A few years ago, our office purchased a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share from a local farm. In one weekly box, there was a sweet potato. A huge one! As tall as a plastic water bottle, weighing between 2 and 3 pounds. While Illinois is not a top commercial sweet potato producer,...

There are three things I appreciate about cabbage. One, a single cabbage gives a lot of cut or shredded pieces. Two, it has great shelf life. If I only need part of a cabbage for a recipe, the remaining cabbage seems to last for weeks in my fridge. (Yes, there are varieties of cabbage that are...

Are you nuts for nuts? If so, you probably have some favorites. Maybe pecans or walnuts? Peanuts or almonds? Fortunately, no matter your favorites, nuts are a nutritious choice! Nutritionally, 1/4 cup of just about any nut contains around 200 calories, 14-18g fat, 5-7g protein, 2-4g fiber, and are...

Visualize the experience of eating an apple. Hear the crunch. Feel the juice dripping on your chin. Taste the sweet and tart flavors. Ah, it feels like fall! Nutritionally, 1 medium apple (around 3-inches across) contains around 95 calories, 25g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, and is a source of vitamins...

My CSA (community supported agriculture) farmer offered me a bundle of small beets. For this CSA, I can pick from a variety of available foods each week. Beets are not a go-to food for me, but the registered dietitian in me enjoys learning about foods, so I took the beets home. Nutritionally, 1...

Cabbage comes in many more shapes than light green or dark purple globes. Bok choy – or pak choi – is one of the looser leaf styles of cabbage, and one of the foods in my CSA (community supported agriculture) share for late spring this year. Like other cabbages, bok choy is a source of vitamins...

Winter is the season for citrus fruits. Today, let's look at citrus that are available almost all year round in grocery stores: limes, lemons, and orange juice. For a long list naming other citrus fruits, along with shopping and storage tips for citrus fruits, check out...

Citrus is a big family, like apples. Let’s see how long of a list I can name: lemons, limes, navel oranges, grapefruit, ugli fruit, cara cara oranges, blood oranges, pomelos, tangerines, and mandarin oranges.  While there are a lot of different types of citrus, nutritionally they are similar: a...

Dill is an interesting plant. In the kitchen, cooks have a choice of fresh and dried dill weed (the leaves) or dill seed for their recipes. Each provide their own flavors and preferred applications. Dill weed is generally more mild than the seeds, adds color to dishes, and provides better flavor...

Jerky is a dried meat product that comes in as many different flavors and uses as many different meats as you can probably think of. While jerky can be made at home, this post will focus on prepared jerky. Nutrition The nutrition of jerky will vary based on the type of protein used and...