By Dan Nosowitz When we think of dangerous gases emitted by cattle, the logical first thought is of methane, let loose into the air by burps and farts to contribute to climate change. But cattle are complex creatures in their diversity of noxious fumes, and the FDA just approved the first drug to treat a […]
By Brian Barth Winter is coming. But don’t go putting your gardening gloves away just yet. Gardening is often treated as a seasonal sport, but it’s possible to play in winter, too—you just have to learn a slightly different set of rules. The first, and most important, step is to understand which crops are best […]
By Dan Nosowitz North Carolina dominates the country’s production in sweet potatoes the way few other states dominate few other crops. The state produces about 60 percent of the country’s total sweet potato crop, more than the next three states—California, Mississippi, and Louisiana—combined. Hurricane Florence’s path of destruction has been fairly well tracked for livestock, […]
By Dan Nosowitz When you think of “family farms,” a nice bucolic image probably comes to mind: something small, maybe lower-budget or lower-tech, run by a family. According to the USDA’s definition, those farms definitely are “family farms.” But so, under this definition, are multi-thousand-acre corporate entities using automated machinery to grow genetically engineered corn. […]
By Brian Barth It’s not hard to grow a bit of basil or rosemary for when you need a pinch or two in your pasta sauce, but spices—the stuff that gives a real kick to chai or curry or goulash—now that’s another matter. Spices, by which we mean things like ginger and cumin, have a […]
By Melissa Massello Whether you believe that people with restricted diets are insufferable hipsters or canaries in a coalmine, the rise in food allergies is an alert to major problems in our food chain—and the reality is that no social gathering centered on a meal can ignore the fact that people have different requirements. But […]
By Brian Barth Did you know that you can tell the sex of a bell pepper by how many bumps it has on its bottom? Actually, you can’t. But lately, plenty of Internet memes on Pinterest and elsewhere suggest that you can. The problem with this claim is that bell peppers are not male or […]
By Brian Barth Trips to the garden center can set you back plenty, as can the many high-priced garden designers that are eager to come explain your soil needs for $125/hour. Here’s a few tips for taking control of your garden, without relying on fancy gadgets and experts. 1. DIY pH Test Sometimes soil is […]
By Brian Barth The federal government still considers it a crime to grow or possess cannabis, but 30 states have now legalized it to varying degrees. Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Nevada, Colorado, Maine and Massachusetts have decriminalized weed for recreational use, and similar legislation is under consideration elsewhere. Pardon the pun, but it is high […]
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