The word za’atar has two different culinary meanings. It’s the common name for Origanum syriacum, a plant native to the Middle East (related to common oregano), and it’s also a blend of several spices including O. syriacum, sumac, and salt. Every year in late summer, when my local sumac is at its tart and tasty best, I make a big…
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Every year, along about mid-summer, I get anxious. While farmers in the Midwest are worrying about their corn crop, I’m wondering if the sumac will be good this year and if I’ll get enough. Because if it isn’t, and if I don’t, well, then what? (And don’t say order sumac powder from Kalustyans because even though I could do that,…
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Last month I spent a week on Islay, one of the Inner Hebrides islands off the west coast of Scotland. Some of you may know that I teach foraged mixology workshops for RemyUSA, owners of The Botanist gin. When Remy asked if I’d be interested in going to an international foragers’ summit on Islay, where The Botanist is distilled, my…
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What Makes a Dirty Martini Dirty? Rumor has it that the dirty martini was created at Yalta, when FDR, Churchill, and Stalin met to determine the fate of post WWII Europe. Apparently the allies did a lot of drinking as they worked long into the night. One morning, a hungover Joey Stalin suggested vodka and pickle juice as a cure,…
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Daylilies are wild food superstars, providing four different edible parts during the growing season. I’d be hard pressed to choose which part is my favorite, so don’t try to pin me down. As garden plants, daylilies are outrageously popular. Entire plant societies are devoted to the daylily, but most gardeners appreciate the plant only for its looks, not its culinary…
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