Read more about the article Sourdough Bread – Why It’s Better Than Yeast
Flour, water, salt and starter are the only ingredients in this loaf. Long rise (4 hours with turns every 1/2 hour), and then overnight refrigeration make this loaf great.

Sourdough Bread – Why It’s Better Than Yeast

Continue ReadingSourdough Bread – Why It’s Better Than Yeast

I've been making bread for 25 years, but I've always been afraid of sourdough starter. Pretty sure I would kill it from neglect, so I limited myself to packaged yeast...until yesterday. Maybe it's a New Year's Resolution. Maybe it's courage, or blissful ignorance, but yesterday I made my first loaf of sourdough bread and have left over starter in the fridge. It's a thing of beauty. With all the gluten intolerance in the world now, one can't help but question…

Read more about the article Thanksgiving Dishes from the Garden
Parsnips, carrots, a purple sweet potato and Yukon potato

Thanksgiving Dishes from the Garden

Continue ReadingThanksgiving Dishes from the Garden

In a pinch about what to make this Thanksgiving? Let Gardenerd help you. We've got a stash of recipes using all your favorite fall-harvest crops. Revisit a few Gardenerd Gazettes and you'll have more than enough for your Thanksgiving table. When it comes to Thanksgiving dishes it's really about the sides. Roasted veggies, garlicky greens, new potatoes, sweet potatoes! Check out these recipes to fill your menu with color and home-grown goodness. Root Vegetable Jambalaya – okay, not at all…

Salad Leaf Basil
Salad Leaf Basil

Recipe: Almond or Hemp Seed Pesto (Vegan)

Continue ReadingRecipe: Almond or Hemp Seed Pesto (Vegan)

It's wonderful to return from Italy to find the garden bursting with basil. This is cause for celebration! It's time to make more pesto to freeze for later use. Since one does not return from Italy thinner than one was before one left, we opted to make a vegan version of pesto using almonds or hemp seeds as the "cheese." We found a recipe from the Cafe Gratitude cookbook and whipped up a few batches. It's pretty easy, all you…

Read more about the article Recipe: Ground Cherry Salsa
Ingredients for ground cherry salsa.

Recipe: Ground Cherry Salsa

Continue ReadingRecipe: Ground Cherry Salsa

We grew ground cherries for the first time this year. Having been previously under the impression that they only grow in northern climates, ground cherries were never something we considered growing here in the south. Now that we're full-up on golden ground cherries, it's time to do something with them. Ground cherries taste like a tropical fruit crossed with a tomato. If you love sweet/savory combinations, you'll find this fascinating fruit. When making recipes, our goal is to make food…

Read more about the article Recipe: Plum Skillet Cake
Finished cake - the recipes says it's 4 servings. It really is 8.

Recipe: Plum Skillet Cake

Continue ReadingRecipe: Plum Skillet Cake

Back in July we were up to our eyeballs in Santa Rosa plums raining from our front yard tree. We ate as fast as we could, but still there were about 60 plums on the counter at any given time. Drastic measures needed to be taken. Enter Plum Skillet Cake. Martha Stewart is good for one thing if nothing else: ideas for excessive amounts of fruit. Her recipes for plums run the gamut, offering a plethora of options for the…

Read more about the article Recipe: Caramel Blackberry Goat Milk Ice Cream
The finished product will be delicious and refreshing.

Recipe: Caramel Blackberry Goat Milk Ice Cream

Continue ReadingRecipe: Caramel Blackberry Goat Milk Ice Cream

Here's one for anyone who can't do cow. We recently discovered a raw goat milk vendor at our local farmers' market and decided that it was time to experiment with goat milk ice cream. Since blackberries are in season, it seemed like the perfect combination. Most recipes include a list of ingredients with eggs and cow's cream for a custard-style base. Since the whole point is to avoid cow's milk, we sought out a recipe using only goat milk...and found…

Read more about the article Recipe: Andrew’s Kumquat Marmalade
Quartered kumquats (say that 10 times fast)

Recipe: Andrew’s Kumquat Marmalade

Continue ReadingRecipe: Andrew’s Kumquat Marmalade

The kumquat tree was planted for the husband. Yours truly doesn't care for them. To be honest, the husband uses them as an appetite suppressant (the sourness makes one not want to eat anything afterward; it has the same effect as brushing one's teeth). So, now that the kumquats are going gangbusters, the husband decided to make some marmalade for his toast. He's a bit of an experimenter, the husband. Never one to follow a recipe to the letter. So…

Read more about the article Recipe: Crisp Fried Eggplant with Parsley Sauce
Fresh picked eggplant, dill and parsley form the base of this meal.

Recipe: Crisp Fried Eggplant with Parsley Sauce

Continue ReadingRecipe: Crisp Fried Eggplant with Parsley Sauce

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you'll have noticed by now that Rose Elliot is one of my favorite cookbook authors. She excels at combining minimal ingredients for maximum flavor. With its promise of "30 minutes or less," her Vegetarian Fast Food cookbook has been my go-to reference for quick meals since the early 90s. Since we recently harvested Listada di Gandia eggplant from the winter garden, we wanted to showcase it, rather than blend it into a…

Read more about the article Making Carob Powder
Technically a fruit, carob pods are eaten while the seeds are discarded.

Making Carob Powder

Continue ReadingMaking Carob Powder

Autumn brings with it an array of colorful fruits and vegetables from the garden...and seeds. This Thanksgiving, as we dig into our root cellars for orange carrots, purple potatoes, and red beets, as well as colorful persimmons, pomegranates, and grapes,  let's not forget our podded friends, seeds and nuts, that also contribute to holiday stuffings, nut breads and more. Today we're exploring one other option: Carob, a locally grown seed pod that substitutes for chocolate (okay, nothing replaces chocolate) and…

Read more about the article Nailed It!: Zucchini Flan Fail
"Finished" zucchini flan

Nailed It!: Zucchini Flan Fail

Continue ReadingNailed It!: Zucchini Flan Fail

This one is especially for anyone out there who thinks we're perfect here at Gardenerd. Hang on to your hats, it's gonna be great. Years ago, when traveling to Italy, we picked up this great cookbook from a vegetarian farm hotel in Umbria. We bought it mainly for one recipe: the sformatini di zucchine, a "soft creamy ricotta cheese and courgette flan with a hint of marjoram." It came to us in a cup/dish made from Pamagiano Reggiano cheese that…

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