It’s the tail end of blueberry season here in Quebec.
These little navy pearls are from Lac St-Jean and have a much more intense flavour than their bloated, watery, cultivated brethren. Every year I freeze enough to last us through winter since they’re perfect for adding to oatmeal or pancakes. I snapped up a boat-sized basket [...]

Ever find yourself sitting in front of the computer at 1 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, penning a passionate post on Chowhound about pickle brine vinegar-water ratios and the pros and cons of the slow-pasteurization method in relation to crunch preservation? Blame it on my first batch of pickles, which tasted like a lethal vinegar [...]

My friend A. told me yesterday that the way to tell if a fig is ripe, according to French writer Colette, is if when you look at its bottom you see a single tear of nectar oozing out. Hmmm. I just kinda sniffed and gave a gentle squeeze this time around, but in future I’ll [...]

It’s true. Home canning is everywhere. Like gardening and raising chickens, it’s gone urban, attained trend status. Manhattanites are penning canning cookbooks aimed at apartment dwellers while some serious canning nerds are blogging all about it. Over the past year it’s gone from a low rumble to a thunderous clang. Suddenly the C word’s [...]

I’m back from a week-long work trip to Italy where I stayed one night at this fairytale place called Castello Vicarello in Maremma, Tuscany (a region not yet overrun by turisti within a region that is known for being very much so).

Turns out Aurora, the owner, makes her own jams – and everything else – [...]