Editor’s Note: I’m pleased to say that “we” (Becky) are ON TOP of Halloween early this year. Last year Alexis, Amanda, Leslie, Sarah & I wrote on the theme “Indulgence” whether that be reflections or recipes. This year I’m happy to report that Becky has done ALL the work for the 11 of us. Starting…
Tag: Recipes
{Hot Sauce} putting peppers to good use
I have a lifelong history of love and hate with peppers. I think they are visually stunning and as a printmaking major in college I often used them as subject-matter. I love the human-like gestures inferred from their twists and turns. They look beautiful to me, but sadly, when it comes to eating peppers I’m…
{No-Crust} apple pie
I’ve finally found the perfect apple pie recipe. It’s perfect because you don’t have to make a crust. That’s right, all of the glory and none of the pain. In a small kitchen, even a simple pie crust is typically out of the question. Really anything that requires rolling out dough usually gets vetoed. So…
{DIY Apple Cider} from Tree to Tummy
Our old farm has a fun history. From the reseach I’ve been conducting on the property, here’s what I’ve found: The original farm was started by the Gaige family pre-Revolutionary War (the Gaige family can be traced to our area since the 1730s). The house across the street was built in the early 1800s by…
{Hello} I’m Heather
EDITOR’S NOTE: Well, we’ve done it again…we’ve sucked another dynamic woman into the From Scratch Club vortex. Ha! We all met Heather at the very first {public} Saratoga Food Swap back in June and since then we’ve all been smitten. Heather is a quiet force, one that walks & talks with intention. (I wish to…
Climbing {and Making} Mountains
{A View from Hadley Mountain, Summer 2010 Photo by Christina} Some days, life feels like I’m climbing a forty-five degree mountain in our ‘78 Volkswagon Westy, whose maximum level speed is about 65 mph. Every mile requires more effort coaxed from my engine as my tread hugs the road of human highway, urging me forward…slowly,…
{community sharecropping} September is for Eggplants
September is the biggest harvest month in the community share-cropping gardens. That means that we have to do something with the perishable stuff we grew all summer. While I think zucchini make excellent compost, I want to use each and every eggplant, no matter how small. I have spent years convincing my husband that we…
{locavore challenge} Roasted Root Vegetable Tart
Sure I’m still harvesting (an enjoying) tomatoes from my garden, and I’m still making pickles from the cucumbers I pick every day. But the weather is crisping up around here and it’s time for some comfort food. To me that means it’s time to make my infamous Roasted Root Vegetable Tart. I’ve been making this…
{gluten free, dairy free} Tomato-Basil Jam and Cornbread Muffins
Recently I found myself with a box of tomatoes {Farmer Jon’s Produce, Selkirk, NY}, a desire to process them, but no real plan of attack. I flipped through the pages of the “Better Homes & Gardens: Canning” issue, and landed on their Tomato-Basil Jam recipe. I wondered how, exactly, could: tomato+basil = the sweet awesomeness…
{locavore challenge} veggie fajitas
The weather here in New York is surely and swiftly turning more autumn-like every day; cooler nights and crisper mornings have me frantically clinging to summer produce and laid-back dinners. This vegetable fajita recipe requires just a little bit of planning to let your local vegetables marinate and then comes together quickly as a one-skillet…
{In a Pickle} the asthetic charm of eggs pickled with beets.
I can’t remember where I first saw eggs pickled with beets, but I do recall being struck by the beautiful contrast of the complimentary yellow and purple. I had made pickled beets before (not knowing what else to do with them) which lead me to discover that I like just about anything pickled. I know…
{Remembering Attica} The Loaf
Even though I write for a food blog, my real passion is prisons. I worked as a prisoners’ rights attorney for the last seven years. Before becoming a lawyer, I was an academic administrator and teacher in a prison college program at a men’s maximum-security prison. Most recently I spent a lot of time hanging…
{locavore challenge} Perfect Timing
As you probably know, NOFA-NY is doing a Locavore Challenge this month and we’re the official blog sponsors! I was really looking forward to this but the last week in August got more hectic than I anticipated and so I had shoved it to the back of my mind. I’ve already been eating close to…
{SALSA} making good use of fresh summer veggies
Did you know I lived in Mexico for a while? Well I did. It was a phenomenal time, and I wish I could have stayed longer. When I was there I learned a lot about real Mexican cuisine, especially specific to the region where I resided. Foods I learned and now love and crave include pozole (corn…
{Fresh from the Garden} Summer Rolls with Cucumber Dipping Sauce
For all of my adult life, I’ve been a big fan of Asian rolls. I didn’t grow up in the most food-savvy town and it’s nice to look back and see how my experiences and my taste buds changed as I traveled and moved farther away from home. At first I only knew about egg…
