lemon

Posted on May 31, 2013 by diary of a tomato

Nothing excites a cook more than discovering a new tool, a new technique, or, in this particular case, a new ingredient. We came across agretti, an Italian specialty green, last season through Seeds from Italy, and vowed to give this … Continue reading →

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Mastering Food Preservation: Ball’s BPA-Free Canning Lids

Posted on May 22, 2013 by diary of a tomato

We’ve long been concerned about BPA in canning lids, and just received a tip from an alert reader that Ball is now offering BPA-free lids: They began production/release of their BPA-free lids in January 2013. To identify a BPA-free box … Continue reading →

Posted in cooking, preserving | Tagged , | 57 Comments

Pasta with Spring Greens and Fresh Cheese

Posted on May 10, 2013 by diary of a tomato

Though the season’s first harvest of asparagus yielded but a handful, it was enough to finally welcome spring to our table with a glorious green pasta primavera. We make some version of this as the selection of spring vegetables ebbs … Continue reading →

Posted in cooking | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments