Organic Food

The Quest for the Secret of Really Green Pesto, Part 1

The Quest for the Secret of Really Green Pesto, Part 1

The Challenge: A few months ago (well, in the winter, actually), I mentioned in my Organic Gardening magazine column that one of my goals this summer was to discover how to keep pesto really green. Really, really, green. Like the kind you sometimes get in restaurants when it comes out on your plate, and it […]

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Fuzz Is My New Buzz

Fuzz Is My New Buzz

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older (with the granny glasses to prove it), but I’m starting to tire of the whole “buzz”-chasing world. Now, it’s all about fuzz for me. What’s fuzz? It’s the happy feeling and comfort of a warm, soft cashmere blanket, or a place that just delivers the goods over and over […]

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Free the Seeds!

Free the Seeds!

Beware the biotech euphemisms for genetically modified seeds (a.k.a. GMOs, or genetically modified organisms). Anytime you hear people like Bill Gates and other unnamed politicians and business leaders talk about “better seeds” or “improved seeds,” you are hearing them unwittingly promote an evil plot to destroy the planet. While they think they are furthering the […]

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By Popular Demand: My Mother's Pasty Recipe (with Lard)

By Popular Demand: My Mother’s Pasty Recipe (with Lard)

I was pleasantly surprised by all the wonderful comments I got for my blog entry about lard. It seems that lard is underappreciated in these modern times—maybe it’s due for a comeback. Anyway, lots of people asked for my mother’s pasty recipe, and here it is, just in time for the July 4th weekend. While […]

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Cooking with Lard

Cooking with Lard

I had never cooked with lard before. It just seemed gross to me. Plus, as a saturated fat it was on the list of things I didn’t need to add to my already saturated diet. However, my elderly, ill mother specifically requested that I make one of her favorite summer meals: pasties (Cornish meat pie)…with […]

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My 5 Favorite Easy Chillin' Summer Treats

My 5 Favorite Easy Chillin’ Summer Treats

Here in Pennsylvania, we have had torrential rain for 40 days and 40 nights, and it’s hard to believe that summer will ever come. But when it does, I’ll be ready with these 5 easy summer treats to keep my kids and myself nice and cool. 1. Frozen grapes on a stick. Get a bamboo […]

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Campfire Cooking! My 5 Favorites

Campfire Cooking! My 5 Favorites

I was one of those naughty Girl Scouts who only joined the troop when it was about to go on the camping trip. I knew I would get some good food cooked over an open wood fire. I think we made some sort of hamburger stew in a tin can that was so yummy! Now […]

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Stocking Up Starts Now!

Stocking Up Starts Now!

For many new gardeners or foodies, the idea of harvest or stocking up seems like a fall-festival–type of activity. Nothing could be further from the truth. Harvest is happening all the time! And to be truly prepared for winter (which is, thankfully, months and months away), now is the time to start stocking up. Today […]

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