by Ari Levaux Across the Northern Hemisphere at about this time, garlic plants are reaching for the sun. Each clove planted last fall has divided and swollen into a bulb of cloves, while the flowers emerge in a circuitous path. Each…

by Ari Leveaux Art is good when it springs from necessity. This kind of origin is the guarantee of its value; there is no other ––Neal Cassidy In the middle of the night, partway through a cross-country drive, I unfolded myself from…

by Ari LeVaux The Spanish state of emergency was to go into effect at midnight. At the only restaurant in the Toba valley, Comidas Caseras Carmen, some folks had gathered for a birthday party. The television was blasting scenes of…

Ann Arbor restaurants offering takeout or delivery: Afternoon Delight at 251 E Liberty St. is offering carryout and curbside pickup. Call 734-665-7513 to order.Aventura at 216 E Washington St. is offering takeout. Call 734-369-3153 or…

by Ari LeVaux Hot peppers and cheese are a winning combination. Whether it’s red flakes on a slice of pizza, a spicy tray of cheese-drenched nachos or a serving of ema datshi (a Himalayan dish of hot chile and molten cheese), the action…

by Arie LaVaux After the first big frost of the season, things got real at the farmers market. Buyers arrived, knowing it was their last chance for warm-weather crops. I was there for tomatoes and felt like a big spender with my two…

by Ari LeVaux Beets are a challenging food. No vegetable feels so much like work-or tastes so much like dirt. Which surely means beets must be supremely good for you. But dense tubers are problematic to mess with. You can't just…

by Kiera Butler People love to complain about the wastefulness of meal-kit delivery companies like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. The baggies that hold a single scallion! The thousands of miles of shipping! The endless cardboard boxes!…

by Ari LeVaux Garlic season is upon us, which means that last year's garlic will be on sale alongside the new crop. Don't be fooled by a sale price; squeeze each head you buy. It should be as hard as a baseball. If not, there is probably…

by Ari LeVaux Pickling can happen any time there are ripe veggies for the picking. Now it's cucumber season, which lasts basically all summer long. Beans are upon us too. Soon come the pickled peppers, large batches in large jars,…