Last Sunday night we hosted our first ever dinner at the farm. It was a great success, and as we bask in the glow of this experience, we have to ask ourselves, “What took us so long?” C ...

We are collaborating on this special event with our friends Neftali Duran of El Jardin Bakery in Deerfield and Rose Weiss, who trained at Chez Albert in Amherst and the French ...

What better way to use that last primo tomato of the season than on a final summertime B.L.T.? All B.L.T.’s are not created equal, and this one had to be perfect.  Care must be taken to  ...

This is the time of year when a turn in the weather will trigger fits of hording. The fruits of summer are living out their final days, and the mind begins to fearfully anticipate a season when the  ...

Corn chowder is quite possibly the world’s perfect soup. It’s sublime in its simplicity and infinite in its variability. I’ll give you the basic principles and a few ideas for jazzin ...

We are just back from a week on the remote Maine island of Isle au Haut, a place of rocky coasts, craggy woods, and lobster boats. It was exhilarating to get away to a place of such untainted beauty ...

Here's the recipe.

  3 Asian Eggplants (the long, skinny kind) ¼ cup canola or other frying oil 3 large cloves of garlic, chopped fine   Two to five Thai chilies, cut in fairly large pieces 2 Tbsp  ...

Why is it that the moment for canning and preserving always falls on really really hot days? Everyone with childhood memories of canning remembers two things: the smell and the heat. For many, sadly ...

  Wow. I had never cooked okra this way until recently, despite the fact that for years some of our most dedicated okra customers have been Greek, and this is the way they make it. Most people a ...

Artichokes Olive oil Lemon juice Salt & pepper Trim the artichokes down to the heart. Start by peeling off all of the tough green petals. Then peel a few more. Less is more. Now trim the st ...

Ingredients: Cooking Oil (olive or other) Mushrooms Garlic or shallots or cipollini onions, usually not more than one of those Ham, bacon or pancetta, optional White wine, sherry, Port or Ma ...

Happy 4th of July to all of our readers and eaters out there! I'm taking a week off from writing because I'm off to the farm to pick garlic, onions, cilantro, etc. and bring them to my friend Neftal ...

  (Pictured in top of frame) These days I am really loving vegetable dishes that are part-salad and part-pickle. Salads made with sturdy vegetables like cabbage or cucumbers (unlike lettuce or  ...

I love tacos. There's nothing quite like that combination of fresh corn tortillas, crispy, fatty meat, pickled vegetables and cilantro. Before tomatoes are in season I like to make this spring version ...

This week I’m not going to talk about the weather. Well, let’s just say I feel jerked around.  The good news is that after last week’s heat wave and storms, we had a massive bursting forth  ...

Last week the New York Times printed a recipe in their food section for a spring vegetable-inspired version of puttanesca. While the recipe sounded pretty good to me, the fresh, seasonal ingredients s ...

La pasta fatta in casa. Mmmm.... Fresh, homemade pasta. I couldn't think of a better way to use the hearty whole grains from our local-grain share than by making pasta. And with a little preparation a ...

Fresh tortillas... mmmm. That was the thought I had ten years ago when I planted field corn my first garden. Back then I didn't even know how far apart to space the plants, let alone understand the pr ...

  Last weekend we picked up the first installment of our (half) share from our friends at Wheatberry Farm (aka the Pioneer Valley Heritage Grain CSA). We are pretty psyched that Ben and Adrie are ...

Savoy cabbage is the best type for cooking. It is very tender due to its tightly packed thin leaves. When cooked until melting, it is divine. Across northern Italy, it is a winter staple. Le verze,  ...

Since the hurricane blew over there has been a sharp chill in the air and it’s got us thinking about soup. And eating a lot of it, too. There are so many wonderful soups that one can create so s ...

Photo by Candace Hope In the first apartment I ever had, when I was 18 years old, a vegetarian, and new to cooking, I made this at least twice a week. The recipe has evolved somewhat since then, but  ...

Bok choy is one of the most well known of the Asian greens, but we always get people asking what it is and how to use it. Bok choy is a member of the cabbage family. It comes in lots of different sh ...

Napa Cabbage is great in stir fries of any kind. I love to make these curry flavored stir-fried rice noodles at home almost as much as I like ordering them in Chinese restaurants. Recipe adapted from  ...

This is my favorite thing to do with daikon radish. You may have eaten a similar steamed radish cake at your favorite dim sum joint. This recipe is from Rasa Malaysia. Follow the link for beautiful ph ...

This is my favorite way to eat beets. The combination of the bitter greens, the sweet beets, the roasty nuts, the creamy cheese, and the sharp dressing is one of the most sublime flavor combinations e ...

2 tbsp. butter 1 tbsp. cooking oil 2 lbs. lean lamb shoulder (cut in 2-3 inch pieces, dusted with flour) 1 tbsp. sugar 1 large onion, peeled and chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped 2 tb ...

1 lb penne pasta 5-6 brightly colored sweet peppers Olive oil 2 cloves garlic 8 oz sweet Italian sausage meat 1 pint tomato puree Salt & pepper ½ cup heavy cream Freshly torn basil leaves  ...

For the crust: 1 ¼ cups flour ½ tsp kosher salt 8 Tbsp unsalted butter 4-5 Tbsp ice water For the filling: 2 leeks 2 Tbsp butter 2 eggs, plus 2 yolks ¾ cup milk ¾ cup  ...

Potatoes and peppers are a really amazing combination. When I was working on an olive farm in Italy, the grandmother would heat up a big pot of their oil (the best and freshest I've ever had) and fry  ...

“Toasting” the ingredients either on a grill, hot dry skillet (comal) or under the broiler until the skin chars gives this salsa its special character. Raw, it’s great for dipping t ...

 The secret to good baba is to roast the eggplant until blackened.  The resulting smoky flavor really makes it. Ingredients: 1 large purple eggplant 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup tahini 2 clov ...

2 lbs summer squash, cut into the shape of french fries 1 cup flour, more or less 1 lager beer 1 tsp salt canola oil for frying Mix the flour, beer, and salt together to form a thin batter.  Heat ...

1 lb eggplant, cut into ½-inch slices 4-5 cloves garlic 1-2 medium sized fresh red or green chilies (or sweet bell pepper for the meek) 1 Tbsp light soy sauce or tamari 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce 2 ...

Inspired by "Chez Panisse Fruit" by Alice Waters 2lbs ripe peaches, peeled and sliced in 1/4 inch wedges 1/2 cup blueberries 2-4 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1 recipe Galette Dough (reci ...

Tomato melancholy can quickly give way to fits of hording. The best way to deal with a surplus of beefsteak tomatoes is to make tomato puree. These tomatoes are meant for slicing. They’re juicy ...

Red or white?  This is our version, a nice compromise. 1 lb. spaghetti, linguine, or cappellini 2 lbs. steamer clams, or 24 littlenecks 1-2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved 1 head garlic  ...

This recipe has been a favorite of ours for years, adapted from Jack Bishop's The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook. For the Basil-Garlic Crust 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves 1 medium garlic cl ...

This season has been a great one for cucumbers. Last year the cucumbers didn’t exactly thrive in the wet conditions, and we hardly picked any. But this year’s harvest has been extremely ab ...

We are in high summer now. Most years, lettuce and salad greens are tough to grow this time of year. But the high highs of this year’s record breaking heat wave have made it close to impossible, ...

Stolen from Easy-French-Food.com 1 pound carrots 1 orange 1 clove garlic, finely minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro or flat leaved parsley 1 teaspoon ...

Ingredients: tomatoes, cucumbers, onions. Method: cut them into small pieces, add oil and vinegar, serve immediately. All around the world, and especially the Mediterranean, there is a class of lettu ...

This week there was a great blog post on the New York Times' website, "Beet Recipes Even a Beet Hater Can Love." Since we have an abundance of beets right now, we though this would be a good moment to ...

This is my approximation of my favorite coleslaw. Growing up in Oneonta, NY, we used to go to Brook's Barbecue restaurant (famous for its chicken) all the time. Being the 80's, they had an all-you-can ...

This winter while reading David Chang's Momofuku cookbook I pledged to myself to make pickling our vegetables a regular part of my repertoire. I have yet to do it, but I was inspired by his simple br ...

1 pound zucchini or other summer squash vegetable oil to come ½ inch up the side of a skillet 1 pound fusilli (or any short, stubby pasta) 3 Tbsp butter 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp flour, dissolved ...

 Having fresh herbs around really inspires me to cook. One recipe I always associate with the flavors of cilantro and mint are these Vietnamese Spring Rolls. This is a recipe that I have blat ...

Escarole is like a lettuce in many ways. It looks like lettuce. At the market, people often mistake it for a gigantic lettuce and get really excited. It can, in fact, be used like lettuce in a salad. ...

1 pound dry white cannellini or lima beans, or 2 cups fresh shelled barlotti beans 1 large yellow onion or 1 bunch leeks 1 head garlic 4 Tbsp good quality olive oil 2-4 bunches of black Tuscan kale o ...

Lettuce is the invisible vegetable. It never seems to be the focus of attention. The most popular specimens have the "mildest," or most minimal flavor. There are few recipes where it features prominen ...

Fresh egg pasta: 3 cups all purpose flour 5 eggs Pour out the flour directly on your countertop or a very large pastry board, making a well in the center like a volcano.  Crack the eggs into the ...

Pastry Shell (makes two tart shells) 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp kosher salt 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed 1 egg yolk 1/2 cup heavy cream Combine flour and salt in the Cuisinart bow ...

Recipe: Tostones (Twice-Fried Green Plantains) On a recent outing to Food Zone I could not resist the green plantains, and despite the fact that they’re heavy and bulky and came all the way fr ...

2lbs yellow or cipollini onions 1/2 stick butter, or combination of oil and butter 1 shot Port wine 2 quarts homemade beef stock, or use canned salt & pepper To serve: 4 slices slightly stale fre ...

With the air inside the house so dry this time of year, fresh bread has a life of about 12 hours. Luckily, there are many things you can do with the stale ends, like this classic Italian peasant soup. ...

One of the best cookbooks of 2009 was "The Pleasures of Cooking for One" by Judith Jones. I gave a copy to my mother and enjoyed perusing it during our Christmas visit. Here's one of the recipes that  ...

 1 medium onion 2 oz mild flavored pancetta or bacon (optional) 3-4 heads radicchio 1.5 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice 2 quarts boiling homemade chicken or vegetable stock 2 Tbsp olive oil 4 Tb ...

Slice the heads of radicchio lengthwise into 4 quarters, leaving a bit of root so the leaves stay together.  Toss in a bowl with salt, pepper, and olive oil to coat.  Preheat your grill pan. ...

4-5 heads radicchio, grilled and chopped; 1 recipe homemade pasta using 3 eggs, rolled into sheets, or use ppackaged no-boil lasagna 1 recipe simple tomato, oil, and garlic sauce using about 5 cups of ...

2 heads radicchio, grilled and chopped ½ medium onion, diced 3 Tbsp olive oil 4 eggs, beaten with salt and pepper ¼ cup plain white breadcrumbs (optional) Balsamic vinegar Heat the oil i ...

This recipe is adapted from Cooking by Hand by Paul Bertolli. We have a little Italian hand-crank mill or mulino we like to use to make flour from buckwheat groats. This recipe serves 8 so feel free t ...

2 lbs lamb stew meat Vegetable oil Carrots, potatoes, turnips, onions 1 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp ground black pepper Pinch of cinnamon & red pepper 3-4 cups wa ...

This is a simple soup eaten daily in Portugal in infinite versions. There seems to be a Cape Cod Portuguese-American version as that contains beans and a different type of sausage, linguiça. Ei ...

For the Latkes 1 small onion 3 potatoes 3 Tbsp flour or matzoh meal 2 eggs ¼ tsp salt Pepper (to taste) ½ to 1 cup vegetable oil for frying Peel the potatoes and grate into a bowl. Grat ...

There are infinite variations to this dish. Below are the basic principles; feel free to interpret the recipe as you like. Greens provide an earthy pungency that counteracts the sweetness of other sou ...

This recipe is an adaptation for cabbage of Thai green papaya salad (som tam) and makes a refreshing and fat-free alternative to mayonnaise-based salads (not that there’s anything wrong with  ...

This is a rich winter dish of fairly elaborate preparation. Start cooking it a day ahead for a special occasion, or just because you love to spend hours in the kitchen creating rich food. For the boi ...

Crumble Topping: 1 1/2 cups flour 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1 1/2 cups oats 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp cinnamon 2 sticks softened unsalted butter Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, then work in butter with your  ...

 One of our favorite recipes is winter squash ravioli with sage butter.  We try to make it at least once a year, but it takes all afternoon to make and all evening to clean up, with about 5  ...

½ butternut squash, roasted 1 medium onion, diced 1 stick butter, cut in half 2 cups Arborio rice Splash of white wine, if desired 5 cups boiling chicken stock salt & pepper Parmes ...

2-3 large leeks, cleaned 1 large bulb fennel 1 pound spinach or chard 2 cloves garlic 8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled 2 eggs Smattering of herbs like parsley, dill, and mint 2 Tbsp lemon juice Small pinch ...

For the crust: 1 ¼ cups flour ½ tsp kosher salt 8 Tbsp unsalted butter 4-5 Tbsp ice water For the filling: 2 leeks 2 Tbsp butter 2 eggs, plus 2 yolks ¾ cup milk ¾ cup cr ...

1 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 Tbsp butter 1 onion or leek, chopped fine 1 turnip, 1/4 inch dice 3 carrots, 1/4 inch dice 3 beets, 1/4 inch dice 2 cloves garlic, minced 6 cups vegetable broth 3 pot ...

This recipe is adapted from Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Cooking. It couldn't be simpler but the flavor is incredible. Sometimes we add turmeric and brown mustard seed, fried briefly in the oil until  ...

This is great anytime, but we served this to rave reviews Thanksgiving 2007 as a savory alternative to Caroline’s family’s traditional sweet spiced yams. 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened 4 ...

4 Tilapia fillets Flour for dusting 6 Tbsp vegetable oil 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1-3 small hot chilies, sliced 1 inch ginger root 2-3 scallions, in 1-inch pieces 2 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp fish sa ...

1 lb. celery root, cut into julienne matchsticks or grated 4 Tbsp Dijon mustard 3 Tbsp boiling water 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar salt and pepper 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped (o ...

Last week our assistant grower, Aaron, who is a soup master, made this soup for crew lunch. It owes its velvety smoothness to the use of russet potatoes. Their high starch content makes for an extra-r ...

1 whole (3-4 lbs) chicken, rinsed 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped carrot 1/2 cup chopped celery 1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, a few parsley sprigs, a few black peppercorns) 3 1/2 cups water (or more, ...

This dish evolved from Caroline's childhood memories of eating at Benihana and her attempts to reproduce their fried rice.  Since then it has evolved into something we eat all the time.  U ...

Edamame represents the coming together of two of our favorite things: vegetables and salty snacks. I'm not sure I remember the first time I tried edamame in a Japanese restaurant, but I do remember t ...

Eggplant was introduced to Europe by the Moors and became a favorite vegetable in the places that they took over, like Sicily. The Moorish taste for sweet and sour also comes through in this dish. L ...

1 lb. eggplant 1-2 lbs. tomatoes, chopped 1 head garlic canola oil for frying olive oil a few sprigs fresh basil salt & pepper  Slice the eggplant into 1/2-inch rounds and fry them over m ...

1 lb eggplant, cut into ½-inch slices 4-5 cloves garlic 1-2 medium sized fresh red or green chilies (or sweet bell pepper for the meek) 1 Tbsp light soy sauce or tamari 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce 2 ...

One of the best things to do with fully ripe tomatoes at the height of the season is to oven-roast them.  The resulting concentrated flavor is similar to that of sun-dried tomatoes. Choose firm f ...

This is an unusual recipe for pasta sauce but PLEASE, don't be dissuaded. It is a traditional recipe from northeastern Italy where I did my radicchio research. The combination of onion and anchovy is ...

We have a limited supply of plum, or paste, tomatoes available for special order if you would like to try your hand at canning. (Call Caroline at (413) 387-5163 to inquire about ordering for delivery  ...

1/2 lb. arugula 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 1/2 sweet onion (Walla Walla or Tropea), sliced thin Wash arugula, spin dry and place in salad bowl. Top with tomatoes and onion. Dress just be ...

1 lb barlotti beans, shelled 2 slices bacon or pancetta, diced (optional) 1 cipollini onion, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 1 celery stalk, finely chopped 1 ripe tomato, chopped, optional 4-6 ...

We love this traditional  filled pasta dish from northeastern Italy near the border with Slovenia that represents the fusion of Italian techniques and Eastern European ingredients found in the Fr ...

3 sweet peppers, sliced 1 onion, sliced 3 cloves garlic 3 sprigs parsley, chopped 1 ripe tomato, chopped 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil salt & pepper Sauté the garlic and onion in oil until  ...

2 lbs potatoes 2 lbs sweet peppers 1 lb or less plum tomatoes 1-3 heads garlic ½ cup Olive oil Salt & Pepper This is a really simple dish that takes advantage of all the flavors of summer.& ...

1 pint cherry tomatoes (or 2 slicing tomatoes) 1 sweet onion 1 clove garlic Hot chilies, to taste 1/2 bunch cilantro Juice of 1 lime 1 Tbsp sugar, optional 1 Tbsp vinegar, optional Chop everything to ...

This recipe is adapted from Clifford A. Wright, an expert on Mediterranean cuisine. Fish Carcasses Olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 3 quarts water 1 cup white wine Make a fish stock by sauteing the on ...

This is a very simple, delicious way to prepare any type of string bean, and it makes a great summer salad or cold vegetable side dish. When Tim was working at a farm in Tuscany, this dish was on the  ...

This recipe is good not only for broccoli rabe, but is capable of transforming any of the coarser leafy greens (kale, collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, escarole) into something utterly sinful ...

Tomatoes, chopped Red onion, sliced Kalamata olives Cucumber, sliced Feta cheese, crumbled Lemon juice Red wine vinegar Extra-virgin olive oil Oregano, finely chopped Salt & pepper Just combine th ...

This works well with chopped tomatoes or cherry tomatoes! 3-6 ears sweet corn 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half few sprigs basil cider or red wine vinegar extra virgin olive oil salt & pepp ...

1 cup water 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar ½ lb. stale bread, cut into 1-inch cubes 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 cups tomatoes, chopped (beefsteak) or halved (cherry) 1 cup celery, thinly sliced  ...

1 1/2 lb. new potatoes coarse salt 1 bunch spring onion, sliced thin 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved   1 small garlic clove, minced 1 bunch parsley, chopped 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/ ...

2 lbs yellow potatoes or fingerling potatoes Olive oil ½ lb bacon 1 small sweet onion or scallion, sliced thin ¼ lb arugula 1 ½ Tbsp wine vinegar 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard &frac1 ...

1 ¼  cup warm water (105-115 degrees) 1 tsp active dry yeast 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 3 ½  cups flour 1 ½ tsp kosher salt 1 pound yellow fleshed potatoes Extra virg ...

1 1/2 lbs Golden Potatoes 1/2 medium onion Olive Oil Salt & Pepper 4 Eggs This is the classic Spanish potato omelet. It uses humble yet high-quality ingredients and requires some technique. First, ...

4 Tbsp butter 1/2 cup sliced onion 1-2 cups freshly shelled peas 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesean 2 ounces prosciutto, sliced extremely thin fresh homemade or purchased egg ...

summer squash, cut into the shape of french fries ½ cup flour ½ cup sparkling water or beer 1 tsp salt olive or canola oil for frying Mix the flour, water, and salt together to form a th ...

Cherry sauce 1 quart sour cherries, washed, stemmed and pitted up to 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice Whipped cream 1 pint heavy cream 1 Tbsp. sugar ¼ tsp. vanilla extract Shor ...

The pizza dough for this recipe is adapted from Jim Lahey of the Sullivan St. Bakery in New York City, who brought us the infamous No-Knead Bread recipe published in The New York Times in 2006. This r ...