Mâche–also called corn salad and lamb’s lettuce–is a mild-flavored salad green. Mâche (say ‘mah-sh’) can also be steamed and served as a vegetable. Mâche has a sweet, slightly nutty taste. Its flavor is so subtle that it can easily be overpowered by other leafy vegetables or dressings. It is often served alone or as a counterpoint
Costata Romanesca is an heirloom Italian squash often considered the best tasting and best textured summer squash. It is sometimes called cocozelle or ribbed Roman zucchini. It is also called courgette, marrow squash, and vegetable marrow. Costata Romanesca is an elongated squash with a dark green skin marked by greenish-yellow stripes that run its length.
Costoluto Genovese is a large, juicy Italian heirloom tomato with an acidic-tart full-tomato flavor well suited for slicing and serving fresh or cooking. Costoluto Genovese has been a Mediterranean favorite since at least the early eighteenth century. The key to this mid-season beefsteak’s rich tomato flavor is heat. Grown away from the dry, sun-drenched gardens
Tomato fruits crack when the soil moisture level fluctuates–a dry spell followed by rain, or the soil drying out followed by heavy irrigation. Cracks start at the stem end and radiate out from the shoulder of the fruit. Avoid tomato cracking. To avoid tomato cracking keep the soil evenly moist all growing season. Do not
Cranberries with roast pork, beef, chicken, or duck: now that’s tasty! A chunky cranberry sauce takes only a minute or two to prepare and will add zest to the foods it’s paired with. Add cranberries to salads, stuffings, cakes, muffins, pies, and puddings or make them into relishes and jellies. Cranberries are crunchy and tart
The Black Spanish Radish will add a zingy addition to a fresh garden salad. Some radishes—such as the French breakfast radish—can be mild and almost sweet. Others have a peppery flavor that will zip up your palate right into your nostrils. The black Spanish radish is one of them. The black Spanish radish is a winter-keeping
Blanch just harvested, fresh vegetables to set their color and seal nutrients and flavor. Blanching is a method of partially cooking vegetables in boiling water or steam—usually for a few minutes; it’s also called parboiling. Blanching is used to seal the flavor and set the color of vegetables before freezing. Blanched and frozen vegetables can
Blossom end rot is a black, sunken area at the blossom end of tomatoes or peppers. The blossom end is the end of the fruit opposite the stem. Blossom end rot is most often seen on green fruits, usually the first fruits to appear on the plant. Blossom end rot is caused by calcium deficiency
The peak-season for winter squashes is from mid-autumn through early winter. The Blue Hubbard Squash—which is also called the New England Blue Hubbard—is a great choice for a sweet tasting winter squash to serve on a cold, late autumn evening. The flesh of the Blue Hubbard is deep orange. It is dense and starchy and has
When it comes to fresh picking and eating, there are about 30 varieties of blueberry worthy of your attention. These can be divided into three categories: the highbush, the lowbush, and the rabbiteye. Highbush blueberries are the most common blueberries. These are the large, plump and sweet berries with which you are most familiar. Highbush
