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June

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How to get rid of fruit flies in your home

How to get rid of fruit flies in your home

The weather is warm, and your house is stocked with loads of yummy fresh fruit. This means it’s prime time to find those pesky little fruit flies floating around your kitchen. Rather than just shoo them away, here’s how to get fly-free in no time. Gnats vs fruit flies When you first spot little black bugs flying around your kitchen, you should make sure it’s a fruit fly and not a gnat. Fruit flies thrive off of rotting fruit or other high-fructose foods. They’re typically reddish orange or dark brown in color. Gnats, on the other hand, are usually grey or black, and tend to live in soil, so if you think it might be those, the issue might not be overripe produce. How did fruit flies get in my house? It might seems like fruit flies just appear spontaneously out of nowhere, or that they miraculously grow from rotting fruit.…

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Seasonal

The best way to wash your strawberries

The best way to wash your strawberries

Is there anything more delicious than a bowl full of fresh strawberries? But hold up just one second! Before you bite into those ripe, red beauties, you should make sure you’re cleaning off any nasty residue that could make you or your family sick. You don’t want to bake bugs into your perfect strawberry rhubarb pie, and you definitely don’t want chemicals mixed into your strawberry sangria. Follow these trip to make sure you’re doing all you can to make your berries as wholesome as nature intended: Before you begin Don’t wash berries until you’re ready to cook or eat them. Strawberries are like little sponges, and they soak up moisture whenever present. This means premature rinsing can cause them to go bad much more quickly. Save time with organic If you’ve purchased organic strawberries from a local farmer or shop, you only need to wash them off under cool…

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Crave-Worthy Recipes

Strawberry oatmeal muffins

Strawberry oatmeal muffins_2

This time of year, I just can’t get enough fruit. I like eating it fresh most of all, but I also find it impossible to pass on delicious, fruity baked goods. Last week, I came across a killer deal on strawberries at the market, so I was inspired to use some of my stash to make this super summery strawberry muffin recipe. These strawberry oatmeal muffins have tons of texture thanks to the quick-cook oatmeal. And the brown sugar gives just enough sweetness. You’ll love these for breakfast, brunch, or an anytime snack. Since strawberries can sink to the bottom of batter, coating them in flour first will help them float throughout. It also helps distribute their moisture throughout the muffin leaving you with something tender and tasty. Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins Ingredients 1 cup quick-cooking oats, uncooked 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 1 cup Greek yogurt 1/3 cup vegetable oil…

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Seasonal

10 foods you’ve probably never grilled before

10 food you've probably never grilled before

You’ve uncovered your grill for the season and have already eaten more chicken and burgers than you can count. You’ve even grilled some peppers and veggies as extra sides. But besides these basics, does the lack of diversity have you wondering what else can you make on the grill? Get the most out of your grill this summer by whipping up these unexpected recipes. 1. Mussels Cooking mussels might be the easiest item to cook in the history of grilling. Just heat up the grill and set the mussels onto of the grill to cook. You know they’re done when they open (about 5 to 10 minutes). Garnish with a bit of parsley and black pepper. Serve with melted butter. 2. Oysters Bring that vacation beach vibe to your backyard with grilled oysters. They take on a light, smoky flavor that’s sure to be your new favorite way of eating oysters.…

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Seasonal

You might be storing your ice cream all wrong

You might be storing you ice cream all wrong

It’s extra hot outside, but that doesn’t have to bother you — mostly because it’s the perfect excuse to enjoy an extra scoop of ice cream. (Is there really anything better than ice cream on a hot summer day?) But before you go and load your freezer full of pints of your favorite flavors, you may want to consider how you’re handling that frozen treat. Ice cream is a perishable product, and it needs to be treated with care. Whether ice cream lasts in your house a few days or a few months (who are these people?), you should pay attention to how you’re storing and handling it. Of course the easiest way to deal with ice cream is buying it and eating it in one sitting. (You may take this as your permission to do so — after all, food waste is a huge concern nowadays.) But, if you’re…

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Seasonal

How to pick the perfect cantaloupe

How to pick the perfect cantaloupe

Is there anything more disappointing in the world of food than getting home from the supermarket with a bunch of fresh produce only slice it open and find you’ve literally picked a bad apple… or pineapple.. or cantaloupe. Cantaloupe can be particularly tricky because they pretty much all look the same from the outside. So how do you tell what’s happening underneath that rough, tannish-grey skin? With a few tips you can actually get a pretty good idea. Here’s what you need to know: Buy only in season You just aren’t going to get the juicy, sweet cantaloupe you crave if you’re shopping in January. In the off season, cantaloupe are shipped from South America, meaning that by the time they make it to your mouth, they’ve been off the vine for quite some time. In the U.S., cantaloupe are at their peak from June until August. So if you’re…

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Seasonal

How to freeze asparagus

How to freeze asparagus

Asparagus is one of the first official signs of spring and a promise that more homegrown produce is right on its heels. All winter long we wait for those green spears to show in the garden, but just like that, warm weather hits and the season is over. If you’re getting into June and you still have an abundance of asparagus in the ground, don’t fret. Freezing it means you’ll have asparagus spears available for the whole year to come. 1. Go homegrown Only bother freezing locally grown asparagus while it’s in season for your area. Asparagus that has been shipped from other states, or even internationally, will almost always be less tender and have less flavor — not a good place to start. 2. Size matters The spears you select for freezing should be at least as thick as a pencil. Thinner spears don’t hold up very well in…

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Seasonal

10 Hydrating foods your summer diet needs now

10 Hydrating foods to add to your diet this summer

Not drinking enough water is an all-too-common summertime woe. Combine beach boozing, outdoor activities, and a whole lot of sun, and you’re creating a recipe for splitting headaches and serious dehydration. When above average temperatures join the mix, not drinking enough water can be downright dangerous, leading to muscle cramps, low blood pressure, and even organ failure. But dehydration doesn’t have to spoil your summer fun. While water is always your best bet, there are many fresh summer foods that can give your body the extra boost of H2O it needs to make it through the day. Here are some of our favorites: Watermelon Biting into a big slice of juicy watermelon is so enjoyable, you’ll forget it’s good for you, too. Watermelon is 93% water, so it’s an ideal snack on a hot summer day or trip to the beach. Eat it alone, or blend it into a juice…

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Seasonal

June: What produce is in season?

June: What produce is in season?

The most obvious sign of summer? A plethora of gorgeous, local produce available. With temperatures on the rise and longer days, June’s harvest is full of colorful variety. In-season produce always tastes better and is almost always cheaper, so there is really no reason not to stock up on all the healthy, tasty options in season right now. Asparagus Asparagus is still in season but enjoy it now. The crop varies from year to year, but usually by the end of the month it’s difficult to find tender asparagus. Here’s how to cook asparagus four ways. Beets Get a healthy dose of fiber, folate, and vitamin C when you add beets to your diet. The earthy vegetable comes in season this month and sticks around through December, so you have plenty of time to try them roasted, in salads, juices, and more. Broccoli Broccoli is a sun-loving cool-weather crop, so…

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Crave-Worthy Recipes

Caprese Summer Rolls are the newest must-have recipe for warm weather days

Caprese Summer Rolls are the newest must-have recipe for warm weather days

Perhaps you’ve heard of the Caprese Salad. The combination of ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, and soft mozzarella is a recipe that doesn’t need much improvement. But when you just can’t get enough of the Italian trio, it is fun to experiment with other ways to enjoy these classic ingredients. Welcome your first summer produce haul with these light and refreshing hand-held bits of sunshine. Roasting the tomatoes amps up their flavor and can make these spring rolls feel like more of a meal. Also, if you have trouble finding super thin rice noodles, you can always substitute with Romaine lettuce. The lettuce will nicely fill out the roll, soak up the dressing, and give your rolls a nice crunchy bite. If you’re new to working with rice paper, here are a few tips: Fill a pie pan with room temperature water. Soak wrappers briefly, one at a time. Moisten your…

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