How far do you guys travel to get fresh produce?
I live in New Jersey, closer to Philadelphia than New York City and I have finally found a CSA. This particular one is a 45 minute drive away from me (they don't deliver, I have to pick it up). So I was curious if anyone else has to basically do a commute to get their fresh veggies. Even with the high cost of gas to me its still worth it.

We, luckily, live a few blocks away from our farmers market, which features local farmers and ranchers.

There is a pick-your-own farm about 45 minutes away from us and we drive out there every few months or so.

Question: I'm trying to bake pumpkins (from a kitchn '06 article) and I guess something from a previos meal dripped on the heating unit in the oven - horrible smoke. Clearly I need to wait for it to cool, but then what's the best way to clean that?

Hi there! I'm having a scotch tasting this weekend, and I wanted to have a nice, non-alc buzz-control type of after dinner drink for people as the evening begins to wind down. I was thinking that hot spiced apple cider might be good - any tips on how to make that?

Hot spiced cider is actually really easy - just dump cider into a crock pot (if it's going to be heating all night this will prevent burning) and add some orange slices, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and you're good to go. (Spice to taste, but err on the subtle side.)

Enjoy!

PS - I let it cool, moistened a paper towel, and wiped off the heating bar-thing. So far, so good! My oven still needs a good cleaning, though, so please don't hold back with the tips. Thanks!

http://embritadesign.blogspot.com

I have a recipe that includes double-acting baking powder, but couldn't get any. I read about subbing in the regular stuff online, but I worry about my scones being too bitter. Advice?

Also - it appears that we'll be moving soon - several states away. Any tips for packing the pantry?

@maggiepcs - I know that you're supposed to use slightly more single acting bp in place of double acting, but I always thought that the main difference was that single acting is less stable. You need to put batter made with single acting directly into the oven, whereas double acting can sit around a bit longer. It "double acts" - has two phases of rising. But that may be wrong - anyone know much about that?

And EmmieB - there are some good comments on this post: On Moving Kitchens.

HI! I am hosting a Martini Party for my b-day in 3 weeks and I am at a dead end on the food. My instinct tells me to serve all sorts finger foods and appetizers, any advise as to what I should serve? I am hosting for about 30. Thank you!

I'm embarrassed to ask this, but I can't figure it out and would really like to know. Dried beans. They are cheaper, they have less packaging, and you can get more varieties. But how do I cook them so they're not, for lack of a better word, crunchy? Apparently soaking for 12 hours and then cooking for four just isn't enough. What am I missing?

Thanks in advance.

Hola! So besides cooking and freezing fresh pasta, is there a practical way of storying fresh egg noodles/pasta? I tried putting it in the fridge once, and it turned green! =(

Thanks!

Thanks, Faith!

My experience with fresh pasta is that if you dry it out before you store it, it lasts a whole lot longer. I'm not actually sure of the shelf life, but I always dry mine and it stays good for a week (the longest I've kept it before eating). When I have tried to dry it and some stays clumped, the clumped pasta stays moist and does turn green.

Tonight is our CSA pickup, and our plan is to make burritos with the squash/pumpkin that we get. Any tips for how to roast it (in pieces, I think?) and what to put on it?