Picnic-Ready Dressings and Pickles

Some picnic-worthy accouterments have just been introduced by familiar grocery store brands. After growing salad greens for over 20 years, Satur Farms, in Cutchogue, N.Y., has introduced vinaigrette-style dressings created by Eberhard Müller, an owner and a chef. Each of four varieties (spicy Asian, citrus, honey-balsamic and white truffle) comes in one-ounce single-portion packets, six…

A Grill Big Enough for a Yak

Before you fire up the Weber, you might want to take a trip to Ironbound Farm in Asbury, in Hunterdon County, N.J., where Charles Rosen, the owner, has completed construction of a monumental grill. Mr. Rosen calls it the “mother fire” and considers it the crowning touch at his farm, cidery, winery and tasting room.…

Just Add Peaches

Stephen and Jessica Rose couldn’t find juicy, fragrant fresh peaches in Nashville, where they settled as newlyweds, so they did something about it. In 2012 the couple bought bushels of peaches — Mr. Rose is from Fort Valley, Ga., and was familiar with Pearson Farm there — loaded the fruit in a 1964 Jeep Gladiator…

Summer Blockbusters

Good morning. I hate to be a bummer but daylight’s burning and the year’s half over and if this thing of ours were a rom-com, we’d be deep in Act II: rising action, higher stakes. Something’s gotta give! Before long, we’ll be buying the kids new Buster Browns and planning out school lunches, soccer practices,…

A Show-Stopping Cake With Old-Fashioned Charm

When my friend Ursula Reshoft-Hegewisch offers to bring dessert, my answer is always yes. Over the years, she’s arrived at my door with all manner of elaborate confections — a sachertorte, a chocolate-hazelnut cake, assortments of Viennese Christmas cookies, and a billowing almond dacquoise filled with mocha buttercream, each carefully made in the kitchen of…