So far I have avoided any interaction with bedbugs, but I know a few people who have experienced infestations, and it’s starting to become a worrisome trend. Then, the other week I saw a home remedy for catching bed bugs that involved dry ice. Dry ice? It turns out that dry ice is solidified CO2—otherwise […]
By Maria
Overcoming Cooking Fears (with Extreme Simplicity)
I don’t fear much anymore about food. But I remember all the different phases of fear I’ve been through during my lifetime of gardening, entertaining, feeding a family, and just plain cooking. The first phase was a fear of somehow poisoning my family and myself by serving something I shouldn’t. For instance, I knew rhubarb […]
A Visit to my Kitchen: Ed Orem from Grower’s First
Today Ed Orem is stopping by my kitchen, to talk about his personal journey from being a sugar junky to an organic freak. Ed “Organic Freak” Orem is the data manager at Grower’s First, an organization that helps farmers and their families achieve a better standard of living across the world. Ed is passionate about […]
Kutztown Folk Festival Fever!
It calls itself the longest-running folklife festival in America, and I can believe it. I’ve been going to the Kutztown Folk Festival since I was a small kid. This past weekend I took friends from Belgium to see it, and they were amazed. I explained that this was not a show put on for outsiders—it […]
Ziti Wars – Part 2: My Recipe for Ziti
Any good Italian wife had better make ziti once in a while. And any good Italian-family summer potluck includes at least one giant vat of ziti. The Italians are experts at making delicious, easy food that doesn’t break the bank, and ziti is at the top of that list. Even though my name is Maria, […]
A Visit to My Kitchen: Maya Rodale
I have a very special guest in my kitchen today—my daughter Maya! Well, she’s usually in my kitchen quite a lot; she’s got the inside scoop on the truth of what really goes on in the real Maria’s Farm Country Kitchen. Fortunately, she doesn’t divulge too many secrets about me. I am so proud of […]
Ziti Wars, Part 1: Organic vs. Chemical—Which Is Better and Cheaper?
A few weeks ago I made ziti for dinner. It’s an Italian staple for many reasons; it’s cheap, it’s easy, and it’s delicious. I made it with organic whole wheat pasta and smoked mozzarella, and my whole family devoured it. But then I had an idea for an experiment. How would my homemade organic ziti […]
How Gardening Teaches Patience
The other day I was weeding my asparagus patch. Asparagus takes three years to get going enough for you to start eating it. The first year you plant asparagus, it takes its good old time getting going, and you have to fight the weeds and mulch like crazy. The second year, the asparagus gets a […]
Scratch
Raised on America’s first organic farm, Scratch author Maria Rodale learned how to make everyday favorites from, yes, scratch — the way you remember them; the way they turn out best.
Order NowOrganic Manifesto
Drawing on findings from leading health researchers as well as conversations with both chemical and organic farmers from coast to coast, Maria Rodale irrefutably outlines the unacceptably high cost of chemical farming on our health and our environment.
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