The Wisdom of the Thinning Season — Weekend Meditation

Early culls from my backyard apricot tree.

Here on the west coast, it’s the thinning season, that time in the growing cycle when farmers make their way through their fields and orchards, culling some of the young green fruit from their trees. This is done so that the branches aren’t overburdened, which can cause them to break, and helps the remaining fruit to grow fat and juicy. Gardeners who grow from seed know this practice as well when they cull their rows of tiny seedlings, allowing the remaining plants more space and nutrients to grow and thrive.  
Although some people can approach this task with a kind of ruthlessness, I find it a bit of a challenge. How do you know how much to take, and which ones, and when? 

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Homemade Gifts for Mother’s Day, Best Vegetarian Cooking Blogs, Container Gardening, and Lab Beakers in the Kitchen — Most Popular Posts Published May 5 – 12

Homemade Gifts for Mother's Day, Best Vegetarian Cooking Blogs, Container Gardening, Lab Beakers in the Kitchen, and Red Pistachios

Happy weekend, folks! Popular posts this week on The Kitchn include a fabulous tip to get more juice out of lemons and limes, nine spots in your kitchen that good use a good scrub, the best pieces of advice if you’re looking to start a container garden, and a few of our favorite make-ahead brunch recipes. Enjoy!

15. Nostalgic Recipe: Homemade “Drumsticks” Ice Cream Sundae Waffle Cones
14. Why I Secretly Suck on Mango Pits in the Kitchen (And So Should You)
13. Spring Recipe: Carrot Ribbon Fettuccine
12. Kitchen Before & After: The ‘You Don’t Need To Gut the Kitchen’ Makeover
11. 7 Alarming Food Practices Banned in Europe But Not in the US
10. Recipe: Chicken Breast Sautéed in Sweet Red Onion & Lemon

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What’s Cooking This Weekend? — Weekend of May 11-12, 2013

What's Cooking This Weekend?

 Rubén’s Paella-Making Spanish Kitchen Kitchen Tour 

It’s Friday, and it’s spring! What’s cooking? I’m thinking that it may be time to break out the pizza dough and the grill. What about you? Are you going to the farmers’ market, or planning out your meals for next week? What’s inspiring you in the kitchen right now, and what do you have on the front burner? Tell us! We’re getting ready for Reader Request Week and we love your inspiration! 

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Strawberry-Sour Cream Scones, No-Bake Lemon Icebox Cake, Carrot Ribbon Fettuccine & Chicken Dinner for One — New Recipes from The Kitchn

Planning a Mother’s Day brunch this weekend? Hooo-boy, have you hit the jackpot! These strawberry-sour cream scones with their crunchy brown sugar topping should definitely be on your list. If your brunch is edging into lunch, go for a colorful table and serve our beet and tahini dip alongside plates of carrot ribbon fettuccine. Plus, no brunch is complete without a champagne cocktail, and this mint julep version is sure to hit the spot. Take a look through all our recipes from this past week for even more ideas.

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Would You Ever Organize Your Cookbooks by Color?

It’s always fascinating to see what stirs up the most vehement comments on our family of sites. And over at Apartment Therapy, there is one sure way to start a spat: Talk about organizing books by color! And yet I think that it actually can be a great option, especially for cookbooks! Why is it so controversial, and why do I like it in spite of this? Read on for more, plus a really awesome picture of cookbooks organized by color…

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Food Art for Kids and My Inferiority Complex

When I was little, “happy meal” meant food in the shape of a face. My parents weren’t fans of fast food and, with four kids, it wasn’t even a bargain. Banana slices with peanut butter for eyes, an apple wedge for the mouth and broken crackers and cheese for all the other features. It was fun! These days, the game has changed. I’m no artist, and my food faces are pretty lame compared to what the internet has to offer.

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