Ham Sandwich Indicted!

Right now you're probably saying one of two things: 1) what the hell is kohlrabi? or 2) a slaw of random root vegetables? Meh...I'll pass.  But I strongly encourage you to read on, before you miss out on a lovely and refreshing summer slaw. Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family, and comes in a variety of colors.  It has a rather alien-looking appearance, with the leaves shooting off and up the sides of the bulb. (Both the bulb and the leaves are edible.)  Smaller kohlrabi have a mild crunch reminicient of cabbage, but the bulbs get woody as they get bigger. These particular kohlrabi came from the wonderful folks at Wayward Seed Farm . Adam and Jaime's CSA is always interesting, as they cultivate heirloom vegetables that encourage you to try something new and different ...you're not just going to get lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers from them. (Full confession: I spent a morning on the back of a tractor, planting these kohlrabi at the Wayward Seed Farm wh...

What you are seeing above, my friends, is a quince turnover that I made this weekend. Quince! How exciting! I've never used/bought/tried a quince before! For the unitiated, a whole quince is pictured below: They're a strange little fruit that's described as a cross between a pear and an apple. This might be true, with the exception that they are hard as rocks and must be cooked down before you can do anything with them. Taste wise, they're a little more tart than a pear or an apple--really delicious and really interesting. I was able to enjoy this quince thanks to Jaime at Wayward Seed Farm . When I picked up my share this past weekend, we got to talking about the end of the season (sob!) and what to expect for our last week. One thing led to another and she offered me one of the quince (quinces?) that she had recieved from a friend. (Thanks again, Jaime!!!) After taking the quince home and contemplating it for a few days, I decided what I would do--one quince isn'...

I found a batch of wild poppies in an alley behind my house this weekend. I never cease to be surprised by what's hiding in the neighborhood! My Fruit CSA with Wayward Seed Farms has finally started (yay!), and my first delivery was 3 quarts of some of the most gorgeous strawberries I've ever seen: I froze some, turned some into a strawberry vinaigrette (pureed strawberries, fig balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, a little sugar, garlic, and oil), and put some into a strawberry tart for my dad for Father's Day: The pastry cream recipe is from the Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe Cookbook . I received it as a gift for my birthday one year, and it is a staple in my kitchen. I find it's a great resource for ideas when you're looking at a random ingredient and not sure how you want to use it. Also, they've done tons of leg work and have figured out the best methods and ingredients for making almost every classic/basic dish out there. Also, I harvested my first bat...

April 1st saw my 31st birthday (Happy Birthday to me!) and my first non-friend/co-worker cupcake order for a central Ohio CSA workshop at Wild Goose Creative . Jaime Moore from Wayward Seed Farms, as well as representatives from Toad Hill Organic Farm , Bridgman Farm , Elizabeth Telling Farm , and 2Silos sat down with local residents to talk about CSA's, what they do, how to get involved, and how important it is to support your local farmer. (In case you're not familiar, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture--basically, you pay a certain amount of money at the beginning of the growing season, and for that money you get fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, etc. on a weekly basis, depending on which type of CSA you sign up with.) With so many great local farms so close to Columbus, it's a great way to support small agriculture AND get super delicious fruits and veggies.* Anyway, thanks to Jaime at Wayward Seed, I had the opportunity to provide cupcakes for the event--S...