Category: Columns

Recipes from a Mountain Garden By Alison Steele I adore simple syrups. Strawberry rhubarb, lemon balm, feijoa, and now quince are some of my favorites, adding sweet, tart, and herbal flavor celebrations to the palate in the form of food or drink! Easy and versatile, use them to sweeten lemonade and iced tea in the summer, hot herbal teas in… Read More

By Alison Steele Baking season has officially arrived, along with the first ripe figs in the garden. I have resisted most temptation to buy figs at the farmers market knowing that these two heirloom trees produce enough fruit for vinegars, jams, cakes, salads, teas, puddings, pizzas, and brandy for the coming winter.   Not only are they loaded with minerals and… Read More

By Greg Roe and Mike De Smidt There are a number of theories as to how humans first discovered fermented beverages, but one of the leading ones concerns mead, or honey wine. The theory goes something like this. Our hunter-gatherer forebears were out one day, harvested some honey from a tree, placed said honey in a vessel of some sort… Read More