The Blog.
Autumn is my favorite time of year and a specific orchard in NY where I have always picked apples is one of my favorite places. Nothing tastes quite as delicious as apples in autumn plucked by my hands off a tree. Crisp, beautiful, and colorful just like the weather, I LOVE everything about apples in autumn.
This blog is about my efforts to achieve what I love about apples in autumn for all foods. I hope you’ll join me in my adventures in striving to focus on locally sourced, ethical produced, seasonal, and sustainable food. Although I plan on basing my food and posts on these principles, I try not to place strict restrictions on myself because inevitably I will want to eat bananas, tupelo honey, Parmigiano reggiano, and various other favorites. Also, I love enjoying honest food out and about, so I will probably document these adventures as well.
The Girl.
Enjoying "The Farm" at Applegate farm's
I’m Jess. Twenty-something, jersey girl, done with completing the requirements for my ADA certificate to become a registered dietician and finishing up my Masters in Nutrition Education. I can’t wait to be done with school, finally! After receiving my B.A. in music business and going directly into graduate school when I realized I wanted to pursue nutrition, so I could definitely use a break from school. I’m passionate about cooking healthy and delicious food and dream of one day writing a cookbook. I have so many passions in the field of nutrition I hope to one day combine farming, educating, food relief, cooking, and supporting local food. On top of food and nutrition I am in love with MUSIC (so much so I thought getting my first degree in music business would allow me to make a career out of listening to good much…i was wrong) running, photography (just got a DSLR! so hopefully my photos will improve as this blog goes on), pottery, outdoor sports, traveling, hiking, etc. I hope that you enjoy getting to know me through this blog.
Apples in Autumn 
I just can’t wait to see you get started…. Let see some pics.
I love that pic.. I just can’t wait until I get to go pick apples…..
I can’t wait for some yummy, healthy recipes!
Looking good!!!
Way to go Jess! That “Japanese pumpkin” looks awesome. Congrats on the website and the best of luck!!!
Thanks 🙂
Thanks!
So happy to hear about your blog! I am looking forward to trying the recipes. I keep saying I’m going to learn to cook talapia, so maybe your blog will be the inspiration! Good luck!
The best thing I think about cooking is, if you don’t like your results the first time, you can keep trying and changing things over and over again!
I can’t wait to try the farro recipe. I have not had farro since I was in Italy years ago and the thought of it brings back great memories!
I want to go to Italy so badly! I’m saving my money right now and hoping to go as a gift to myself this upcoming summer, after I finish my classes to be a RD this winter and my Masters in Nutrition Education this upcoming spring! This was the first time I had farro, but I really enjoyed how it was a little nutty!
Love that recipie with Tilapia w parsnips and kale. I think I will try and make it. Do you make all of the recipies? I wish you luck! You seem like you are going in the right direction.
Thanks! I do make them all, but I don’t make them all up myself. I have to build a little culinary confidence to just go in without a recipe. I like having other recipes as guide, I never follow them exactly but I do like an outline so I know what to expect and where I’m going. Some I make up, but I’ll always reference where the original comes from if it’s not mine.
Hi Jess,
Just came across this…..recipes all sound good. I am most definitely going to try some, especially with Thanksgiving just around the corner.
Good luck on your website. I am going to show my daughter. She is just starting to take a food and nutrition course at the high school and this might be an inspiration for her.
That’s great they have a nutrition class in HS, they didn’t when I was there! Thanks for reading!
These vegetables are new to me but it is always fun to experiment.
Experimenting is a lot of fun, especially playing with your food!
Thanks for sharing the tilapia recipe! I love tilapia!.. never had it with parsnips… I am going to make that and will let you know if mine turns out as good as yours looks!
Thanks, good luck!
Great website, I love to cook too. I like your focus on vegetable dishes as I am trying to become more vegetarian in my diet. It takes a while to give up meat and acquire a taste for more vegetables and whole foods. But will plan to make the celeriac mash for Thanksgiving in place of mashed potatoes.
Where is Stone Barns? And how do you peel celeriac and kholrabi? How do I master the art of julienning vegetables?
It’s funny, I never really meant to focus on veggies, but when you go to the farmer’s market, veggies make up 90% of the market. With all the new interesting stuff its hard not to get things to try them out. I definitely purchase some grass fed beef and chicken, from time to time, but they can safely stay in the freezer while veggies can’t really.
When I made the celeriac, I did peel it. The kholrabi I did not peel. And julienning, I guess it just takes lots and lots of practice. If you want to master it, I’d say buy a big bag of potatoes and just go at it, that’s what I had to do for one of my classes at school.
Oh, and the Stone Barns is in Tarrytown, NY just over the Tapanzee Bridge. I would definitely recommend it, its beautiful. I haven’t gotten to eat at their restaurant there, which uses all their homegrown produce and proteins, but I’ve heard good things!
I like all the fresh veggies.
I like the receipes with veggies I’m not use to using, will try some of these. Good luck with your sire.
Awesome, you should definitely try some new things! Thanks!
Opps…I mean site!
The pics you take really make the dishes look so appetizing. All of the recipes you have done look great! I would like to try the slaw recipe since I like them without mayo and the Kabocha squash. My grandparents and parents used to go out for a couple of hours a couple of times a week walking on the property in the late summer/early fall and harvest a vegetable called garduna(i don’t know if this is spelled right since this is what Italians call it). I think it is also called Burdock in English. It grows wild with huge leaves and you cut down a few inches underground to get the tender stalks, they look similar celery. Cut the leaves and the non tender parts off, then bread it and lightly fry it. I know not healthy with the frying but i wonder if it can be baked? The taste is on the bitter side,similar to broccoli rabe. Once the seed pods start to grow then the stalks get too woody and the pods are like velcro and stick to everything! clothes, pets, shoe laces. We still gather some most years just for a couple of meals.
Great site!
Wow that sounds really interesting. I’ve heard of something, just this year called Burdock root, from watching Chopped on the food network. I actually made a recipe with it a few months ago, I’ll post it up. It didn’t exactly look like celery. More like a think brown carrot, but it was a little bitter. Oh, and coming from a future RD, everything can be part of a healthy diet, even FRIED stuff once in a while! Thanks for reading!
Love your site…..I thought I was the only one who is crazy about parsnips. I will be trying all of the suggestions. They sound scruptious! Keep up the great work on keeping us healty and fit.
Thanks Katie, parsnips are great! I hope they come out good!
I’ve become a loyal reader!
Jess, thank you for displaying your culinary prowess. I love to cook and I enjoy reading your stories along with your recipes! I tried your Pan Seared Tilapia with Parnsips & Kale Recipe. What a great combination of flavors! My family loved it!
I am so happy you tried a recipe I came up with! I don’t think that has ever happened! Thanks for reading!
Hi Jess
I love the recipes and photos. After 39 years of cooking, I need inspiration to vary the foods we eat and to keep my family from becoming bored. I love to try new recipes to keep me from cooking the same old things. It’s a challenge to incorporate more healthy food in our diets and expand our eating pleasure. I’ll be checking back often to be inspired and try your recipes. Congratulations on the blog and the best of luck!
Thanks for reading! If only I could figure out a sourdough pizza dough starter…. 🙂