Who arguably was the most popular woman who took that fateful three-hour trip on the S.S. Minnow? It definitely wasn’t Mrs. Lovey Howell. Some may say it was Mary Ann, though I believe because of that slinky evening gown, it was Ginger. That’s not the ginger I’ll be highlighting, however, but that fleshy rhizome of […]

The fruit of Cucumis sativus is often relegated to a bit player on our dining tables. Sometimes it has a small role in America’s sandwich of choice, the hamburger, when it’s pickled and sliced. Sometimes it garnishes those finger sandwiches served at the customary British tea time. But its most frequent appearance is usually as […]

Since my last column highlighting the “wolf peach” or Solanum lycopersicum was more than a decade ago, it’s time to highlight the versatility of the love apple or everyday tomato. Though it goes by several aliases, tomato is derived from the Aztec tomatl or “the swelling fruit.” When you think about it, a tomato does […]

So you purchased that perfect olive loaf from La Brea Bakery, and while it made superb sandwiches over the past week, there’s still a half loaf leftover that’s beginning to stale. Or perhaps that artisanal baguette from that independent French bakery down the street has gone stale after several days. What do you do with […]