making life delicious blog
I planted our first carrots two years ago. We have raised beds over heavy clay soil, so I opted for shorter Danvers half longs. Crop failure the first year, then finally last year we got some. Monkey Boy was so excited when he pulled them and realized that carrots really do grow underground. So our [...]
In 2011, we put in an asparagus bed, and for two springs we have patiently watched and tended, waiting for our first harvest. Last year we let the plants grow full and fern out, knowing this would be the year we would finally get to eat. The spears started popping last week, and I’ll say [...]
Is Sunday dinner/supper the most important meal of the week for your family? It was when I was growing up. I always looked forward to Mom’s pot roast, or fried chicken, or whatever special she had planned for the day. Sometimes Dad had to go to work, but I remember sitting down together as a [...]
While recovering from surgery in February, our friends and neighbors made wonderful meals for us, which is a very good thing because I wasn’t going anywhere far from the chair during that first week. My neighbor Dee Dee brought over a pot of sausage and lentil soup that my guys flipped over—yes, the boys went [...]
This year started off with a bang and hasn’t stopped yet. I had surgery in February and spent several weeks recovering with assistance from many. Friends made meals and helped with the kids, and our parents stayed with us for a few weeks helping with food, cleaning, and laundry. When times were tough, the love [...]
The end of strawberry season is always a bit sad for us. During the season we eat strawberries almost every day and the boys can’t get enough of those brilliant red berries, often sneaking some that I’ve set aside for desserts. I’ll find leafy green tops scattered around the kitchen counters and table like evidence [...]
When you think of local food in Northern Virginia, maple syrup isn’t the first thing to come to mind. Wine, beef, pork, a myriad of vegetables, and apples all fit in with the general notion of the things you’ll find here. If you are surprised to learn that there is a maple syrup producer in [...]
The caipirinha cocktail, a Brazilian concoction made with cachaça, was one of our favorites from last summer, and we planned to play around with the flavors a bit using different fruits. Strawberries were an obvious place to start, and we came up with this one that reminds me of a strawberry creamsicle. My friend Kristy [...]
We planted our first rhubarb plants five years ago, though it took a couple tries and several dead plants to get the magic formula for growing them sorted out. Our first plants were lost to flooding, and we finally figured out that we needed to move them to higher ground and put them in mounds [...]
There’s nothing like the first fresh strawberries of the season. That gorgeous bright red color is so inviting, promising a sweet and juicy delight. When I brought home a bucket of fresh-picked strawberries from Wegmeyer Farms, my boys could hardly keep their hands out of it, and after letting them snack on a few, I [...]
It's spring in the U.S. and the following foods may be in season in your area:
artichokes, fennel, fiddleheads, radishes, broccoli, rhubarb, kale, cresses, spinach, spring lettuces, chard, cabbages, chives, cilantro, collards, tatsoi, mustard greens, spring onions, asparagus, rosemary, wild garlic, ramps, strawberries, blueberries, cherries
Eat fresh seasonal produce to stay healthy and help your food budget.Learn more about seasonal and sustainable cooking at Sustainable Table - In the Kitchen.
