Amy Eddings

October 19, 2012 —

Dora Hinds of East New York Farms recommends stir-frying Malabar spinach in the braising liquid of a roast, 15 minutes before taking the meat out of the oven, so I knew she was not going to wilt under the pressures of my 60-Second Stir Fry.

Hinds grows Malabar spinach and other goodies in her big, sunny backyard. She brings extras to the "share table" at East New York Farms, where farm manager David Vigil has planted Malabar spinach, hot peppers and other veggie staples of the Caribbean.

Gail Hepworth of Hepworth Farms, which supplies the Park Slope Food Co-Op, talks about growing more than 15 varieties of eggplants. Try two recipes for eggplant caponata.

October 12, 2012 —

I'm going to start this Stir Fry by answering one of my own lightning round questions, "best reason to be happy summer is coming to an end:" farmers bring in boxes of gorgeous last chance foods to WNYC's Studio 4!

September 28, 2012 —

Gail Hepworth of Hepworth Farms knew how to prepare for a stir-fry. She brought a big cardboard box to WNYC's studios, loaded with heirloom tomatoes of all stripes (literally) and white, deep purple, and lavender-and-white speckled eggplants.

My hard, inquisitor's heart was softened.  

Francis Lam shares his recipe for "Tomato Bomb Concentrate" and oven-dried tomatoes.

September 21, 2012 —

Francis Lam, the features editor of Gilt Taste, is da bomb. First, he brought me a sample of the homemade tomato paste he so richly describes in this week's Last Chance Foods. Second, threw himself completely into treating the Studio 4 mascot like a live kitty, giving this Stir Fry a creepy, Halloween vibe. Too bad we weren't talking about pumpkins.

Riverpark's chef Sisha Ortúzar and urban farmer Zach Pickens talk about using and growing sweet and spicy peppers. Also, try Riverpark's recipe for Chilled Spicy Farm Pepper Soup.

September 13, 2012 —

I blame the last, lazy days of summer on this 120-Second Stir Fry.  Time slowed to a crawl with Selena Gonzalez and Ian Marvy of the Red Hook Community Farm as we discussed top "yums" and "yuks" in the vegetable world and favorite comfort foods.

September 14, 2012 —

The hot seat is the favorite place to be for my Last Chance Foods guests, Sisha Ortuzar, chef of Riverpark and partner of the sandwich shop, 'wichcraft, and Zach Pickens, manager of Riverpark's Farm at the Alexandria Center on Manhattan's East Side.  They are big hot pepper fans and brought a paper bag full of them to the WNYC's Studio 4.

After recent reports of cantaloupe contaminated with salmonella, Long Island farmer Thomas Wickham talks about fielding questions from customers concerned about the safety of their fruit. 

At Red Hook Community Farm in Brooklyn, kids help plant vegetables on top of asphalt and learn to love their greens through communal meals.

September 6, 2012 —

You can't rile Thomas Wickham with the prospect of the Stir Fry.  "So, what are you going to ask me?" he said calmly, as producer Joy Y. Wang and I corralled him into the Studio 4 hot seat.  

The man's a farmer, and his family has farmed for generations.  I got the sense that nothing phases him.  Not even the unblinking gaze of the Studio 4 cat behind him.

Tennis player Varvara Lepchenko says she felt like an American, ever since coming to the United States to play tournaments here in 2000. She moved to the States in 2001, and credits achieving U.S. citizenship last year with a recent boost in her game. 

Cookbook author Mindy Fox talks about the different varieties of cucumbers currently available and touts their versatility. Try her recipe for Cucumber and Summer Tomato Salad with Fr...

Cookbook author Mindy Fox gives her take on some Chicago staples in this 60-Second Stir-Fry.

August 17, 2012 —

Community gardener Annalee Sinclair is no stranger to the hot seat. After all, she gardened in a syringe-infested abandoned lot on the Lower East Side, in the 1990s, when the neighborhood was a scary and violent place. Robin Shulman is also a cool customer.  She should be.  She wrote a book, Eat the City.  I'm trying to write a book proposal of my own, and I know there is no pressure like a deadline.

So, bring on the lightning round of Stir Fry questions!

Author Robin Shulman and El Jardin Del Paraiso garden coordinator Annalee Sinclair talk about how a community garden can help change the urban landscape and how people eat. Also, try ...

Jennifer Divello of Patty's Berries and Bunches in Mattituck, on Long Island, does a 'berry' good job handling the heat of the stir fry lightning round of questions. Okay, had to do that. It's been a 'berry' long day.

The sweetness of a blueberry depends on color, not size, according to Jennifer Devillo of Patty's Berries and Bunches. Learn more and try Amy Edding's recipe for blueberry cobbler.

Ron Binaghi III of Stokes Farm in Old Tappan, N.J., talks about reasons to appreciate humble, hothouse-grown hybrid tomatoes. His dad recommends a thick slice of tomato on a slice of ...