Happy Hour: Raspberry Shrub

Raspberry Shrub, Kiku Corner

Shrubs, or drinking vinegars (they taste better than they sound!), are acidulated fruit syrups. Back in the day, there were no refrigerators to help preserve fresh fruit for longer than a day or two. Adding the sugar draws out the juices of the fruit via osmosis, and traditionally, the mixture would be left to ferment […]

Flavoured Waters: Cucumber Mint Water

If you ever get tired of plain water (ooh how fancy you are, that fresh clean water is too boring!), try flavouring it with cut up fruits, vegetables and herbs. In this case, we added sliced cucumbers and fresh mint.

Tasty Treats at the T&T Night Market

T&T Night Market, Kiku Corner

In the summer of 2000, our parents took our family on a round-the-world trip. We set off after school let out in Saudi Arabia, stopped to visit our family in Germany, then visited our family in Canada, flew to San Francisco, then Tokyo, then Beijing. Asia is famous for its night markets, where you can visit […]

How to Freeze Berries

How to freeze berries, Kiku Corner

Now it’s the height of summer when beautiful fruit is in copious supply and available for just a few dollars. Of course I want to take full advantage of the seasonal fruit, so I freeze them. Once frozen, you can store them for up to 6 months. I like to use them in baking, in […]

Summertime is…Mulberries!

Summertime is...Mulberries! Kiku Corner

There are two mature mulberry trees in our parents’ backyard. Since we have second and third-floor balconies, we can easily reach these delectable fruits. There is little else that heralds the coming of summer than fresh mulberries. These are so perishable, so seasonal, that I’ve never seen them for sale in the grocery store. Luckily, there […]