Fish

How to Make Caviar

Caviar has always had a hold on me. It is a mysterious ingredient, almost otherworldy; the individual eggs look like jewels…

Foraging

Experiments with Madrone Bark Tea

Not much about cooking excites me more than experimenting with a new ingredient. I get especially jazzed when that ingredient…

Foraging

How to Cure Green Olives

Brining olives is the oldest way to cure olives, especially green ones. What follows are instructions and troubleshooting on how…

How-To (DIY stuff)

How to Make Tomato Paste

How to make your own tomato paste, Sicilian style. Patience is needed, but if you have it, you'll be rewarded.

How-To (DIY stuff)

The Courage to Cook with Borage

Not everyone knows that the borage plant is edible. So are borage flowers. Most people barely even know what borage…

How-To (DIY stuff)

Drying Tomatoes Without an Oven

“Oh my Gawd, it’s like an oven out here!” This is a not-uncommon refrain heard in Sacramento in summer. Well,…

How-To (DIY stuff)

Wild Salsify Lives Everywhere

I see salsify. It’s everywhere. And I didn’t know it was salsify. Until now. We have had wild salsify root…

How-To (DIY stuff)

How to Make Paprika at Home

Why bother making homemade paprika? Fair question. After all, the Spanish and Hungarians are better at it than we ever…

Pheasant, Grouse, Quail

Cutting a Whole Chicken or Pheasant

Cutting a whole chicken, pheasant, grouse or turkey is exactly the same process — they are all related, gallinaceous birds,…

Venison

Venison Stock

Making stocks and broths are among the core skills of any good cook, and it is a labor or love…