Category Archives: Herbs

Dec 3 2011

Making Stock, Taking Stock

Mug of vegetable stock

There are so many factors to consider along the road to restoring health. I’ve long been a proponent of the “let food be thy medicine” philosophy, but sorting out the myriad of theories and philosophies is a big job. Reading and hearing so much—sometimes conflicting—can lead to doing nothing, simply because the right path isn’t clear.

That’s just the time to go back to basics, take stock, and listen to what our bodies tell us. For me, sticking to some basic principles, like eating organic foods, in season, is important. Eating less meat, and leaning heavily toward a plant-based diet just feels right. I try to listen to what my body tells me about my food choices, and it tells me a lot. Continue reading →

Nov 9 2010

Roasted Fall Vegetable Soup

Roasted Fall Vegetable Soup

In my small city, good restaurants are few and far between. When one comes along that serves creatively prepared food with seasonal ingredients (local is even better), many of us respond by supporting it wholeheartedly. Even so, I’ve watched more than a few good ones come and go. Sadly, the chain restaurants remain and even proliferate.

A few years ago, one such restaurant graced downtown Concord, New Hampshire. The atmosphere was hip; the food was delicious. Served on small plates, it was fun to try several unusual dishes, to share food and wine and to stretch outside of our daily food routines. This restaurant lasted a couple of years before disappearing, leaving area foodies with one less option.

It was there that I tasted a sublimely simple soup, thick and creamy, made from roasted root vegetables. Continue reading →

Oct 24 2010

Putting the Garden to Bed and Expectations to Rest

Last Harvest of Carrots

The work of putting my garden to bed this year has been less than efficient. I’ve plugged away at it, in fits and starts, focusing first on the tasks that simply had to get done before snow flies. Which, by the way, has (technically) already happened.

Gardening, for me, is all about adjusting my expectations as I go along. Prioritizing.

In the springtime, my dreams are spectacular—health and vitality, variety, neat and tidy—my garden has it all. A couple of months later, by late June, I’m running to keep up with dividing perennials, transplanting, thinning, composting, mulching and, yes, the weeding. Always the weeding. Continue reading →

Oct 3 2010

Drinking the Green Smoothie Cool-Aid

Photo of blender with fruit

Was I motivated by the prospect of  having an easy way to have green vegetables for breakfast? Or, was it the promise improving my health through better nutrition? Was it all the compelling information I’d been reading about the benefits of eating raw food? The prospect of using my bountiful supply of green vegetables and frozen berries in a new and endlessly creative way? The fun of drinking the green smoothie cool-aid I’d been hearing such a buzz about?

All of those things, and more, nudged me to purchase a high-speed blender. Continue reading →

Aug 23 2010

Grilled Tomato and Corn Soup

I enjoyed an unusual and delicious soup Saturday night at Claire’s Restaurant and Bar in Hardwick, Vermont, while visiting the Northeast Kingdom for Kingdom Farm and Food Days. Claire’s is famous for its creative cuisine, prepared from mostly local, farm-fresh food. The Grilled Tomato and Corn Soup was so delicious, and so seasonal, that I had to try to recreate it while the memory was fresh and corn and tomatoes abundant.

Claire's Restaurant

With only the name and my memory to go on, recreating it was a tall order. Having a deceptively simple name, the soup I enjoyed was puzzling in its complexity. It was brownish red in color, roughly pureed and served topped with crispy sage. Slightly smoky in flavor, it had lots of black flecks throughout and spices I couldn’t identify. Continue reading →

Aug 18 2010

Healing Red Clover and Lavender Skin Salve

Photo of Red Clover Drying

A month or so ago, when my lavender was blooming like crazy, I cut and dried several bunches. At the time, I thought only about its beautiful scent and color. Preserving it for some yet to be defined use was all that was important, a way of holding onto its beauty a little longer.

Inspiration didn’t take long to follow. On vacation in Vermont, at times I felt surrounded by red clover, healthier and brighter than I ever remember seeing closer to home. I looked it up in an herbal reference I’d packed along, and learned that red clover, as well as lavender, are healing for skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. A natural skin treatment (that also smells heavenly) was certainly worth a try. Picking red clover here and there on walks around Craftsbury, and drying it on a warm window sill, was yet another fun vacation activity.

Continue reading →

Aug 6 2010

The Perfect Farmstand

Pete's Greens

For two weeks, I’ve been shopping at the perfect farmstand. Yes, that’s a strong statement. Farmstands are as varied as farms, farmers, farmers markets and the countryside where we find them. So many interesting ones; so many that are just right the way they are. Even so, I’m convinced this one is the perfect one.

In the end, it’s about the produce and products a farmstand sells. A farmstand is nothing without quality and, ideally, a little variety. But, there’s so much more.

Continue reading →

Aug 5 2010

Seeds of Winter Gardening Dreams

High Mowing Seeds Sunflowers

Did you ever wonder where new vegetable, flower and herb varieties come from in this modern time?

Not so long ago, gardeners and farmers would dabble in crossing their favorite varieties (as did the radiator repairman who created the Mortgage Lifter heirloom tomato), hoping for something bigger, stronger and better. Eventually, they’d name their new variety and share it or, if they were lucky, sell it. If they were really lucky, they’d make enough to pay off their mortgage.

Some still do that, of course. But these days, most of us rely on seed catalogs and nurseries, and it’s easy to forget what plant breeding is all about. Seed companies, of course, are always looking for new varieties to tempt us (away from seeds we might have saved this year?) or just better performing varieties, especially here in the northeast.

Continue reading →