The Long and Magical Road from Idea to Fruition

I just finished the first real draft of my next book, The Organic Manifesto. I had the idea for it almost exactly one year ago today (I remember because it was my father’s birthday, March 27th). A year doesn’t really seem that long when I look back and see all I’ve learned and done in that time, and where the weird and wonderful magical road of creation has taken me.

I get lots of ideas. Many of them do come to fruition. But the more of them I bring to life, the more I… more

Turn Out the Lights!

Tomorrow, March 28th, at 8:30 pm local time, wherever we are, we are all supposed to turn out the lights for Earth Hour. An hour of darkness will save us all a lot of energy–and it might actually bring us closer together.

About two years ago I asked my family to kindly indulge me in a fantasy of mine. As a lover of historical fact and fiction (especially historical romances), I realized that much of how we view our world today is… more

My Day at the USDA

Maria goes to Washington…again.

7:20 am

This time it’s at the request of the Secretary of Agriculture himself! I will be attending a forum for expanding people’s gardens across America and the world! Not sure what that really means, but even though they got my job title and address wrong, I wouldn’t miss this for anything.

I’ll be blogging live throughout the day…

I’m at the People’s Garden Partnership Forum, a USDA initiative… more

Healing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Naturally

I have suffered from mild carpal tunnel syndrome for years. I tried yoga. I tried all the stretches. I tried pretending it was just a part of getting older. But what started as a little tingle in my right hand turned into a constant ache. Then I found out about a local resource that turns out to be fairly world-renowned. It’s a physical therapy center in Allentown, PA, called Hands on Healing, and founder Suparna Damani has even… more

Time to Plant the Peas!

For gardeners, this week is like the start of the Indy 500, with the announcer saying, “Gentlemen, start your engines!” (Wait, do they still say that now that Danica Patrick is racing?), and the subsequent revving that signals the beginning of a long and exciting race. Friday is the first day of spring, and that means it’s time to plant the peas…

Typically, around these parts, they say St. Patrick’s Day is the day to plant. But I have to work all week, so planting is going to have… more