Herbs such as lavender and rosemary not only smell great, but also provide ample future uses, not only in cooking but also in sachets and other fragrant uses. Best of all, if you’re already growing them yourself, you can dry them and not have to buy dried herbs at the store. The best way to [...]

Melon is a refreshing treat for breakfast, lunch, a snack or even dessert in the summertime. Most have a low calorie count (30 calories per 1/2 cup). Choosing melons is a snap–be sure the melon you select feels heavy for its size, smells ripe, and yields slightly to gentle pressure at the stem end. Ripe melons will keep [...]

My Greek ancestors would definitely approve of this recipe for Greek Salad, found in Sunset magazine (April 2006). Ingredients: 2 English cucumbers, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 2 pounds tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 medium red onion, chopped, then rinsed and drained 1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped parsley 1 1/3 cups drained pitted [...]

Even if you try to grow organic produce in your garden, you could be tainting it with lead from your garden hose. PVC is what’s typically used to make garden hoses, as well as the brass nozzles on hoses, and in producing PVC, lead is often added as a stabilizer. The hot sun can make [...]

I just ordered Quantum Wellness, and I plan to schedule a 21-day diet cleanse, just as soon as I get the book, figure out when I’m not going to be out of town for 21 days in a row, and when I feel I can best give up consuming any sugar, gluten, caffeine, alcohol or animal products. The [...]

The tomato investigation that I talked about last week is ongoing. In the meantime, one of the owners of Farm Fresh To You, which delivers delicious produce to my doorstep every week, put some perspective on the whole tomato harvesting issue. Red round tomatoes are harvested when they’re still hard and green. They are harvested by [...]

Urban growth, overcrowding and population explosions, oh my! According to experts, by the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth’s population will reside in urban centers, and conservative estimates are that the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. More people and larger urban areas (the dreade sprawl) mean less [...]

Chocolat (2000), is about a single mother, Vianne (played by Juliette Binoche), and her six-year-old daughter, who move to rural France and open a chocolate shop across the street from the local church. Soon, the townspeople are imbibing and enjoying the treats. When a group of river drifters visit the town, Vianne teaches the closed-minded townspeople something about [...]

Last week, the nation was hit with a tomato recall, which is ironic, since just yesterday I was waxing poetic about red produce. It seems that a bad crop of tomatoes has sickened at least 167 people with salmonella poisoning with reported cases from April 16 through May 26. Both the Centers for Disease Control [...]

According to nutrition experts, among the colors of the rainbow, regarding fruits and vegetables, red is one of the best to choose. Beyond the obvious, such as strawberries, cherries, red delicious apples, and red grapes, there’s also red cabbage, beets and, of course, tomatoes. Red Cabbage Although it’s called redcabbage, this cabbage is near purple [...]