A presidential executive order now protects herbicide producers from lawsuits brought by consumers injured by glyphosate, the active ingredient in RoundUp weed killer. Putting the battle line directly between the president’s desire to protect huge corporations from expensive lawsuits and the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Trump’s Secretary of … Read more
“Home-grown tomatoes, home-grown tomatoes, what would life be without home-grown tomatoes? Only two things that money can’t buy, that’s true love and home-grown tomatoes…” I hummed this favorite John Denver song to myself throughout the spring when I planted my seeds indoors, tenderly transplanted those little plants into my garden in May after the danger … Read more
Gardening is the world’s best kept exercise secret. But that’s changing. Recent medical studies have documented what backyard enthusiasts have known for years: Gardening is good for us and it’s a great way to achieve and maintain physical fitness. Regular garden chores can burn anywhere from 120 to 200 calories per 30 minutes, depending on … Read more
As summer arrives, just a reminder that it’s always wise to limit your sun exposure. But who among us is always wise? Not me! Now’s the time to sing the praises of the kitchen plant — aloe vera. There’s nothing quite like the gel of this succulent plant to ease pain and speed the healing … Read more
Did you know the air inside your home could be more polluted than the air outside? Between cleaning products, furniture off-gassing, and everyday dust and dander, our indoor spaces can harbor a surprising number of toxins. Luckily, there’s a natural—and beautiful—solution: indoor plants that purify air. Not only do houseplants help clean the air, they … Read more
This has been a somewhat difficult gardening year. Thanks to a neighbor who likes to kill everything in sight, there are no coyotes or snakes to control the squirrel and rabbit population, so we lost all of our tomatoes and most of everything else. Sigh. The good news is that we have a bumper crop … Read more
Do you wake up feeling like you’ve never been asleep? Do you lie awake at night? Do you feel fuzzy-headed and you’re prone to headaches? Muscle aches and pains? These symptoms are part of a basket of maladies that might be chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). They could also describe hypothyroidism or adrenal fatigue. Unfortunately these … Read more
Have you planted your garden yet? It’s the perfect time. Even if you only have a potted tomato on your urban balcony or a couple of herbs on your kitchen window sill, gardening is : personally rewarding offers you the freshest foods possible healthy, and great exercise I fully admit my addiction to gardening! Since … Read more
If you have read my book, Food is Medicine: 101 Prescriptions from the Garden, you probably noticed a theme running through it: Certain foods are mentioned over and over, to prevent and treat diseases and maladies that are vastly different. That’s because these foods are superfoods, ones that are so dense in nutrients that they … Read more
I don’t know about you, but I get pretty tired of apples and oranges and plastic tubs of organic lettuce and plastic tomatoes in the winter. So I couldn’t be happier with the advent of spring and the vastly expanded array of fruits and vegetables now available. Variety is the spice of life, so we … Read more