Posts categorized as Food

With the Beach 91st Street Community Garden food drive wrapped up, I’ve been thinking a lot about what is important to me, how I want to use my time, and what matters big picture. The outpouring of support from friends and neighbors was truly overwhelming. And with Thanksgiving next week, I’ve been thinking about what I am grateful for in this year of my life. So here goes… I am grateful my mother is still alive. I haven’t written about this, and someday I will go deeper—but for now I’ll […]

Potato Fest 2025 is Saturday, Oct. 11, 12–4 pm, at the Beach 91st Street Community Garden. This community event is a joyful celebration of the beloved root vegetable—and a chance to get together with friends and neighbors in the garden to share a meal of (mostly) potatoes. The dishes are home-cooked by community volunteers—thank you to everyone cooking!! Expect hands-on, potato-inspired fun and activities: a hot potato showdown, a potato art craft, a Mr. and Ms. Potato Head play corner, and an education station to explore the fascinating journey of […]

I have wonderful news. I’m predicting a fantastic tomato harvest this year! The NYC Zone 7 tomatoes are going to be spectacular due to all this rain we’ve been schlepping through. It is a juicy, divine blessing for our tomatoes. Let us be grateful. NYC Zone 7 tomato harvest is gonna be spectacular this year due to the consistent rain this summer, and when your tomatoes are ripe and ready, make my decadent tomato pie. One of the biggest problems for heirloom tomatoes is inconsistent watering — we get busy, […]

I’m so excited to share that the old potato I had sitting on my kitchen counter—the one that started sprouting—has actually started growing in my garden! Honestly, I didn’t have high hopes for it. I just threw it on the ground for fun. If you remember, I wrote about this a few weeks back: How To Grow A Potato From A Potato. One month and a week later, the leaves are a vibrant green, sturdy, and healthy. The plant is about 4 inches tall, and at maturity, it can be […]

After my stamping art project with compostable foods, including the potato, I started to wonder… How do you grow a potato from a potato? I’m a gardener, and I’ve never grown potatoes. Embarrassing to admit, but here we are. I checked in with fellow Beach 91st Street Community Garden members last Sunday during our second meeting of the season. Kilee and Dan have both grown potatoes from sprouting spuds found right in their kitchens. They confirm it’s totally easy. Store-bought potatoes (Red Bliss) like this aren’t as disease-resistant as certified seed potatoes since […]

I pulled out the Easter decorations, and one of my favs is the two-foot-long twine carrots. I splurged a few years back – I have ten. I got them at Michaels Craft store. I display them in the kitchen on my open shelving. Thinking about the holidays reminded me that I’ve never used the KitchenAid immersion blender my mother got me for Christmas. A sin! So, it became clear—I’ll make creamy carrot soup. Carrots are packed with beta-carotene, which our body converts to vitamin A—an essential nutrient for our eyesight. […]

Potatoes trace their roots to the high Andes of South America. Spanish conquistadors discovered this tuber in the 16th century and brought it back to Europe, where it eventually found a special place in Ireland. The cool climate and rich soil of the Emerald Isle proved the perfect place for the potato. Quickly the potato became more than just a food crop—it became a symbol of resilience. Despite its somber chapters, like the Great Famine, the potato’s journey is one of survival and adaptability. As we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day […]

Yes, you read that right. Pretzel Salad. This dish breaks all the rules – it presents as a dessert but is in fact a side, served with the main course. It’s salad reimagined yet its vintage. It’s unconventional and irresistible. It’s what you need to make for your next dinner party, potluck, Easter, Passover, and for the summer BBQs in near sight. It has a story, a vibe, and a taste that will wobble heads. The ingredients – pretzels, strawberry, cream cheese, whip cream, butter, and… jello. My friend, Mike “The […]

Juicy roasted tomatoes, zesty green tapenade, and creamy ricotta. It’s been a while since I shared a solid recipe post. Last week, I whipped up this Italian treat to perfectly accompany the wonderful sourdough from Rockaway Bread I’ve been buying weekly. Plus, I realized I was not eating enough olives. Ingesting them promotes a sense of inner peace. (the olive branch effect). This Mediterranean dish is versatile, serving as an appetizer or a satisfying main course. I highly recommend using high-quality olive oil to elevate the flavors. And as always, I’ll push […]

  Non-organic: $0.70 to $1.00 per lb. Organic bananas: $1.00 and $1.30 per lb. About five bananas. We were in Puerto Rico and needed to eat something before a 3-hour session at Wilderness. We thought the roadside stand was a smoothie shack, but it turned out to be a fruit stand, and the only eat-on-the-go fruit there was bananas. Before surfing, you don’t want to eat a lot, but you need something—especially for a long session with drift and chest-high waves. Can we eat more than one banana? I love […]