Nothing tastes better than fresh, ripe berries from the garden. When I was a child, my family grew berries for the farmers market. While harvesting, I ate about half of the berries. My motto was “one for me, one for the market.” They were irresistible. Homegrown berries are absolutely ...

A few years ago, I picked up beekeeping as a hobby. To be honest, I’m not a very good beekeeper. Mostly, the bees keep themselves. The honeybees, along with myriad native insects and even a few bird species, are critical partners in helping trees reproduce. In general, the trees produce a ...

I am often asked, “Can I graze cover crops?” The answer is yes, you can. Sometimes a label we give something pigeonholes it for a specific purpose, making it difficult to think about its use in other ways. When cover crops became a hot topic a few years ago, I tried to relabel them as ...

“What’s on your cup?” someone asked me. I showed him the sun safety decal. It featured a cartoon sun wearing a broad-brimmed hat and holding a bottle of sunscreen. I was hoping people would notice its colorful text: “Protect Your Skin.” We’ve been sharing these reminders in honor ...

“There was nothing for me to eat on the breakfast buffet, Julie.” “Remember, I have diabetes,” he added as I sat next to him at one of the tables. I had noticed the buffet was filled with sweet rolls and lacked high-protein options. “It was heavy on carbs,” I agreed. “I was ...

Three people contacted me over the last two weeks and inquired about victory gardens. At my age, I am not very trendy, but this wartime concept seems to be gaining traction in 2026. Victory gardens originated during World War I to encourage homeowners, schoolchildren and others to grow fresh ...