Last month, I visited a caper farm and a capperificio – or caper producer – on Pantelleria, a small island in the Mediterranean that is renowned for the quality of its capers. The capers of Pantelleria have a delicate, floral flavor that is a result of the the fertile volcanic soil, arid conditions, and a […]

In September, I visited Pantelleria, a small island in the Mediterranean midway between Tunisia and Sicily. With 37 miles of sea separating the island from the next closest land, it’s as isolated as anywhere I’ve ever been. Despite its location in the middle of the sea, the people of Pantelleria have always been farmers, not […]

Twenty years ago this September, Zingerman’s Bakehouse fired up its oven and started baking. Owner Frank Carollo had a crew of eight bakers. At first they had a simple goal: to make better bread for Zingerman’s sandwiches. But how? In a nutshell, they’d turn back the the clock on bread baking. Instead of baking with […]

The first thing to know about Rangpur limes is that they’re not really limes at all. They’re actually a hybrid of lemons and mandarins, which they also resemble. If that’s hard to imagine, think clementines and you’re not far off: smallish, bright orange, with a smooth, thin peel that comes off easily to reveal segments […]

This summer at Zingerman’s Mail Order, we’ve built and tended a vegetable garden in front of our warehouse. Here’s a look at what we’ve set up: Compost We created our compost heap in the spring from old pallets in our warehouse, and filled it with food scraps, coffee grounds, paper, and cardboard (plenty of that […]

For tips on making pesto, see this post.  For the recipe I like to use when I make pesto, read on! 2 packed cups of fresh basil leaves, preferably less than 1 ½ inches long 3 tablespoons pine nuts 1 large clove of garlic, unpeeled Coarse sea salt ¼ cup grated Parmigiano–Reggiano cheese 3-4 tablespoons […]