Grow With Me

I did not grow up in a garden. I was raised in the suburbs and largely fed from grocery store shelves. Though my father hailed from a nearby dairy farm and his parents still lived on the family land, I have next to no childhood memories of helping anyone dig or plant or harvest. It’sContinue reading “Grow With Me”

Okra Gumbo

On a cold winter day, nothing warms quite like gumbo. And in the heat of summer, gumbo is a great way to stir together so many flavors at their peak of ripeness — tomatoes, peppers, and of course, okra. We had such a bumper crop of okra last summer that I blanched and froze some forContinue reading “Okra Gumbo”

An Okra Adventure

My husband is the magic behind our garden. It was his idea to begin growing our food the first summer we owned a home, all those years ago. He is the planner and planter. I’m the second-wave worker, on maintenance and harvest. But every now and then, I pipe up with a suggestion. What aboutContinue reading “An Okra Adventure”

Grilled Spiced Okra

  I’m a subscriber of and sometimes writer for the fantastic food magazine The Local Palate. So I’m always excited when one of their recipes becomes a keeper in my kitchen. This dish took the okra from our garden and turned it into spicy, crispy, Indian-leaning goodness. Inspired by a Local Palate recipe from Chef StevenContinue reading “Grilled Spiced Okra”

Fried Okra

This summer, we grew okra in our garden for the first time and came to discover how much we loved it. While there are certainly healthier ways to eat this summer veggie, I don’t think there are any tastier ways. The crisp of the corn meal and the slight sweet of the coconut oil turn this intoContinue reading “Fried Okra”