Baltimore is a city that takes pride in it’s quirky foods - Natty Boh, Old Bay, and Lemon Sticks just to name a few. But one uniquely Baltimorean food that doesn’t yet get the visibility it deserves? The Fish Pepper!
Staying hydrated and refreshed in the midst of the August heat can be a chore. While an ice cold soda may quench your thirst initially, it’s ultimately dehydrating and chock full of sugar. Meanwhile, drinking enough water to replenish oneself (especially when you spend a lot of time outside like we do!) can be daunting. This month we’ll give you some ideas for healthy, hydrating, and refreshing options straight from your garden.
Summer in Baltimore: the sun is out, your garden is full of produce, the heat and humidity weigh on you ‘til you can barely stand up! It’s hard to think about cooking at all when it’s so hot, let alone turning the oven on!
Lucky for you, this month we have the easiest, most refreshing, heat-free recipe possible - AND it showcases all of your favorite Summer veggies!
Ramps, or Wild Leeks, are wild edible plants in the allium family. Growing natively in the Appalachian mountains from Canada to North Carolina, ramps only appear for a few weeks before going to seed and disappearing for the Summer. As the first green to appear in early Spring, ramps have historically been celebrated as a sign of Spring and a tonic to the traditional Appalachian meat-heavy Winter diet.
A fruit of many names, the serviceberry is also referred to as the juneberry, saskatoonberry, sarvisberry, shadberry, wild plum, or sugarplum plant. In mid-June (...right around now!) they begin to ripen, turning dark red or purple, and can be picked right off the branch to eat or preserve.
Spinach is in its prime growing season and there's no tastier way to enjoy it than inside flaky, decadent spanakopita. Today, we tried baking a plant-based version of the pastry, swapping feta cheese for nuts, which was a huge success! Read more on our blog:
Mmmm.... one of the best parts about early summer is the currant harvest. You can do many things with your currants, but we can't get enough of this quick and easy jam recipe.
It’s early June and the kale that was planted in April is now big and beautiful but has not yet turned leathery or bitter with heat. My favorite kale for this time of year is the Lacinato or Dinosaur kale but I have some curly as well. (In the fall, I love the red kale after it has survived a frost and is coarse and sweet).
With the first days of heat the strawberries are starting to ripen. Meanwhile, we are still enjoying the last tender spinach leaves of spring before the spinach gets too hot and bolts.
At this point in the season Edible Eden's gardens are overflowing with tender lettuce heads and salad mix as well as spinach, radishes, arugula and kale: what a great time to eat some beautiful salads! Here is a special fancy salad for a light spring meal that really takes full advantage how pretty butter lettuces are!
Asparagus season is upon us, and it's such a treat. Asparagus is one of those crops that really speaks to a seasonal eating lifestyle. It pops up for such a short growing window- from mid-April through late May in our climate; and when it does it is so tender and delicious.
