The kitchen
Recipes
What to cook with whatever the yard, the market, or the shelf handed you this week.
42 recipes
Basil Pesto
A summer staple in Cindy's kitchen — "It isn't possible to have too much basil in my opinion. That's what pesto is for."
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Carrot Top Pesto
A great way to use up the carrot tops most people throw away — don't waste them, they're more nutritious than the root itself.
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Nasturtium Pesto
Cindy's own words: "Best pesto ever!" A creative way to use the peppery leaves of an often-overlooked garden flower.
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Radish Green Pesto
A genuine discovery story — Cindy grew radishes only as a row marker for carrots, tried the greens on a whim, and now calls this the "BEST pesto Ever!"
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Rhubarb Ketchup
A tangy, tomato-rhubarb ketchup with a hint of spice — great on burgers, meatloaf, or anywhere you'd use regular ketchup.
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Rhubarb Chutney
A sweet-spicy rhubarb chutney with warm Indian spices — delicious over pork, beef, or chicken, and it fills the house with an amazing smell while it cooks.
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Rhubarb Spring Salsa
A bright, tangy salsa made from the very first thing ready in the spring garden — rhubarb.
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Fresh Rhubarb Summer Salsa
A crisp, colourful summer salsa that uses raw rhubarb the way you'd use a tangy vegetable — excellent on burgers, tacos, or straight up with chips.
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Rhubarb Lemonade
A refreshing chilled rhubarb-lemon drink, perfect for hot days.
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Homemade Greek Spanakopita
A savory Greek spinach pie with crispy phyllo layers, taught to Cindy by a family friend and made with whatever fresh garden greens are on hand.
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Back-Corner Rhubarb Crisp
The first thing to make the week the stalks get thick enough to pull.
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Rhubarb Slush
A nostalgic frozen rhubarb drink Cindy grew up on, served at parties topped up with ginger ale.
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Rhubarb Pie, Crisp or Cobbler
Classic rhubarb dessert — thicken with flour or cornstarch, sweeten with sugar.
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Rhubarb Coffee Cake or Muffins
Swap chopped rhubarb into your favourite muffin or coffee cake recipe.
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Soft Rhubarb Cookies
Makes four dozen or more soft, cinnamon-warm cookies studded with rhubarb.
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Rhubarb Chocolate Extreme Brownies
Fudgy brownies with diced rhubarb folded through the batter.
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Simple Rhubarb Sauce
Two ingredients, spooned over pancakes, waffles, or ice cream.
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Easy Pickled Rhubarb
Quick fridge pickle — great on salads or sandwiches.
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Blackcurrant Tea
A warming infusion made from dried black currants — sweeten to taste.
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Blackcurrant Chia Pudding
A simple make-ahead pudding topped with fresh blackcurrant crush.
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Blackcurrant Vinaigrette or Glaze
A tangy dressing or glaze — excellent drizzled over grilled salmon or roasted vegetables.
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Blackcurrant Jam
Cindy calls this the best jam in the house — naturally tart, with no store-bought pectin needed since black currants are naturally pectin-rich.
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Korean Lambs Quarters Side Dish
Serves 2–4. A savoury, sesame-rich banchan made from young wild greens.
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Rhubarb & Ginger Jam
Water-bath jam from the first thick stalks of the year.
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Freezer Tomato Packs
No canner, no pressure gauge — the easiest way to keep a tomato glut.
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Roasted Tomato Sauce
Cindy's favorite way to make tomato sauce — slow oven-roasting instead of stovetop simmering, for a richer flavour you won't go back from.
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Sarah's Salsa
Cindy's daughter Sarah's long-standing family salsa recipe — because of the onions, peppers, and garlic, this one must be pressure canned, not water-bath canned.
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Tomato Juice
Use the freshest, juiciest tomatoes for this — meaty varieties like Romas aren't the best choice here. Cindy's own shortcut: tomato powder and cold water make an instant glass any time of year.
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Tomato Butter
A savoury spread of roasted cherry tomatoes, garlic, and basil folded into butter — good on toast, stirred into pasta, or spread on grilled corn.
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Tomato Jam
A rich, slow-cooked balance of sweet, savoury, and tangy — spread it on a BLT, grilled cheese, a burger, or a charcuterie board.
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Dehydrated Tomatoes
Meatier varieties like Roma or Romanian Giant work best since they hold their shape well. And don't toss the skins when you peel tomatoes for canning — dry and powder those too.
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Pickled Cherry Tomatoes
New to Cindy's kitchen this year, and surprisingly delicious — a tangy addition to charcuterie boards, salads, and sandwiches. Choose a quick fridge version or a shelf-stable canned version.
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Canned Whole Tomatoes
The classic hot-water-bath method for putting up whole tomatoes — plus the acid rules that keep it safe, since tomatoes sit right on the borderline between high- and low-acid foods.
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Tomato Skins
Don't toss them in the compost — tomato skins hold up to 98% of the tomato's flavonoids, plus concentrated lycopene and fiber.
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Tomato Powder
A little goes a long way in soups, stews, sauces, and even meatloaf — made from fully dehydrated tomatoes or their skins.
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Pesto Mayo
No tomatoes in this one, but it's the foundation for all things good about September eating-of-tomatoes.
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Drying Herbs Without a Dehydrator
A dark closet, a paper bag, and two weeks of doing nothing.
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Refrigerator Dilly Beans
Sharp, garlicky, and ready in three days — no canner required.
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Small-Batch Cabbage Kraut
One cabbage, one jar, one tablespoon of salt, and patience.
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Carrot Ginger Cake
Made using leftover carrot pulp from juicing — a great way to use up what would otherwise be wasted.
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Apple Muffins
Adapted from a treasured recipe in her friend Patti Shenfield's cookbook "Flavours of Home."
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Slow-Cooked Apple Butter
A long, slow simmer that turns apples into a deeply spiced, spreadable butter — worth the wait.
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