i am in the whatever works and what is in season phases.

My favorite is watermelon, yet it is so difficult to find a good one. I know how to check for ripeness, except they're most always too ripe. I several each summer and usually end up having cutting some up for the doggos and some to freeze for smoothies because they are too mushy to munch on. Still, there is nothing better than a perfectly ripe yet firm and juicy watermelon.

but haven't studied TOO hard.

Everything is about how to pick one that's ripe.

I love trying new foods and even at my age, I am a great cook. I am always on the lookout for new recipes.

I'll eat anything that won't eat me and maybe some that would.
Like shark and gator.

I used to hate avocados and mushrooms. Now I love them both.

I learned to enjoy kalamata olives, even if I don't like the other kinds.

My problem is that I do have food narrowing going on, but for an entirely different reason: As I age, my allergies are both getting worse, and increasing in number of things I can't eat anymore. Every successive allergy test is worse than the one before it. Allergist thinks my immune system may be going nuts from, first, thyroid disease, then diabetes.

I eat less variety and less food these days,,,,

I 'joke' that we eat like minimalists,,,, meats, veggies, cucumber & tomato instead of salad,,, no sauces ~ no extras ~ low sodium ~ low sugar ~ very little bread ~ fried hurts me,,,, We just moved into an independent living apartment,,, they have a dining room that is more like a restaurant,,,, but geez,,,, trying some new stuff but it hurts my stomach,,, plus I eat a whole lot less than I did years ago,,,,,

along with diabetes for years now. Therefore, I have had to eliminate acidy fruits and other things that I really love but the pain in the tummy is not worth it. Chocolate, my favorite, now has to be eaten when my tummy condition is good. Oh, to be forty again and eat EVERYTHING. But we are still alive and able to complain!

Saffron, masala, cumin, sumac, zatar, plus others I don't use as much.

Also added recipes from newspaper.


Before covid, 3 or 4 evenings per week at local restaurants. The ones in business for a long time, haven't added to their menus in decades, except to raise prices.

Berbere

You're welcome.

Za'atar is a spice mix from the Middle East.
When I lived in her house, her spices were salt,pepper & parsley for butter parsley potatoes.
Her tastes have expanded.

As a kid growing up in the '40s deep south, buttermilk was a staple.
And I was OK with it.
I preferred cold 'sweet' milk, but buttermilk was OK.

In my teens I hated it.
Especially how the glass looked after you drank.
All those white veiny streaks just looked gross to me.

And now, in my 80s, I've developed anew love of buttermilk.
Especially with collards and cornbread.
Or butter beans.
It has a slightly bitter, astringent taste.

It's true.
You can take the boy out of the South,
but you can't take the South out of the boy.

nor do I have any food allergies. There's plenty of foods I don't care for and won't eat, but that's entirely different.

I'm not all that good about trying new foods or flavors at this point in my life.