Winter Squash often arrives at the table as a creamy soup or pumpkin pie out of the shell: sweetened puree spiked with cinnamon and nutmeg. This hard-shelled, mild-flavored, and nutrient-dense fruit offers many more delicious possibili-ties for the curious cook, and is a nutritionist’s darling. Its firm smooth flesh can be roasted, puréed, or mashed [...]

By Elizabeth Wheeler
Late this summer, my friend John Turenne called with the news that his company, Sustainable Food Systems, was working with British chef Jamie Oliver on a healthy food intervention in Huntington WV’s community and public schools.  And, by the way, ABC was taping it for six episodes of Jamie’s prime time reality TV [...]

By Elizabeth Wheeler
October is high apple season in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, where you can find orchards large and small selling an impressive range of varieties.  The following websites list commercial orchards in the area: www.allaboutapples.com/orchard/wv.htm and www.pickyourown.org/WV.htm.
If you are interested in the art and science of fruit production, the premier Federal Kearneysville Tree Fruit [...]

By Elizabeth Wheeler
When I first began cooking for my 12-year-old stepson Peter, he was a deeply conservative, fearful, and argumentative companion at the dinner table. In addition to reminding me that I was not his mother, Peter would trumpet “I won’t ever eat that,” when served anything green, red, or yellow that was not mint [...]

By Elizabeth Wheeler
Of all vegetables, tomatoes seem to ignite the greatest passion and generosity among gardeners, especially those who start their plants from seed. In July, as I contemplated the 20-foot-long wall of towering tomatoes, I decided I had tipped over into loopy excess. Then I met Angela Faulkner.
Faulkner is a graphic designer. During the [...]

Even though I know better, I planted too many greens in my garden. By mid June the once tiny plants were practically gushing from the earth in luxuriant green waves, thanks to compost and the almost perfect spring weather. Though most spring greens will bolt in hot weather, the biennial chard soldiers on in its first year, as long as it is cut regularly. My plants boast gigantic glossy leaves, beautiful and overwhelming. After a few too many dinners with variations on sautéed greens, I turned to my Middle Eastern cookbooks for inspiration.

Swiss chard, a cousin of beets, has a delicate flavor and a sturdier texture than spinach, which makes it ideal for stuffing. Recently I treated dinner guests with this: [...]