Apple Season Is Here

With crunchy, juicy, new-crop apples finally here to relieve their long-stored counterparts from last year, apple season is in full swing. There are approximately 7,500 varieties of apples currently grown in the world, and 2,500 in the United States alone. You’ll find only four or five kinds in most supermarkets, but your local farmers’ market…

Need for Speed

After last week’s newsletter about soup, which generally takes longer to cook, I thought this week I’d focus exclusively on dishes that you can make in less than 30 minutes — and, in one case, less than 15. These are the recipes I need most right now, in the craziness of high fall and its…

Why Is Chamomile Suddenly Everywhere?

In ancient Egypt, chamomile was considered a gift from the divine. Offerings of the flower were made to the powerful sun god Ra as a form of worship; King Tut’s sandals were decorated with the bloom’s likeness; and the plant’s oil was used to anoint the dead, including the body of Ramses II. The ancient…