If I could only eat one meal for the rest of my life, it would be this shepherd’s pie.

Naturally, it’s my favourite dish because it reminds me of my mom (and grandma) cooking for me. It’s the #1 meal that I’ve made more times than any other—and one that will always taste like home.

What makes shepherd’s pie special is that it’s a humble dish with a long history. Rooted in British, Scottish, and Irish cooking, it grew out of the tradition of making something delicious from what you already had on hand: leftover meat, simple vegetables, and potatoes.

The idea was simple: take leftover meat, make a savoury vegetable filling, cover it with creamy mashed potatoes, and bake until golden and bubbling.

Potatoes were an especially important staple because they were inexpensive, filling, and widely available, making shepherd’s pie an economical comfort food that helped stretch ingredients and reduce food waste.

Traditionally, shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb (hence the name shepherd’s pie), while a version made with beef is more properly called cottage pie. But in the kitchen, there’s plenty of room for creativity—I have enjoyed using ground lamb, beef, and even sausage.

As for the vegetable filling, corn, peas, and carrots are a must for me. But this is also a great recipe for using up whatever seasonal vegetables are in your fridge. Celery, cabbage, mushrooms (or whatever else you have on hand) can easily find their way into the filling. It’s the kind of recipe that doesn’t need to be perfect—part of its beauty lies in that it’s incredibly simple, forgiving, and endlessly adaptable.

Recipe

Meat Base

• 1 large onion

• 4-6 cloves of garlic

• 1 lb of ground lamb (or beef or pork)

• 1 tbsp olive oil (or ghee)

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp thyme

• 1 tsp sage

• 1 tsp rosemary

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1/4 cup broth (optional)

• salt and pepper, to taste

Vegetable Filling

• 1 cup corn (frozen, or cut fresh off the cob)

• 1/2 cup peas

• 1/2 cup diced carrots, boiled until tender

Optional

• 1/2 cup diced celery

• 1/2 cup sliced cabbage, sautéed

• 1/2 other seasonal vegetables, sautéed or boiled

Mashed Potatoes

• 2 lbs potatoes

• 8 tbsp butter

• 1/2 cup cream (or milk)

• 1/4 cup cheese (I like to use parm, cheddar, or gouda)

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tbsp fresh herbs (dill or parsley are my favourites)

• salt and pepper, to taste

• additional 1/4 cup of parm for topping

• additional fresh herbs for topping

Method

Prepare the Mashed Potatoes

• Boil the potatoes for about 20 minutes, until tender.

• Drain well and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the butter, cream, cheese, garlic powder, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix until smooth and creamy.

• Set aside.

Prepare the Meat Base

• Dice the onion and garlic.

• Heat the olive oil or ghee in a skillet and cook onions and garlic on medium heat for 5 minutes, until softened and fragrant.

• Add the ground meat and spices. Cook for another 5-8 minutes, breaking the meat apart as it cooks, until it begins to brown.

• Stir in the tomato paste and broth and simmer for another 5-8 minutes, until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the mixture becomes rich and savoury.

Prepare the Seasonal Vegetable Filling

• Dice the carrots (and any other vegetables) into small, bite-sized pieces.

• Boil the vegetables until tender. Add the peas and corn toward the end, just long enough to warm them through.

• For a richer vegetable filling, toss the vegetables with 1 tbsp of melted butter before assembling.

Assemble

• Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with butter.

• Spread the meat mixture evenly across the bottom.

• Add the vegetable filling as the second layer.

• Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the top using a spatula—or, to make it more fun, pipe them on with a large piping bag.

• Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan and garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.

Bake

• Bake uncovered at 400°F for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges.

• Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy a little taste of home!

There are very few duos as simple (and as delicious) as honey and garlic.

Their flavours complement & enhance one another. The honey softens the garlic’s sharpness, while the garlic adds a savoury depth to the sweetness of the honey.

Not only do they create a unique sweet and savoury profile when combined, they balance out each other’s flavours and enhance each other’s medicinal properties.

The real beauty of this preparation is that it gets better over time.

The garlic gradually sweetens and mellows out, while the honey absorbs the rich garlic flavour. As they ferment, they create something entirely new.

For the past three years, I’ve made a big batch that has lasted me until the following garlic harvest! I love being able to enjoy my own farm-grown, local garlic all year long without ever needing to buy any from the store.

The best part is that it’s incredibly simple, quick, and easy to make.

All you need 🍯

• Fresh garlic (I use Red Russian, but any variety will work)

• Raw honey

• Glass jar

Making the Fermented Honey Garlic 🧄

There’s no need for an exact recipe here. You can make a small jar or a big batch, depending on how much garlic you have.

Simply fill your jar with garlic (whole or chopped) and raw honey (liquid or creamed).

Steps:

• Prepare the garlic. Peel the garlic & slice into small pieces (or leave whole if you’d prefer). I like to chop it up at this stage, because then it’s already prepped for meals/marinades. Slicing it up finely also releases more of its medicinal properties (alliinase catalyzes the formation of allicina).

• Fill your jar with garlic, about 3/4 of the way (to leave room for fermentation).

• Add the honey. Pour the raw honey into the jar. Mix it up to ensure the garlic is fully submerged with no exposed garlic at the top.

• Cover the jar with a lid.

• Ferment. For the first 7–10 days, check the jar daily. Gently turn or invert it to keep the garlic coated in honey & briefly loosen the lid to release built-up fermentation gases.

• Store. After the initial active fermentation phase (about 10 days), keep the jar in a cool, dark place and allow the flavours to continue developing. You will notice that the honey becomes much runnier. The juices from the garlic release over time & start the fermentation process immediately.

• Enjoy! You can eat the honey garlic at any point during the fermentation process, but it is best to wait at least one month for the best flavour. I usually make enough to last me the entire year (and it only gets better over time)!

Ways to Enjoy 🍯

• Enjoy a spoonful raw on its own

• Stir into marinades or sauces

• Use as a glaze for meats and vegetables (I love honey garlic carrots)

• Make honey garlic chicken wings

• Add to meatballs

• Whisk into salad dressings

• Drizzle over pizza

• Blend into soups

One of my favourite things about this preparation is that the honey and garlic merge into one beautiful ingredient.

You can use the honey for sweetness and acidity, and the garlic for that deep savoury flavour.

🍯🧄

I love to make these Belgian waffles topped with a simple seasonal fruit compote, freshly whipped cream, and a drizzle of maple syrup.

For this recipe, I’m using ripe peaches from Paynters Fruit Market in the Okanagan to make a warm peach-vanilla compote.

Depending on the time of year, I use different kinds of fruit — rotating between blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, haskap berry, cherry, apple, and more. They have all tasted incredible, but this peaches-and-cream version is definitely my new favourite!

Ingredients

For this recipe, you’ll need:

Belgian Waffles

• All-purpose organic flour

• Baking powder

• Sugar (I use coconut sugar)

• Salt

• Eggs

• Butter

• Milk

• Vanilla extract

Seasonal Fruit Compote

• Seasonal fruit, fresh or frozen

• Maple syrup or honey

• Butter

• Lemon juice

• Cinnamon

• Salt

• Vanilla extract

Freshly Whipped Cream

• Chilled heavy whipping cream

• Icing sugar or maple syrup

• Vanilla extract

Equipment

• Waffle maker

• Standing mixer or hand mixer

• Saucepan

  

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This season, we have been busy freeze-drying our vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes to preserve their tangy sweetness, vibrant colour, and incredible nutrient profile.

They are lightweight and shelf-stable, with a rich heirloom flavour that stands out as a simple snack or a fun addition to meals/dishes!

Why Choose Freeze-Drying 🍅

• Great way to preserve tomatoes that are perfectly ripe, but too abundant to eat fresh

• Preserves their vibrant flavours, aromas, and colours

• Crisp, crunchy, airy texture that snaps like a chip

• Fun alternative to canning, sun-drying, freezing, or dehydrating

• Freeze-drying preserves much of the original properties

• Perfect for home cooks, campers, and food lovers who want farm-fresh flavour year-round

Choosing Your Tomatoes 🍅

Every season, we grow several different varieties of heirloom tomatoes. Typically a colourful mix of: 1 pink heirloom, 1 orange heirloom, 1 orange+red heirloom, 1 red slicer, 1 yellow slicer, and 1 saucer.

For this batch, we’re using Buffalo Sun, Hot Streak, Lemon Boy, Abigail, Contessa, and Yellow Brandywine.

Characteristics to look for:

• Ripe, healthy tomatoes with no mold or spoilage

• Peak ripeness for optimal sweetness

• Different colours and varieties make a beautiful finished batch

Preparing Your Tomatoes 🍅

• Wash and dry if necessary

• Remove the stems/cores

• Cut into consistent bite-sized pieces (chopped, sliced) — the smaller they are, the less time they will need to spend in the machine

• Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on the freeze-dryer trays

The Freeze-Drying Process 🍅

• Fill the freeze-dryer with your trays full of chopped heirloom tomatoes (we use the Harvest Right machine)

• Leave them in the machine until they are completely dry/crisp all the way through. If there is any softness, coolness, or moisture in the centre, keep the machine running. This could take between 48-100 hours (as little as 2 days, as long as 1 week), since heirloom tomatoes can drastically vary in water content.

How to Store 🍅

• Package into air-right containers (I use mason jars) or Mylar bag once completely dry

• Add an oxygen absorbers for longer-term storage

• Keep them away from moisture, heat and light

• Label with the date

Ways to Use 🍅

• Snack straight from the jar

• Crumble into a fine tomato powder (to enhance sauces, soups, rice dishes, eggs, dressings, and more)

• Rehydrate and use in recipes (pasta sauce, chilli, etc)

• Homemade seasoning blends

• Salad topping

• Add to bread/focaccia

If you or someone you know has a freeze-dryer, you need to try this! Truly one of my new favourite snacks. Enjoy!

With love,

Ariana

In the springtime, there’s a short window when spruce trees send out soft, bright green new growth tips. The fresh shoots are tender, citrusy, and smell like a sweetened forest after some rainfall!

One of the best ways to preserve that fleeting season is by making a slow-macerated spruce tip syrup — a sweet, aromatic syrup made by drawing the flavour of spruce tips into brown sugar. It’s a fun, magical way to capture the fresh flavour of the forest & bring it into your home kitchen.

The finished product tastes like maple syrup with notes of evergreen, lemon, citrus zest, floral honey, mild pineapple, and fresh resin.

How It’s Made

Maceration is a traditional method used to extract the flavour, aroma, and beneficial compounds from a plant. It works by allowing the plant material (spruce tips) to remain in contact with another substance (brown sugar) for an extended time.

You can think of it as a slow version of making tea. With tea, hot water extracts the plant material quickly. With maceration, time does the work gradually. In a sugar maceration, the sugar draws moisture out of the plant tissues through osmosis, creating a naturally flavoured syrup.

Maceration can be done with many different substances, depending on what you’re trying to extract:

• Sugar draws moisture from plant tissues through osmosis.

• Oil is useful for extracting fat-soluble compounds and aromatic oils.

• Vinegar extracts many water-soluble compounds, while adding its own acidity and bright flavour.

• Water extracts many water-soluble compounds, including sugars and some aromatic compounds.

• Alcohol can extract a broad range of plant compounds, including aromatic and resinous constituents.

• Milk or cream can extract water-soluble compounds and some fat-soluble aromatic compounds.

For this recipe, we are using brown sugar (or organic coconut sugar) as the substance to extract the properties of the fresh spruce tips.

How to Harvest Spruce Tips

Spruce tips are harvested in the springtime when the spruce trees begin their new flush of growth. The exact timing will depend on your exact climate and elevation, but you will always be looking for the same characteristics:

• New growth with a bright, lime green colour

• Soft and tender texture

• About 1–2 inches (2.5–5 cm) long

• Easy to pinch off or snap between your fingers

Once they become darker green and the needles start to harden, they’ve passed their prime for eating.

In the Okanagan, this timeframe is usually April–May. The best indicator is the tree itself rather than a particular calendar date.

Find a healthy spruce tree away from any roads, sprayed areas, and other sources of contamination. Pinch or snip off individual spruce tips with your hands, scissors, or pruners. Spread your harvest throughout the tree to avoid stripping an entire branch—it’s important to leave plenty of new growth behind.

Making the Syrup

For spruce tip syrup, I use brown sugar because it has a high moisture content and a rich, molasses-like flavour that pairs beautifully with the citrusy character of the spruce tips.

The sugar doesn’t just sweeten the spruce tips—it actively draws their waters out of them and combines with the dissolved sugar to create a natural syrup. For this reason, brown sugar (or organic coconut sugar) is the best option.

During the maceration process, the bright citrusy flavours slowly move into the sugary slurry. The spruce tips soften and shrink as they release their moisture, and water-soluble compounds dissolve into the liquid.

Typical timeline:

• After 24–48 hours: the sugars start to become damp

• After 3–7 days: a noticeable syrup starts to form

• After 2–4 weeks: a dark, richly-flavoured syrup develops

Ways to Enjoy Spruce Tip Syrup

I love to use this fresh syrup similar to how I would use maple syrup:

• Drizzled on top of pancakes, waffles, or crepes

• As a beverage sweetener (coffee, tea, lemonade, cocktails, sparkling water)

• Meat glaze (ham, breakfast sausage, salmon, fatty meats)

• Drizzled on top of yogurt, cheesecake, ice cream, etc

• Added in desserts (cake, flan, whipped cream)

• Mixed into salad dressings, vinaigrettes, sauces, etc

• Tossed with roasted vegetables

There’s something so special about preserving a seasonal ingredient that exists for such a short period of time. Enjoy!

With love, Ariana