Hospitality for the Coming Age

I tasted this most delicious salsa of my mother’s creation last week, and came back to Richmond with a craving.
I have all of the ingredients expect the bell peppers (I could use canned tomatoes). (Un)fortunately, I can’t buy peppers in January without a lot of guilt. So I sent a hope out into the universe, [...]

I and the folks I hang out with are often distressed that we don’t have more/any (depends on who you ask) great local coffeeshops to hang out in, or other establishments that showcase local talent and products.
Our town is ~36,000 people.
The town I grew up in is ~6,000 people, and have a fabulous local coffeeshop. [...]

I feel a resistance to the idea that “most things are fine in moderation.” I am not a moderate person, and tend to enjoy experiencing things in extremes. For example, strawberries are my very favorite food. I have this idea that I would be a more enlightened person if I found the first strawberry of [...]

I made this for book club a couple weeks ago, with frozen rhubarb from last spring. I used honey from Centerville and molasses, rather than sugar, and extra rhubarb in place of sorrel.
This recipe comes from Simply in Season, an excellent cookbook that is a wonderful first step to eating and cooking more locally!

I had a fascinating experience at a wedding last week, in a church that you might associate with the Amish (but speaking English). I deeply care for the friend I went to support in this big step, and I really don’t want to criticize her community. But I did find the whole situation interesting enough [...]

We had a delightful housewarming party on Saturday, with many dear friends. Some of them brought presents. Some of the presents had no tags. At the end of the night we opened the lovely gifts and cards, and were left with a few mysteries.
If you gave us a housewarming present, thank you! If you aren’t [...]

“Michigan Brewing Company (MBC) in Webberville, MI, has enjoyed steady, double-digit growth for several years, expanding its award-winning beer production to 6,000 barrels and a million bottles this year, and recently diversifying into the distilled liquor-and wine-making business.
Along the way, the popular brewery has also makes a pretty convincing case that you can have your [...]

3. Peak oil
Where do the vegetables sold in Richmond groceries come from? California, often, sometimes Mexico, Argentina, once in awhile Michigan…. The statistic I see and hear the most is that the food on your plate has traveled an average of 1500 miles to get there. Yikes.
There are a huge number of problems with fossil [...]

16 October 2008
Kelly, Aaron, Chris and I gathered over Indian food, celebrating the very non-local ingredients I ordered on Ebay. In my defense, I only ordered these ingredients online because the Co-op doesn’t carry them, and because I didn’t want to make an otherwise unnecessary trip to some city.
We had samosas (I made the wrap [...]

What do you do when your guests make a mess?
Crumbs scattered on the couch, ground into the carpet, sweating beverages leaving marks on the coffeetable….
Seems like the mature, honest thing to do would be to proactively discuss the matter with the messy guest. But for those of us who avoid confrontation and fear hurting people’s [...]