I love going to the farmer’s market this time of year, when the warm breeze jostles the big, leafy bunches of fresh basil and inundates the market with their sweet, spicy aroma.  When the scent of basil is no longer enough, it’s time to whip up a batch of pesto.  Here are a few of […]

Over the last few days, I’ve been reading The Book of Marmalade by C. Anne Wilson. It’s a good read: comprehensive, engaging, witty. Here are a few of the best things I’ve learned: In the early 17th century, marmalade was associated with the sweet side of love, used in descriptions like “a soft marmalade heart” […]

This week, I’m in Chicago. The last time I was in Chicago, I visited Vosges Haut-Chocolate. Here’s a little of what I saw during my visit: Toffee is made in small batches, then cut by hand, very carefully, on a heated table to keep it malleable. Nearby are racks piled high with freshly-cut toffee, hardened […]

There was a flurry of activity in our Mail Order warehouse last week when we received this spring’s first batch of imported goods. This was a special shipment: it contained our first bottles of 2011 harvest olive oils. For the last year, we’ve been selling and enjoying 2010 harvest olive oils. By now, about eighteen […]

June 2nd, 2012. 4:25 pm. Camp Bacon has just ended. My clothes, my hair, even my skin are inundated with the smoky, rich scent of campfire and cured meat. Later this evening, I will almost regret showering, as though by washing off the aroma (stink?) I am washing away part of the experience. My belly […]

In March, we started selling a new gouda from l’Amuse cheese shop, in Santpoort-Noord in the Netherlands. It’s fantastic stuff: rich, barely tangy, subtly sweet. It immediately became a staff favorite. But if you ever get to visit l’Amuse, don’t expect to find gouda on the shelves. “We don’t really use the word ‘gouda’ in […]