Reviving Traditional Foods
The Thing About Blueberries . . . is that they don’t grind their Harleys over the hot desert tarmac, or throw eight-course dinner parties at Monet’s garden in Giverny, or eat jellied eels from a stall in London. Because – let’s face it – blueberries are homebodies. Plump, delectable little delights that know all too [...]
I love a traditional wassail, and I make it three times a year – on the first day of snow, on the longest night of the year and on New Year’s Eve. And today marks the longest night of the year and the shortest day. We’ll celebrate with wassail and by lighting a candle that [...]
This is a guest post from Hannah Crum – the fermenter extraordinaire and the woman behind Kombucha Kamp where she sells kombucha mothers, continuous brew kits and all things kombucha.I had the pleasure of first meeting Hannah at the Freestone Fermentation Festival this past May where we both spoke about the pleasures of fermented foods, demoed our techniques [...]
I love the fruits of autumn - pears and quince, yes, but it is the apples I love most of all. Indeed, eighty-five pounds of pomaceous fruit lurk in stacked cardboard boxes in my living room. They wait for me, quietly. And as they ripen, they release their gently scent – mildly floral and slightly spicy. [...]
Homemade mint extract, and other extracts, number among my favorite additions to desserts. And, in keeping with most of the several real food recipes at Nourished Kitchen, it is shamefully easy to prepare and requires only a handful of ingredients. And, in winter when my herbs are frozen over until the spring thaw, I rely [...]
Sourdough focaccia with grapes, fresh rosemary and coarse sea salt found its way to our kitchen last week. Loosely adapted from the classic Italian grape bread or schiacciata con l’uva, this sourdough focaccia with grapes and rosemary takes an even more rustic approach – omitting enrichment by egg and sugar in favor of only the [...]
Homemade sauerkraut, in all its funky humility, is a favorite food in our home – particularly in wintertime when fresh, local produce is a rare treat and we rely on what we’ve put by over the summer and autumn months. For us, this means lots of fermented foods and sauerkraut in particular. We grow cabbage [...]
Stinging nettle infusion spiked with mint and red clover found its way to my kitchen counter by chance this summer where its deep green, inky hue is now desperately loved. Yes, like most of you real food lovers, I’m a fan of the legendary herbalist Susun Weed. And though her Wise Woman Herbal for the [...]
Tomatoes provençale, a simple dish that highlights the bounty of late summer gardens with its emphasis on fresh tomatoes, finds its way to our table almost daily in August when we buy heirloom tomatoes by the case at our local market. Tomatoes, you see, don’t do well up here at 9,000 feet. So we get [...]
The other morning I woke to the thin sheen of the season’s first frost glazing the leaves of my kitchen herbs which grow in mismatched, hand-me-down pots and buckets on my front steps. But it’s only August, I hear you say. Indeed. But here in the heart of the Rockies, where my little nook in [...]
free resources to get started
The Thing About Blueberries . . . is that they don't grind their Harleys over the hot desert tarmac, … [read more]
Confused about grains? You're not alone! It seems that everyone is telling you - to either get … [read more]
Did you know that a simple process can actually increase the nutrients your body absorbs from whole … [read more]
Jenny McGruther is a wife, mother and cooking instructor specializing in real and traditional foods. Her work has been featured on CNN, the Globe & Mail, the Atlantic, the Christian Science Monitor, Denver Post and WebMD. Click here to learn more.
What People are Saying