The orchards in and around town are ripe with plump, juicy peaches and sweet raspberries. The kids and I spent a few mornings during the week picking and plucking fruit that beckoned to be used right away. My most favorite way to enjoy our hand-picked summer harvest is to nestle the sweet fruit in the belly of a giant, puffy Dutch Baby. Since every baby needs a name, let’s call this one a Dutch Baby with Peaches & Raspberries. For anyone unfamiliar with a Dutch Baby, I’m not referring to a sweet cherub-faced infant from the Netherlands, although that conjures up warm, comforting thoughts as well. This Dutch Baby is a…
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In my experience, people fall into one of two categories when it comes to garlic scapes, either they love them – or they don’t know what to do with them. Those in the latter category are certainly not alone, and understandably so. Garlic scapes are elusive, their time with us is brief. Unless you grow garlic yourself, or frequent a farmers’ market, chances are you’ve never seen them before. If you are fortunate to have access to these beautiful green tendrils, and don’t quite know what to do with them, read on!
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“She wanted only her own strawberry farm, the fragrance of the fields and the cedar trees, and to live simply in this place forever.” – David Guterson, Snow Falling on Cedars There’s something about standing in the middle of a field of strawberries. There, the air is different; heavy with a sweet sugary perfume that can only come from berries warmed long by the sun. It’s a simple pleasure to fill a basket with berries picked fresh off the vine. It’s equally as satisfying to take those sweet berries home and make homemade jam.
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Take your basic pan seared pork chops and turn up the volume! I call this Farm Market Pesto Pork Chops because almost all of the ingredients used are locally sourced, including the pork. Don’t skimp here, you’ll want to use bone-in pork chops – the bone provides incredible flavor. You’ll also want a handful of seasonal herbs from the garden or the farm market, like thyme, basil and oregano (or whatever you like). A few pantry staples like flour, onions, olives and red pepper flakes. And wine… because always wine. You’ll need a nice dry white – and we’ll cook with it, too. 😉
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Ultra creamy, made only with whole milk, heavy cream, vinegar and salt. If you’ve never made Homemade Ricotta Cheese before, you need to stop reading this right now and go to your refrigerator or your local market and grab whole milk, heavy cream, quality white wine vinegar, and a pinch of kosher salt. Snag some cheesecloth too, you can find that in the baking aisle. That’s all you’ll need. Come back when you have everything, I’ll wait right here…. Once you’ve made your own ricotta cheese, you’ll saunter by the imposters in the dairy aisle with a well-deserved swag. You will never want a supermarket brand again. Homemade ricotta cheese…
