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How to use fruits & vegetables in the kitchen

Success in the kitchen starts with good, seasonal produce and knowing how to use it. These guides explore the various uses and cooking methods for using your favorite fruits and vegetables.

Some guides are even tailored around problems you might encounter, like why cucumbers and bitter & how to fix it or things that can go wrong with blueberry muffins.

If you have a cooking question, leave a comment here and I can either answer right away, or do some research to try and help you out.

  • All nasturtium parts are shown with text indicating what's edible: green seeds, leaves, stems, and flowers.
    Nasturtium: what's edible & recipes that use it
  • 2 blackberries, close up
    Why blackberries taste bitter & sour (and how to fix it)
  • Nasturtium plant growing in the garden
    How to grow nasturtium for the prettiest edible plant in your garden
  • Candied lilacs
    How to make candied lilacs: detailed steps
  • apple pie on a pile of red and green apples
    The best (and worst) apples for pie
  • how to make apple butter
    How to make apple butter & recipe for canning
  • Apple chips and apples on a table
    How to make crisp apple chips
  • A basket of apples
    Apple recipes & the best varieties to use
  • How to cook asparagus
    How to cook asparagus: 10 methods & 50 recipes
  • What to do with a lot of zucchini: make 3 soups in 2 hours, or make quiches and quick breads.
    5 recipes that use up A LOT of zucchini
  • Gifts for bakers: make a kit that includes a cookbook, flavored sugar, a mug, specialty coffee, and english muffin rings for baking her own at home.
    Gifts for bakers & bread makers (+10 gift box ideas)
  • How to fix bitter cranberry sauce fast and easy
    Bitter cranberry sauce? How to fix it quick!
  • A frozen pork shoulder, just under 3 pounds
    Buying sustainable meat (and my favorite source for delivery)
  • A pile of green beans to visualize the portion and serving size of green bean casseroles for Thanksgiving
    Green bean casserole serving size (a visual guide)
  • 2 giant zucchini next to a regular sized butternut squash and box of pasta for scale, showing what to do with large zucchini
    What to do with large zucchini - suitable recipes
  • Peach jam on a charcuterie meat and cheese board
    Peach bourbon jam (small batch)
  • Nutrition for homemade banana nut muffins. 350 calories, 23 grams fat, 14 grams sugar, and 6 grams protein
    Banana nut muffin nutrition (by ingredient)
  • 4 different ways to make apple butter: stove top, oven, instant pot, and slow cooker
    Apple butter: testing cooking methods
  • Lemon bar comparison with 4 different cut bars
    Testing lemon bar recipes: 3 crusts & 3 fillings
  • A row of jars filled with jam
    How to safely can jams, jellies, and preserves
  • Ball mason jars and lids for canning
    How much do canning jars cost & where to buy them
  • A sumo citrus mandarin and segmented slices (also known as a Dekopon).
    Do Sumo citrus mandarins deserve the hype?
  • A box of herbs including rosemary, sage, basil, mint, and thyme
    Where to buy herb plants online
  • A comparison of orange peels, including Navel, Sumo, Valencia, and Clementine
    How to reduce bitterness in candied orange peels
  • Cucumber varieties, whole and sliced, with bitterness labels.
    Why cucumbers are bitter & how to fix it
  • Bell peppers are in season in summer and last through fall
    Dealing with bitter bell peppers
  • Edible parts of an artichoke, in a diagram
    How to prep artichokes & 8 cooking methods
  • Batter dyed purple from blueberries
    Blueberry muffins, what could go wrong?
  • Difference between peaches and nectarines
    Substituting nectarines & peaches: what's the difference?

About the Food Geek

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 and recipes with practical advice.

More about me

Strawberries in baskets on a farm, with text May produce guide & recipes
  • 4 seed starting trays
    My new favorite seed starting trays

Popular recipes

  • Salad with edible flowers, arugula, lentils, and couscous.
    Salad with edible flowers, lemon, and couscous
  • Stir fry with asparagus, snap peas, and spinach over rice, on a gray plate.
    Stir fry with asparagus, snap peas & spinach
  • Parmesan roasted asparagus, 425F in the oven for 8 minutes
    Parmesan roasted asparagus
  • A plate of blueberry cucumber salad with feta cheese and pistachios
    Blueberry cucumber salad with feta cheese
See more Spring recipes →

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