The word shrub, like sorbet, sherbet, and syrup, all are derived from the Arabic word sharab meaning beverage. Pre-refrigeration, the only way to preserve fruit juices were to douse them heavily with sugar, alcohol, or vinegar.

This delicious Middle Eastern cheese can be served as a creamy dip or rolled into flavorful spheres, coated with herbs and spices, and suspended in olive oil. Whatever your choice, it is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, very simple to make, and the flavor pairings are endless.

I love garlic with a passion; vampires beware. While this pesto might be a little spicy just to simply eat out of the container, tossed on some roasted vegetables or some freshly cooked pasta, it is truly incredible. Try spreading some on a freshly baked slice of bread… that loaf will be gone in no time.

A happy childhood memory of the morning light streaming in through the kitchen window. Woken up by the smell of something delicious baking, I stumbled barefoot and butt-ass naked to the kitchen. My momma handed me a little slice of cornbread hot from the oven with a pat of butter and some honey drizzled on top. Happiness.

This cornbread’s different from that memory but it still makes me happy. It has some kick. Adjust however pleases your palette.

A few tips for this recipe: If you cannot find fresh nettles, you can substitute spinach, or your favorite dark greens. Also, make sure you wring out as much water as possible from the cooked nettles.

Many of our “familiar foods” such as cheeses, cured meats, yogurt, pickles, sauerkraut, and miso all undergo fermentation, and while fermented tea might sound very weird, there are many documented benefits for bringing fermented foods into your diet.

I know you have probably heard of Mark Bittman’s No-Knead Bread recipe. It makes a great loaf, and for many people, the recipe revolutionized their beliefs about the quality of bread they could produce at home. With one loaf, they understood that they too, the home baker, could make beautifully crusted bread with an open crumb, at home, in their own oven. I love it.

This process is an adaptation of his loaf.

Not everyone enjoys a good raw radish pulled straight from the soil. However, I have not met anyone who hasn’t enjoyed the good ol’ cooked radish. These little bundles of joy can be roasted in the oven, grilled, or sautéd in a hot pan. Delicious. A game-changer, for sure.

You know, sometimes, I feel like I am going to get that reputation for being that crazy plant girl. People always stop and ask me what I am doing when they catch me with my black medical gloves, basket, fully clothed from head to toe heading into the forest. They usually interject, “Oh, are you heading to harvest mushrooms or berries?” It’s always fun to watch their face change when you tell them you are heading into the forest for stinging nettle. It is always an immediate reaction of a nose wrinkle and “Why?”