The season of the witch
The weather people say we are in for high winds this week from a nasty hurricane that has already flooded parts of the country next door. The wildfires on the other side of the continent are causing our sunrises to glow like a sunburned bum, and we are still in the middle (maybe early stages?) of a pandemic.
Read MorePlan for tomorrow
The days just keep getting busier. With that in mind, we have a couple make-ahead salads and a grilled steak dish to start earlier in the day, or even the previous day, and grill for minutes when you are ready to eat. You could double, triple, or more the amount of meat, and easily swap out pork, lamb, goat, chicken, or turkey for the beef.
Read MoreEat local, eat fresh
It’s time for salads and fresh vegetables. All things fresh, easy, and tasty from gardens, fields, and trees. We have tried to choose recipes to make things easy for you on these hot busy days. Summer is a time for vacation for some people, but for many of us, especially those who live and make their living in rural areas, there are never enough hours in the day. Take time to breathe, try to dip your toes in cool water.
Read MoreSummertime and the livin’ . . .
We are officially allowed beyond our own yards: to the beach, for backyard fire pit marshmallows with our significant bubble family, to madly cram every parking lot in the nearest town. Well, that may not be exactly the intention of the loosened rules, but it seems to be the interpretation of the masses that gathered in the closest towns.
Eating well is the best revenge
It’s difficult to pick up a newspaper, turn on a radio, or try to numb our frazzled brains with a computer or television these days without wanting to run screaming for the hills. But lest we try that and are handed a $1,000 fine, most of us stay home and bide our time in other ways.
The joys of April
Well, April brings a few warm and sunny days, that’s about the best I can think of. April starts to get us busy with outdoor work, but not driven to the ground busy. And there is Easter, with ham and all the goodness. We are lucky to have a local market that sells real smoked hams around holidays, and they are happy to cut a large ham so we can have a 10 to 12 pound half.
A chink in the wall of winter
March is a month of hope. The odd warm and sunny day fools us into thinking spring will soon be here, with soft breezes, Mayflowers, and lots of tiny plants popping through the soil in gardens and by the wayside. But no, it’s just setting us up for the disappointment that is April.
Read MoreSpring is (not) in the air
The seeds I pulled out to start for early greens – think Christmas dinner – are still on the kitchen counter. Maybe this week, maybe tomorrow if the weather forecast is correct. Better to ask the Magic 8 Ball, or as the new ones are called, the Mystic 8 Ball, than to spend time listening to weather predictions on radio.
And another thing . . .
There is so much to do in December. Making sure the car is ready for winter; getting as much wood undercover as will fit; pulling out winter jackets, hats, socks, and boots; winterizing the greenhouse; putting up storm windows; hanging heavy curtains; banking the house. Oh, and Christmas. Most of my Christmas preparations involve food.
Read MoreNovember is the penultimate month
And many of us are starting to feel the pressure. But today the sun is shining, there are lots of red berries on the west side of my multiflora rose bush (the last big wind hit it hard from the East) for the birds to enjoy, and there are bees humming in the oregano. All is well in our small part of the world. What we have lost in autumn colour outside, we can make up in our kitchens. We have some bright-tasting and beautiful recipes using fresh harvest products for you to enjoy.
Read MoreSomething to be thankful for
The first hurricane of the season roared through almost a week ago, and I’m now on my seventh evening working by candlelight and a small rechargeable light– tonight on a computer powered by a generator. No power, no water, no internet.
Read MoreI love pickles …
a bushel and a peck
It’s time for pickles, and a couple long-time contributors to RD have stepped up with several recipes each for this issue. Notably, most of our recipes come from Nova Scotia this month. Are we the holdouts for homemade pickles?
Read MoreHide from the heat
We have a few fast and delicious foods for this issue, and this sudden heat. First off, an easy and wonderful pasta from filmmaker Aube Giroux, who lives in Nova Scotia, and who has had more than a passing interest in food for her entire life. She has a video blog, Kitchen Vignettes, now a series on PBS Food, from which we are sharing this recipe for Nettle Fettuccine. Go to page 35 to read Emily Leeson’s article about Giroux and her full-length documentary, Modified, exploring GMOs.
Read MoreSummer meal mode
It’s June and meals need to be easy, with not too much cleanup involved. These recipes fit the bill. Tasty, nutritious, and not time consuming. There are so many fresh vegetables at the farmers’ markets that sometimes it’s hard to choose. Try an old favourite and switch it up with something new to you and your family. It’s hard to be disappointed when there is such a variety available.
Read MoreEverything is springing back
Everything is greening fast. Soon time to mow the grass. Maybe over time, we have already picked up a few ticks in our yard. I’m old school. I want a quick fix and would like to burn the tall dried growth in my backdoor yard, mostly oregano. Today, so it will flush green with tomorrow’s predicted rain. But I won’t. I will wait and scythe it, or at least pound it down with the scythe blade until the new plants grow up through it.
Read MoreBeat back on April
At my house it’s been a couple weeks of purging and cleaning, getting ready for spring. The purging includes cookbooks, and I am incapable of sorting any pile of books without at least a little time checking each one. As a result, many of our recipes this month come from my own collection. This issue will be my resource for some of them in the future.
Read MoreMarch on to good eating
March winds are working their way up the coast, and it’s still (late) February. That’s okay. Bits of green are showing in the yard. The daylight hours are longer. It’s a good time to find a little extra comfort in some old-style food. Our thanks to Myrtle Conrad for suggesting the symbiosis of brown bread, beans, and fish.
Read MoreDress, and eat, for the weather
So far today we have had snow, rain, sleet, gale force winds, and a thunder and lightning storm. And we are just finished lunch. Seems more like April than mid-January. Nevertheless, we have a wood stove popping along and fresh brownies and a pot of good coffee at hand. And this great selection of hearty food to share.
Bake your way through December
It’s a cold, windy, snowy, rainy day. All the little ones are making snowmen and asking if it’s time to get a Christmas tree. I do concede it’s a good day to start baking. I’m not in any kind of holiday spirit; I just hope it might warm up the house. And therefore we have mostly baked yummy recipes this month. The one exception is this salad using fresh local produce from the farmers’ market and a dressing I want to add to everything.
Moving into cold mode
Our recipes this month are an assortment of sweet, savoury, and wholesome, all using late season produce. No soup, but some nuts, and a lot in between. Now is the time to send holiday recipes, or notes on your unusual holiday tradition – food, decorations, gifts. Take time to smell the crisp, cool air. And wear your hunter orange.
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