gardening
Through the Seasons with The Virginia House-Wife; French Beans
Mary Randolph, The Virginia House-Wife French Beans Cut off the stalk end first, and then turn to the point and strip off the strings ; if not quite fresh, have a bowl of spring water, with a little salt dissolved…
Through the Seasons – Peas
Mary Randolph, The Virginia House-Wife Peas To have them in perfection, they must be quite young, gathered early in the morning, kept in a cool place , and not shelled until they are to be dressed; put salt in the…
Through the Seasons with The Virginia House-Wife: Asparagus
Mary Randolph, The Virginia House-Wife Asparagus Set a stew pan with plenty of water on the fire, sprinkle a handful of salt in it, let it boil and skim it; then put the asparagus prepared thus: scrape all the stalks…
In Which Leni Journeys Through the Seasons with The Virginia House-wife: January
Over the next while I am going to continue to explore my fascination with the Mary Randolph’s cookbook. When we read her recipes we get a glimpse into the skills and daily cooking styles practiced by African American cooks/chefs in…
An amazing array of seed catalogues for 2012!
Come the middle of January each year my mailbox sags as the glorious and seductive seed catalogues come rolling in. The pictures are so beautiful; the descriptions of each veggie and flower so tempting I could spend hundreds of dollars…
A Bit About Brussles Sprouts
Unlike the chunky, dry, strong flavored mini-cabbages many of us were first introduced to as children real homegrown Brussles Sprouts are tiny nubbins of concentrated yummy taste. Here are what the harvested plants look like. While this picture was taken…