lemongrove's Profile

I've had good results visually with paint mixed with cornstarch to get a plaster-like consistency. I can't speak to the longevity as I did it on leaving a rental, but it certainly hid the holes!

LOVE DILL!! I'm growing it this year because the ONLY place I can find it in Italy (fresh or dried) is in IKEA! Some people I'd asked had recommended using fennel tips as a substitute...yeah, I don't think so. The flavors are completely different!

Yes to laundry in the bathroom (and yes to bidets!). My last two apartments in Rome had the laundry in the kitchen, and honestly, while I get it, I much prefer the bathroom solution. A washing machine under the counter takes up storage space, while in the bathroom it's logical and actually adds another surface to work with. win-win. Now the only thing I would change is the size of the minuscule 3kg machine that our landlady put in. Seriously...two towels at a time and I have to drag the blankets down to a laundromat. NOT ON!

My Italian grandfather grows these in his back yard! He's fashioned a trellis so they grow hanging down over his tomatoes. My grandmother cuts them up into largish chunks and boils them with salt, pepper and a good bit of the basil they grown on the side of the house and serves it in the juice like a very light soup. YUM.

Don't know if they're available stateside, but here in Italy, I've found my apple soulmate: Annurca.

They're a type of apple that's been unique to southern Italy for thousands of years (possibly identifiable in mosaics and paintings at Herculaneum) and are now a regionally protected breed. They're picked while still green and then laid out on the ground and hand-turned over the course of a month or so to allow all of their skin to get reddened by the sun...

And oh my good lord they are the most gorgeous things you've ever eaten. Crisp and firm like a good Granny Smith and with some of that sharp tartness, but then a lovely bright and soft sweetness that rounds out the flavor and nnnnnnghmmmmm so so good!