Everyone is hitting their pantry. I’m guilty of neglecting dried fruit (although dried apricots are not around long) and dried split green peas. The Spring garlic from the garden is perfect for harvesting now before it jumps into its May growth spurt. Then the garlic shoots become too woody, forcing us to wait for scapes […]
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew
It’s a rainy almost Spring day that feels chilly and calls for a warming stew. I tried (probably too hard) to push myself and do a dark photograph. I went through my props and pulled all of my black and gray plates and bowls. Organizing feels good. This stew can be wrapped in a tortilla, […]
Potato Leek Soup
A classic vichyssoise probably introduced by Julia Child back in the butter and cream days. I keep those two ingredients to a minimum by using the lusciousness of Yukon Gold potatoes, cultured butter, and cream from pastured cows, hence the golden hue of my potato leek soup. German Butterball potatoes would also give the soup […]
Italian Mushroom and Barley Soup with Wild Mountain Oregano
Updated January 1, 2026 Brrrr. Baby, it’s cold outside. No better time for soup than today. As I gathered the ingredients, I found I had Italian barley, Italian olive oil from our friends Ann and André, and Italian wild mountain oregano that I just scored from Metropolitan Seafood. With all local produce from the Wrightstown […]
Minestrone
This is the time of year I freeze a whole lot of minestrone for the winter months. I leave the pasta out, to keep it from becoming mushy upon defrosting and heating. That allows me to change it up at whim into a Moroccan, Mexican, or Indian stew or soup. This is what I traditionally […]
Corn Chowder
A Tale of Two Chowders One a creamy delight, another for the pesky vegans in your life. Creamy Corn Chowder Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 20 mins Total time 35 mins Recipe By: Sheila McDuffie : Soup Serves: 6 servings […]
Roasted Ratatouille
This is the time of year that I always make a big batch of ratatouille to freeze for the winter. Grab some Roma or other paste tomatoes for this. You want a meaty tomato, not the delicate (and expensive) heirlooms as a base. I had green Italian peppers from the garden, but of course you […]
Spring Into Summer Stew
The garden’s abundance finally rewards us for all of our hard work since March. A long time coming, but all is forgotten as we enjoy the bounty of the harvest. Here’s an easy way to eat your vegetables. I don’t use stock or broth, preferring the easy way of always making sure I’ve got some […]
Broccoli Soup with Creme Fraiche
Last November I put quite a bit of broccoli in the freezer for the winter. Since tasting my own broccoli straight from the garden, I find the supermarket offerings, including organic, taste bitter by comparison. So every autumn I harvest or purchase organic broccoli from the farmer’s market and freeze a bunch to get me […]
Homemade Vegetable Broths
Homemade Vegetable Broths Print Prep time 10 mins Cook time 20 mins Total time 30 mins A tale of three broths. Recipe By: Sheila McDuffie Cuisine: Cooking Basics Serves: 12 cups Ingredients Vegetable Broth 2 onions, quartered 4 carrots, coarsely chopped 3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped 2 potatoes, quartered (optional) 1 sweet potato, […]