By JAN MAIN It’s no accident that the hardest winter months, January and February, have an abundance of citrus fruits: clementine, navel oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, pomelos and lemons, to add zip to our cooking, vitamins for our well being and sunshine to bleak days. Use the entire fruit, both the skin and the juice to […]
By JAN MAIN Christmas Day is almost here! Hopefully the Omicron variant won’t throw a wrench into our plans to celebrate with friends and family this year. However, after what was last year’s subdued Christmas due to the pandemic, I’m rusty when it comes to preparing for a larger gathering! My friends have confessed the […]
By JAN MAIN Bleak November days are perfect for stirring up the Christmas cake, puddings and those special cookies made for the holiday season. This baking improves with ageing or can be frozen, giving you a head start on the Christmas season. There is nothing better than sharing cooking activities with friends and family to […]
By JAN MAIN Of course, the big excitement for October (once Thanksgiving is over!) is, as most children will tell you, – Halloween! Certainly, judging by houses decorated with witches, ghosts and goblins, costumes and treats for sale, not to mention the magic symbol, pumpkins everywhere, Halloween has become a major event. And there is […]
By JAN MAIN The abundant harvest is over flowing in supermarkets, farmer’s markets and are own gardens – be it a pot of herbs, a tiny raised bed or a “proper patch.” Certain crops really show off – beans and squashes of all sorts from zucchini to pumpkins. I was reminded of this as I […]
By JAN MAIN “Mum, I’ve packed a jar of fresh pickles in your bag. You’ll have to refrigerate them when you get home. They’re not processed in a canner.” “Thanks Alexa.” Well, fresh pickles. We’ll have to see what they are like? It was some time later that I arrived home, unpacked, including the jar […]
By JAN MAIN A picnic, according to the dictionary, is a pleasure outing including an informal outdoor meal. It can be an easy breakfast by the lake early in the morning and sandwiches carried in your backpack while you cycle, or as elaborate as champagne and pate by the River Avon in Stratford. The operative […]
By JAN MAIN Ontario strawberries are here! They should be in their prime for July 1 Canada Day festivities: sweet, succulent, juicy and ever so fragrant. A simple wash and they are ready to be devoured in hand or fancied up for pies, ice-cream and dessert creations, such as the old- fashioned strawberry shortcake or […]
By JAN MAIN Finally! We have been waiting a long time for this opportunity – to share a meal with friends on the patio, and I believe it is getting closer as we continue to live with the rules surrounding COVID-19. It is such a simple thing, but is has been greatly missed! When we […]
By JAN MAIN During a recent tidy-up of my garden, I was taking stock. What plants were coming up? It was like a reunion of old friends. There, spreading, new, dark green leaves and sporting their edible deep, pink stems were four healthy rhubarb plants. Aha!! Spring desserts await with that luscious, distinctive pink and […]
