Harvest to Table

There are more than 7,000 varieties of apples but not all of them come to harvest at the same time. In the course of a year, there are actually three apple harvests: an early-season harvest, a mid-season harvest, and a late-season harvest. The harvest for early-season apple varieties begins in mid-summer and peaks in late [...]

The Black Spanish Radish will add a zingy addition to a fresh garden salad. Some radishes—such as the French breakfast radish—can be mild and almost sweet. Others have a peppery flavor that will zip up your palate right into your nostrils. The black Spanish radish is one of them. The black Spanish radish is a winter-keeping [...]

Wes hál! Be hale! Be in good health! From the Old Norse language ves heill to the Old English wes hál to the Modern English Be in good health! This toast is to you on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. From wes hál came wassail, the drink, and the Anglo-Saxon tradition of wassailing–toasting to [...]

Since pears—that is the European varieties–are plucked from the tree before they are ripe and cure to ripeness usually in a cool, dark place, how do you know a pear is ready for your bite? Well, there are two ways to choose a pear for eating out of hand: smell and feel. A ripe pear [...]

Taste pears. There will be one that is just right for you. There are more than 5,000 varieties of pears. Of course, it is unlikely that you will ever be in the presence of more than a half-dozen varieties at once—even at the farm market. But, nonetheless, the taste of a pear can linger in [...]

Here’s how you can candy citron (and by the way, it works for other citrus as well): Grate moist citron peel to release the oil from the cells. Cut the peel into thin strips and place in a heavy pan: Use 2 cups of citron peel. Cover with 1½ cups (360 mL) of cold water. [...]

If you have seen the fingered citron–known as Buddha’s hand, you will have not forgotten. Hanging from the tree, it looks like a bright yellow, multi-tentacled octopus and sitting on a table top it looks like–well, the hand of the Buddha, that is the bright yellow version. Besides the Buddha’s hand, there is also a [...]

Chard—which is often called Swiss chard in the United States and is known as silver beet or sea kale beet in Britain—can still be found locally fresh just about everywhere that snow has not yet hit the ground. Chard is harvested from late spring until late fall. Right now keep your eyes peeled for rainbow [...]

Can you eat regionally and seasonally? The tastiest fruits and vegetables are almost always those that come to you at the peak of their natural harvest time. The freshest fruits and vegetables are almost always those that travel the least number of miles or kilometers to your plate after harvest. Following the seasons and the [...]

You might not think of a turnip the way you do a carrot, but you could. Turnips can be eaten raw or cooked. Like a carrot, the turnip can be boiled or steamed. You can serve them in soups and stews or puréed, stuffed or braised. There are two seasons of the year when turnips [...]