Photo: Suzanne Lehrer

One of the things I love most about mint is how vastly different fresh mint is from processed mint flavors. Sometimes with watermelon, the fake flavor resembles the real one very closely, but it’s very difficult to capture the complexity and brightness of fresh mint in, say, a stick of Double mint (more like no mint) gum. And the benefits of fresh mint certainly outweigh those of the processed kind-peppermint is one of the most healing herbs around.  Read More

Photos: Suzanne Lehrer

Limes, the ultimate sweet and sour, have been making people pucker since before the 10th century. They originated in Southeast Asia and subsequently Arab traders brought the trees to Egypt and Northern Africa. Three centuries later, the Arabian Moors brought the trees over to Spain, and from there the trees were dispersed throughout Southern Europe during the Crusades. Read More

Photo: Suzanne Lehrer

Is there any ingredient with a more wholesome, all-American image than the peach? O.K., maybe the apple, but the peach comes close. “Life’s a peach!,” “Peachy-keen!,” “Ain’t she a peach?” Peaches bring all good tidings, and summer brings peaches. Read More

Photo: Suzanne Lehrer

One of my primary observations about rum is that when you bring it up, as in ‘Let’s make a rum punch!’ or ‘Who wants come over for dinner this week? I’ll be cooking with rum!’ it brings a smile to everyone’s face-and it’s no wonder.

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Photo: Suzanne Lehrer

Olives: you either love them or you hate them. Either way, you can’t deny that there is a certain mystique to one of the oldest foods known to man, Read More

Photo: Suzanne Lehrer

Even if you’ve loved being in the kitchen all your life, chances are that you had very little love for that tiny thing with no natural light off the living room of your very first apartment. While cooking has always made me happy, I’ll admit that

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Photo: Suzanne Lehrer

Meyer lemon? I know what you might be thinking: Heirloom tomatoes are not enough, now I need fancypants lemons too? Well, yes-but hear me out.

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Photo: Kake Pugh

Leeks-second only to ramps at this point-seem to be the spring vegetable blowing up the internet right now. (Editor’s note: I did not know this when I chose this week’s ingredient). But while the food blogs might be all leeked out, it appears that there are still some people out there who have not yet been introduced. Take, for instance,

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Photo: Suzanne Lehrer

Although perhaps sometimes perceived as a peach’s less-cool kid sister, apricots hold their own with a mild tartness, a fierce amount of both Vitamin A (good for the eyes) and beta-carotene (good for the heart), and a lower juiciness quotient than peaches (good for the environment-less napkins required for eating).

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Photo: Suzanne Lehrer

Saffron and I go way back, to my “colonial fair” in 4th grade. Read More