Kathy's Farm in Italy

19/02/2026

The History of Knives - my new essay on my website.
https://www.kathysfarm.com/post/the-history-of-knives

08/02/2026

Here is my 2nd entry to the Guest Chef page on the Kathy's Farm website. Please cruise on over to my website and subscribe. (kathysfarm.com)

https://www.kathysfarm.com/post/la-baldigara

This Guest Chef entry includes a short interview with Chef Tania and her husband, front man and waiter, Ivan, owners of La Baldigara in the heart of Senigallia, Italy ... and a long lunch.A 2½-hour lunch, as it should be—with excellent company, conversation, and food.Senigallia is by the sea. The...

30/01/2026

New rules for traveling to the UK.
The United Kingdom ETA Electronic Travel Authorization begins February 25, 2026.

Submit online your travel authorization and obtain your official United Kingdom ETA. Complete now your United Kingdom ETA Online Application.

31/12/2025

11/12/2025

I've added a few mugs to my Printify store. One thing you can be sure of is that I have no particular design style. 😂🤣

11/12/2025

I made pepper sauce from the garden. They turned out quite good. Not too spicy, in fact, a little too mild for me. No recipe, just onions, garlic, peppers, salt, black pepper and white vinegar. Cook it, blend it, can it. Yum.

06/12/2025

I've been having lots of fun designing products. Here are some glass cutting boards available on printify. These are good for cutting and for using as a charcuterie board. Follow this link to my store or the links to the cutting boards are in the caption on each phot. Happy shopping. https://kathys-farm.printify.me/category/all/1

26/11/2025

Yay! Kathy's Farm in Italy website is finally published. There are a few little fixes, and lots to do still, but I'm happy with the essays. They were fun to research and write, and I learned things. I wrote a series on the olive tree and olive oil, from the history of the olive tree, my harvest, the crush, and the uses of olive oil. Spoiler: The olive tree is as old as civilization and was an integral part of its development. (The fig tree is a close second.)

And check out my Guest Chef segment. The first is with Francois de Melogue. Please read his interesting and heartfelt interview. He made a recipe with my 2024 olive oil ... all the way in Vermont. And follow the link at the bottom of his story to his professional and beautiful photographs (of three of my favorite things - New England, Autumn, and old barns.)

Francois is the first Guest Chef of what will be many.

And if you use the sign-up form at the bottom of the home page for my emails announcing new posts, I'd greatly appreciate it. SM is a numbers game, but more than that, your interest encourages me to keep writing. ❤

Welcome to Kathy’s Farm in Italy.

07/11/2025

The debate over 'milk in bolognese sauce or not' was hot on another FB page. I already knew that milk is used in some regions, and I use it in mine, but to check I did a little research (you know - googled.)

According to the ACCADEMIA ITALIANA DELLA CUCINA
FONDATA DA ORIO VERGANI NEL 1953
milk is optional in ragù alla bolognese.

"The authentic recipe from Bologna includes milk, often added after the wine has evaporated to neutralize acidity and tenderize the meat.
Variations exist across other parts of Italy, with some regions preferring red wine instead of milk."

You can find many authentic recipes that add pork and veal with beef. I don't eat veal so I replace it with turkey. An Italian I know laughed at me but the Italian I served it to said it was the 2nd best he's ever had -- his wife's sauce is the 1st.

My recipe is the same as this, from the Academy, but I use ground pork, beef and (god forbid) turkey. And I use my own dark beef broth and only add wine if I have an open bottle. I don't drink much wine but my friend from California was here and there is some left over wine from her visit -- I'm making bolognese today. And I skip the tomato paste, and simmer it all day in the slow cooker.
_____________
The accademia updated the 'official recipe' in 2023.

Traditional Bolognese sauce (Ragù alla Bolognese)
Serves 6
• Coarsely ground beef (see note): 1 lb (400g)
• Fresh pork pancetta, slices: 6 oz (150g)
• ½ onion, peeled: about 2 oz (60g)
• 1 medium carrot, peeled: about 2 oz (60g)
• 1 celery stalk, trimmed: about 2 oz (60g)
• ½ cup (1 glass) of red or white wine
• Strained tomatoes: 7 oz (200g)
• Tomato paste (double-concentrated): 1 tbsp
• ½ cup (1 glass) of whole milk (optional)
• Light meat or vegetable broth (or stock cubes)
• Extra virgin olive oil: 3 tbsp
• Salt and pepper

The Italian Academy of Cuisine has updated the recipe for true ragù alla bolognese: from 20 April 2023 the reference text will differ from that deposited in the Bologna Chamber of Commerce on 17 October 1982.

04/11/2025

Lots of peppers this year. I have a South India restaurant customer who wants them. They are beautiful colors. I made this mild pepper sauce this week. While it is yummy, it's a little too mild for me. I'll add some more jalapeño in the next batch. 😊
Do you like peppers?n

03/11/2025

Persimmons. Lots of people don't like them, including me. They've been hard to give away. Although, I took some to our veterinarian and she loved them. She eats them with a spoon. I'll eat them if they're in a cookie. 😊 They are a pretty fruit.