From the monthly archives:
After reading Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I became enamored with the idea of giving up city life to go start my own farm. The vision of plucking stone fruit from sprawling orchards and tossing corn to organic chickens seemed all too enchanting – at least the way Kingsolver dreamily described it in her real-life [...]
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I’m a HUGE breakfast person, but I am more of an oatmeal or eggs kind of gal and rarely venture into the pancake realm – mainly because it takes more effort to make them. Also, pancakes usually feel dense and heavy to me, which is not the way I want to start my morning. But I [...]
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It looks like swine flu isn’t the only epidemic sweeping the country this Fall…there’s a shortage of pumpkins! According to Saveur, many farmers are nervous that their pumpkin crops won’t be ripe in time for Fall festivities because foul weather and diseases damaged their seedlings.
For somebody who delights in all things pumpkin (pumpkin pie, pumpkin [...]
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The marriage of two of my favorite fall treats – chili and pumpkin – makes for a hearty and healthy meal. Pumpkins pack a lot of nutrients, including vitamin A and potassium, and the beans contribute low-fat protein. Top a bowl with grated cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and chopped cilantro and you’ve got [...]
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The arrival of the holiday season officially begins in my house when I pull my pumpkin-spiced candle out of storage and begin receiving sugar pie pumpkins in my CSA box. Both of which happened this week. Sugar pie pumpkins are the sweeter, more dainty version of the jack-o-lantern variety (field pumpkin) and are the best [...]
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Butternut squash are like the pineapples of winter; they are tasty and satisfying, but require some serious arm work to prepare! The first time I tried to dice one of these beasts for a risotto recipe left me wondering if all the work would pay off. But I can tell you, butternut squash is worth the [...]
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If you’ve ever wondered what the term “genetically engineered food” really means and are unsure how much of what you eat actually falls under that label, check out Civil Eats’ latest installment of Kitchen Table Talks tonight. Listen to UC Berkeley Microbial Ecologist Ignacio Chapela and Center for Food Safety attorney Zelig Golden as [...]
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In celebration of our blog’s public debut and to kick off this week’s Halloween inspired posts, Jillian and I threw a pumpkin party this weekend. Similar to a holiday cookie exchange or a pre-Thanksgiving dinner with friends, a pumpkin party is a great excuse to get close friends together for indulgent eating and good gossiping. [...]
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This past weekend my little sister was in town, so we headed across the bridge to check out some of Berkeley’s shopping gems and stop for a much overdue visit to The Cheeseboard Collective. I have heard about this place from countless friends who know of my obsessive love of thin crust pizza but I [...]
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Imagine my surprise when I discovered bright red and yellow gypsy peppers tucked beneath the sugar pie pumpkin and golden beets in my CSA box this week. I thought for sure I’d seen the last of summer’s harvest, but alas California’s Indian summer is still delivering!
Normally, gypsy peppers are so deliciously sweet and crisp that [...]
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