Stories about drinks – where they come from, why they work, and how to make them
The first Christmas that I spent at my in-laws after getting into making drinks was my first introduction to kirsch. This German spirit is included in many of my mother-in-law’s Christmas cookies (which all come from her mother), so there’s always a bottle around. She asked me if I knew what else we could do … Read more
I grew up spending a lot of time at an apple orchard because I raised sheep in a barn that the family who owned the orchard also owned. But, my sheep interaction was mostly in the spring and summer, so I had to come up with other excuses to hang around in the fall and … Read more
Winter was all about citrus and managing acid. Spring was all about bitter roots and herbs. We’ve had 6 months of intense flavors, but now summer is all about fresh fruit. Melon, berries, stone fruit (or drupe if you want to get fancy) – bright colors, sweet flavors, right from the farm. I grew up … Read more
The Fruit I don’t remember knowing winter citrus was a thing until our first winter in Seattle. We lived right by a fancy coop that we used for fill-in grocery shopping. I ran in on a random weekday evening and came out with (probably) $40 worth of citrus I had never even seen before. They … Read more
Once Thanksgiving is over, I expect to eat soup at least once a week until (probably) April. My wife loves soup all year, but especially when it’s cold. And she’s an amazing cook, so I can’t complain. She has a particular fondness for French Onion Soup (using the classic Julia Child recipe as a base). … Read more
I didn’t really cook a single thing until I was 20. I’m not really sure why – my parents both cooked (most things quite well), as did basically everyone in my family. I grew up appreciating food, but not cooking. Instead, I stayed in the basement playing video games until dinner was actually ready. Maybe … Read more