Preserving the Beauty of Tomatillos For Winter

Tomatillos are a gorgeous fruit, and they are an integral ingredient to one of my favorite cooking sauces from North America–salsa verde. The fruit, which is encased in a papery husk like a leafy Chinese lantern made of mulberry paper, is often thought of as simply green in color, but the truth is, the hues […]

Preserving the Local Harvest: A General Introduction to Pressure Canning

This year’s Eat Local Challenge revolves around preserving the harvest, and like eating locally, this is something I do just as a natural course of events. When I told Morganna what the theme of this year’s challenge was, she said, “But what is the big deal–everyone knows about canning and freezing, don’t they?” Well, in […]

Farmer’s Market Find: Purple Cauliflower

One of the best things about going to the farmer’s market diligently every summer Saturday is the thrill of finding something new. And with so many farmers in Athens growing so many wonderful crops and critters, one is bound to find something new nearly every week. This week, one of my best finds (you’ll hear […]

The Essential Vietnamese Sauce: Nuoc Mau

It looks rather like sorghum molasses, or espresso with a swirled froth of reddish gold crema on top. But it is neither of these things. It is dark, it is deep, it consists of two ingredients, and while it is simple to make it is not easy. And, it is an essential component to many […]

More on MSG and Glutamates

When I wrote the post on monosodium glutamate yesterday, I neglected to really explain what glutamates are. Simply put, they are amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. There are specific glutamate receptors on our tongue, which allow us to experience the taste which in Japan is called “umami.” This fifth taste is […]

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