September is National Mushroom Month and National Veggies and Fruit Month. By combining mushrooms with a traditional meat choice such as the hamburger, we can add more vegetables to our diet and enjoy the best of both the plant and animal worlds. The “blended burger"...
Drought and extreme heat in the western United States have dominated the headlines over the past couple of months. We see pictures of fallow farm land too dry to plant and Lake Mead in Nevada at its lowest point ever. Unless we are living with the stark realities of...
The chorus of cicada sounds may be quieting in our backyards and woods but the sound of bug “crunching” remains. Seventeen years ago, when the last cycle of Brood X cicadas was populating our yards and sidewalks, the thought of eating them wasn’t top of mind for most...
Think about the last time you walked into a grocery store to buy a carton of milk. How many options awaited you in the dairy aisle? Growing up on a dairy farm, I had two options for milk, whole milk with cream on top or without (Holstein style 3.5% butterfat). It was...
Each year in May, the food allergy community marks “Living Teal Food Allergy Awareness Week.” This year, the designation is being observed on May 9-15. If you are one of the 32 million Americans with a food allergy, or one of the additional 53 million who are part of...
One tomato plant may not a farmer make, but it certainly classifies you as a gardener! During 2020, the return of the “victory garden” became a reality as we endured the pandemic’s realities. With the limited ability to travel outside our homes, there was more time to...
Spring is in the air! This year, as we see snow melting in the mountains and tulips blooming in the south, we awaken with a new sense of purpose and hope. Our “normal” is starting to return as we receive our vaccines and begin to reunite with family and friends around...
Grocery stores will always play an important role in our quest for food but during this past year, they became the “center of our universe” whether we shopped online or in person. Grocery stores were our “go to” food source and according to my husband, his social...
As we start to see a “light at the end of the tunnel,” I thought it was only appropriate to explore the lessons we’ve learned. But after reading about the changes and realities resulting from the 1918 Spanish Flu, it seemed more appropriate to reflect on where we are...
As with most things in our lives over the past year, our snacking habits have changed according to The Hartman Group. According to their research, “some (consumers) have taken the opportunity to clean up their snack diets, while others have slipped into less healthy...