Welcome, I'm Veronica, your resident food geek - experienced recipe developer and gardener.
My goal is to help you enjoy eating at home by knowing what fruits & vegetables are currently in season and the best ways to use them. To do that, I've put together seasonal produce guides with practical advice:
- Reliable ways to buy good-tasting fruits & vegetables from farmers markets as well as grocery stores
- How to use bland or sub optimal produce, like making the most of bland strawberries or fixing bitterness in cucumbers
- Recipes that use fresh, seasonal ingredients
Why you should trust me as your expert!
The information on this site doesn't just repeat advice from a simple internet search. Instead, I extensively research each topic, reading through pages and pages of agricultural and food science publications.
Once I find useful information in a publication, I often reach out to the author for more information. I make sure I have an accurate understanding of the article. I then write a simplified explanation in my produce guides.
I also provide my own expertise. I rely on the basic principles from my Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the University of Illinois. Continuing education adds to my knowledge with agricultural classes from universities like UCLA, local programs from places like the Chicago Botanic Garden, and cooking classes from a wide variety of professional chefs.
Recipes
The recipes on this site highlight seasonal ingredients. You'll find fresh salads, soups, and desserts for every season.
Those recipes use fresh fruits & vegetables, so you might find a soup using fresh roasted pumpkins, not canned pumpkin puree. (Nothing wrong with that, it's just not what I specialize in).
My recipes get right to the point and provide you with detailed instructions. Most recipes also include additional information on using the fruit or vegetable called for in the ingredients. For example, when making apple sauce, I share which apples have the best flavor and texture.
A resource for news sites & food bloggers
If you have a question or need a quote for an article, reach out via the contact form. I personally read every email.
The infographics on the site can be shared as long as you credit Ask The Food Geek and link to the article it originated from. Please link both the photo and text.
Almost all other images can also be shared with the same credit given. The only exception are the produce hero shots on white backgrounds. A majority of those are from professional photographers that I have the right to use but not share. For an example of what those images look like, visit this produce page. When in doubt, contact me.
Recipes cannot be republished without permission. Magazines and other publications, feel free to reach out for permission.