Inspiration / Spice Information

There simply aren't many places in the world where you will find more interesting or beautiful flora than the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens. We took a visit recently and were delighted by the number of spices they had growing there. Unfortunately, most were not fruiting at the time, but the foliage was so beautiful we had to share it. We look forward to visiting again when the plants are fruiting to get more stunning photos.

Several years ago I had the fortune to cook a beautiful, fresh summer dinner in a friend's kitchen in their home just outside of Aix en Provence in the south of France. It was there that I first came in contact with one of my very favorite kitchen tools. There are very few things in the kitchen that I consider 'perfect'. These are things that are beautiful, work well every time and are simple in their design. Of course, my AllSpice rack is one of those things, as is my Shun Santoku knife, but what Im referring to here is...

Yesterday, I heard someone say that they believed that every house in Wisconsin had chives planted in the yard somewhere. It's not true, I had to plant my chives with my own two hands. I get where they were going though, my chives are true stalwarts. They are one of the first things to pop up in the spring and they stay green until November. They add a much needed punch of color to dinners of meat and potatoes through the long Wisconsin winter. When I forget to buy onions at the store, they jump at the chance to add a little...