Ripening garden tomatoes.
Our long, hot summer here in the Ohio Valley continued well into November. In advance of a cold night last week that was forecast to bring a killing frost, I raided the tomato patch in the …
Category: Recipes
A Midwest version of shrimp and fried green tomatoes.
We tend to think of fried green tomatoes as a Southern food, but they’re not exclusively so. In fact, for gardeners like us here in the Midwest, this is a tasty way to use up those …
Fall cut-out cookies.
My colleague Grace has mad baking skills and comes from an impressive line of bakers. So when we finally got a dose of baking weather recently (it’s been a long, hot summer well into October), she …
Better than store-bought: Growing your own garlic.
A handwritten sign at the Hazelfield Farm stand at the farmer’s market read, “Garlic, for cooking or planting.” I’ve quickly come to realize the benefits of cooking with local garlic—the cloves are intensely flavorful without being …
Review: the Side Porch Cafe.
Calling the Side Porch Café a little neighborhood spot underrepresents both its size and its location. Tucked into a residential corner in Cincinnati’s Mount Lookout Neighborhood, it looks less like a commercial building (there’s no sign) …
Endive, apple and walnut salad.
I carry a small Moleskine notebook with me, into which I scribble ideas and inspirations for recipes to try at home. Years ago, Rob and I were enjoying dinner at Jean-Robert’s Bistro in Cincinnati (now just …
Essential garden tool: the planting stick.
As an eager gardener who’s always learning what works and what doesn’t, I’m excited when I discover what works. And this works: a planting stick. Of all the tools in my garden bench and in the …
Fresh laundry.
I’m keen on the growing trend of what I’ll call Urban Ruralism—keeping a small garden, old-school crafts like knitting and sewing, canning and preserving (which is suddenly SUCH the thing). It’s funny: with the exception of …
Better than store-bought: How to make homemade butter.
Rob and I use milk from a dairy that’s about an hour southeast of Cincinnati. We first discovered Snowville Creamery at one of the Findlay Market shops, and now it’s widely available in grocery stores here. …
