Earthly Edibles

Get the tomatoes while they are still plentiful. This tomato salad includes purple Cherokee, yellow pear, stripey,and rose from our garden with a brandywine, red and green zebra ones from the Asheville City tail gate market. I then added purple and green basil leaves and some local mozzarella cheese! I tossed the salad with a [...]

When I think of Labor Day weekend, two of the things that I think about are the fact that the peaches will become few and far between locally and the apples will become plentiful! Two weeks ago my husband and I headed to the farmer’s market and bought a big basket of peaches and froze [...]

It is wild blueberry season here in Western North Carolina. Be sure to save some for the bears and birds. Blue berries and other berries are rich in vitamin C, fiber and phytochemicals that add benefits to our health. They are also make a low calorie dessert! This year, I froze a few berries and [...]

I have just turned a new leaf! If you have read my previous posts, you may have noticed my focus on local, fresh plant -based foods.  There is now  a new name and look for my blog to capture this. Stay tuned for more recipes using fresh, whole ingredients, stories of local families farmers, restaurants [...]

When thoughts come of summer, we often think of watermelons, picnics and the barbecue grill.  Preparing meals on the grill not only keeps the heat out of the kitchen but also provides an opportunity to eat outside. The foods that we choose can often be started ahead of time so we can spend more time [...]

For many people the barbeque grill is not the same without a serving of meat. Choices should be lean, such as sirloin, pork loin, loin chops, chicken or fish. To lower saturated fat, take off the skin from poultry even after grilling and trim off visible fat. Try fish in a foil packet, this prevents [...]

As Fourth of July and summertime in general slips upon us, I think of spending more time outdoors which includes eating there also. Whether you are having a picnic or a barbeque with family and friends, make your choices healthy and delicious. Choose the majority of your meal as low calorie, seasonal veggies such as [...]

Now that summer is in full swing and the gardens and local farms are producing an abundance of colorful jewels………why not take advantage by getting your five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day? Focus on color to get a variety of vitamins, minerals, fiber and other health benefits that plants have to [...]

For many of us strawberry season is almost or completely over. However, blueberry, blackberry and raspberry season are on their way! Berries may be my all time favorite fruit (although I love them all). Have you ever thought about what makes berries their deep red, blue or purple color? The plant compound anthocyamins provides berries [...]

This Memorial Day weekend is a kick off for many of us to celebrate summer. Is your Memorial Day built around family food and tradition? My husband, son and I live nearly a thousand miles from our extended family so our traditions and celebrations have evolved over the years. Being a registered dietitian has further [...]