There are many houseplants that love to spend the summer outdoors, where warm temperatures and abundant light help support strong seasonal growth. Every houseplant grower can recall a day when a sudden cold snap caused them to rush to get plants back indoors in one … Read More

A couple of years ago, when fermentation authors Kirsten and Christopher Shockey were considering their next project, I asked Kirsten if she’d ever made miso. She said she hadn’t, but she was curious about it. Passionate curiosity is a quality that comes naturally to the … Read More

Miso is more than just soup stock. It is an umami-rich, salty fermented paste, traditionally made with soybeans and a grain koji, generally rice koji or barley koji (with the exception of an all-soybean miso). It is a quintessential Japanese seasoning that is also a … Read More

The federal courthouse in Springfield, Massachusetts, is a large, modern building with an entire wall of glass facing the street. With its “cascading, concave roof . . . gracefully . . . framing the space in a delicate shell of steel and glass,” the … Read More

The wheat beer family is a grand family of beers that has medieval roots and suits the summer season stupendously well. Wheat adds a creamy texture, a hint of bright tanginess, and a dry palate, all making for refreshing — but somehow satisfying — beers. Read More

Summertime is bug season – no doubt about it! If you spend any time outdoors, you’re bound to encounter all manner of flying, buzzing, creeping, crawling, stinging, biting, chewing, and burrowing bugs  — and not just ones that irritate you, but also those that get … Read More

As a kid on hot days in Southern California, I always looked forward to enjoying a cool treat after a long day at school. Sometimes I had an ice-cold soda or a smoothie, but the treat I loved most was frozen yogurt. Plain yogurt has … Read More

Many new herbalists panic when it comes to harvesting time, not sure what to do and when best to do it. It’s really easy! Generally speaking, harvest when that particular plant looks, smells, and tastes potent, flavorful, healthy, and vital. Basically, when it’s “happy.” Aromatic … Read More

My first time eating smoked mackerel is one of those Proustian memories: It was Father’s Day, and we were in Cornwall, England, for a family trip. The village we were staying in had one of those classic, large, white plastered buildings with a big smokestack, … Read More

The Grill Table Using a grill table is the most bare-bones way of smoking meat and the most reminiscent of the barabicu of the West Indies. This is still the preferred technique for smoking meats in most Asian and South American traditions. It is one … Read More