Category: Food & Drink

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

By Alison Steele Moving into fall with afternoon warmth still lingering, the magic of Okra Stew is captured entirely on the stovetop. Layering the flavors of the garden in one pot along with poultry or pork, and ladling it over a steaming bowl of rice is what I think of as comfort food. I’ve chosen to celebrate the vegetables in… Read More

By Alison Steele Returning to our mountain garden after two months away is quite magical. Pumpkins hang from the vine, towering sunflowers guard entranceways, ripe tomatoes and peppers peek out from under the weeds. There are, however, always a few casualties. Our peach tree had split straight down the middle despite my efforts to twist off what seemed like a… Read More

By Greg Roe and Mike De Smidt Oktoberfest. It’s one of the first things many of us think of when we think of Germany. However, it’s not so much a German thing, but a Bavarian thing; Bavaria being the largest of Germany’s sixteen states and situated in the southeastern part of the country. Contrary to what many think, Oktoberfest actually… Read More