Monthly Archives: May 2013

strawberry cilantro cocktail

may 24, 2013

strawberry cilantro cocktail

The fresh local strawberries from Agriberry at the South of the James Farmer’s Market presented me with a problem : eat them all up until they are gone, really gone, or make a tasty cocktail mix with cilantro and fresh lime juice?  I simply had to taste one, just one, and then another, and then…there were none left to make my spring beverage. So it’s a good thing Little House Green Grocery carries Agriberry’s strawberries, because my plan would have been foiled, as the market only comes around once a week and I had to strike while the berries are at their seasonal peak.

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herbed shiitake mushrooms

may 17, 2013

shiitake mushrooms from Pine Fork Farm in Quinton, VA

luscious shiitake mushrooms from Pine Fork Farm at the SOJ Farmer’s Market

They were the biggest, fattest, meatiest shiitake mushrooms I had seen.  So impressively massive, in fact, that I had to ask Teal Brooks of Pine Fork Farm if they were a particular type or new cultivar.  Nope, she replied, they were standard issue, but perhaps the clean and clear conditions at her farm in Quinton, Virginia were responsible for their luscious largeness, or perhaps they were grown with love.

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lemon garlic shrimp with asparagus and baby peas

may 10, 2013

lemon garlic shrimp with baby peas

 

Living less than two hours from the Atlantic coast, I take for granted the access to fresh seafood.  Folks in America’s middle surely find seafood in their markets and on their plates, but coastal citizens have the privilege of enjoying seafood hours to a few days from harvest.

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strawberry balsamic gelato

may 3, 2013

strawberry balsamic gelato

strawberry balsamic gelato with local chocolate balsamic vinegar and chocolate mint from the garden

Spring means strawberries are in season, and strawberries are the crown jewel of the dessert family.  I’ve got a serious hankering for a creamy, frozen dessert and I want to invite strawberries to my ice cream party.

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