Do you grow chives? If you have a bit of garden, chives are one of the easiest herbs to grow, and one of the first to come up in the spring. In my garden plot, I’ll see them first appear in early May, Just about the time I’m longing for something fresh and green, I
Now that cool weather has arrived, it’s time to work on apples. Local orchards have bushels of fruit begging for my attention. I put up applesauce every year: it stores well, can be used in lots of ways, and is surprisingly easy. I like to use a variety of sweet and
If you cook for vegetarians, you will need vegetable stock on hand: so many dishes are improved by substituting stock for water. It’s hard to find the good stuff at the grocery store, so make your own at home. Let’s talk about pressure canning vegetable stock. Late summer or early autumn are
I’ve been meaning to write about making ratatouille for a few weeks now. I don’t mean the beautiful baked version from the cartoon movie – wonderful though that is, it’s not the one I make every year, late in tomato season, when all the ingredients are ready fresh from the
In this, the last of my three-part series on What To Do With A Chicken, I’ll talk about the process of preserving the stock. You did make chicken stock, right? Once you have made the stock, and skimmed it of fat, you’ll want to keep that golden treasure. When I
Let me just say this: I miss New England, especially the chowder! Local prices for ocean fish are sky-high: only to be expected in Michigan, but a problem for a frugal cook. Bottled clam juice just doesn’t have the flavor of a great fish-based stock. When my local fishmonger told me he was
When you need to freeze berries, do it quickly! Acting on a hint from Alton Brown on how to freeze strawberries with dry ice, I started with my berries and (of course) dry ice. You’ll need the ice (a local grocery store will often stock this), a big pot or clean
Canning alert: changes for lids!! I first learned about this by reading Theresa Loe’s blog at livinghomegrown.com: the Jarden Company, who make lids for Ball canning jars, advise new procedures for using canning lids. It has to do with the red gasket on the inside of the lid. As of 2013, lids are made without BPA and are labeled
In the summer, freeze fresh herbs in oil for use all winter long. This technique works well with rosemary, thyme, parsley, cilantro, or any of the tender leafy herbs. Don’t bother to use your best extra-virgin olive oil here: plain, mild olive oil works best. Basil cubes are shown in the photo,
Inspired by Marisa at Food in Jars I took the last little pint of black raspberries and made a syrup. Color me happy with a homemade spritzer: a big spoonful of the syrup in a glass, topped off with cold sparkling water. recipe adapted from Food in Jars inspiration 1 pint
Wow, that flat of berries didn’t last long! We used the first half flat (4 quarts) the first day, what with our traditional Strawberry Night and one batch of strawberry jam. The rest waited in the refrigerator to be gobbled. We had berries in one form or other every day …
I’m Maurita Plouff, and I write about cooking and preserving the local harvest in Southeast Michigan. Any recipe you find here is something I have cooked myself, and enjoyed, and think you might like too. I invite you to try the recipes, and leave comments.
