june is busting out all over! and we want to shout and and toot the horn of the following colleagues who have been instrumental in organizing and generously particpating in our CAROLINA ON MY PLATE PROGRAM! anatoth community gardens and elodie farms and sunshine lavender farms to name only a few....

read about st marie de la mer...

INTERNS!! we need junior and senior interns who are BOTH kitchen and garden savvy! july 7 - (need one jr. interns) july 14 - (need two jr. interns) july 21 - (need one jr. intern) july 28 - (need two jr. interns) august 4 - (need two jr. interns) august 11 - (need one sr and two jr interns) august 18 -(need two jr. interns)

there's still time to join in the fun for our day camps in chapel hill. kid-chef programs.

we are interested to hear from you, teen-chefs! what intrigues you, where you are headed? what you are cooking and planting.. can you recommmend a teen for our programs? write to dorette or emily for more information. * * * * *

this report comes from india, one of our teen- chefs, who happened to find herself faced with culinary decisions in vietnam!! "So far she has made us various kinds of pickeled veggies, chicken stir fried with peppers, steamed fish that was really flavorful, but I didn't see her make it, nem (spring rolls), pho (a traditional vietnamese noodle soup), sticky rice (not commonly eaten in vietnam), lots of steamed rice and black rice pudding with coconut milk. Spring rolls are really big here. She uses her chopsticks to crease the rice paper. It's a very fast process. She uses chopsticks for everything. From straining the soup to getting all of the veggies out of the pot. So she was very pleased when I introduced her to the laddle! We usually start the meal with a clear broth soup. For lunch a few times, I've walked accross the street and down a little ally to a woman who makes sandwhiches with the bread. You can get pate (very good), vietnamese cold cuts, fried egg, cilantro (and cucumbers when she has them), a syrupy chile sauce and pork floss. I usually get pate and cilantro. When she is cooking the pork floss right there, I'll get that too. It costs me under 50 cents. She hands me the sandwich in a square of newspaper. Other street food near my house: pork (kebabs, hunks cooked or raw), chicken, noodles (in bunches) a few streets over there is a pagoda and a bigger market. There you can order a bowl of soup that will come with noodles, tofu, snails (fresh from the lake) and strange green vegetables. The only person who liked it was my dad. I have to say, I did not enjoy it. As we left the stall I realized that there was a cobra incased in oil of some sort. We walked on and kept passing women who were grilling sausages over onions. They are good and fun to eat while walking around the market. They are 60 cents for a big one. We also bought a bag of fried dough balls rolled in sugar. They are a little over a dollar a bag. At a more high end restaurant, we had oysters with cheese and many other dishes. More local restaurant where they had eeles in their pasta salad My brother is getting much better with his chopsticks. Everything is put out on the table and eaten family style with chopsticks. We've been to Hue and Hoi An. Two cities in central coastal vietnam. There was a king in Hue who wanted 50 different dishes prepared my 50 different women and served my 50 different waiters every day. So they have some regional food. Such as a noodle soup and a friend pancake with pork and grated veggies inside. In Hoi An there was a shrimp in rice paper, another soup, that i remember as being more of a clear broath soup, and something else that is escaping me right now! Most of the produce come from Dalat. In the central highlands of vietnam. " our first summer 2008, teen-chefs in france wil be teen tour to the loire, where we'll stay in a dreamy castle/chateau.

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teen tours are perfect whether you are a beginner or a seasoned teen with a culinary job already under your belt. * * * * *

joined by their love of culinary arts and travel and friendship; they want you to know there's room for you in the kitchen!

deciding on a favorite recipe has taken on a whole new meaning. thanks to susan and renee and emily we have completed archiving the past 13 years of of kitchen work. violet and honeysuckle eau de vie the most important point in gathering flowers for culinary uses, i.e. to consume, is to be absolutely certain there have been no pesticides used on them or near them. early summer yields an abundance of both these flowers. i love the fresh flower scents from this eau de vie as it is made. 3 cups honeysuckle and violets (stems and leaves removed) 4 cups water 4 cups sugar 2 cups white brandy a handful of fresh honeysuckle and violets put the flowers in a heavy pan. pour in enough water to cover the flowers. bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes to thoroughly extract the flavors. line a colander with a double thickness of muslin or cheesecloth. place the lined colander over a large bowl and strain the mixture through it. squeeze the cloth thoroughly to extract all the liquid. combine the cooled liquid with the white brandy in pretty bottles and seal with corks.

in honor of chateau du pin please visit the montjean-sur-loire winery. where apples and grapes are the stars! and watch the NEW video of our teen tours!