i hope you eat good food, grow beautiful things, and have more love than you know what to do with.
On this past Sunday, I did the same thing I have always done every night after everyone else have been tucked into bed: I make my rounds to check on all our household denizens, from the big ones to the little ones. On this particular …
my grief is not loud it will not perform or ask for things it freezes over perfectly jagged ice crystals clinging to the inside of four chambers still full of pumping blood my grief is not a spectator sport it does not need condolences or …
This past spring, I bought winecap mushroom spawn for the mulch in my garden. Fungi are an extremely important part of nature’s cycle, playing an integral role in the decomposition of organic matter and recycling it into a form living plants can use. Mushrooms therefore are a great addition to any garden, and even better if they are edible! A word of warning is that never, NEVER eat mushrooms you are not 200% confident in identifying, as that can have lethal effects.
If, like me, you use mulch for weed suppression, adding mushrooms to the garden is as simple as throwing spawn around. Mushrooms prefer damp, shady spots, so under trees and against fences is a great place to start (they spread slowly on their own too.)
So long as you keep laying over mulch (as I do every spring and fall), they will continue in perpetuity. After a rain is when you’re most likely to see them flush, and if you can’t finish them that day, dehydrating them is a great way to store them for use later. I cut them at the base of the stem rather than plucking them out of the ground. They have less dirt on them that way, making it easier to clean.
I don’t very often spend money on brand new things for myself (other than food)–usually anything I purchase has to do with investments, and anything else if I can get them second hand I will (I LOVE a good bargain.) So this new chicken coop …
Around now (March) is when mugwort is popping up in the garden which means it’s time to start weeding it. If I don’t, it inevitably becomes an unmanageable mess, and most people view it as a noxious and invasive weed. It is and it isn’t, …
I made this a lot last year when I was growing eggplants and it is still one of my favorite ways to use up a vegetable I otherwise don’t pay much attention to. Cold or hot, over some white rice is just an absolute divine side dish. It’s not difficult to make but the order you do things in does matter, so I recommend preparing the ingredients before things go into the pan.
I really like Chinese garlic egg plant but in the past my eggplants were never soft like I know them to be in restaurants–then one day I overheard a chef who used to work at a takeout place say they fry the eggplants in oil first, and that made all the difference.
Eggplant does soak up a lot of oil, so you’ll want to watch those calories but I feel if it’s not delicious there’s no point.
I went with my mom to the supermarket yesterday and discovered the one slightly further into Flushing had… fresh sea urchin. As in unopened spiky globes hiding delicious roe goodness. Of course, me being me, I bought four (My mom said “I knew you’d be …
My oldest loves nametake (although she’s generally a fiend for all mushrooms)–and at 9 years old it’s really easy for her to grab some rice from the rice cooker and top it off with some for an after school snack. I make a few jars …
This is a recipe that had been on my list for a while, but I was intimidated by it (as I often am) because how does one create the authentic “taste” that can’t be found elsewhere in the world?
When I was little, my family lived in Taiwan, where my parents are originally from, for a year due my dad’s business. Oyster pancakes and tang hu lu abound, it’s a mish mash of memories filled with food as well as hospitalizations (was admitted with pneumonia four times.)
As a kid I really didn’t like oyster pancake very much–and I think part of it is that the oysters weren’t truly freshly shucked, creating a slightly bitter and fishy flavor. Once in a while though, the craving hits me, and I just so happened to have everything I needed, including live oysters leftover from an oyster roast with my sister so I decided to try it. It is an explosion of flavor and texture–the starch portion is chewy and a bit gooey, the egg tender and savory, some crispy edges and bites to the greens, with plump and juicy oysters embedded throughout. It is slathered in a deliciously sweet and tangy tomato and soy paste based sauce.
I’ve only done this with tapioca starch, but evidently sweet potato and corn starch are also possibilities. Be generous with the oil and the oysters!
This past summer we spent a lot of time catching eel off the local docks, and what a boon it was! There’s so many delicious ways to use eel, including smoked and grilled Japanese style (Kabayaki) for sushi. It is probably my absolute favorite fish …