Quick Summary: A collection of tomato recipes from 20+ years of growing heirlooms at HeathGlen Organic Farm. From fresh summer salads to preserved sauces for winter, these recipes make the […]
Tomato Recipe Collection: Fresh, Cooked and Canned (Heirloom Tomato Options) Read Post »
Quick Summary: The short answer is that “low acid tomatoes” as marketed by seed companies are largely a myth. All tomatoes fall within a narrow pH range (4.1 to 4.7),
Low Acid Tomatoes? What the Research Actually Says Read Post »
Quick Summary: The best-tasting tomatoes come from healthy plants grown in good sun, watered generously while developing and then tapered off as fruit ripens, and harvested at the breaker stage.
Growing Tomatoes for Best Flavor: A Comprehensive Guide Read Post »
Quick Summary: Heirloom tomatoes aren’t necessarily harder to grow than hybrids, but they have characteristics that make them different to manage. The main challenges are disease susceptibility and shorter shelf
Are Heirloom Tomatoes Hard to Grow? Heirloom Varieties vs Hybrid Tomatoes Read Post »
Quick Summary: Recent studies show that plastic and nylon tea bags can release billions of microplastic particles into a single cup of tea. Even some paper tea bags contain plastic
Microplastics in Tea Bags: What the Research Shows and Why Loose Leaf Is Safer Read Post »
Quick Summary: Fruit cobbler with cream biscuit topping (no eggs, no buttermilk required). Recipe is for peach and blueberry cobbler but any fruit will work. Biscuits are enhanced with cardamom,
Southern Cream Biscuits for Fruit Cobblers Read Post »
Quick Summary: A collection of tested blueberry recipes from a Minnesota farmer who’s been growing blueberries as a specialty crop since 2001 and develops blueberry recipes in the commercial kitchen
Quick Summary: Yes, water quality significantly impacts tea flavor. Hard water, chlorinated tap water, and mineral-heavy well water can make tea taste flat, bitter, or metallic. Filtered water or spring
Does Water Quality Affect How Tea Tastes? Read Post »
Quick Summary: Succession planting staggers your harvest by planting crops at different times or choosing varieties with different maturity dates. Three approaches: plant different crops that mature in different seasons,
Succession Planting Guide: How to Stagger Your Garden for a Longer Harvest Read Post »
Quick Summary: Sheet pan dinner with chicken thighs, rhubarb (drizzled with honey), fennel, asparagus, onion, and garlic. Roast chicken first for 10 minutes, add rhubarb and fennel for 10 more
Sheet Pan Chicken with Rhubarb, Fennel, and Asparagus Read Post »
Quick Summary: Poblano chiles stuffed with sweet and savory pork picadillo, bathed in creamy walnut sauce (nogada), and garnished with pomegranate seeds and parsley. The colors represent the Mexican flag,
Chiles en Nogada: Mexico’s Most Festive Stuffed Pepper Read Post »
Quick Summary: Lapsang souchong is a black tea smoked over pinewood fires, producing a distinctive campfire aroma. Originating in the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian, China, it was the first black
What Is Lapsang Souchong? The Original Smoked Tea Read Post »
Quick Summary: Pu-erh is a fermented tea from Yunnan, China, that improves with age like wine. Unlike other teas that are best fresh, pu-erh undergoes microbial fermentation that develops complex,
What Is Pu-erh Tea and Why Is It Aged? Read Post »
Quick Summary: Everything you need to know about tea, from true teas (black, green, oolong, white) to herbal tisanes, and from basic brewing to creating your own blends. Covers tea
The Complete Guide to Tea: Types, Brewing, Blending, and Growing Read Post »
Quick Summary: Turn fresh chile peppers into deeply flavored smoked peppers for homemade chipotle, spice blends, and salsas. Covers three smoking methods for home gardeners: stovetop smoker, charcoal grill, and
How to Smoke Chile Peppers at Home (For Homemade Chipotle and Spice Blends) Read Post »
Quick Summary: A London Fog is Earl Grey tea with steamed milk and vanilla, named for the city’s famous mist. This cozy drink is easy to make at home and
How to Make a London Fog: The Earl Grey Tea Latte Read Post »
Quick Summary: Oaxaca is known as “the land of seven moles,” each built on specific dried chile peppers. Traditional moles use complex combinations of chiles like chilhuacle, mulato, pasilla, and
Traditional Chile Peppers in Oaxacan Moles (How They Differ from US Restaurant Moles) Read Post »
Quick Summary: Mexican cuisine uses dozens of chile pepper varieties, but a core group of 10-12 peppers covers most traditional recipes. Fresh peppers like jalapeño, serrano, and poblano provide heat
Best Chile Peppers for Traditional Mexican Cooking Read Post »
Quick Summary: Sweet tea isn’t just a beverage in the South, it’s a cultural institution. This guide covers why sweet tea became the regional drink, what makes it different from
Southern Sweet Iced Tea: Why It’s Popular (And How to Make It Right) Read Post »
Quick Summary: The essential Italian tomato varieties for home gardeners who love to cook. Includes paste tomatoes for sauces (San Marzano, Schiavone, Corbarino), beefsteaks for salads and sandwiches (Cuore di
Italian Tomatoes: Best Varieties for Cooking and How to Grow Them Read Post »
Quick Summary: A tea tasting party lets guests sample multiple teas, similar to a wine tasting. Set up flights of 3-5 teas organized by theme (regional, type, or flavor profile).
How to Host a Tea Tasting Party (with Tea Flight Ideas) Read Post »
Quick Summary: Yes, you can grow Camellia sinensis (the tea plant) in American home gardens, but success depends on your climate. Tea plants thrive in USDA zones 7-9 with acidic
Can You Grow Tea Plants at Home? A Guide to Camellia Sinensis Read Post »
Quick Summary: Four reliable methods for making large batches of iced tea: hot brew and chill, cold brew overnight, sun tea, and concentrate. Each method has trade-offs in time, flavor,
How to Make Big Batch Iced Tea: 4 Methods That Work Read Post »
At the St. Paul Farmers’ Market, I sell both caffeinated teas and caffeine-free herbal blends (tisanes), and caffeine content is one of deciding factors in purchasing tea. The answer depends
Caffeine in Tea vs Coffee: What You Need to Know Read Post »
Quick Summary: Loose leaf tea offers better flavor, more variety, and often costs less per cup than tea bags. The leaves are larger and less processed, allowing them to unfurl
Is Loose Leaf Tea Better Than Tea Bags? Read Post »
Quick Summary: How to make a traditional Full English Breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, and toast. The key is timing multiple pans at once. Naturally high
How to Build a Full English Breakfast Read Post »
Quick Summary: A Ploughman’s Lunch is a traditional British cold meal of cheese, crusty bread, pickles, and accompaniments served in pubs across Britain. It pairs naturally with Builder’s Brew, a
The Ploughman’s Lunch: British Pub Food at Home Read Post »
I didn’t expect this recipe for a cheeseburger and pickle soup to be so good. It’s my husband’s concoction and it is certainly nothing fancy, but boy did it hit
Creamy Cheeseburger Soup with Dill Pickles Read Post »
Hoppin John is a cajun stew (slow carb compliant) popular on New Years Day for bringing luck in the new year!
Hoppin John with Collard Greens: A New Year’s Tradition Read Post »
Detailed, comprehensive guidelines for building a perfect cheeseboard for any occasion, with a focus on preparing a low carb cheeseboard
Guide for Making a Holiday Cheese or Charcuterie Board Read Post »
