Let’s say you’ve resolved to eat healthier in the new year, but find yourself tripped up over and over again by your unconquerable yen for food that’s rich and delicious. And let’s also say that one of your favorite dishes is mashed potatoes. There are no potatoes in this recipe, but by the time your […]

Weeds can be especially troublesome in greenhouses. They starve plants of nutrients, water and light. They also protect insects, mites, rodents and other pests. “Not only are weeds a problem in and of themselves … (but) many greenhouse weeds harbor other pests, including white fly, and may be an alternate host for important viral diseases,” […]

“Soil don’t get no respect,” Rodney Dangerfield might have said (but didn’t). Perhaps you know your state bird or flower, but do you know your state soil? Well, in recent years soil has begun to get more respect. Since the celebration of the Soil Survey Centennial back in 1999, each state has been given its […]

Summer 2018 will mark 10 years since our family arrived in Maine, making this winter our 10th. Throughout this past decade, I’ve convinced a number of people — some of them family, some of them friends — to move to Maine. Many of them arrived this summer when the sky was blue and the sun […]

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina Flames glow, smoke billows and the aroma of slowly burning logs blends with the flavors of lightly charred calamari with broccoli and aioli cooked inside a handmade wood-fired oven. Like other dishes at Proper restaurant, essential ingredients for this house favorite are timber and fire. Proper was recently named in the Latin […]

I have a confession. I miss seeing the UPS delivery guys wearing shorts. It’s not because they have great legs, though it’s a bit frustrating that they all have better legs than me. It’s really because that means it’s too cold for them to challenge each other by seeing who can stand the cold the […]

Didn’t we turn over a new leaf in 2018? Didn’t everyone in Washington resolve to work together on America’s important problems and get things done? Oh, sorry. That must have been that pipe dream I had last weekend when I dozed off in my La-Z-Boy watching the Times Square ball fall on TV. The New […]

In the final days of 2017, protests erupted and quickly spread to cities across the country of Iran. More than a week later, a government crackdown has left more than 20 people killed and 450 arrested, as demonstrations continue in the most serious show of resistance to the oppressive regime in Tehran since the 2009 […]

Looking ahead to next year, how about an olive tree for a holiday tree? I’m not suggesting olive to replace spruces, firs and other conifers that are our traditional holiday trees. But an olive tree, which symbolizes peace and is a tree you actually would find growing in Jerusalem, is an appropriate accompaniment to the […]