Maria's Farm Country Kitchen

June 15, 2009 • in Family

Put Your Kids to Work. They’ll Be Glad You Did

I recently read a sweet little book called Growing Up Country, by Carol Bodensteiner. She describes her childhood growing up on a dairy farm in Iowa. What struck me most about her account is how much she enjoyed being challenged …

Top Ten Reasons Why Art is Essential to the Human Spirit

I am staying in this really cool hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, called 21C. It’s a museum dedicated to 21st century art, so as you can imagine, there is art everywhere. As I ate dinner by myself in the absolutely yummiful …

The Story of (Old) Stuff

I love shopping for antiques. Not at the hushed fancy places, although that’s nice sometimes. I prefer the antique malls. Every town’s gotta have one, because where else would people sell their old stuff? I know, I know, Ebay. But …

The Real Reason Our Government Just Keeps Getting Bigger and Bigger

It really doesn’t matter if a Republican or a Democrat is in charge. Unless some politicians grow some…shall we say…masculine tools essential for procreation, we are doomed to have an increasingly large federal government. And yet, with Bernanke finally warning …

Are Pesticides a Cause of Diabetes?

I have been off for the past few days working on my upcoming book, Organic Manifesto (due in stores in early 2010). When doing some research on farming and cancer, I came across a really fascinating project called the Agricultural …

On Walden Pond

I love Walden Pond. I’ve been there a few times now, and this last visit I even swam in it. The pond was what I have deemed “crispy cold.” But the water was so clear, so beautiful and inviting. I …

Growing a Miracle in Coppell, Texas

A few months ago, I invited the readers of Organic Gardening magazine to send me their garden fantasies. I received so many wonderful, funny, heartwarming emails…but this one is my favorite, and the one I promised to post on my …