Top 10 Seasonal Eating Posts 2013

Bacon + Onion + Pizza = Yum

The Blogging Year in Review

Although popularity is only one criterion for greatness, number of clicks is an easy-to-assess indicator of topics that interest readers most. Several of my favorite recipes showed up in the top 10, along with some rather surprising non-recipe posts. So, without further ado, here are Seasonal Eating’s top hits for 2013.

10. Last but certainly not least is Bacon and Caramelized Onion Pizza from January 29. I made this recipe up for a how-to website pizza contest. Didn’t win anything but the contest inspired me to make my first yeasted pizza crust from a King Arthur Flour recipe. Bacon and onions never tasted so good.

CSA Strawberries

9. Surprisingly enough, Top 10 Reasons to Join a CSA Farm from April 14 was 9^th most popular this year. Subscribing to local organic farms assures farmers of consumers for their produce and improves their cash flow. The consumer gets fresher produce and the satisfaction of supporting their local economy.

8. It’s crab season again, and January 20^th’s How to Cook Live Dungeness Crab is a step-by-step guide. Not everyone is comfortable cooking live crab, so my 2011 post about Selecting and Reheating Precooked Crab is another crabby resource.

7. One of my oldest signature recipes is Persimmon, Tangerine, Lemon, and Ginger Marmalade from January 13.  It tastes just as good as it sounds. To find out more about preparing Hachiya persimmons so they’re not bitter, check out my 2012 post about Hachiya Persimmons.

Bright Winter Fare

6. Winter veggie woes? Try Shredded Root Vegetables over Pasta from Recipes from the Root Cellar, blogged on April 16.  The amount of flavor in this dish surprised me, and it’s quick to prepare. I used carrots, turnip, golden beets, and leeks. Rutabagas, celery root, and/or red beets can be used instead of or in addition to.

5. A series of articles on DIY square foot gardening in April describes how my husband built, covered, and planted raised beds. Our square foot garden successfully produced zucchini, lettuce, beans, chard, and kale. In fact, it’s still producing chard, kale, and lettuce. The three articles are Raised Bed Construction, Mixing the Soil and Planting Seeds, and Building a Hoop House. Learn from our mistakes!

4. Depending on your holiday celebrations the past few weeks, you might want to wait a bit before trying Pineapple-Orange Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from April 4. On the other hand, if you have some yams around, this recipe is an unusual way to serve them.

Stir Fry Magic

3. Hats off (again) to hubby Bruce, who invented Mushroom Kale Carrot Stir Fry (blogged March 12) one night to use up ingredients on hand, back in the pre-blog days. The dish came out so well that I made him record the recipe before we forgot it, and we’ve made it many times. It uses veggies that are available year-round and also happen to be pretty cheap.

2. Readers love every recipe that I blog with shrimp, but Shrimp Braised with Green Garlic and Kale from April 30 is the most popular shrimp recipe of all time. This is another recipe adapted from Recipes from the Root Cellar, a resource that I highly recommend.

Tricolor Sage: A Little Finicky but Fun

1. I would have never predicted this. Most popular Seasonal Eating post for 2013 is Top 10 Herbs to Grow in Pots from June 7. I’ve been cultivating herbs in pots for generations, and for a small investment you can create your own potted herb garden. Keep in mind that herbs in pots require more water and fertilizer than herbs in the garden. On the other hand, protecting potted herbs from slugs is simple compared with garden herbs.

Thanks for tuning in to Seasonal Eating during 2013. Wishing you a bright, happy, prosperous 2014!

Do Try This at Home, Kids