Pear-Fect Pecan Salad

pear-fect pecan salad

This Pear-Fect Pecan Salad is a close cousin to our delicious Blueberry Pecan Salad, so if you liked that one, we think you’re going to love our pear-based salad too! With the onset of fall comes fall fruit, like the local pears we use in this salad. We wait until the pears are perfectly ripe,…

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Caesar Salad

In my perception of the salad-creation world there are strict rules about what constitutes a Caesar salad, including a base of crispy romaine lettuce. Well, for our take on the Caesar, we’ll tell you right off the bat–we’re breaking that first rule, and we’re okay with it!  We’re using our fall salad mix as the…

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How to Pack a Salad for Lunch

lunch time salad in bento box

Packing a salad lunch is a great option when you’re out and about for work or play. For instance, this past weekend we left the farm to go hiking at Tippecanoe River State Park. I asked each of our kids to make their own lunch. Our youngest chose a salad, and with some help, she…

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Grilled Patty Pan Pizzas

grilled patty pan pizzas

I tried something new for our Friday night pizza tradition last night: grilled patty pan pizzas.  After Dan presented me with these strange little orbs as an item in next week’s CSA share, I knew I had to do some research. If I’d never seen one of these before, wouldn’t the same be true for…

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Fresh Mozzarella with Garlic, Tomato, Basil Sauce

fresh mozzarella with garlic tomato basil sauce

Years ago, one of my favorite high school teachers, Mary Lagerwey, handed me the recipe below because she knew I liked (loved, really) basil.   I’ve made this recipe for the past 15 years since then, with a few changes.  After having children, I cut way back on the red pepper flakes, sometimes eliminating them altogether.…

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Kale Salad with Apples and Figs

The first time I made this salad—as a side dish for a family get-together this summer—I almost exactly followed the recipe I found on Epicurious’s website.  We liked the salad so much, Dan made it for our 4-year-old’s preschool potluck, but he made a couple changes (including cutting out the red pepper flakes to make…

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Poor Man’s Pesto

In honor of this year’s garlic harvest (over 3,800 bulbs!), I’d like to share one of the Perkins’ household favorite garlic-infused recipes.  Pesto is one of our summertime last-minute go-to meals, a dish that can be prepared in 15 minutes or less, perfect for those days when we get so caught up working outside that…

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Spaghetti with Caramelized Garlic and Tomatoes

The garlic harvest for 2015 is complete, thanks to the help of our intern Sarah, her family, my family, Dan’s family, and one of our neighbors.  I’m so excited about this I’m even going to use a cliché: Many hands really do make light work! This year we harvested the largest bulbs of garlic ever,…

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