Whether you’re growing curious about where your food comes from or you’re a food-lover trying to get the lay of your new land, here are some tips.

In the age of Google, we can supposedly access anything we want to know, but that method breaks down when you’re in a new country. Upon moving here, I searched for sources of fresh, seasonal food by Googling “Community Supported Agriculture (CSA),” the term for boxes of produce one can buy directly from farms in my home country. There were no results. After some good old-fashioned conversation with a Dane, I learned that there is a similar offering here in Denmark, but it goes by the name of grøntkasse (green box). Bingo!

Gina LorubbioJune 11, 20192019

Accept Imperfection

To be a home cook is to befriend imperfection.

If you've ever...

...accidentally grabbed the sugar when you reached for the salt,

...settled for the lemon when the recipe calls for a lime,

...roughly chopped veggies instead of giving them a pristine julienne (because the kids are screaming or you're hangry or you're just absorbed in conversation with the folks hanging out in your kitchen),

...then you know what I mean.

Gina LorubbioJune 4, 20192019

Get to Know the Wild Food Around You

While you’re out enjoying the Danish landscape this summer, remember to look down. We’re almost always standing on salad!

Once you know what to look for, you’ll learn that we are surrounded by food. Foraging can be a tasty, rewarding way to get to know the flora and fauna of our adopted country. Last year, I took a workshop with Lene Ejlersen, author and wild food educator from Møn. She showed us how accessible wild food is — it grows everywhere from parking lots to forests, it’s free, and you just need these few items to get started:

Gina LorubbioMay 18, 20192019

How I Make Illustrated Recipes so you can preserve your food heritage

When I began taking commissions for illustrated recipes, I didn’t realize how deep and soulful the process would be. As I read through the personal stories attached to each recipe, it’s as if I can feel my heart actually warming. Treasured family recipes are a window into your dynamics, celebrations, and what you hold dear. What a privilege to be able to peer in.

Illustrated RecipesGina LorubbioApril 23, 2019Illustrated Recipes, hand-drawn recipes, recipes, 2019

Here Comes Rhubarb: The Jewel of Danish Spring

Last spring when I was fresh off the plane from Oregon my friends still living there were sharing photos, gushing over the season’s beauty. I wailed, “Spring will never be that good in Denmark!” But then May arrived, and with it came flowers in vibrant pinks, purples, and yellows. Blossoms of all shapes and colors burst forth, and the grass grew thick and lush. I could not imagine a place with a more beautiful spring. Can you?

Fruits and VegetablesGina LorubbioApril 23, 2019Rhubarb, Rhubarb pie, 2019

100-Day Danish Takeaways: Embrace Outside Influences

Look no farther than the flaky Danish pastries to see outside influences. In the U.S., we call a pastry with jam in the center a “Danish.” In Denmark, they call them “Vienna bread,” as they were originally made Austrian bakers. That Austrian style of dough? It came from the Turks. And round and round we go…

Gina LorubbioSeptember 12, 20182018

100-Day Danish Takeaways: We're Surrounded by Food

In getting to know the edible Danish landscape, I started with my own backyard. Some of the fruit—raspberries and strawberries—had been staple treats back home, and it was comforting to find them here. But others—the wild forest strawberries and black currants—were a whole new experience…

Gina LorubbioSeptember 6, 20182018

100-Day Danish Takeaways: Nourish your Neighbors

One of the first things I encountered through this project was a gift: free sourdough starter from Meyers Bageri. Claus Meyer, the owner and influencer of the New Nordic food movement, once asked, “Who says that what you get back from life does not depend on what you have the courage to give away yourself?”…

Gina LorubbioAugust 30, 20182018

100-Day Danish Takeaways: Be Outside

If chilly air rolls in while you’re dining al fresco, don’t retreat indoors. Wrap yourself in a blanket—restaurants often drape them on chairs or tuck them in a basket, and every home is sure to have a stash…

Gina LorubbioAugust 22, 20182018

Traditions Across the U.S.: Kombucha

On a sunny November day, Bjarke and I wound our way through Tennessee woods to reach the home of Sandor Katz. Walking into his kitchen was like entering an ode to fermentation—shelves are stacked high with crocks of kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, and more. When your gaze reaches the tippy top, you find a stained glass window depicting bacteria.

Gina LorubbioDecember 31, 20172017