We pass miles of neighborhoods on our way to the Florida Keys, and I think everyone’s got a papaya tree in their backyard. Maybe they just stand out to me because they tower high above the fences and rooftops with big, snowflake-shaped leaves and rows of fruit.
Happy leap day! Since this is a day we often skip, I’m featuring a fruit we often skip: starfruit, otherwise known as carambola.
Arugula is a peppery green, but when it’s grown in warm weather it gets even spicier. That’s why the arugula in my garden always has quite a kick.
Here’s a Valentine from Florida: super sweet, fresh-picked strawberries.
There used to be a restaurant in Tampa that specialized in raw veganism called Grass Root. Even though I’m not vegan and I love cooking with fire, I liked going there. You would not believe how creative these people got with their fruits and vegetables.
For over a hundred years, the city of Tampa has celebrated the legend of José Gaspar with its annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival.
At the request of my family, I’ve been working on some calamondin recipes. One taste transports us back to my great grandmother’s yard. We all loved that beautiful little tree next to her picket fence, loaded with tiny fruit.
Every holiday at our house involves a bushel of oysters. I’m not saying we have them for dinner. They usually don’t even enter the kitchen.