From the Orchard

Having a dinner party can be a lot of fun, but it’s always a ton of work. Whether you are hosting a few or many, feeding people requires a great deal of planning, shopping, prepping, and preparing.  Sometimes I invest so much in the appetizers and main course, that I have little energy to bake a cake or make a complicated dessert. Over the years, I have found a number of impressive ways to finish off the meal while barely lifting a finger. One such hack is chocolate covered fruit. This is perhaps the easiest crowd pleaser in existence. No...

Working out -- it’s so important for mental clarity, let alone physical well-being. Yet, with a family and a business to run carving out the time to get to the gym is really tough. Although I love the idea of getting my workout done in the morning, there is no way I am giving up my precious sleep to hit the gym. Plus, it’s hard to find an early morning Zumba class! That’s right, Zumba! I love it – so much that I find it hard to write about it without using an exclamation point. For me, Zumba takes me...

I am a big fan of fresh figs. I love to peel the skin and see that ripe sweet, pink interior. Off the tree, these tasty fruits are wonderful in salads, mixed with yogurt, and even on white pizza. But since their season is short, figs are often available only in their chewy, dried form, which is less optimal than fresh. That’s why I am thrilled to bring you our deliciously moist dried figs. Rehydrated with just water, Fruit Bliss’ organic Turkish figs are perfect any time of year and they work great as a fresh fig substitute. So now...