Tupelo Honey

Pure raw honey. This good old-fashioned American honey is harvested for only two weeks every spring from the Altamaha & Apalachicola River Basins of Georgia & Florida.

The WhiteTupelo Trees (Nyssa Ogeche) typically bloom from early April to early May they can grow as tall as 75 feet and as wide as 3 feet in diameter. Honey bees collect the nectar from the sunburst-shaped flowers and create this buttery floral sticky sweetness.

It's a lovely addition to my afternoon cup of green or oolong tea. Delicious drizzled over a slice of Manchego. Or for a lovely winter breakfast spooned over fresh yogurt and toasted almonds.

Savannah Bee Company has a recipe for a Tupelojito I have to try that this summer (if at least one of my bottles lasts that long!) when we have bushels full of fresh mint.

I was given 2 bottles of this liquid sunshine for my birthday this year & one for Christmas. I am on to my second bottle now. Thanks Mamma, Auntie M & Alice!

If you are a honey lover, I definitely recommend getting your spoon out for this one!

Cheers to you all & Happy New Year!

Chiles

Urfa Biber

Aleppo

Cayenne - African

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Thai Eggplant

Purple Carrots

Spring Chives

It's Spring and chives are in bloom. This Allium is solely grown for its leaves. Separate the tiny florets of the chives' pink flower and garnish your favorite soup, sprinkle minced chives into your breakfast scramble, add a handful of sprigs to any potato dish, toss with roasted vegetables and fold into biscuit dough or gougeres batter.

Vegetable Gardening

Sugar Snap Peas

We are planting a vegetable garden with our family this year. I have the delightful job of helping with the seasonal layout and planting (my days spent as a farm intern are coming in handy). Travis helped with the garden design and leveling out the raised beds with his dad. Travis' mom and I planted all sorts of veggie starters and seeds today. We hope the frost has passed!

Winter Sunshine

Rhubarb

Known to many Americans as the pie plant. This perennial herbaceous vegetable is somewhat of a misfit fruit. Officially declared a fruit by the US Customs Court back in the late 40's, just as the tomato was declared a veggie. Interesting, how they can change the botany of a plant with the swing of their gavel.

Rheum rhabarbarum and Rheum rhaponticum are the most common varieties of the Buckwheat family found in our kitchens. Beckoning the arrival of spring, this faux fruit appears in various colors ranging from greens to pinks to deep ruby reds. Native to Northern Asia, rhubarb thrives in colder climates from Spring through Summer. US cultivation began in Maine and Massachusetts during the 1820's and eventually spread west with the settlers, primarily grown in the northern states and southern Canada.

It was used in China for thousands of years as a cleansing herb. In the Middle East it is simmered into a stew known as Khoresh Reevaas. In Poland it's paired with potatoes and herbs. The Italians concocted a healthful aperitif called Rabarbaro. The English and Americans dolled it up with loads of sugar during the Rhubarb Boom, which peaked between the two world wars, hence our liking of pies, tarts, compotes, jams, and all sugary treats.

Plays nicely with: Vanilla, citrus, berries, apples, pears, pistachios, ginger and warming spices. Sweets aside it's tart flavor perks up lamb, chicken, pork and fish dishes.

Nibble on this: A good source of magnesium, fiber, vitamins C & K, calcium, potassium and manganese.

A trip to the Market: Choose bright, glossy, unblemished and firm stalks. Not too thick and not to thin, somewhere in the middle should do. (Consequentially, you'll have pulpy stringy stalks with the thick or thin.) Most rhubarb is sold without the leaves, if you have your own wild patch; lucky you, make sure to dispose of the leaves as I'm sure you've heard they are toxic due to large amounts of oxalic acid and other chemicals.

Handling Tips: Compared to artichokes these are a cinch! Simply rinse, trim off the root end and any discolored spots as well as any traces of leaves. Cut into pieces and cook.

Now I'm dreaming of buttery tart shells filled with vanilla bean cream topped with tiny strawberries & raspberries drizzled with rhubarb compote and sprinkled with toasted pistachios. You'll find my basket full of rhubarb next farmer's market trip!

Artichokes, Cynara Scolymus

This thorny darling of spring grows in many shapes and sizes, ranging from large bulbous globes to small conical egg-shaped flower buds. A member of the aster family, this beautiful blossom is chock full of vitamins and minerals. Left to bloom an intense bluish-purple flower will emerge.

According to an Aegean legend, the god Zeus was leaving from a visit with his brother Poseidon and as he emerged from the sea, he spotted this beautiful young woman, Cynara. He managed to seduce this lovely mortal and with the blink of an eye he turned her into a goddess. Cynara soon grew homesick living on Mt. Olympus, so secretly she snuck back to the world of the mortals to visit her family. Zeus was enraged by her behavior and hurled her back to earth transformed as the thistle we know and love, Cynara Scolymus, the Artichoke.

Sicily is the probable place of origin, in a broader sense the Mediterranean. Although the US origins seem to be a little muddled, it's said that the French brought this edible thistle over to Louisiana in the early 19th century, however by the mid 20th century most growth ceased. This is where the history seems to get fuzzy, around the turn of the 19th century, one of two groups brought the artichoke to California, either the Spanish or the Italians. I like to think it was the Italians, as they've been cultivating it for at least 2,000 years and have all sorts of creative ways of incorporating it into a meal. Either way, mainstream production didn't really take off until the 60's. Cut to current day, California is the main producer for the US.

Plays nicely with: Goat cheese, fresh herbs, butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, olive oil, garlicky aioli spiked with lemon juice.

Nibble on this: One medium-size artichoke has only 60 calories (of course until dpped into oil, aioli, cheese or butter) and healthy doses of calcium, magnesium, chromium, manganese, iron, folate, fiber, potassium, Vitamins A, B, C & K.

A trip to the Market: A fresh artichoke should have a bright color and feel heavy for its size. Remember, an artichoke is the unopened blossom of a flower, so the petals should form tightly together, if they are open and ready to bloom the choke will be too large, hence an overripe veggie. The stem should not look at all shriveled, make sure that it is moist and freshly cut, the thickness of the stem will give you a sense as to how large the heart is. The petals should feel firm and fleshy. In fact, give them a gentle squeeze and they should eek out a tiny squeak. Don't worry so much if the outer petals have light scaring due to handling, typically we don't eat those. Also, if you see small blisters from the frost, all the more reason to take it home, as with most vegetables a "kiss" from the frost brings out the sweetness.

Handling Tips: When preparing artichokes, always have a bowl of lemon water set aside (1 quart of water to 4 tablespoons of lemon juice) or rub the cut areas of the artichokes with lemon juice or olive oil to keep them from turning brownish-black. Aluminum and iron will discolor artichokes, so never place aluminum foil directly on top of them, instead cover with a layer of parchment paper and then foil.

How to Eat an Artichoke: Just in case you're a first-timer to the delights of Cynara Scolymus. Pull off the outer petals, one at a time if you like or I suppose it can be done all at once, I prefer to savor the process of pulling off one and dipping, then eating and so on. Okay, back to the eating tid-bits, Dip it in sauce if you like, or if you've prepared my Artichokes Stuffed with Garlicky Herb Goat Cheese, then simply hold on tight to the top of the petal, place in your mouth (inside of the petal down on your tongue), remember grip tight and pull through your front teeth, this will give you a small mouthful of the tender, pulpy goodness. Toss the remaining petal aside to compost or trash (as it's too fibrous to nibble) and continue on until you get to the tasty heart. If you've simply steamed or boiled your artichokes and not scraped out the choke, then you must remove this fuzzy bit before you reach the heart. Do just that, scrape out the fuzz with a spoon or melon baller and buon appetito!