Renee Enna

Hold on to your wallets. This winter is shaping up to be a perfect storm of bad weather, high prices and the need to pinch pennies. December was much colder...

Did you know? Some baby bananas, both yellow and red, are simply smaller versions of the bananas that dominate the U.S. market. Others, however, are among the more than 1,000...

Did you know? Poor jicama. Like many of its fellow root vegetables, it looks seriously unappetizing. Plus, there's that wacky name. (It's pronounced HEE-kah-mah.) So there it sits on produce...

Did you know? Frilly, leafy kale is decorating lots of gardens this time of the year because it prefers autumn's crisp mornings and evenings. Its beauty is not skin deep....

Did you know? Eggplant, like tomatoes and peppers, is a member of the nightshade family. And, like tomatoes, it has borne its share of undeserved derision. Until the Renaissance, "Italians...

We checked out two supermarket chains that landed in the area--one a year ago, one last week. Both offer that quickly vanishing breed: baggers who load groceries into cars. MARSH...

Need a go-to guide for eating sustainably, responsibly--and well? Sherri Brooks Vinton and Ann Clark Espuelas offer just the thing in "The Real Food Revival: Aisle by Aisle, Morsel by...

Preserving panache Canning gets creative with "Gourmet Preserves" (Surrey Books, $14.95), by cooking teacher Madelaine Bullwinkel of Chez Madelaine in Hinsdale. The book walks cooks through the tools and techniques...

Did you know? The summer heat that's making you wilt is having a different effect on local basil. "This is a good basil year," said Carl Smits of Chicago Heights-based...

Did you know? Many strawberry lovers may be surprised to learn the season lasts just a few weeks, because berries from other states (mostly California) are available year-round. But nothing...