The markings on the thermometer have begun to rise, but that’s not what’s really telling me that summer is here. It started with a Memorial Day picnic and it has continued since then with gatherings for graduations, a farewell, a birthday party, a baptism, a ‘welcome home,’ and a ‘nice that you’re here in town.’  […]

There’s something warm and fuzzy about the feeling I had when I opened the April 30, 2013 Wall Street Journal article, Hummus Is Conquering America. In this article I learned that Virginia farmers who were accustomed to growing tobacco on their beautiful, fertile ground, are embarking on the growing of chickpeas. Yes, they’re going to […]

As you know if you’ve read my old post about sugar and junk food, we prefer sweetness from birth. What a surprise! I remember what a tough time I had 30 or 40 years ago when my children were little and I believed that I always needed to have cookies on hand for them. (O.K., […]

Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of my favorite poet/writers said, “The glory of the farmer is that, in the division of labors, it is his part to create.” He goes on to say, “The food which was not, he causes to be.” Emerson, of course, lived in a different time, but I very much believe that […]

You probably know how nutritious dark green leafy veggies are; but are you worried that the children won’t like them, or that you won’t like them? My vegetable garden is bountiful with Swiss chard, which is a big surprise, because the quail that live in our woodsy yard were totally convinced that my first plantings […]

Yesterday, I was at the market picking up a few items, including a few golden beets; and the checker asked what could a person do with beets. So I quickly explained how I like to make them – roasted in the oven. I told her that I cut them from the greens and scrub them […]

The article begins: “You’ve had bacon with eggs, bacon cheeseburgers and even bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. But how about bacon dessert?” Then they must have read my mind, because the next sentence is, “Don’t look so disgusted.” Apparently bacon is a hot new item in doughnuts, cookies and even chocolate bars. A top seller […]

While I was at the annual conference of The American Dietetic Association, now known as The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, I came upon a booth sponsored by the Pulse Canada Association. First, let me tell you that prior to FNCE 2011, I did not know Pulse is the term for the edible seeds of […]

I was putting on a breakfast for 40 ladies about a week ago. I was whisking by the tables on my way back to the kitchen, I overheard a comment that surprised this dietitian/nutritionist. I really don’t know who said, “This is SO rich!” But frankly I was really amazed, even a bit stunned. Most […]

I want to share with you right at the beginning of this article that most Americans don’t need to worry about eating enough protein. Our meals are frequently designed around a sizable chunk of animal protein. This is protein overkill. Maybe if we understood our protein needs a little better, we’d relax our concerns in […]