the farmers market

One of the many pleasures of summer in DC is the Saturday morning farmers market in our town square. It begins in late June and runs through the end of October, and Sasha and I shop there every week. Today the temps were cold--55 degrees!--and there was a blustery wind, but that didn't stop the locals (and tourists) from purchasing their locally grown fruits and vegetables. In my shopping bag today: blueberries and carrots--there's a "Bittman salad" in my future--corn, rainbow Swiss chard, and spinach.

make some jam!

Growing up in northern Michigan, I can remember my mom making jams and jellies every summer. It seemed hot, labor-intensive work, which is probably why I never attempted jam myself until a friend challenged me to try it last summer. We made freezer jam in her kitchen, working as a team. And it was easy! Just get some fruit, sugar, canning jars and Sure-Gel. Follow the directions from the Sure-Gel package EXACTLY (particulary in regard to the amount of sugar needed) and in about an hour you'll have created a batch of "summer in a jar". Summer is short--fall will soon be here, so make some jam!

birthday pie

A friend of mine has a large rhubarb patch in her garden, so we've been treated to pie, jam, and rhubarb bars this summer. I made this pie for a friend's birthday because it's her favorite. I used the recipe from "The Joy of Cooking" for the crust, substituting butter for lard. My 7-year-old son rolled the dough and crimped the edges. And I remembered to brush it with milk and a sprinkling of sugar to make the top brown nicely.