Eating

Concentrated sweetness from the stewed and very ripe berries. Tartness from the very fresh rhubarb. Flaky, buttery luxury-in-your-mouth from your leftover homemade pie crust. Your home smells like a very good bakery. Your tart cost less than $1.

Happens to me every June. I lose five pounds. I don't try to. I think it's all about all the lettuce from our CSA farm share. Not much room left on the plate for anything else. So you eat less of the high-calorie stuff. And you get inventive with lettuce.

Better than the best hot buttered toast you ever had. Soft, puffy and chewy around the edge. Thin, crisp and crackling in the center. On top: buttery, garlicky green beans, still fresh, slightly crisp and sweet. With a slightly salty edge from a little melted cheese.

$1 for your half of this crisp-edged, soft-centered sweet corn polenta crust with bright, sharp-sweet spring leeks, briny olives and rich, gooey fresh mozzarella.

Strengthen your abdominals and all your core muscles. And your back and shoulders. Legs, too. All in a minute or two a day.

Two turnovers from two leftovers. Hot, flaky, luscious apple turnovers. From a little leftover pie crust dough and a few tablespoons of leftover apple-cinnamon puree. And less than five minutes of your time.

This year I'm celebrating with a Pepper Polenta Pizza. Sweet corn. Sweet and hot peppers. The indigenous ingredients of the Americas. 150 years after the first May 5 celebration, it's still just two dollars for a great meal.

Two all-day hike's worth of fruit leather for two serious hikers who care about what they eat on the trail. 12 cents per serving. A half-apple and its Vitamin C per serving. A snack that tastes exactly like the fruit, but more intense.

A perfect example of Better being Cheaper. A great pizza for less than $2.50! For the whole pizza. Not just a great $2 pizza. A great pizza, period. Soft, gooey, crisp, chewy. If you're not already making your own pizza, this should be the one that launches you into pizza space.