Fresh blueberries are in season from late May through early October. Slightly tart, juicy and sweet, blueberries are a delightful snack just as they are, or use them to brighten up anything from pies to cocktails.
Choosing the best fresh blueberries is easy if you follow a few simple guidelines. First, make sure they are dark blue with a silver/white "bloom" - avoid any that are purple or green (immature berries that haven't ripened properly).
Agave nectar is an all natural sweetener made from the juice of the agave, a type of succulent native to Mexico and other hot, arid regions like the American Southwest and some areas of South America.
There are over 200 species of agave growing wild across Mexico and the plant has long been revered in Mexican culture because of it's unusual ability to produce liquid in desert conditions.
Honey, by definition, is a sweet liquid produced by bees from the nectar of various flowers.
People have been collecting honey for thousands of years, and the first evidence of actual beekeeping dates back to the ancient Egyptians around 2500 B.C.
Honey is most commonly sold in liquid form, which has been extracted from the comb by gravity, straining, or centrifugal force, but other forms are available, as well.
More than half of the world's population relies on rice as a staple grain. Although wheat does grow in parts of Asia, nothing compares with the consumption of rice in the Eastern hemisphere.
Rice has been cultivated in Asia for upwards of five millennia, and about 90 percent of the world's rice supply is grown in the monsoon regions of Asia. Generally speaking, rice is classified as either Oryza sativa indica or Oryza sativa japonica.
According to the National Turkey Federation, nearly eighty-eight percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving day. That translates to about 46 million turkeys total, not to mention that another 22 million will be eaten at Christmas.
Here is some additional turkey trivia from the federation's website:
Ben Franklin was disappointed when the bald eagle was chosen as the official bird of the United States - he had proposed the turkey!
Salting your food is pretty much a no-brainer. In fact, the use of salt actually predates cooking over a fire (so using salt is literally one of those things that is "so easy a caveman can do it").
If you like to cook, you've surely stocked your pantry with kosher and sea salt. If you're a little more adventurous, you may have some flavored sea salts or infusions.
Thanks to their versatility and variety, potatoes have become the most commonly grown vegetable in the world. In addition to the countless recipe possibilities they offer the creative cook, potatoes are quite nutritious.
A medium-sized potato contains no fat and only 110 calories. They are also a good source of vitamin C, have more potassium than bananas, and contain about 3 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber.
