A very interesting article. I am a vegetarian living with an omnivore. For 8 months he went on a vegan diet for his arthritis (with miraculous results, I might add). When he started to eat meat again I was disappointed, but have tried not to let this affect our kitchen life. He is still eating and enjoying a predominantly vegetable-based diet. Though I would prefer no meat in the fridge or blood on the cutting boards, this needs to be handled with tolerance. Cooking with resentment isn’t healthy for anyone.

We had a bumper crop of apples in south-eastern Ontario this fall, and I used my grandfather’s 100 year-old press to make cider from 7 varieties of apples. Three bushels yielded 21 litres, tucked away now in the freezer. Fascinatingly complex flavour - you feel healthier at the first sip!

It must be in another Euell Gibbons book that he remembers the incantation from his childhood: “Nettles in, Dock out, Dock in, Nettles out”. This intoned while rubbing crushed burdock leaves onto skin stung by nettles. It works! There is some evidence, though, that voluntarily rubbing nettles on sore joints (urtication) relieves arthritis.

I love nettle tea as an early spring pick-me-up.

This is the first time I’ve ever seen a recipe specify “cold eggs”. What’s the science behind cold rather then room temperature eggs?

Anyway, it sounds delicious.

I have sumac growing in my backyard How does one get it from the tree to the plate?

One of the joys of a big vegetable garden is canning my own produce. Every year there are the old standbys- tomato sauce, strawberry jam, bread & butter pickles- and some newbies. This year I’ve tried gooseberry chutney for the first time. So good I’m tempted to eat it straight out of the jar!

Having a large garden I do a lot of “putting up”. The gooseberries have been amazingly prolific this year and so far I’ve made chutney and marmalade with them. I already made this season’s strawberry jam - too bad, because adding basil to it sounds fantastic!

If you’re looking for another great rhubarb recipe, this is from Sophie at MostlyEating.com
It freezes well too.

Hot and Sour Rhubarb Sauce:

400g rhubarb, trimmed and roughly chopped
A big thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled
A red chilli
3 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp soy sauce
Put all of the sauce ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour the resulting puree into a saucepan and simmer for about 20 minutes

Angie, I haven’t tried it but 10 minutes in a boiling water bath would probably do.

Knee-deep in rhubarb and spearmint, I came up with a variation last week. I added a thumb-sized chunk of peeled ginger and 3 allspice berries to the rhunarb/water/honey mix. Then before I strained the rhubarb I tossed in a fistful of mint and let it wilt. Mixed half and half with soda, this was incredibly refreshing!