Butternut squash (like the one above), acorn squash, and kabocha squash are all over the local farmers’ markets, now. What’s up with all the so-called “winter” squash in August? Their name comes from the fact that they store well, so they can be eaten during the winter when summer squash are long gone. Winter squash [...]
Peas can be confusing. We use the word, “pea,” to describe two distinct species: One originated in Asia and yields both those familiar little green globes and edible pods like snowpeas. The other came from Africa and gives us the bitty oblong morsels so often dried for storage. That second species, called Vigna unguiculata in [...]
In Wednesday’s post, I missed three craft breweries that are all under a year old: (512) in Austin, Franconia in McKinney, and Southern Star in Conroe. These folks aren’t organized in any official way, so it can be hard to pin them all down. If you’ve got a craving to know more about Texas beers, [...]
Yes, we know that Lone Star is the national beer of Texas, but that ain’t it, pictured above. And although Shiner’s brewery is the oldest independent one in the state, it’s not Shiner, either. It’s a shooter of Independence Brewing Company’s Pale Ale. Independence, located in southeast Austin, is one of Texas’s handful of “craft [...]
When it comes to the geography of potatoes, most folks think they know the answer: Idaho! All potatoes hail from South America originally, though, and most can be traced back to Chile. That said, Texas boasts a reasonable crop of potatoes, itself, with some 22,000 acres in production for a cash value of more than [...]
Now that I’ve tasted Brazos Supreme goat-milk ice cream, my life may never again feel complete without it. We found it last week at Central Market’s northern location in Austin, and it was really that good. It’s the first comercially produced variety I’ve found that’s made in Texas with goat milk - and the goats [...]
Some people know summer squash all too well. Those yellow crook-necked specimens must be the most-shared product of home gardens when they’re in-season, though they’re never as easy to give away as tomatoes and berries. Zucchini is just another version of summer squash and its reputation has so soured over the years that it’s been [...]
Figs are here! I purchased a package of them from Marysol of Hands of the Earth farm on Saturday at the Austin Farmers’ Market downtown. “It’s a great fig year,” Marysol told me, meaning that her trees are bearing heavily. This is great news if you know figs, but an unofficial survey reveals that many [...]
Texas has a long, complex history in onions that began in the late 1800’s. (You can read all the details at this website, if you’re interested.) The skinny? Onions wouldn’t be onions as we know them today without Texas. Although Georgians don’t like to talk about it, their famous Vidalias were originally transplanted there from [...]
Last year, every watermelon I sampled was compost fodder — watery and flavorless, they went pretty directly to that food recycling pit in the backyard. The one I got today in my Greenling Local Box? It’s where-have-you-been-all-my-life luscious. It’s an heirloom variety from Bikkurim Farm and yes, it has seeds. But that’s really not a [...]