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Sarah O'Kelley's avatar

you are psychic I just posted my favorite way to use lemongrass -- a lemongrass vanilla pound cake! I need to quit being lazy and make this granita now that I have more time on my hands :) thanks andrea!!

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Andrea Nguyen's avatar

Sarah! I saw your recipe and am eyeing it because ... I have a lotta lemongrass and the recipe looks delicioso!

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Mary Khan's avatar

Loved the article about Ranch 99! Was just in the Cupertino one two days ago buying ingredients for Woks of Life recipe for khao soi. Its so reassuring to go to one location and know you’ll find everything for your recipe.

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Andrea Nguyen's avatar

Hooray! The supermarket chain is a great weathervane for recipe writing!

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Maia Chakerian's avatar

I bought some lemongrass at Safeway with the plan to root it. A couple of days later your last column about rooting and selecting appropriate stalks came out. After reading it, I was worried that too much of the end had been trimmed. But lo and behold, it’s got roots! Going in a big pot soon!

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Andrea Nguyen's avatar

This is so exciting. Thanks for reporting on this. Safeway produce is alright!

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Mary Khan's avatar

I get so excited about your newsletter! It’s full of such wonderful information. It’s one of the highlights of my week.

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Andrea Nguyen's avatar

Mary -- thank you for such a kind response. You made my day!

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Emily's avatar

Thank you for sharing so much reading material! I read all the linked articles (I’d already read the 99 Ranch one) and I definitely want to track down Changing Season. I’m currently reading The Great Gelatin Revival by Ken Albala and Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy. I will be following along with Lily on IG too.

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Andrea Nguyen's avatar

Oh, if you're into gelatin, Otto_vs_Jello on IG is fun to follow too. He's a book nerd as well. Thanks for the book tips!

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Emily's avatar

Otto and I had a lovey long chat at Now Serving and I follow him now on IG. It was funny, I had asked about books on gelatin/jello/jelly, and they said “We don’t have any, but you should talk to Otto” as he walked in the door at that very moment.

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Jolene Handy's avatar

Andrea, thank you so much!

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Andrea Nguyen's avatar

Jolene -- my absolute pleasure. Your research and essay are gems. I learned and laughed. What's better than that?

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Jolene Handy's avatar

Aww, thank you, Andrea :)

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Alex R's avatar

I often buy lemongrass in bunches in Chinatown. I never know if it’s fresh because the roots are dried out and the tips are wilting. I trim them and usually keep the green tops for tea and such and mince the white root part to grind or smash into curry paste.

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Andrea Nguyen's avatar

I've often found that produce that's somewhat dried out has good, slightly more concentrated flavor. So long as the lemongrass is super bendable, it's alright. I notice that some produce people peel off the yucky layers as the lemongrass ages.

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cindy ramirez's avatar

i know Watsonville, i grew up in Castroville!

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Andrea Nguyen's avatar

They're practically neighbors.

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Elise's avatar

OMG so timely !! Yesterday I ordered a discounted shaved ice attachment for my girlfriend’s stand mixer... *runs out to buy peaches and lemongrass*

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Andrea Nguyen's avatar

Ok --- I'm looking into this shave ice attachment you just mentioned!

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Joan Redemer's avatar

Going to Paris for 2 weeks. Will be exploring ingredients for your recipes. Staying with friends.

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Andrea Nguyen's avatar

I hear the 13th district has a lot to offer. The pictures in this article don't show up for me but the text offer some leads!

https://vietnamtimes.org.vn/paris-get-lost-in-13th-arrondissement-the-heaven-of-vietnamese-foods-46669.html

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Joan Redemer's avatar

Thank you so much! This will help our restaurant and ingredient search. Since we are taking the rain home, I can buy all sorts of things.

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Joan Redemer's avatar

I cannot subscribe for some strange reason. Is it because I live in Europe?

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Andrea Nguyen's avatar

Hi Joan, that is not because of your location. The savings is for new annual subscribers. You've been a long time subscriber. Thank you for your support!

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