Madiera is known for bananas and there are bananas EVERYWHERE. I did visit a banana planation, but the highlight was a visit to a agricultural research center on the island of Madeira with a guide. It wasn’t exactly the best time to taste the fruit they were growing there because of the season. But, I […]
Spring is one of my favorite times of the year when new flavors are reintroduced into cuisines. Bärlauch, common here in Germany is one of the first flavors to usher in the new season. I wasn’t familiar it (many years back pre-Goggle) and my father-in-law kindly dug out a paper dictionary to help. The translation […]
One of the most interesting things I’ve noticed is that baking powder is not the same in Europe and the US. A quick Goggle translate and a stop at the grocery store will not result in the identical powder. The products are not 100% interchangeable if you are a picky baker. I cannot recall how […]
In the beginning years of YouTube I had a channel which I have since taken done. I used to go around Sonoma, CA and interview people about food and wine and post these long rambling videos. (It was the beginning and editing wasn’t really that great.) Anyway, I had hoped to recreate that here in […]
In October we decided to take a quick weekend trip to hike a bit in Interlaken, Switerzland. Although I am an American, I had never been there despite it being a popular spot frequented by my countrymen. I am fortunate in that I don’t always have to follow the beaten path because my spouse is […]
Yesterday my doorbell rang and I opened the door to find a farmer standing outside my gate asking (in German) if I’d like to buy apples or potatoes. I was so happy to see him! Many years prior I had had a similar experience when staying with my in-laws in Augsburg, Germany. That summer I […]
I had the fortune to visit the Island of Hawaii when coronavirus restrictions lifted for a short bit. I have an affinity for the Hawaiian islands and was over-the-moon happy to have the chance to go. The tranquility of nature there feeds my soul and when I go I always find something new to discover. […]
I have a small collection of old nutrition texts and cookbooks and occasionally leaf through them out of interest. Yesterday as I was unpacking boxes I stumbled upon one titled, The Science of Food and Cookery. The book was written by dietitian H.S. Anderson in 1921. What I found most striking about the book was the […]
Easter Egg Radishes are a colorful vegetable that you often see at Farmer’s Markets. I enjoy growing those globe-shaped beauties myself because they are fast growers in the spring. (The photo above is my latest harvest for reference.) Radishes are vegetables that have many different varieties and are used in different cuisines. Here in the […]
Recently I noticed a friend posted how happy she was that her three fruit trees survived the Swedish winter. Her post made me wonder if she had apple trees like me. I asked her what type of trees she was growing. She responded with apple, cherry, and plum. All great choices but then I wondered […]