Harvest to Table

The peak season for fresh harvested horseradish is early spring and late fall. That means if you like your horseradish sharp, pungent, and sinus-clearing, the time is now. Horseradish is a long, knobby root—it’s an herb, not a vegetable–that has no aroma until you scratch, cut, or grate it. The pungent odor and the hot [...]

Here’s a short collection of horseradish recipes: Basic Horseradish Makes 1 cup 1 horseradish root ½ cup white or rice vinegar Salt to taste 1. Peel horseradish root and cut into chunks. 2. Place in food processor with half the vinegar (or grate the root by hand). Cover and process until finely minced. 3. Add [...]

The sunchoke can be eaten raw, roasted, or added to soups, stews, crepes and fritters. It is tastiest if harvested just after a frost. A sunchoke is the root of a perennial sunflower that is eaten as a vegetable and has a crunchy, delicate, sweet, nutty flavor. The taste of the sunchoke is reminiscent of [...]

Some say salsify has the subtle, sweet flavor of an oyster. Some say salsify has the flavor of asparagus or artichokes. Others say no. Two things are for sure: salsify is sometimes called “oyster plant”, and salsify can be cooked in many of the same ways as asparagus or artichokes. It can be baked, boiled, [...]

For a light delicate taste reminiscent of licorice and anise, choose Florence fennel. Florence fennel–which is also known as bulb fennel and in Italy as finnochio—is a pale-green, feathery-topped vegetable, with celery-like stems and swollen bulb-like base of overlapping broad layers. Fennel can be served raw in wedges or sticks, finely sliced in salads, parboiled, [...]

Sauerkraut is pickled white cabbage. Finely sliced cabbage is placed in a stone crock, a hardwood keg, or barrel and layered with salt. As the layers are built up, they are pounded down with a wooden mallet. Then the layers are covered with a clean cloth, a board, and a heavy stone. The mix is [...]

The key to cooking cabbage is to cook it quickly. If you can cook cabbage in 5 minutes or less, you will reduce and even avoid that cabbagey smell that can foul a kitchen. Cabbage contains several sulfur-containing compounds which break down when cooked to release hydrogen sulfide, a gas which has an odor akin [...]

There are three kinds of round-headed cabbage: white, red, and Savoy. The leaves of the white and red cabbage are usually smooth and shiny with prominent veins. The leaves of the Savoy cabbage are light green and crinkled. Cooked right these cabbages can be crisp with a mild and sweet flavor. Round-headed cabbage can be [...]

Seviche is a blend of fresh raw saltwater fish, lime juice, and the addition of vegetables and spices. Seviche is popular as both an appetizer and main course in many Latin American countries. Seviche–which is also spelled ceviche or cebiche–is said to have originated in the ancient Inca civilizations of Peru and Ecuador. The essence [...]

Limes, lime juice, and lime peels can be used in marmalade, jam, sorbet, chutney, pickles, salad dressing, and desserts. Limes can be important additions in sauces, fish and meat dishes and in punches and cocktails. Lime juice in small amounts accentuates the flavor of other foods. In any recipe that calls for a lemon, a [...]