Cooking & Canning

Photo by Linda Coan O'Kresik Plant-based diets are all the rage right now, which is generally good news for the planet. According to a 2018 study from the University of Oxford, eating a vegan diet -- one that omits all animal-made…
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Photo by Linda Coan O'Kresik Inexpensive, simply stored and packed with protein, fiber and essential vitamins, beans really are the magical fruit -- or legume, rather.  Though beans are purchasable pre-cooked and ready-to-eat from a…
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A slice of mincemeat cheesecake pie made by Maine food historian Sandy Oliver. | Photo by Sandy Oliver Another day, another Internet kerfuffle: on Monday, U.S.-based food website The Spruce posted a recipe for a mincemeat and apple tart…
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To be honest, I didn’t want to learn more about the recent recall on romaine lettuce because I knew once I did, I’d have to toss the five beautiful romaine hearts dwelling in my fridge. But it was the responsible thing to do. So on…
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Thanksgiving can be pricey, can’t it? But it doesn’t have to be. Here’s how to enjoy a budget-friendly Thanksgiving this year. BDN file photo When my parents and siblings gather with me around the table this Thanksgiving, there will…
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There's an area in my house where everyone congregates. And that's become the heart of our home. What's yours? Photo by Sarah Walker Caron When we moved into our cozy 1887 farmhouse duplex, I bought three black stools for our kitchen…
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When I lived in the Bay Area, I would take the train to San Francisco every Friday for a long walk along the harbor. Sometimes, I would walk past the piers to Boudin Bakery to buy a loaf of their famous sourdough bread. The secret to their…
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We’ve reached that time in the season — the point where we bid goodnight to our garden beds and reflect on the season past. We make mental notes not to repeat the mistakes we made this year. And we begrudgingly pull those plants we…
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Apples, apples everywhere! That’s how I’ve been feeling over the last week. My kids brought home two heavy bags from apple picking with their father. Our backyard apple tree is overflowing. And the farmers market has apples aplenty. …
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Photo by Sarah Walker Caron Was it only a week ago that my fingers dug into the wet, warm soil, pulling the weeds out by the roots? Was it only a mere seven days since I wondered how many more quarts of tomatoes we’d harvest? It was,…
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Basket of produce. | Photo by Pixabay Whenever you bring fruits and vegetables home, whether they are from the farmers market or your garden, you have to find a place for them in your refrigerator, pantry, cabinet or countertop. If you…
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I have more experience with plant-based milks than your average non-vegan consumer. During my six-month fellowship at the California-based “Sierra Magazine” before I moved to Maine, I spent one sunny afternoon sampling an array of…
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