Mar
01
During my recent trip to California, I was on the look out for new varieties of citrus to try. One thing I discovered was Golden Nugget Mandarins. This mandarin variety was developed at the University of California – Riverside. The Golden Nugget has a yellowish orange skin. It has been called Pixie-like for it’s similarities …
Feb
22
Last Friday, I made a pit stop at the farmer’s market at Laguna Hills Mall. This was the 3rd market, I got to check out during my trip out to Orange County. I came there looking for some strawberries to use in some lemonade for a wedding the next day. Being in a mall parking …
Feb
22
Last Thursday, I got a chance to visit the farmer’s market located at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, CA. I had already made several purchases at a market earlier in the week, so I wasn’t in the market for a lot of things, just wanted to check it out (for the web site’s …
Feb
17
I love farmer’s markets. The best fruit and vegetables can be found at them. The selection is much better than the typical supermarket. I go to them all the time in my home state of Michigan. While we have a wonderful selection of fruits and vegetables that grow in my state, there is one thing …
Dec
01
Melissa’s World Variety Produce is the leading distributor of specialty fruits and vegetables in the United States. This company knows their produce, so a book by them is a valuable source of information. Melissa’s Great Book of Produce: Everything You Need to Know about Fresh Fruits and Vegetables was written by Cathy Thomas of the …
Sep
11
Garlic is one of the cooks greatest tools. It can bring life to any dish it comes in contact with. But how does one pick out a good head of garlic? I am here to provide you with some tips that will make your garlic purchases better. First off, repeat after me. I will not …
Aug
12
Question: What Stores in Michigan Take Bridge (EBT) Cards? Answer: This is not a complete list but these are the ones that I know of. I will be adding more as I find more. If there is a store you are looking for that is not on this list, leave a comment below and I …
Aug
10
This past week, I got to try my first pear variety of the season – the Moonglow pear. I purchased them from the Saline Farmer’s Market. The vendor said he has to pick these pears earlier than he wanted because they were being blown off the trees. Fortunately with pears they do not need to …
Aug
05
When you are up against the dog days of summer, there is a sign that relief is coming – the first appearance of apples at the farmer’s market. I picked up some transparent apples at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market, grown by Nemeth Orchards. These apples may look like a golden delicious with their yellow/green …
Aug
02
One of the most wonderful things about a farmer’s market is finding varieties of produce that you would never find in the super market. At the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market, I discovered the Red Astrachan variety of apples. This mostly green apple with red streaks, originated in Russia. There were introduced to England in 1816 …
Welcome to my blog! My name is Eric. I live in Saline, Michigan with my wife (Donna) and two daughters, Hannah (4) and Autumn (1). I started this blog in October 2009 to share my culinary experiences from making my own food from scratch to what I find at farmer's markets and grocery stores.
With 200 recipes for making and using your own soda, this book is the best source I have found on making your own carbonated treats at home.