The following is from the historical memoir The Richest Soil Grows the Deepest Roots, which my mother (Helen Ruth Poss Marr) and I co-authored. Available as paperback and e-book from online retailers, including BookBaby and Amazon (Amazon paperback pre-order, release date October 29, 2021). In this excerpt, Mom reminisces about fried chicken and her mom's hen business, plus our family's fried chicken recipe: "Fried chicken! In my generation, that was one of the first things a Missouri farm girl learned to cook. After we left the farm and had our own families, my sister and I both made fried chicken about once a week for many years. When I was growing up, we always had chickens, both for Continue reading

From 1848 to 1855, thousands of people from many disparate places traveled through Missouri to and from California. Gold fever seized the state, and many Missourians trekked west, mainly from counties close to the Missouri River.1 My grandfather and his sisters shared stories about their grandfather (Tom Hancock) traveling by ship to California for the Gold Rush, circumnavigating Cape Horn. Tom was one of several Hancock cousins who traveled from Missouri to California during the Gold Rush.2 Some Hancocks remained and made the San Joaquin Valley their new home. Tom, along with some other Hancocks, returned to Missouri, where he... Continue reading

Several years ago, I wrote a lengthy post on making fermented sour cream and it has been one of the most popular articles on my blog. I cannot remember the last time I bought sour cream; it so easy and satisfying to make. Although the fermentation process for sour cream takes a few days, kitchen time is minimal. If you like the idea of making your own tangy sour cream that's sure to please and is a really fun conversation starter, read on. I see a lot of blog posts about making quick sour cream, and that might do in... Continue reading

Along the Colorado Front Range, the vegetable garden season came to an abrupt close last week as we experienced our first snow along with a wild temperature swing that broke records. The 2019 growing season was a challenge. Spring snow lasted until late May and all the plants were slow to start. But we finally started enjoying harvest season, albeit a couple weeks late. On October 11, with low temperatures and snow in the forecast, I pulled the last of our tomatoes, green beans and other garden vegetables, enjoying the 80 °F weather. That evening as the temperature plummeted and... Continue reading

Here and there, at the edges of riparian areas and irrigation ditches along the Colorado Front Range are thickets of wild plums. Prunus Americana, commonly known as wild plums or American plums, are native to North America. This variety of plum is the key ingredient some of the best jellies, jams and sauces. Take my word for it! I've been harvesting Colorado wild plums ever since I moved this this beautiful state. With the unpredictable late spring snow storms along the Colorado Front Range, some years are better than others for fruit harvest. This happens to be a particularly good... Continue reading

Last night was a "whatever is in the kitchen" moment. I'd been on the road, then spent the day helping my son set up his new apartment and had yet to restock the kitchen. But I did have a stash of assorted vegetables from the backyard garden and recent trip to the Longmont Farmers Market. An the box of acini di pepe pasta on the pantry shelf had been staring me in the face for a while. Time to put it all to use. Acini di pepe, the Italian phrase for "grains of pepper," cooks up into pearly minute globes... Continue reading

A few days ago we put our our canoe for the season. Our property borders on a neighborhood lake. As we were moving the canoe from the basement, I caught sight of a young dove slamming into one of our windows under our deck with a resounding thud. We stopped our canoe project to watch the scene unfold. Stunned, the bird sat for a few moments on the patio. Within about five minutes a larger dove, presumably the injured bird's mother, landed on the rocks at the edge of our lawn. It's remarkable how birds can slam into windows, so... Continue reading

People with type-2 diabetes or is a risk for the disease struggle with many of the same dietary concerns as people who don't have the disease. Included are challenges with picky eaters, how a plant-based diet fits with diet, culture and lifestyle, and how to keep up energy levels when trying to lose weight. Recently The Diabetes Council asked asked dietitians, including me, to weigh on these topics. You'll find some great answers here from about 60 different dietitians! See if these farmers' market veggies entice you to add a few more plant-based foods to your diet! Continue reading

No matter what the name – Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cookies, Italian wedding cookies, butterballs – this crumbly, rich cookie has graced many a dessert tray at Christmas time in the United States. And it was no different in our home when I was a child. Here's a Russian tea cake recipe from Grandma (Tudi) Marr's recipe collection. This well-worn card is from my recipe index box, and I've provided additional directions below. Yield: 48 tea cakes (cookies) Preparation Time: About 15 minutes for preparation; 2-4 hours for chilling dough, 15-20 minutes to roll dough, 8-10 minutes baking; 15-20... Continue reading

Making sauerkraut, or fermenting cabbage, is so simple, I don't know why I didn't start making it years ago! Continue reading

Yesterday, I processed fire-roasted chile peppers and contemplated the raging wildfires in the drought-stricken West. Summer has been hanging on, dry and hot. Earlier this week our thermometer hit 97 °F. Here's the thing about chiles. You can smell how hot they are long before you taste them. Continue reading

Half-sours are very simple to make and rely on wild fermentation from lacto-bacteria naturally present on the cucumbers. Here are five simple steps to fermenting half-sour pickles... Continue reading

Best Food Facts recently answered the question, "Is the mushroom a vegetable?," checking in with my buddy at University of Nebraska Extension, Alice Henneman, MS, RD. In short, technically they are a fungus, but from a nutritional and food perspective, the USDA classifies them as a vegetable. Check out the article for more details! And here's one of my favorite ways to serve up mushrooms! Grilled Mediterranean Vegetables In fact, I love this recipe so much that I waxed poetic about in a few years ago: On a Summer Afternoon, Grilling Vegetables (Inspired by Grilled Mediterranean Vegetables) Chunky, fresh and... Continue reading