YumSugar

5 Healthy Squash Recipes That Celebrate Winter

Michele Foley — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 19:17:50 PST

You know us; we're always trying to keep it farm fresh around here. Besides apples and pears, squash is one of my favorites when it comes to cool weather produce. With squash it's all about variety - there are more than a few to choose from, and they are really versatile when it comes to preparation. They also taste great - sweet, creamy, and hearty with a big side of nutrition. Squash is an amazing source of vitamins A and C, with a good amount of calcium and iron, too. Here are five healthy recipes I'll definitely be cooking up this season!

Source: Flickr User swanksalot

5 Fall Foods and What to Cook With Them

Susannah Chen — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:42:36 PST

Before Fall's gone entirely, don't forget to enjoy the best of the moment's fruit and vegetable bounty. Here are five affordable, versatile favorites to seize before the season's over and some of our recommended ways to cook with them.

The Lowdown on Produce: Dirty Dozen vs. Clean 14

Lizzie Fuhr — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 06:36:42 PDT

With all of the information overload about the state of our current agriculture system, sometimes it's hard to keep the most basic rules straight. Whether you've been buying local produce for some time or you're finally getting serious about avoiding all the crazy pesticides, the Environmental Working Group makes it its job to inform people about which produce is best organic and where you can skip and save some extra dough.

The EWG compiled two lists: Dirty Dozen, which you should always buy organic, and Clean 14, where conventional will do just fine Some of the picks on each list may surprise you! Keep reading to learn the lowdown on pesticides and produce.

In Season: Figs

Nancy Einhart — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:45:00 PDT

Fig season is like pre-Fall in the fashion world, a tasty little teaser that helps bridge the gap between Summer and Autumn. Perhaps it's partly because the season is so fleeting that this fruit tastes so sweet, but when figs are just right, they taste downright sinful. When people tell me they don't like figs, I say, they just haven't had a good one yet.

This soft, fleshy fruit with a thick but edible skin comes in many colors and forms. In North America, the most common types are Mission figs, Brown Turkey, and Brunswick, which have dark skin and a pink-purple middle; Calimyrna, the green-and-pink beauties like the fig pictured above; and Kadota, another green-skinned variety.

Keep reading to learn how to select fresh figs, and how to prepare them.

In Season: Gooseberries

Susannah Chen — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 12:07:41 PDT

Considering our obsession with berries, it's hard to believe that there are still quite a few out there that I've never tried. This week, I had my first encounter with a gooseberry: a fruit smaller than a blueberry with a round-meets-oblong shape (similar to that of a green grape) and a fuzzy, veiny, green apple-colored exterior. I couldn't ignore my intrigue and impulsively picked up a carton to experiment with at home. My initial observations of the fruit, when you keep reading.

10 Summer-Friendly Corn Recipes

Susannah Chen — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 06:52:12 PDT

There's nothing I like better on a hot Summer day than enjoying fresh, sweet corn on the cob. If you're looking to take advantage of this in-season vegetable, I've rounded up 10 of my favorite corn recipes for your warm weather enjoyment.

In Season: Plums

Susannah Chen — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:02:44 PDT

Unlike certain foods - tomatoes, watermelon, and corn, to name a few - plums are a fruit I forget. That is, until I spot them at the farmers market each Summer, and find myself gobbling one up on the spot, dribbling juice and all. In that moment, I've suddenly become a born-again plum fanatic.

Although plums originated in China, their popularity spread quickly to other parts of the world like Japan, where they were further cultivated, and America, which saw its first plums in the late 1800s. Today, there are over 2,000 varieties of the stone fruit, although 95 percent of the plums in the United States come from Central California. Learn what to do with all those amazing drupes when you read more.

5 More Spring Veggies and What to Make With Them

Susannah Chen — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 04:46:06 PDT

While we've just passed the unofficial kickoff to Summer, Spring produce remains abundant at farmers markets everywhere. But don't get too used to it: these pretty green things are still shockingly fleeting, and in just a few weeks, you won't be able to locate the likes of Spring onions, fava beans, and freshly foraged morels. Here are five more foods you'll want to track down before the season's over, plus our best recipes for them.

Get Fresh, Organic Fruits & Veggies Delivered to Your Doorstep

Heather Dale — Fri, 20 May 2011 02:22:46 PDT

Living in California - the fruit and vegetable capital of the US - I've never really considered ordering produce and having it shipped to my house. Usually I just head to my local farmers market and pick up the veggies that I'll need to sustain me throughout the week. But with hectic schedules, and not making it to the market as often as I'd like, I'm realizing that these organic produce delivery services are a great way to stay stocked with healthy fresh vegetables, while still supporting your local farmers.

Find out more about these delivery services and how to sign up for one in your city!

Know Your Ingredients: Chile Peppers

Susannah Chen — Tue, 03 May 2011 11:07:47 PDT

Cooking for a Cinco de Mayo celebration means utilizing different varieties of chiles, from habañeros to jalapeños to serranos. But you know what I began to realize? The more I cook with the little devils, the more I get confused about the differences between them - so I'm setting the record straight with a primer on peppers. Get to know them in one hot minute when you keep clicking.