Here's another fruit that--before you start really paying attention and eating with the seasons--you might think was a year-round staple. But in fact, apples are a
cool-weather crop. Late September to Thanksgiving is the prime time for fresh-picked apples, and there are so many ways to enjoy
them.
Archive for September, 2008
In Season: Apples
Monday, September 22nd, 2008Grocery Swapping
Wednesday, September 17th, 2008
No
matter how much you adore eggplant or zucchini, there comes a point
where a bumper crop spills over into a glut. Rather than leaving your
unwanted harvest on your neighbors' doorsteps in the dead of night, why
not search out other similarly burdened folks and arrange an
old-fashioned food swap?
The Spiritual Power of Nature, and of Art
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
Recently I took a journey to a place of importance in the history of American and international art and in the geography of my soul.
The occasion was a trip to Williamstown, Massachusetts, where a dear friend took me to see a superb exhibition at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute—one of America’s great small art museums. The main galleries of the Clark are nestled at the foot of Stone Hill, while a recently completed art conservation annex sits on its flank. The bucolic hill itself, part forest, part open farm meadows, with meandering wood roads, provides inspiring views of three mountain ranges—the Berkshires, Taconic, and Green Mountains. Its romantic landscape serves as the backyard and escape for many college students and local residents. My memories span the seasons with skinny-dips in a stream at its base, cross country ski trips and toboggan rides through its snowy fields, and long runs through autumn leaves of fiery yellows and reds. Any trip onto the hill promised to blur the lines between the real and spiritual worlds, to offer escape from the cares of the day and refuge in the beauty of nature’s most discrete and secret realms.
No better venue could be found for the spectacular art exhibition entitled Like Breath on Glass: Whistler, Inness, and the Art of Painting Softly. This show displays and offers insights into a brief but important movement in American art at the turn of the 20th century. A small group of landscape painters, including George Inness and James McNeill Whistler, moved away from hard-edged realism, instead filling their canvases with luminous, hazy depictions that captured the mood or spiritual essence of a place. The exhibition’s title comes from a quote by Whistler, who said “Paint should not be applied thick. It should be like breath on the surface of a pane of glass.” ...
A Truly Local Loaf
Monday, September 15th, 2008
As grain prices have risen drastically, many farmers have reconsidered wheat both as a cash
crop and as home-grown fodder for their livestock. As a side benefit,
locavores who yearn for a truly local loaf can get their
hands on flour for homemade bread and 100%-local products from artisan
bakeries.
In Season: Melons
Friday, September 12th, 2008
Watermelon may be classic warm-weather
picnic fare, but its musk-melon cousins -- including popular
varieties like the ubiquitous cantaloupe, the chartreuse-fleshed
honeydew, and the heavenly-scented Charentais -- fill farmers market tables as summer turns to fall.
Fighting Climate Change at the Market
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
While many supermarket chains are still getting wise to the consumer
appeal of local food, organic options, and energy-efficient stores,
one British company is taking the lead in helping consumers make
informed grocery-buying decisions. And this time, they're not just focusing on the wellness of the
eater, but the health of the entire planet.
Kids Raise Prize-Winning Poultry
Monday, September 8th, 2008
In Season: Summer Squash
Friday, September 5th, 2008
Whether you grow your own, buy them at the farmers market, get them in your CSA box, or find them on your doorstep courtesy of a well-meaning neighbor, it's impossible to overlook the glut of thin-skinned squash that hits the table this time of year. Choose the long, green Zucchini or its yellow cousin, the stout and scalloped Pattypan, or the aptly named Ronde de Nice -- whichever makes its way into your basket, there will be plenty of recipes to choose from.
Slow Food Nation Recap
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
Love 'em or hate 'em, there's just no denying that Slow Food is a force to be reckoned with in the realm of sustainable eating. And nowhere was this fact more obvious than at the Labor Day weekend extravaganza known as Slow Food Nation. Part farmers market, part county fair, with a dash of college symposium and rock-concert venue thrown in for good measure, the foodie-fest was the subject on everyone's lips (and blogging fingers) for what seemed like weeks on end.