It’s hot. The calendar still says spring, but it sure feels like summer. Summer berries won’t be here for a while — so no strawberry rhubarb pie quite yet! But our rhubarb is coming up like crazy. Rheum rhabarbarum, or garden rhubarb, thrives in cool climates from Alaska to Siberia and ...

Every May I look forward to fresh, crisp-tender stalks of asparagus. Mom used to tend the asparagus bed in her garden until her back gave out. Now we buy it at the farmers market. This year, however, I spent May 1 in the hospital, then in a rehab facility. Here there is no fresh food — ...

This May, I spent nine days in a hospital gown, followed by time at a rehab facility. People ask, “When are you coming home?” I hope to stay here until I’m fully recovered — but not longer than I need to. I don’t want to rush it. As someone used to healthy, fresh food, the ...

I am not organized and I don’t often plan ahead. But I have friends who do. One, who worked as a nurse before she retired, liked to spend an afternoon each month planning and preparing meals for her family of four. This may seem impossible, but a quick internet search reveals many tips for ...

The snow is mostly gone. One day brings 80 degrees … a few days later, it’s 30 with snow showers. April brings clouds, snow showers, sleet, sun, rain. We wait for crocuses, spring beauties, daffodils. Snow melts to reveal brown earth, ready for planting — but no harvest yet. Our farmers ...

Easter was one week ago. Christ has risen! We gathered with friends to share and celebrate the miracle of the Resurrection and the new life of spring. The guests left. We’re left with lots of food — especially that ham, which I knew would be way too much for our small group. Lamb ...