Young squirrel is good simply quartered and fried. Old squirrel is good stewed. When in doubt, it is safest to braise or stew a squirrel. Sometimes, for flavor and for whimsy, I like to add acorns to this recipe. Native Americans used to eat acorns, usually by grinding them and then boiling them. They are…
I’ve been trying all summer to grow corn. I planted the seeds in two long rows and waited patiently. Out of one hundred or so seeds, about six sprouted. Then a woodchuck came along and helped himself to about half of those. So I went to the gardening store and bought some in containers that…
I spent hours weeding yesterday. I think it was approximately 400 degrees out. There were four of us weeding my great-aunt's former vegetable garden at Tulipwood that I ambitiously thought we should "plant" this year. All of it. I don't think anyone has ever successfully completed the task of taming all of that garden. It…
I have a thing for purslane. I think I inherited it from my grandmother. She is just obsessed with it. Whenever I visit she says, "have you seen any purslane in the garden?" It is such an intriguing plant, purslane. For one, it is everywhere, in many countries, from the sidewalk cracks in the cities, to…
A few weeks ago Grandma Pellegrini sent me an email. Yes, she does email. She also does facebook. It is the dawn of a new era.She said: "I'm just sitting down to enjoy my soup and my latest triumph in the kitchen. I decided this morning to put my various cast iron baking pans to…