Fruit

Cucumber Melon Soup Gets Ink in The Washington Post

31 August 2008 by Jean Johnson
It's been a year to date that cucumber melon soup first got mention here on the blog. No wonder, cucumbers are hanging heavy on the vines and spilling out of produce bins everywhere when harvest rolls around. So too, the melons--sweet, ripe, and fragrant at summer's end. Not really a surprise then, that ...

Fancy Berries

1 August 2008 by Jean Johnson
Actually, the real story today is about black cap raspberries--the berries my new neighbor Nick brought from his grandparents farmstead out in Sandy, Oregon. Black raspberries to match the black, gothic attire he sports. The berries were an unusual, delicious treat on cereal this morning, but wouldn't you know, the photos ...

It’s the Raspberries–and Adios, Amigo

27 June 2008 by Jean Johnson
The vines grandpa planted out back sixty years ago are in full flourish this year. The first of the berries ripening now. It's as it should be since I want to give some to Paul. He's been bringing the mail to our street for close to twenty years--and it's his last week. If Paul didn't ...

It’s the Berries

20 June 2008 by Jean Johnson
This festive treat is way easier than it looks and the kids can even help. It's from the Spring Chapter of Hippie Kitchen, page 30. Dipped Strawberries My family's style with strawberries is pretty pedestrian. Usually berries and ice cream, a shortcake, or berries with a little cream and sugar. Then ...

Frozen Grapes Tide You Over in the Spring

2 May 2008 by Jean Johnson
This may be a dish so easy that you won't think of it as really a recipe, but it's so good that I included it in Cooking Beyond Measure on page 142. You can even douse frozen grapes with buttermilk and give them a whirl in the blender. However you ...

Lemons Herald Spring like Brass Trumpets

29 March 2008 by Jean Johnson
It's a yellow, trumpeting time of year. From daffodils to the very excellent pastel backdrop the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer features these days. It's all about yellow and light and life itself. Spring is also the last hurrah for winter citrus. It was as if Mother Nature knew we'd need just a few ...

Spiced Holiday Fruits

19 December 2007 by Jean Johnson
Here are the stuffed dates I talked about a few posts ago. Also fresh pears and clementines dipped in melted butter and flax meal spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, and allspice with nary a speck of sugar in the mix. Almonds and pomegranate seeds finish this lovely presentation. If you ...

Merry Howdy with Stuffed Medjool Dates

13 December 2007 by Jean Johnson
I hope you have enjoyed some baked pears or at least are planning to. Dates are another way to have your sweets without letting the Sugar Fairy captivate you. My mother stuffed those big medjool dates with cream cheese and pecans. So do I, skipping her last step of rolling ...

Baked Pears

by Jean Johnson
This time of year cues to chow down on sugar+butter are as ubiquitous as canned holiday music. So if you're trying to keep things under wraps and still want something oh so luscious, try baked pears. D'Anjous are my favorite to bake because they hold their shape. And when I ...

This One’s for Ruby

1 November 2007 by Jean Johnson
I can't help thinking of Ruby--the little dust mop kerin terrier who lives next door--when I work with pomegranates. Indeed, once the glistening ruby red seeds are freed from their leathery husks, they do as much to garnish soup, cereal, or warm salad as little Ruby-do does to dazzle her doting ...