August 2003

Features

• Quick No-Cook Recipes

  Is it too hot to turn on the oven, or even the stove? Then don't. The recipes here require no cooking at all. Instead, they rely on exceedingly fresh produce in its most naked state, sometimes combined with meat or seafood you can buy ready to eat—salami, prosciutto, roast chicken, tuna. Vibrant condiments and herbs heighten the flavors. These no-cook meals are all about simplicity and speed, and they're so satisfying that even the salads won't leave you looking for a hamburger afterward.

• Rooftop Garden Party

  Cookbook author Gail Monaghan has created a lush garden overlooking Manhattan's gritty Meatpacking District. Her friends come to enjoy the views, the breeze and—on this balmy summer day—the food.

• Seven Essential Tips to Safe Canning

  Before trying any of the recipes here, you need to know how to sterilize the jars and their metal caps and rims and process the filled jars to ensure bacteria-free jams and preserves. Here’s what to do.

• Heaven Preserve Us

  The edenic rocky mountain town of Crawford, Colorado, is absolutely wild about canning. A new summer resident turned passionate preserver shares her easiest, tastiest recipes

• Life of Pie

  On a Midwestern road trip, a writer zigzags from one small-town café to another in search of spectacular pie. Here she extols her favorite discoveries and the bakers behind them—some sweet as peaches, others tart as rhubarb.

• Basic Tips for First-Time Canners