I’m all about citrus season! Last winter was my first winter season preserving citrus. I dipped my toe in the kiddie pool with two variations on marmalade. A simple orange ...
Spotlight
{NOFA-NY Winter Conference} farming, family style
{drink it up} The Art of the Hot Toddy
{how to} A Temporary Fireplace for Making Maple Syrup
Latest Posts
{Valentine’s Day 2012} Food Is Love
According to the Smithsonian, “French women traditionally have relied on subtle culinary cues to signal their amorous intentions. The July 1956 issue of the journal Western Folklore reported: “a young maid lets her swain know whether the answer is ‘yes’ or ‘no’ by what she feeds him on St. Valentine’s Day. It’s a custom that [...]
{community voices} Scaling Up the Northeast Grains System
Editor’s Note: I am so happy to announce we are starting a new contributor-stream on FSC; Community Voices. These contributors will be monthly and are the voices in our local food community; whether it be a local chef, writer or swapper. First up, writer, teacher, wife, mother, urban homesteader Amy Halloran. I first met Amy [...]
{FSC SWAPPERS} breads, jams, soups, lip balms… oh my!
Editor’s Note: Swapper Natalie & her friend, Swapper Lindsay, have rocked the Saratoga Food Swap since they began attending a few months back. They are serious regulars now and I’m always delighted to see them (and what they bring to swap) each month! They tend to be very creative with glorious packaging and display wow. [...]
{gardening} Making the Most of One Acre
How Does Your Garden Grow? Sizing up our land and making the most of 1 acre. My husband is a cultivator; it’s in his veins. By the time most people begin their Spring cleaning he is out tilling the ground and planning the upcoming year’s garden. When were looking to build a home all he [...]
{NOFA-NY Winter Conference} pieces of the food puzzle
*I find it interesting that in the same week as I’m writing this post, our biggest local paper, The Times Union, ran a story on a local farm, Dharma Lea farm in Sharon Springs run by the Van Amburgh family, on the cover of their Sunday edition Business Section. Granted, we do have some great farmland [...]
{WNIMKW} Vitamix Blender
Editors Note: Let’s take a moment and rewind. Hop into the FSC Time Machine and if you go back to 2010 – early 2011 and you will find 19 posts under the series title “What’s New In My Kitchen Wednesdays” or WNIMKW for short. This used to be a semi-weekly series where we weaved a [...]
{be mine} DIY Conversation Hearts
Valentine’s Day is a holiday of love, but also of CANDY! While you might immediately imagine a red, heart-shaped box of chocolates when thinking of Valentine’s Day, there is another candy that has also been capturing hearts. A favorite amongst school-aged children, the Conversation Heart has had a steady fan base over the years. I [...]
{4 saturdays, 4 giveaways} The Feedback Giveaway
UPDATE SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2012: THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. The winner of their choice of Keeping Bees or Keeping Chickens or Home Dairy or Canning & {reserving by Ashley English is: LUCKY #3: KIMMER: “Took the poll, recipes, local food and vendor information, all make me read the blog, the local look at food, gardens, [...]
{recipe} Popovers: my latest breakfast obsession
Popovers are my latest food obsession. Since having a baby a couple months ago, we’ve had guests staying with us periodically. Despite being preoccupied with the baby, I love to cook and have been relieved to have something special for our visitors that doesn’t require excessive amounts of my time. I have wonderful memories of [...]
{planning your garden} Guide to Starting Seeds
There are many ways to garden. Some people buy plants from a nursery, your local farmer or garden center, which is a great option for many. I have done this in the past, primarily with annuals flowers (like pansies and petunias), tomatoes and peppers.* Last year, I decided to try my hand at starting [...]
{planning your garden} Crop Rotation
Even though the ground is covered with snow and ice and the sun barely shines, January is the time to plan your garden. There are four essential tenets of good organic gardening; have a readily available water source, keep on top of the weeds, feed the soil and rotate your crops. Crop rotation is probably [...]
{4 saturdays, 4 giveaways} U-Pick
UPDATE: 7:30am Saturday February 4th: THE WINNER IS SARA and she requested “What to Eat” By Marion Nestle! Therefore, we know have “An Everlasting Meal” and “What to Eat” in our 2012 FSC Book Club selections. CONGRATS SARA! Please email us at fromscratchclub (at) gmail (dot) com. The winner of the FSC bonanza (bookmark, full-color [...]
Hello to my New Digs {and saying goodbye to the old ones}
:: My girls on a fall day, loving our backyard :: It’s here. Moving Day. As you read this, I’m watching four super-strong men load all of my worldly possessions into a moving truck. I’m selling my house today, and tomorrow I’m buying a different one. My new house isn’t too far away – two towns [...]
























