Simply in Season is a beautiful and useful cookbook with more than 300 recipes interspersed with comments, facts, and reminiscences about eating seasonally, sustainable agriculture, community, and family. Recipes were contributed by people from all over the U.S. and Canada. Arranged by season, the recipes are uncomplicated and inviting. They cover just about every type […]
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Cedar Gard is a cedar-oil product for insect control that has received OMRI approval for use by organic growers. The EPA has exempted cedar oil products from pesticide requirements in recognition of their general safety. The manufacturer of Cedar Gard, Natural Resources Group, says that the cedar oil works by repelling insects, confusing their
Cedar oil repellent Read More »
If you’ve been thinking of making energy efficiency improvements to your home, 2006 and 2007 are the years to do it, according to the August/September issue of Mother Earth News. That’s because the federal government is offering tax credits for many types of energy-saving measures purchased before 2008 (although Congress is considering expanding the
Tax credits available Read More »
Alternative energy systems for greenhouses will be the focus of several workshops at the New England Greenhouse Conference Nov. 1-3 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Panelists will present information about heating with wood, cooking oil, automotive oil, or using solar and wind energy to power the greenhouse. For more information: www.negreenhouse.org or 802-655-7769.
The Senate is expected to vote soon on the National Uniformity for Food Act (S. 3128), a bill that could wipe out an estimated 200 state and local food safety and labeling laws, including shellfish and milk safety laws, restaurant safety laws, and carcinogen and lead warning labels. The bill will eliminate these innovative
Uniform food labels imminent Read More »
The average temperature for the continental United States from January through June 2006 was the warmest first half of any year since records began in 1895, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. The warmth was focused on the West, where 11 states were much warmer than average. Only
Even hotter than you thought Read More »
USDA’s Market News Service is planning to start a two-year pilot program this fall to report organic fruit and vegetable prices. The plan is to report from existing market news offices in 15 cities. The pilot program depends on cooperation from another branch of USDA, so it can’t hurt to voice support for the
Organic produce prices… Read More »
In response to pleas from flower growers, Market News Service has reinstated its cut flower price report in one terminal market, Boston. The new report is much better than the old one. It clearly states the number of stems per bunch, the size of the stems, and other factors affecting prices. For example, the
…and flower prices Read More »
“Eat Local” campaigns, which were initiated by farm groups not so long ago, have rapidly moved into the mainstream and are being enthusiastically embraced by consumers. That’s good news for growers, but be aware that, like most things pertaining to food, it’s not without controversy. One of the biggest trends is the Eat Local
Letter from the Editor: Eat Local Read More »
In a 1997 essay entitled “The Sinking City” by Joel Simon (Published in a great collection called The Mexico Reader, Joseph and Henderson, editors, Duke University Press), Mr. Simon paints a sobering picture of Mexico City’s water situation. The city sits on a dry lake bed, and the majority of the water used by the
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