Talkin’ Pumpkin (and not the Carving Kind....)

By Lori Powell

Not too long ago, I shared my story about the pumpkins growing wild in my backyard. I promised I would tell you how I cook them.

Well, the pumpkins did grow but they would not have won any national pumpkin prize for size. That was A-Okay by me.

It was a first-time thrill to have kind of raised my own. (To tell the truth, they grew by themselves. I was just an observer.)

I so enjoy squash of all kinds and now is the time cook with them, with the first chill of autumn in the air. So reluctantly, I picked my orange globes and none too soon, since I noticed the vines were shriveled and dying, I think due to all of the monsoons this summer.

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Time for Squash Blossoms – Three Easy Uses for Edible Flowers

By Katie Barreira

Zucchini, yellow crooknecks, pattypans…the coming season promises a deluge of thin-skinned gourds. But before the onslaught of summer squash there are squash blossoms, the flowering buds of a squash vine.

These delicate blossoms are entirely edible and usually seen on restaurants’ seasonal menus. Like Jean Georges’s fabled “Peekytoe Crab and Squash Blossom Beignet,” a simple crab salad stuffed into squash blossoms, coated in tempura batter and fried. But the flowers don’t require such flourish.

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Stirring the Pot

By Andrew Hunter

Certain foods can be found in every kitchen around the world, especially when they’re comfort foods. Rice is eaten at family tables from Korea to Argentina and places in between because all cultures are drawn to food that is comforting and makes us feel at home. Italians love Arborio, a short grain rice, for risotto, a creamy mixture that’s fit for peasants and kings alike.  It’s Italy’s ultimate comfort food.

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The Squash of Summer: Recipe for a Rainy Day

By Lori Powell

Squash is the gift that keeps on giving. Those of you who have ever grown squash of any variety are nodding your heads in agreement at the thought of so much bounty and having to deal with what to do with it all.

The bounty I’m dealing with is what to do with tomatoes this year. Since I am sensitive to their acidity I walk around with a rather tender palate during the last days of summer. Why should I have to stop eating them? Really the pain and discomfort is not that bad – at least not yet!

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