Produce & Pantry

Black walnuts gathered from the tree or from the ground under the tree must be hulled and cured to prevent spoilage during storage. Properly prepared, the nuts will remain fresh for almost two...

Black walnuts can lend a richer taste and texture to foods than the more common English walnut. While black walnuts can widely be found naturally throughout the United States, their status as a...

Whether you're determined to "buy local" to support the economy, you're concerned about farming and labor practices used to produce the food you eat, or you're just curious to know where your...

Red vinegar is a versatile staple that no well-stocked pantry should be without. It adds distinctive zest to a favorite recipe and contributes to a healthy diet.

Keeping food for emergency purposes is always a sound idea. Many companies offer this service and will provide a standard complement of foodstuffs already packaged and labeled, but this can get...

Kaola Gold Pan and Grill provides a cholesterol free means of cooking food with the taste of butter. Food service establishments and restaurants use this product for pan frying and grilling foods...

A fresh salad is a healthy, tasty addition to any meal. But if all the salad isn’t eaten, you are faced with a dilemma: save the leftover salad and eat soggy leftover vegetables the next day or...

Salmonella is a bacterium that causes foodborne illness, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Salmonellosis is the infection caused by salmonella. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal...

While traditionally shaped pears you usually see in grocery stores are European pears, Asian pears are round. These pears are ripe when they're harvested, so you eat them when they're firm instead...

Different types of flour have different protein contents; all-purpose flour has about 10 to 12 percent protein while cake flour has about 5 to 8 percent. Pastry flour falls right in between, with...

Brilliant Blue FCF (FD&C Blue No. 1) is an artificial blue food coloring approved by the Food & Drug Administration. It is used in foods such as jellies, extracts and beverages as well as...

A rarity in stores, black walnuts offer an assertive flavor unparalleled by other nuts. Use in any application that will take advantage of this nut's bold qualities: ice cream, cookies, chicken...

Home canning is a safe, healthy way to preserve foods. Many home canners are perplexed when their jars crack and break. Here are the major reasons that canning jars may break.

Corn syrup and its commercial version, high fructose corn syrup, sweeten many common food items, soda, cookies, yogurt and even canned fruit. It is a man-made caloric sweetener. Corn syrup is made...

Food dehydrators are appliances that preserve fruits, vegetables and meats by removing their water content. The foods can be used as snacks or stored for later use in cooking.

You have probably heard the horrors of leaving potato or egg salad out on the counter, and you undoubtedly know that you must store that Thanksgiving stuffing in the fridge. But, do you know the...

Blackberries, which can be canned, frozen or made into wine or jam, aren't recommended for drying as they have a high number of seeds and a slow drying time. The berries are about 1 to 2 inches...

Karo syrup is a brand of corn syrup popular in the United States. Corn syrup is used primarily as a sweetening agent in candies and baked goods. Karo brand corn syrup is readily available in most...

Are you tired of struggling trying to open that Banana to get out the rich tasty contents? There is a better easier way to get to the contents of that banana. Read my How to Correctly open a...

If you like fresh okra but have too many pods to use in one meal, you can use your Foodsaver to freeze them. A little preparation is all that is needed to ensure you retain your okra's color,...

You like the desserts with caramel but you do not have the patience to make your caramel on the stovetop. Why not test the microwave? It is very fast! Attention however, will burn... Take...

Coconuts are the fruit of palm trees grown in the tropics. The coconut is large and oval shaped with a hard shell. Cracking through the fibrous husk to get to the white meat can prove challenging...

Picking peaches is a fun pastime that can be enjoyed with families and friends. Workers who pick ready-to-harvest peaches use a technique that can be learned by anyone. Picking is easy and does...

Got hard avocados? Need them for that special dish tomorrow? The majority of the time you buy avocados from the store they are anything but ripe. Here are a few tips on how to get your avocados to...

Learn how to preserve hot peppers on a sting and have them ready to use without bottling them. A pretty fall decoration for the kitchen too.

If you love the taste of fresh raspberries, preserve their deliciousness by dehydrating the berries in your conventional oven. Dehydrate raspberries to store them for a long time. The raspberries...

Unsweetened chocolate is a raw form of chocolate that has no sugar added. It has a bitter taste and is commonly used in baking.

Beet tops, or beet greens, are much less commonly served than beet roots, but are surprisingly tasty and even more nutritious than the roots. Beet tops are surprisingly easy to cook. They go well...

Canning is experiencing a renewed popularity, along with an increased interest in home cooking and local foods. While canning is a wonderful way to preserve the bounty of the season, following...

Peter Piper picked a peck . . . but, of course, his peppers weren’t already pickled! What type of pepper would you use for cooking, seasoning, pickling or decorating? There are over 100...

When it comes to canning your garden vegetables and fresh fruits and saving those favorite sauces, preserving with Fowlers Vacola can come in handy. Fowlers Vacola is an all-in-one canning system...

Cheese is made through a curdling process from the milk of different animals, including cows, goats and sheep. After the milk has turned into curds and whey, the naturally occurring bacteria and...

If you thought freezing mushrooms was impossible, look no further. White button mushrooms are the most widely available fresh mushrooms to freeze, but they aren't particularly flavorful. Crimini...

Plastic bowls are an excellent way to carry your lunch or store leftovers from meals and may be used over and over again---which is a nice way to try and reduce the amount of garbage you throw...

Whole wheat flour contains a wheat berry's endosperm, bran and germ, unlike refined (regular) flour, which only contains the endosperm. Because of its high oil content, its shelf life is...

Learning how to preserve food the old-fashioned way will save money on your grocery bill and also may help you feel a bond with the generations before you who preserved their own food after...

Green snap beans are one of many bean varieties that are often frozen for use long after the gardening season has ended. Preparing green snap beans for the freezer takes a bit of time, but the end...

Stevia is a plant native to the continent of South America. For centuries, extracts from its leaves have been used as sweeteners for food and beverages. Stevioside, Stevia's main component, is in...

Rice flour is made from very finely ground grains of rice. It can be a substitute for white flour in baked goods or as a base to make batters or sauces thicker.

Use the versatile agave plant for a multitude of reasons, including as a sugar substitute or alcoholic beverages. The Mexican people have found many uses for this water-holding succulent that we...

Mascarpone is a high-fat dairy product featured in Italian desserts like tiramisu and cannolis. Cooking heavy cream with tartaric acid, letting the mixture cool, and straining out all excess...

For generations, families with gardens and farms have been preserving food after harvest to last throughout the year. In fact, people have been preserving food in jars since the early 19th...

Agave nectar is an all-natural liquid sweetener that can be used in place of sugar or honey. The nectar is extracted from wild agave fruit. Agave nectar is considered a healthier sugar substitute...

White oats are more commonly known as oatmeal. They are available in many forms and provide an excellent source of nutrition. White oats are a smart addition to any kitchen pantry.

Vanilla extract has become an indispensable ingredient for baking and desserts. You may have noticed, however, that pure vanilla extract is quite a bit more expensive than imitation vanilla extract.

Canning is an economical way to preserve fresh garden produce or bulk produce purchases. Following basic precautions can ensure having healthy food on your table for the winter months.

Zucchini, which is a type of summer squash, is a versatile ingredient because it has a mildly sweet taste and a hearty texture that can handle being cooked at a high temperature without becoming...

Part of healthy cooking and eating is finding ways to make our favorite recipes better for us, but still delicious. Substituting carob can be an effective way of making treats that call for...

Dehydrating blackberries is an economical way to store and preserve the fruit. Drying blackberries requires patience, but it is well worth the wait. You can store blackberries for up to one year....

Patty pan squash is a variety of summer squash and grows in shades of white, yellow and green. It is round with wavy edges and is often cooked whole or sliced in half in order to show off its...