Chelsea Green Blog

Food & Drink

raspberry and blueberry soda

Raspberry and Blueberry Soda: Brewing Up Some Bubbles

One of the best ways to begin brewing is by dipping your toes in the bubbling waters of homemade soda. This recipe for Mountain Raspberry and Blueberry Soda features just a few local ingredients and allows you to get as creative as you’d like. There are no real rules when it comes to this fun…

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lemon gremolata

The Perfect Slice: Watermelon Radish and Preserved Lemon Gremolata

Gremolata is most commonly used for a final flourish of flavor to add a fresh taste to rich meaty dishes. This traditional Italian condiment is sprinkled over any number of dishes and it will make every mouthful pop with its bright flavor. It is a great addition to grilled meat, roasted or grilled vegetables, and pasta…

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foraging recipes

8 Foraging Recipes for Your Perfect Summer Picnic

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy a picnic in the sun. Next time you want to go for a picnic, grab your foraging basket first and gather your meal from nature’s bounty! We have everything you need to get started, from foraging recipes and tips to advice on preserving wild food. Foraging for Food: 10…

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Bring On the Brews This Summer: DIY Beer, Wine, & Cider

There’s nothing much better than having a drink after a long, hot day. What could make it better is drinking something that you brewed yourself. Create great drinks all on your own this season with help from these recipes for summer brews! The following is an excerpt from Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz. It has…

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sunflower

The Whole Sunflower: Delicious Down to the Stem

“The process of cooking sunflowers is slightly different from that for cooking artichokes, with the result being a unique vegetable with the texture of an artichoke and a strong sunflower flavor.”— Alan Bergo Did you know that more than just the seeds of a sunflower are edible? Almost every part of this tall, beautiful plant…

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vegetable tian

Summer Vegetable Tian: Simple and Elegant

The term tian simply refers to a dish of thinly sliced vegetables that have been cooked in fat of your choice and baked au gratin. This crispy and colorful Summer Vegetable Tian is the perfect side to showcase the medley of mouthwatering veggies that the season has to offer! The following excerpt is from The Heal Your…

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cooked cattails

Foraging and Cooking Cattails

Chances are, you’ve seen cattails growing on the edge of your local lake or stream at least once or twice during the summer. Instead of just passing them, try foraging for and cooking cattails to create delicious seasonal dishes! The following excerpt is from The New Wildcrafted Cuisine by Pascal Baudar. It has been adapted…

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mint salt

Mint Salt: A Fresh Take on Seasoning

Searching for a new way to use salt and seasonings in your kitchen? Look no further than this recipe for mint salt! This fresh, natural salt is a game-changer that is bound to mix up the way you season your dishes. The following is an excerpt from Salt and the Art of Seasoning by James Strawbridge.…

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summer drinks

5 Creative Summer Drinks to Help You Cool Off

With the “dog days” of summer underway, the heat can feel a little unrelenting. On hot days, there’s no better way to cool off than with a refreshing, cold beverage. Here’s a list of some perfect cool-down summer drinks made with organic ingredients sourced right from your garden or local wild places.  The following excerpts have…

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galium panna cotta

Panna Cotta With Galium: A Sweet Stand-In For Vanilla

Who needs a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down when you have galium? This wild herb not only has a sugary sweet aroma on its own, but can also add a delicious vanilla-like flavor when added to desserts. Forage for your own galium in the woods or even your own backyard to…

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mulberries

Mull it Over: Mulberries, Memories, and Muffins

Mulberries have a special power of unlocking memories. Catching a whiff of a pie in the oven or taking that first delicious bite will transport you back to not only the first time you had mulberries, but each and every time. These sweet berries very well might be in your own backyard, your neighbor’s yard,…

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summer diy projects

Do It Yourself This Season: Summer DIY Projects

Summer is a time to be outside and enjoy the much-needed sunshine. And what’s more fun than creating something yourself while soaking up everything the season has to offer? Whether you consider yourself a cook, a gardener, or a crafter, there’s a summer DIY project that is sure to fit your interests & lifestyle. Here are…

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grill recipes

Grill Your Way to Greatness: 6 Recipes to Get You Fired Up

Summer is the perfect time to fire up that grill and enjoy the great outdoors. Check out one of our top 6 grill recipes next time you’re barbecuing and savor the flavor of summer! Grill Greatness: The Best Meat Temperatures Have plans to fire up the grill this summer? Want to impress everyone with your…

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persimmon vinegar

How to Make Persimmon Vinegar

Sandor Katz is known for using his writing to readers along with him as he revisits special places, people, and foods. The excerpt below highlights his journey with the delicious persimmon fruit. Read on to learn how to create persimmon vinegar on your own and use the pulp as a pickling medium. The following is an…

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kvass

Kvass: A Nourishing, Fermented Beverage

Looking to add another recipe to your fermenting repertoire? Try your hand at kvass! This nourishing beverage calls for just a few simple ingredients and only takes a couple of days to ferment. Use beets or get creative with various fruit combinations like Blueberry Lemon Mint or Ginger Apple Lime. The following recipes are from The Heal…

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pickled veg plate

Rainbow Pickled Veg Plate: A Taste of Summer

Few things scream “summer” more than a fresh, colorful plate of seasonal veggies. With this recipe for a rainbow pickled veg plate, you’ll transform simple vegetables into a delectable dish that your guests will be craving all season long. The following is an excerpt from Salt and the Art of Seasoning by James Strawbridge. It…

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juneberry

Plant Spotlight: The Joyful Juneberry

All hail the joyful juneberry! While these rich and sweet berries taste wonderful when they’re fresh, you can also preserve them, use them as a substitute for blueberries in dessert recipes, and even create beverages like beer and cider with them. To create these delicious dishes, you first need to find and harvest juneberries. Get ready to…

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anti-inflammatory smoothie

Ginger and Pineapple Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie: The Best Medicine You’ve Ever Tasted

Surprisingly, medicine can actually be delicious. This anti-inflammatory smoothie uses natural (and tasty!) ingredients to help reduce inflammation caused by any number of circumstances. The following is an excerpt from Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, Volume 4 by Jill Stansbury. It has been adapted for the web. RECIPE: Ginger and Pineapple Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie This is an all-purpose…

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pizza oven

How to Build An Outdoor Clay Wood-Fired Pizza Oven

Nothing can be compared to the taste of a fresh, hot slice of pizza that came straight out of a wood-fired oven. By building your own clay wood-fired oven, you’ll have this cheesy delicacy at your fingertips whenever you’re craving it. While creating an oven from the ground up may sound like a daunting task,…

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huckleberries

The Hunt for Huckleberries (Plus A New Recipe!)

Huckleberries are a true prize for fruit foragers. Describing them as “intense, juicy, and addictive,” author Sara Bir has the lowdown on where and how to harvest them. And if you’re one of the lucky ones who brings home a bountiful harvest, the recipe below for Buckwheat Huckleberry Buckle is a MUST-make. Trust us. The…

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raw fermentation

Raw Fermentation: How to Make Apple Scraps Vinegar

The vinegar used in a dish can make or break the flavor altogether. With this simple raw fermentation recipe for apple scraps vinegar, you’ll have all the tools you need to create a crisp concoction that serves as the perfect addition to almost any condiment or dish. Hungry for more? Add a little of your…

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wild strawberries

Foraging For Wild Strawberries

Have you ever stumbled across wild strawberries? Growing along the sunny banks and around a forest edge, along roadsides, hillsides or even in your own back yard, wild strawberries are delicious. Wild strawberries are much smaller than those hollow, crunchy, off-season truck farm monstrosities most of us allow to pass for strawberries. Cultivated in-season berries, the…

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making stocks and broths

A Good Stock Takes Time: Setting Up Your Kitchen for Making Stocks and Broths

A good stock takes time. This is part of the pleasure — making stocks is meditative and meaningful, if you allow yourself the occasion. Making stocks often happens in the background of most kitchens — a smell that permeates a residence, a gentle warmth that radiates from the kitchen. Mastering Stocks and Broths is the definitive…

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Homemade Dandelion Beer

You can forget about waiting for your wine to ferment, because we have a recipe for dandelion beer that will be ready in just a week! Who knew those weeds in your backyard could make such a fun beverage? Not to mention they’re packed with health benefits: “It’s mostly used as a tonic (the plant…

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Ramp It Up A Notch: Tabasco-Style Ramp Hot Sauce

Looking for a delicious (and spicy) DIY project to work on this spring? This recipe for foraged, tabasco-style ramp hot sauce is sure to turn up the heat. With just a handful of ramp leaves, some jalapeños, and a little bit of patience, you’ll be able to whip up this sauce like a pro. The…

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