Harvest to Table

The flesh of the pineapple is sweet and juicy and is best eaten raw in slices, wedges, or cubes. Cut a fresh pineapple in half lengthwise, leaving on the top leaves. Cut out the core and carefully cut the flesh away from the rind in one piece. Slice the flesh into wedges. Refill the shell. [...]

A peach that is juicy and sweet—many say the best tasting of all peaches—and creamy with a pit that does not cling wrapped in a nearly fuzzless skin: I want that peach! That is the almost ancient Chinese pan tao peach which also is called peento peach, Chinese flat peach, saucer peach, and Saturn peach—as [...]

Apriums are juicy, sweet eating out of hand. An aprium is a hybrid fruit—¾ apricot and ¼ plum. ‘Honey Rich’ is perhaps the most popular aprium variety; its name aptly suggests the fruit’s intensely sweet flavor. Other aprium favorites are ‘Flavor Delight’ and ‘Tasty Rich’. The aprium’s flavor is often described as intense and complex. [...]

Not all cherries are created cherry red. Ranier is a yellow and red skinned cherry that it is one of the sweetest cherries you will ever taste. There are two cherry varieties with patially yellow or golden skins: Rainer and Royal Ann. Royal Ann–sometimes called Napoleon–is golden yellow blushed with red. Rainer is a bit [...]

There’s a reason they call it butter lettuce: it melts in your mouth. Butter lettuce is buttery and tender from the first bite. Serve red butter lettuce alone or as a colorful addition to salad greens. Red butter lettuce is a good match to light vinaigrette or lemon and oil mix. It is a colorful [...]

Fannie Farmer’s cookbook has been around since 1896. It gets to the essence of mango preparation when it suggests: “Cut in half lengthwise and remove the stone. Eat with a spoon.” That pretty much covers it! The mango—many would say–is the world’s most delicious fruit. Its delicate flavor is a cross between a pear and [...]

Thin sliced baby artichoke hearts tossed with thin sliced mint leaves, a bit of chopped garlic, fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil then sprinkled with Parmesan cheese makes a tasty side salad. Baby artichokes are plentiful in spring. Artichokes are actually flower buds. You want to pick them while they are still tightly [...]

Young onions offer a range of taste from mild and smooth to pungent and biting. You can eat raw young onions whole with a dipping sauce or chopped in a green salad or potato salad or pasta salad. Raw green onions chopped make a colorful topping for sauces or baked potatoes. Onions cooked become mild [...]

Just cooked English peas, sautéd spring onions and roasted, salted almonds are a delicious combination of tender sweet, sweet pungent, and crunchy just salty. You can set this side dish next to grilled fish or chicken or mashed potatoes and a roast. It’s not too filling yet will holds its own. English peas and spring [...]

How do you cook peas? Peas are cooked in the least possible amount of water and in just the time for them to become just tender. The French cook peas in the water it takes to moisten lettuce leaves. Line a saucepan with damp greens and a few pea pods, pour in the shelled peas [...]