Last week I found a pint of kumquats in the grocery store. And though it was a bit pricey, I bought it.  I have an acute Proustian memory of fruit gift baskets arriving in our home at winter holiday time, their fragrance alone bringing comfort and joy. Since childhood, I have absolutely adored the tiny citrus fruits.

My cousin Reuven has a veritable grove of exotic fruit trees in his backyard, one of which is a kumquat. The moment I plucked a ripe fruit from the branch one sunny day, I knew I had to get a tree of my own.

But if kumquat fruit is hard to find in New England, trees are even more rare. So, when a few years ago I found a sapling in the Home Depot nursery, I bought it. It was looking a little frail but it was the only one there, and I figured I would nurse it to health. It did grow well, full and green, but it didn’t produce a single fruit in three years. So, I called the nursery whose name and number were printed on the tag. I sent the owner a photo of the tree. Surprise, surprise, it wasn’t, in fact, a kumquat. What I owned was the sour orange root stock onto which the kumquat was supposed to have been grafted. When I asked the man to send me a replacement, he gave me a long story. Basically, a run-around. Eventually, I just gave up.

But after three days of blissful enjoyment of my grocery store kumquats last week, and despite the previous failed attempt, I bought myself a little meiwa kumquat tree. It arrived safely the other day, and I placed it in the sunroom to play with its houseplant cousins.

I am cautiously optimistic that this attempt will produce a full crop of the sweet-tart ovals.

This guide from Clara Beaufort offers creative strategies to make cooking an exciting adventure for your family!

Unleash Creativity in the Kitchen by Engaging Kids in Cooking

Involving your children in the kitchen is a great way to transform meal preparation into a lively, educational journey. Engaging your little ones in cooking keeps them entertained and instills valuable life skills.

Empowering Young Chefs Through Choice

Imagine your kitchen buzzing with excitement as your children pore over recipes, deciding on the week’s special meal. This practice sparks their interest in cooking and teaches them the importance of decision-making and planning. By having a say in the meal preparation, kids feel a sense of responsibility and eagerness to participate. Watch their faces light up with pride as the family sits down to enjoy their chosen dish, turning an ordinary meal into a memorable event.

Online Culinary Adventures

In the digital age, the internet offers a plethora of educational resources to complement your cooking activities. Platforms like Khan Academy provide courses that align with the culinary journey you embark on with your children. From understanding the science behind baking to exploring the history of various cuisines, these online tools enhance the educational aspect of cooking, making it accessible even if you’re juggling remote work. Plus, it’s a great way to keep them entertained if you work from home!

Childproof Your Kitchen Faucets

To child-proof your kitchen faucets, you can install faucet covers that make it difficult for small hands to turn on the water, preventing accidental burns or flooding. Consider adding temperature control devices that limit how hot the water can get, reducing the risk of scalding. You can also use faucet locks or handle covers to ensure that the faucet remains securely off when not in use, giving you extra peace of mind. You may wish to chat with a plumber for options in your area and budget.

A Spectrum of Flavors: Exploring Vegetables Through Color

Dive into the vibrant world of vegetables with your children by selecting produce based on the colors of the rainbow. This creative approach brightens your meals and introduces your kids to a diverse array of nutrients. Challenge them to find vegetables of every color, making each trip to the grocery store an educational treasure hunt. As they learn about the health benefits of different hues, they’ll develop a more adventurous palate, eagerly anticipating the rainbow on their plates.

Stirring Up Imagination: Kitchen as a Stage

Transform your kitchen into a realm of imagination where your children play starring roles in their culinary creation. Whether they’re the head chef, sous chef, or server, they’ll learn the value of teamwork and communication. This role-playing adventure enhances their creativity while teaching them the intricacies of running a kitchen. It’s a fantastic way to combine fun with learning, as they practice math through measuring ingredients and enhance their vocabulary with new cooking terms.

Cooking with Knowledge: Trivia Games in the Kitchen

Incorporate trivia games into your cooking sessions to sprinkle a dash of education onto every dish. Questions about ingredients, cuisines, and cooking techniques turn meal preparation into a lively quiz show. This interactive approach keeps your kids engaged and eager to learn more about the food they eat. It’s a delightful way to deepen their understanding of nutrition and global cultures, all while stirring the pot. 

The Joy of Journaling: Documenting Culinary Creations

Encourage your kids to maintain a cooking journal of their favorite foods – a place where they can document their culinary experiments, favorite recipes, and new discoveries. This not only nurtures their writing and reflection skills but also creates a cherished keepsake of their cooking adventures. They can track their growth as young chefs through journaling, remembering their triumphs and tasty mistakes.

Building Dreams: Integrating Toys into Culinary Play

Bring building toys into the kitchen to stimulate creativity and fine motor skills. Using LEGO or blocks, children can construct models of kitchen tools, design their dream restaurants, or recreate scenes from their favorite cooking shows. This imaginative play complements the hands-on cooking experience, encouraging them to think outside the box and bring their culinary visions to life.

Cooking with your children is more than just preparing meals; it’s a journey filled with learning, creativity, and fun. By embracing these strategies, you turn the kitchen into a classroom where every recipe teaches a lesson and every meal is a story. Engage your kids in cooking today, and watch as they grow into confident, knowledgeable, and imaginative chefs of tomorrow!

It’s that time of year again, when the zucchini vines are producing vast numbers of the tubular green squashes. So many, in fact, that the joke that makes the rounds every year (and never seems to get old) has people leaving the veggies on a neighbors’ doorsteps in the middle of the night and then running like the wind.

Enough of that. In an effort to use the zucchini in as many different ways as possible, I’ve been collecting recipes for everything from a smashed zucchini salad with toasted chickpeas and peanuts to zucchini-pineapple bread to zucchini lasagna. In case you run out of ideas, at least a dozen cookbooks dedicated to the green squash are offered for sale online and on bookstore shelves.

But how much of the stuff can one eat? Turns out a lot, since every one of these recipes produces a different flavor profile. And the stuff is chock full of vitamins and minerals, so it’s good for us.

Here is my absolutely favorite zucchini bread recipe, taken from a cookbook published by a group of women’s volunteer organizations in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Not fancied up with chocolate or other unnecessaries, it is absolutely addictive.

Zucchini Bread 

 Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups shredded zucchini (if taken from the freezer, drain well before using)

1/2 c. cup raisins

Directions:

Beat eggs in mixing bowl.

Add oil and vanilla and mix.

Sift together dry ingredients and add to liquids.

Mix in zucchini and raisins.

Pour into 2 greased loaf pans

Bake 1 hour 5 minutes at 325° (or until a tester comes out clean)

This bread freezes well.

Sure, I love the beautiful, peaceful aftermath of a snowstorm, with the pure white fluffy stuff piled high like so much Marshmallow Fluff. But other than that, I can leave behind in a heartbeat the cold, the gray, and the icy.

On the other hand, one thing that we do get in winter that isn’t so great in summer is citrus fruit. I love a good orange and would travel the country to find a kumquat—even going so far as to buy a tree of my own (long story for another time, but it turned out it wasn’t a kumquat).

However. This week—in May!—I saw a bag of “raspberry oranges” in the grocery store and just had to try them. I learned that they are an inspired hybrid between the Pomelo and the Tangerine. Smallish oval fruits, their insides are a deep red.

Although they’re not overly sweet (and I like a sweet orange), they actually have a taste of raspberry in them. Wow.

But what makes the flesh so red? Well, raspberry oranges are simply the result of a natural mutation of the standard orange that led to the production of anthocyanins, the water-soluble flavonoids that make blueberries blue and blood oranges red.

So, then I wondered what was the difference between a raspberry orange and a blood orange? After all, both have deep red flesh.

It’s just marketing. Maybe producers, or their advertising managers, finally came around to understanding that the name “blood orange” sounds just plain creepy. (And this from somebody who writes mysteries.)

Any way you slice them—or call them— these fruits are delicious.

In a world where sustainable living and aesthetic appeal go hand in hand, creating an edible landscape has emerged as a harmonious blend of functionality and beauty. An edible landscape refers to a garden that features plants that are both ornamental and edible, producing both an appealing visual setting and a source of homegrown produce. In this article guest blogger Clara Beaufort https://gardenergigs.com/about/ guides you through the art of crafting an edible landscape that not only delights the eyes but also provides a bountiful harvest.

Select the Right Plants

Plant selection is a critical aspect of crafting an edible landscape. Choose plants that thrive in your area and that serve a dual purpose—edible and ornamental—to ensure your garden offers both a visual delight and a fruitful harvest. For example, lavender not only adds a pop of color, but its blossoms can be used in various recipes. Similarly, blueberry bushes offer succulent fruits and striking autumnal foliage.

Create a Relaxing Space

Enrich your edible landscape by incorporating an outdoor seating area. This personal oasis offers a venue for relaxation while allowing you to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Adding features like pergolas or water fountains can augment both the aesthetic appeal and the overall value of your property.

Introduce Edible Grasses

Gardenia notes that starting with edible ornamental grasses offers an elegant yet practical way to establish a natural border around your property. Grasses such as lemongrass or vetiver serve as defining features that outline your garden and contribute to the culinary palette. Their leaves and stems can be harvested for various dishes, making them multifunctional elements in your landscape.

Invite Everyone Over for a Party

Hosting family, friends, and neighbors to marvel at your garden’s bounty and to partake in a meal crafted from its produce is a splendid way to celebrate your hard work and share the fruits of your labor. If you’re looking to make this gathering even more special, you can design your invitation in minutes utilizing a free online tool to craft beautiful, custom invitations. By selecting a premade template, you can personalize it with unique fonts, your own images, and distinctive design elements, setting the perfect tone for your garden feast.

Group Plants Strategically

Efficiency is key when it comes to managing a thriving garden. Be.Green suggests grouping plants according to their sunlight and water requirements to optimize their growth conditions. For example, shade-loving plants like mint and water-loving ones like watercress can be planted together. This strategic approach makes garden maintenance easier and more efficient.

Make Money Out of Your Garden

Starting a YouTube channel focused on educating viewers on creating an edible garden or showcasing your gardening journey can be a fruitful way to monetize your passion. By forming an LLC, you benefit from limited liability, tax advantages, less paperwork, and more flexibility, making it an ideal choice for those running a business. To avoid hefty lawyer fees, consider filing the LLC yourself or through a formation service like Zenbusiness who can make the process fast and straightforward.

Diversify Design

Variety is the spice of life, and the same applies to your edible landscape. Achieve visual allure by incorporating diverse colors, textures, and shapes. A blend of leafy greens, vibrant fruits, and blooming flowers creates a mosaic of visual elements that elevate the aesthetics of your space. Swiss chard, for example, offers colorful stalks, while nasturtiums introduce lively hues and are also edible.

Use Space Wisely

Space constraints shouldn’t deter you from building your edible landscape. Raised beds and container gardening can prove invaluable in making the most of limited areas. These methods maximize your gardening space and make it easier to control soil quality, resulting in a more abundant yield.

Crafting an edible landscape seamlessly integrating functionality and aesthetics is an art form. It rewards the senses, fosters community engagement, and contributes positively to the environment. By embracing these key principles, you’re not just cultivating a garden but creating a flourishing, sustainable haven that enriches your life and those who gather within it.