Vegetables

Most gardeners knew Leslie as the Garden Q&A columnist of the New York Times and lead author of The New York Times 1000 Gardening Questions and Answers (Workman Publishing, available at your local bookstore or www.amazon.com). She entered the garden through the kitchen, as a professional chef in search of the finest raw materials. This recipe, from her second cookbook, The Modern Country Cook, is typical: easy, rich, delicious and pretty. Sadly, Leslie Land passed away in 2013. We miss her insight, exuberance and passion.

Over the last three decades, Chez Panisse has cultivated a network of local farmers who share the restaurant's commitment to sustainable agriculture. In 2001, Chez Panisse was named best restaurant in the US by Gourmet Magazine. Alice Waters initiated the Edible Schoolyard project in 1995 which incorporates her ideas about food and culture into the public school curriculum. She is the author of eleven books. For reservations, call (510) 548-5525.

The simple truth is that the Dutch men in our family always disliked both the smell of Turnips cooking on the stove and the taste~they said that back in Holland, Turnips had been considered pig, and not human, food. But this recipe for Puréed Turnip Clouds changed the mind and taste buds of at least one of our Dutch men. He still doesn’t like the smell of them cooking, but he admits that he likes to eat them. Success.

Jack Staub
Hortulus Farm Nursery & Gardens
Wrightstown, Pennsylvania
Jack Staub, renowned horticulturist, chef and garden author, has helped to popularize the ancient art of kitchen gardening in the US. Hortulus Farm, the 100-acre, 18th century farmstead he gardens with Renny Reynolds, well-known garden and event designer, has been called "one of Pennsylvania's secret treasures". For garden tours or information on Hortulus Farm Nursery's garden plants and rare tropicals, standards and topiaries, call (215) 598-0550.

This unusual relish highlights the multi-colored stems of this leafy green, which is also known as Kaleidoscopic or Bright Lights or Rainbow Chard.

There are elegant recipes for classic French Pommes Anna but I prefer to make these simple, individual stacks of pressed potato layers. It’s so nice to have another easy potato recipe that can be made the day ahead. By roasting them in individual ramekins first, and then placed directly on to a baking tray, excess butter can ooze out unlike when baked in one large dish.

One of our favorite Maine destinations is the Castine Inn, nestled in the historic seaside village of Castine. In praise of Chef Tom Gutow's food, the Boston Globe said it "is as fine as you would find along the French countryside." For information call (207) 326-4365 or visit www.castineinn.com.

There is nothing better than the sweet velvety goodness of Sweet Potatoes. Until we started making these roasted "coins", we only enjoyed baked Sweet Potatoes on nights when dinner prep could manage an hour and a half baking time. These delicious coins take just 30 minutes!