food history
Split Pea Soup – Winter’s Comfort Food
My Split Pea Soup was inspired by Andersen’s Restaurant, Solvang, California, c. 1952 When I was a little girl in the early 1950s it took almost 18 hours to drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco on Highway 101. My…
A Winter Chocolate Making Session
We had a lot of fun! Amid the wafting aroma of exotic spices and turkey mole roasting in the oven my four students worked at the grinding of the cocoa nibs till we made a fabulous paste. At each stage…
Homemade winter mincemeat from historic recipes; bear, venison, and pigs feet
There was a wonderful madness in my kitchen as eight friends and family joined me this last Sunday to make mincemeat from historic recipes. Both the bear and the venison were contributed by the Great Hunter (Jackson Landers) for which…
Taking care of ourselves and each other: Self-reliance, sustainibility, and Andrew Zolli
Around about Thanksgiving is pretty much when I close up the summer and early fall making/doing/storing food bustle. I’m getting ready to hunker down; you’d think I was a squirrel. South Dakota winters have a way of sticking in…
Everything but the squeal: Rendering fresh lard
I made the first of the season’s lard the other day. It turned out exactly right! My friend Rowena Morrell recommended I render my lard in the oven in my turkey roaster pan at 225 degrees. In the past I…
Despite the storms our garden and animals are sprouting and growing and laying
The stormy events of the past several days have made the dog crazy! Especially the lightning! But the hens, the pigs and the garden seem to just continue doing what they do best; grow and lay eggs! But…