Sunday, 25 August 2013 14:15
Written by Madelaine Bullwinkel

TOMATO PICKLES

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I often wonder why I keep on making preserves. No one needs to act like a busy ant storing food for the winter rather than risk starvation like their neighbor the grasshopper who sings all summer. Aesop's fable, it would seem, has lost its moral imperative. These days industrious ants stock up at CostCo, and grasshoppers, today's working poor, use food stamps. Both ends of the spectrum are enabled by giant food companies whose processed products last, despite sell-by dates, virtually forever.

IN PRAISE OF BLUEBERRIES

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I've loved summer berries since I was eight, when my sister and I foraged for them on open suburban lots and forest preserves. I still savor the experience: a spurt of sweet-tart juice and crunchy seeds mixed with their wild floral fragrance. The fact we were gathering fruit from thorny canes in dense mosquito-infested underbrush in the wild increased our pleasure.

HOME COOKING ONE SHORTCUT AT A TIME

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Can real home cooking make a comeback? I've got my hopes up, but the odds are against it. Despite the success of local farmers' markets and the popularity of the Food Network, Americans now spend only 30 minutes a day in the kitchen. If that includes preparing three meals, it's just enough time to heat and serve. Where is the 21st century Julia Child who will convince consumers that cooking real food is easy and fun?

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