In recent months, I’ve been reading and talking with people about the advantages of becoming a locavore*, a person who eats food grown, farmed, or produced locally. I’m giving it a try here in Whatcom County, Washington.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like potato chips, though the store-bought version is often a guilty pleasure. Fortunately, there are options.

When I started eating as a locavore, I just had to come up with an alternative to traditional onion dip that tasted as good.

A lot of appetizers are served cold, but sometimes it’s nice to have warmer options, especially during winter holiday entertaining.

Called “cones” because nuts are used to decorate the cheese dip so they look similar to a pine cone, this is a locavore adaptation of a very old magazine recipe.

Fresh caught local wild salmon is one of the great gastronomical perks of living in the Pacific Northwest. Add smoked salmon to a mild-flavored dish for a holiday dish to celebrate.

What local ingredient visually says “holiday” more than the “candy cane” beet–chioggias!

Moods at the last Bellingham Farmers Market this year ran the gamut from holiday frivolity to sadness that the season was coming to a close.

In honor of the beauty of this particular rutabaga I wanted to do something beyond roasting, something a little unusual.

If you’re the cook in the family, thoughts of holiday entertaining may generate ambivalent feelings. Let me pass on a solution that has worked well for me.