You may have heard that reducing your consumption of meat is better both for your health and for our planet. This is true. But most Americans still eat meat. So which meat should you buy? It is best to buy local, sustainably raised meat products —like those sold at our winter farmers market ...

There are many delicious root veggies at our winter farmers’ market. In addition to the ubiquitous potatoes, onions, carrots and sweet potatoes, there are long white parsnips, rough-skinned celeriac (celery root), smooth and shiny kohlrabi, turnips, leeks, several types of beets and four ...

You may have heard that this was the warmest January in recorded history and that the temperature in Antarctica reached a record 67 degrees. It is true. Winters are not as cold as they used to be. We have not had 40 below for many years. But in the past few weeks, temps have dipped below zero ...

“Give us this day our daily bread” — Matthew 6:11, Luke 11:13 Bread is known as “the staff of life” because it’s a dietary staple in much of the western world. We eat it daily — and we take it for granted. It is our oldest processed food. In many European and ...

“The world today is hungry not only for bread but hungry for love; hungry to be wanted, to be loved.” - Mother Teresa Valentine’s Day — the romantic holiday for lovers — will be here soon. We show that love by sending cards, flowers and chocolates — and with romantic candlelit ...

“A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness.” — Elsa Schiaperelli Myths and legends about food abound. Most of us have participated in food traditions without even thinking about it. At weddings, we have thrown rice on the newlyweds to bring the couple health and ...

There are three kinds of radishes at our winter farmers’ market at the Hotel Saranac: watermelon, Daikon and black. Winter radishes are much larger in size than their cousins that herald spring. These root crops are harvested in late fall and can be stored through the winter. Juniper ...

The soup cauldron simmers, steams, shimmers warming soul, spirit, flesh. Winter is time for hot, steamy, flavorful soup. There are probably thousands of different soups, because you can make soup from almost anything. There are broth-based soups and chunky chowders, as well as vegetarian and ...

This is the first year we've had a farmers market through the winter in Saranac Lake. I love it! I wondered what vegetables would be available through the winter. The market still has squash, Brussels sprouts, a variety of root veggies (like carrots, turnips, beets). There are also greens ...

It’s Jan. 2 and we have just entered a new year — and a new decade. The past decade brought technological innovations: smart phones, social media, electric vehicles, self-driving automobiles. It also opened our eyes to new challenges — the biggest being our planet's changing ...

It’s that time of year again when one year turns into another. The passing of one year and the birth of a new one is cause for both revelry and reflection. It’s the time each year that we consider the past and plan ahead. Almost every culture shares a time of looking back and looking ...

As the year draws to a close — it is holiday time! Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa … and then the New Year! How will you celebrate the holidays this year? What are your special holiday foods? This darkest time of year we celebrate with light. Solstice burns a Yule log. Hanukkah ...

It’s December. Wintertime evokes visions of sitting by a hearth cracking nuts, which are now at their peak of freshness, and widely available. Popular holiday songs mention “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” — a custom that few Americans know. But walnuts and almonds are our most ...

Thick, creamy eggnog is the official drink that welcomes our winter holidays. It appears in stores shortly before Thanksgiving, and disappears right after New Year’s. The association with Christmas is relatively recent —probably dating to the 18th Century. The beverage originated as a ...

The guests have gone. The big day is over. You’re left with lots of food. Many say that leftovers are the best part of the holiday. But even if you love turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce and gravy, they get boring after a while. It is fun to find creative ways to use what is left ...

On Thanksgiving Day Turkey, squash, potatoes, pie gobble, gobble, gulp. For food, fun, friends, family, Give thanks today, and always. Winter snuck in upon us - and we weren't completely prepared. Clothespins were frozen on the clothesline, the porch windows were open and the ...

Kale has become our “it” green, gaining popularity over the last decade. Once relatively unknown outside the south, today restaurants make sure it is on the menu. Everyone loves kale chips. Kale has the buzz. But collard greens — kale’s first cousin — are still uncommon. Standard ...

The trees are bare and snowflakes are blowing in the wind. Winter is on the way. One of the few things left to be harvested before the ground freezes are leeks. These alliums add their distinctive, delicate flavor to all types of culinary delights — soups, stir-fries, salads, and egg ...

It’s that time of year. Autumn’s red turned first to gold and now, to gray. The earth goes to sleep for the long winter. It is the time we think of death, as trees shed leaves for their winter slumber, bears hibernate, and spring bulbs sleep in the ground preparing for spring’s ...

Autumn is sweet. Think pumpkin. Think winter squash. Think apples. Think sweet potatoes. Think carrots and beets. Think Halloween. Yes, temperatures are cooling and leaves are falling. Crisp autumn days give way to stark bare trees, cold, wet, gray days and long, dark nights. The summer's ...