Syrup

Rhubarb is remarkably versatile. We tend to treat it like a fruit, but botanically, it’s a vegetable. The leaves have a reputation for being toxic because of their oxalic acid, which can interfere with the essential minerals like iron, magnesium, and calcium. But spinach has more oxalic acid than rhubarb leaves do, and it’s still …

I’m sitting here cuddled up on the couch with my dog, Inka, for the fifth day in a row (!). It seems she’s learned, after more than two years of mostly keeping a watchful eye on me from her chair (or actually, one of her chairs…), that curling up next to me is a sure …

This ginger syrup is a favorite for me. It makes the best ginger ale. It’s sweet and spicy and complex. I used to imagine ginger ale was one of those mysterious beverages that required a lab or a factory or complicated equipment to produce. (I used to feel the same way about tonic.) It turns …

Orgeat is a funny word. I remember seeing it for the first time in a row of bottles of flavored syrups available to add to lattes and cappuccinos and Italian sodas at an independent coffee shop in the 90s, the kind of place that had lumpy couches and open-mic nights and a patina of patchouli-scented dinge. …

I love elderflowers. When I saw that Seedling Farm was selling them at the Green City Market last week, I immediately bought a flat of them. They are delicate tiny flowers that have a brief season and a big heady fragrance. They are mildly floral, slightly anise-y, and they pair beautifully with citrus flavors. They’re …

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I even knew what flavor grenadine was supposed to be. If I’d had to guess I might have gone with a hesitant cherry??? or whatever flavor the Michigan-made Faygo Red Pop I grew up with is supposed to be. It would have taken me numerous wrong guesses before I would …