Summer Produce Guide: Chard
Chard A relative of the beet, chard is a mellow, earthy green that peaks from June through October. Both the leaves and stems, which are often vibrantly colored, are edible. Sauté the leaves simply with garlic and olive oil, stuff them with filling as you would grape leaves, or use them anywhere you’d use spinach […]
Summer Produce Guide: Watermelon
Watermelon Restorative and refreshing, watermelons belong to a family of vines that include cucumbers, gourds, and other melons. The fruit is thought to be native to Africa, where it has been cultivated for thousands of years; in the U.S., hundreds of varieties are grown, and can vary tremendously in size and shape, with flesh ranging […]
Maximize Your Fruit and Vegetable Freshness
If you’re like many shoppers, you buy a bounty of beautiful produce each week only to have it go to waste in a matter of days. If you’re tired of tossing good food and money, there is a simple solution – and no, it doesn’t involve more frequent trips to the grocery store. The trick […]
Green Foods May Power Your Cells Like Plants
How many times have you heard the recommendation to eat your greens? Kale, bok choy, mustard greens, broccoli and other vegetables have been praised as superfoods and are often rated as the healthiest foods to eat. Although there are many components of these foods that contribute to health like the fiber, minerals, micronutrients and antioxidants, […]
5 Ways Home Gardeners Can Make More Robust Soil
As a child, Kristin Ohlson had easy access to gardens. Her grandparents maintained a small orchard and grew produce on their farm; her parents also planted huge plots of vegetables and flowers each year. While Ohlson didn’t develop a deeper agricultural interest until she grew up (all those hours harvesting vegetables cut into childhood playtime, […]
4 Fall Produce Picks to Boost Immunity
Are you getting enough of this crucial vitamin? An antioxidant, vitamin C promotes wrinkle-free skin, supports good immunity, and may help the body protect itself against some diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Oranges and other citrus aren’t the only sources. These fall/winter vegetables offer ample amounts too. With cold and flu season around […]
How to Use Essential Oils for Allergies
Nothing is more frustrating than the unrelenting urge to sneeze, sniffle, and wheeze through a nose plugged up with pollen. Allergies are no fun, but the conventional allergy medications used to treat them can be even worse, often leaving you feeling amped up and groggy all at the same time. But you can find relief […]
10 Vegan Recipes Worthy of a Cookout
For the non-animal product eating, summer cookouts can occasionally feel, how shall we say, limiting: ribs! Burgers! Cheeseburgers! Ice cream! Potato salad swimming in mayonnaise! This — despite an otherwise excellent selection of picnic sides — can be a little discouraging. But! Cookouts need not be so — and vegan folks need not just linger […]
How to Correctly Plant Tomatoes to Get 5–8ft Plants
How do we plant a tomato, you might ask? With a ridiculous amount of stuff in the hole, is the answer. When someone ropes me into telling them and I start the long answer, I eventually see their eyes glaze over. That’s the point where I say, “Then you throw in the kitchen sink and […]
Simple, All-Natural Homemade Toothpaste
We all know about eating healthy and as organically as we can, but now I am concerned about a new issue. It seems some studies claim fluoride, when taken daily, can be toxic. Since most of us receive fluoride unwillingly and unknowingly in our water supply, having it in our toothpastes can lead to overexposure. […]
What to Do When Organic Isn’t an Option
Whether you’re stuck in a food desert or have a tight food budget, you don’t need to be exposed to dangerous pesticides. Despite the fact that organic food is your healthiest option, buying it isn’t always feasible. A recent study conducted by the Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability Center found that, overall, organic foods […]
Why You Should Never Eat Non-Organic Green Beans
For real. You definitely don’t want these on your plate, Consumer Reports finds out. Sometimes organic just isn’t available. So is it safe to go the nonorganic route if there’s no other feasible option? While organic is always best if you’re trying to protect your family from chemicals linked to breast cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, ADHD, […]