Adventures of a Truffle Dog
There's something about an early winter forest that brings out the adventurer in every dog – and when you add truffles to the scene, the ultimate companion for woodland discoveries is my canine pal, Rico.
Andrew Scrivani Photography
Blue Hills, Stone Barns
I might have been near Normandy in France the way the road opened in front of me with those stone barns set off the lane in the background. Several baby lambs ran beside my car and older sheep chewing calmly dotted the fields. It seemed everything on this farm worked in a specific meter. Each person I met was charged with a task of some kind, which they performed with a purpose, yet a smile at every turn was shared immediately and with meaning. It was a simple lesson in customer awareness, which enriched the scene.
Stone Barns, restored and in a sense re-created as they were 100 years prior in another time….
Bumps in the Soup
My Aunt Dorothy would have been the first to tell you that she wasn’t a cook. It’s what she told me when I asked her to describe the Slovenian recipes I remember her preparing when I was growing up. But that can’t be right. I know this because, in a long-ago kitchen inside my mind, I can see myself sitting at a speckled Formica table spooning up a fragrant elixir so powerful it could transform even the bleakest day into something good and true.
Chef Justice
Justice Stewart is a real neighborhood guy. On weekdays, he works at his construction job in Brooklyn. On weekends (and during every other minute of free time), he’s a creative cook, avid fisherman, fanatical food blogger – and executive producer of an online TV show called Neighborhood Chefs.
Farmer Alf Bexfield, Age 100
“It is unlikely that any generation in history has seen the changes that my generation has,” says Alf Bexfield just days before his 100th birthday. “I can vividly remember my dad, James Scarlet Bexfield, driving oxen!”
Midnight in the Bronx
A Visit to Hunt's Point Fish Exchange. The first thing you sense is the cold. Don’t think about it for long because that forklift over there is screaming toward you. If you fall on the slippery-with-fish-guts floor refrigerated to 30 degrees or so, wet and concrete, it will hurt. Or, you could also be maimed by a hand-driven, propane-powered, self-propelled forklift, which is sort of like those larger forklifts with wheels, but more like the size of a lawn mower on steroids. It quickly moves boxes from one part of the room to another.
So You Think You Want to be an Organic Gardener?
Then, she says, “One of my favorite quotes from myself is: ‘If you told me I was going to be a farmer with four kids, I would’ve said, ‘What drug are you on?’” But she has never been on any drugs that I am aware of. So, ultimately, my question is this: How does an intellectual, professional woman break standards so unconventionally by doing something so traditional?
Staff of Life
Jean Sexton: While I know they eat cornbread in other parts of the world—even in other parts of the South—they don’t eat my mama’s cornbread. Hers is surely set apart; scratched into the dry cave walls of Anasazi legend and rained down as manna on the children of Israel wandering lost outside the Promised Land.
The Five Questions – Bonny Doon Founder Randall Grahm
I adore wines that speak clearly of the soil or rock that surrounds the vines. Some winemakers like Randall Grahm have embraced the Rudolph Steiner methods of Biodynamics. What are Biodynamics? My recent research and authorship for the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America Ed., 2 reveals that Biodynamics are a practical method of Organic farming.
The Five Questions – Sustainable Sushi?
Sustainable Sushi? Is there such a thing? And, just what exactly does sustainable mean? First, let’s talk about the sushi part of the equation: Raw fish, vinegar treated rice, a touch of Japanese horseradish mustard known as Wasabi, that’s it!
As a self-proclaimed sushi head, I’m truly a minimalist. I adore that perfect diver’s scallop “hand gathered” in Maine. It will be touched by a dot of white ginger, a drop of that special soy sauce from the Grateful Palate - long gone now - and a tiny slice of lemon. This is all I want, the Tao of the enjoyment of texture, flavor, color.
The Five Questions: Christopher Kimball – America’s Test Kitchen
America's Test Kitchen is a instructional television show that reveals the layers of good cooking through simplicity. At the helm, Christopher Kimball- stoic in his sharp bow tie and properly preppy, Yankee threads- instructs, questions and discovers the soul of cooking. He is part scientist, part story-teller and part chef.
Wild Table Guest Post: Deanna Morauski
The Live Well Network offers a wide range of entertainment-based programs, including home decorating, fashion and beauty, food, health, outdoor adventures, travel and finance.
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Who can possibly get enough lovely, holiday bread recipes? This comforting yet refreshing fancy orange bread recipe is one of the loveliest in all of the bread kingdom. She is a gorgeous gift and a stunning addition to any holiday spread.