Maria's Farm Country Kitchen

June 15, 2010 • in Gardening

Queen Bees, Cellphones, and Colonel Mustard in the Ballroom

By guest blogger Annie Spiegelman (a.k.a the Dirt Diva) A recent study, conducted this spring in India, found a link between the disappearance of honeybees and cellphones. If only it were that simple. Colony collapse disorder (CCD) was found in …

How to Start a Compost Pile in 4 Easy Steps

Now is the perfect time to start a compost pile. You can do it fancy or simple. And if you know me, you know I always prefer simple. Compost is the most important thing you can use in your garden …

Ice Cream Float of the Month: Blueberry!

I’m still obsessed with ice cream floats these days, and this blueberry float is one I’ve tried that is not only refreshing and delicious, but also so very lovely to look at. I think you could serve it as a …

A Visit to My Kitchen: John Grogan

My dear friend John Grogan is in my kitchen today, chatting about eggplant steaks, vegetable chili, and the living and breathing kitchen tool he could never do without. John Grogan is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller …

BP Oil Spill Denial: What Will It Take to Get Us to Change?

More than a month after BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the oil continues to flow from the Gulf of Mexico to pollute the shores of America’s once-beautiful coastlines. The other week I saw a report put out by the University …

How to Get Your Kids to Eat More Vegetables

I’ve met a few kids in my time who have never had more vegetables than a carrot stick and, if they had to guess what an artichoke is, would say it’s a karate move. But not my kids, of course. …

Finding a Great Recipe while Lost in Harlem

The other week I had an event to go to at Fort Washington Park in Harlem, New York. It was the spring picnic for Bette Midler’s New York Restoration Project. I had a driver named J.R. Crayton pick me up …