I enjoy meal prep with minimal equipment. It means fewer dishes to wash, and many times, less time getting from cooking to eating. In this post, let's explore some different vegetables that do not require a knife to prepare. If I missed some of your favorite no-cut veggies, let me know in the...
For us here in Central Illinois, it appears as though a hard frost will finally reach us this week, which means it's time for gardeners to bring any plants worth saving indoors. Whether that means the houseplants we put on the patio for the summer, or the geraniums we want to try and overwinter for...
Fall is here and with it comes apples. October is National Apple Month. Did you know that the average American eats about 17.5 pounds of fresh apples each year, and an additional 30 pounds of apples in other products such as juice; canned and frozen products; and dried.In 2016, Illinois had over...
The leaves are falling and the days are gorgeous outside! You know, in the vegetable garden, its best practice to clear away all plant material to reduce risk of over-wintering fungal and bacterial diseases, correct? So clear away to your hearts content, and feel good. But, as unpopular as this may...
A fun thing about being a dietitian is learning about new foods. Pawpaws are certainly not a fruit I was familiar with, so a big thank you to Local Foods Small Farms Educator Doug Gucker for bringing in a pawpaw for me to sample and photograph.
From what I experienced eating a pawpaw, I thought...
When fall rolls around, it is easy to just be done with gardening for the season. You've worked all season long to water, weed, and keep things looking great and the idea of more gardening may not sound so enticing anymore. Don't give up yet though, there really are numerous fall gardening...
If you have never eaten a pawpaw, try this tasty, fall fruit. While the pawpaw, Asimina triloba, is the largest tree fruit native to the United States. It is the...
A Chinese proverb says, "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now." This is so true, and fall is a particularly good time to plant a tree!
Although there are some exceptions, (aren't there always?) September to mid- October is considered to be the perfect time to...
One-pot meals have been my favorite cooking method lately. Put it all in – protein, whole grains or starchy veggies, and non-starchy veggies – and dinner is served!
I try to make one-pot recipes that are full meals in themselves. Occasionally, I decide to make one-pot dishes and add some crackers...
