Jun 30
Here’s another installment of “food I have never eaten before!” At the farmer’s market today, I spotted it and realized that it’s been here all along and I’ve simply never noticed it. Here’s why I love my CSA: I now love kohlrabi.
This week we got rhubarb and strawberries from our CSA*, so naturally I decided to make a strawberry rhubarb pie. My father’s grandmother used to make this pie when he was young, so this pie brings with it some nostalgia. We often think of rhubarb pie as kind of old-word American, and I think this is surely this case.
*(Community Supported Agriculture: this is a relatively affordable way to get absolutely fresh and local fruit, vegetables, eggs, and meat from farm to table every week. Check out thelocalbeet.org to find one near you.)
We get our new CSA veggies soon, so it’s time to start using up what’s left. Unbelievably, there’s still asparagus in the fridge after a whole five days! I vow to never again neglect these tasty stalks, chock full of antioxidants and an impressive legacy (Asparagus is noted even in the oldest known cookbook dated back to the third century.
Jun 27
My brother just got his first apartment and wanted to have us over to see it. In my family, this means food (and lots of it). Naturally, I offered to do the cooking. But, I’m a vegetarian and Marty is very much a steak and potatoes kind of guy, so I met him halfway. To start, I served mozzarella cheese tarts made with the leftover galette pastry dough and a grilled apricot, lettuce (from my garden), and goat cheese salad. It was AWESOME.
Michel de Montaigne, an arguably French and Italian philosopher in the sixteenth century, considered subjects generally in order to come to meaningful conclusions, always beginning his essays, “of _____.” This is where this blog gets its name, OfBaking. I hope, through considering food and sharing recipes, that this blog may also get to some meaningful conclusions. If not, at least we’ll have enjoyed some good food.
I’m an English major and teacher by trade, but baking and cooking has always been an important part of my life. From my gradmother’s table to my mother’s, the creation of food (rather than the eating of it) was the single-most meaningful act we engaged in as a family. It brought us together in the creation of something of utility, indulgence, and beauty, sharing the happiness and joy that are inherent in good food with those we loved.
I’m a firm believer in from-scratch baking and cooking for two reasons. Firstly, the more agency we take in the food we prepare, the more we enjoy it. Secondly, as we become farther and farther removed from food as we have always understood it, it’s gratifying and enlightening (if not imperative) that we make the effort to understand what food is. As per example, the first time I went to a farm, got milk from a cow, and made butter with it, I not only felt more connected to and pleased with the food I prepared, every time I interact with these foods now, I get a picture of where they came from and what exactly they are. I believe this is a good thing. If you do too, you just might enjoy this blog. :)
