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AGRICISA

The farmhouse journalSeasonal plates · garden · walks

Squash, apples, roots and a slower oven.

Eat closer to the ground.

Seasonal plates, a week of simple suppers, a windowsill of herbs and short reads on food, sleep and walks. No diets, no clinics, no fuss: one good dish today is enough.

Plan my week Read the journal
JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDECSpringSummerAutumnWinter

Dish of the day · Today

Roast Chicken and Root Vegetables

A whole bird roasted on a bed of roots that cook in the juices. The Sunday table, made simple.

  • 75 min
  • Serves 4

You need

  • 4 lbwhole chicken
  • 4carrots
  • 1 lbparsnips
  • 1 lbpotatoes
  • 2yellow onions
  • 6 clovesgarlic
  • 2 tbspolive oil
  • 1 bunchfresh thyme
  • 1lemon
  • 2 tspsalt
  • black pepper

Method

  1. 1Heat the oven to 425°F. Pat the chicken very dry and rub it all over with 1 tablespoon of the oil, the salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the lemon halves and half the thyme.
  2. 2Cut the carrots, parsnips, potatoes and onions into large chunks. Toss with the remaining oil, thyme and the garlic cloves in a roasting pan.
  3. 3Set the chicken on top, breast up. Roast for 55 to 65 minutes, until the juices run clear and the thickest part reads 165°F.
  4. 4Rest the chicken for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with the roots and pan juices.
Full recipe and notes

The season on your plate

Good in autumn

  • acorn squash
  • apples
  • beets
  • brussels sprouts
  • butternut squash
  • carrots
  • cauliflower
  • celery
  • kale
  • mushrooms
  • parsley
  • parsnips
  • pears
  • potatoes
All sixteen seasonal plates

Week plan

Seven suppers and one shopping list, in two minutes.

Pick the season's suppers, swap the ones you don't fancy, set how many you cook for. The list merges and scales every ingredient by aisle. It stays in this browser and prints on one page.

Make my plan
  1. MonRoasted Butternut Soup55 min
  2. TueMushroom Barley Soup60 min
  3. WedSweet Potato Black Bean Chili50 min
  4. ThuAcorn Squash and Lentil Bowls60 min
  5. FriSausage and Brussels Sprouts Sheet Pan40 min
  6. SatCauliflower and Potato Curry45 min
  7. SunSquash and Sage Pasta45 min

Garden & home

A little dirt under the nails.

Herbs on the sill, salad in a pot, scallions in a glass. Twenty easy plants, when to sow them, how many days until you eat them, and the plainest way to cook what you pick.

Sow in November

  • Basilwindowsill · balcony · garden~35 days
  • Parsleywindowsill · balcony · garden~75 days
  • Chiveswindowsill · balcony · garden~70 days
  • Mintwindowsill · balcony · garden~60 days
  • Cilantrowindowsill · balcony · garden~45 days
  • Lettucewindowsill · balcony · garden~40 days
The whole sowing calendar

The journal

On food, sleep, walks and the turning year.

All 42 pieces
  1. Kitchen · 5 minBread, Butter and Honest SnacksGood bread, real butter and a handful of plain snacks can carry you between meals without any fuss. Here is how to keep them well and eat them happily.
  2. Kitchen · 5 minThree Knives and a Heavy Pan: A Simple Kitchen KitYou do not need a drawer full of gadgets. Three knives, one heavy pan and a few plain tools cover almost every simple supper.
  3. Kitchen · 5 minLess Waste From the Vegetable DrawerSoft carrots and slimy greens do not have to be a weekly habit. Learn how to store vegetables well, use them in order and rescue what is tired.
  4. Kitchen · 5 minFresh vs Frozen Vegetables: When Each WinsFresh is not always better and frozen is not a failure. Here is when each one earns its place in a simple kitchen, and how to store both well.

The shop

Meal planners, season checklists and PDF guides.

Everything in the shop

Free when you subscribe

The Seasonal Starter

One simple plate for every week of the season, a short "what is good now" list and a one-page shopping template.

A 12-page PDF. Unsubscribe any time.

Questions

Asked over the garden fence.

All questions
What does "eat closer to the ground" mean?

It means cooking more with what is in season where you live: more vegetables, beans, grains and fruit, in simple dishes. There are no rules or forbidden foods, just plates that follow the calendar.

Are the recipes vegetarian?

Most are. Each season has a few dishes with chicken, fish, eggs or sausage, and every recipe is marked so you can tell at a glance. Eggs and dairy appear in many vegetarian dishes.

Is this a diet or a health plan?

No. AGRICISA is about everyday cooking, not weight loss or treatment. We make no health promises. The site is information only and does not replace advice from a doctor or dietitian.

What if I cannot find a seasonal ingredient?

Use what you can get. Swap one green for another, one root for another, or use frozen vegetables. The "note" on each recipe suggests easy swaps.

How does the week plan work?

It picks seven suppers from the recipes of the current season. You can swap any dinner for another and change the number of servings.