Hardy green vegetables are exactly what we need when it’s still gray and dark out there. Fortunately, January is Artichoke and Asparagus Month! According to National Today , the following is the history of the two veggies: “Also known as globe artichoke, green artichoke or French artichoke, an artic...

There’s a great article by Tara Parker-Pope that ran in the New York Times on the science behind hobbies and choosing a hobby. The long and the short of it: it’s enriching for your mental and emotional and physical health. And January is National Hobby Month! An article from the Mental Health Extens...

In what I find to be a hilarious case of “what goes around, comes around,” during the holiday season I have noticed online retailers sending out physical, glossy-papered catalogues so kids could circle with real pens, pencils and crayons what they wished for. That Toys ‘R’ Us mailer was always a hit...

We know it’s a bit cliché, but seriously, doesn’t everybody love bacon? Just thinking about it means you can imagine its unique aroma filling your nostrils. Maybe you can even pretend to taste it on your tongue. Our sense of smell is the only one of our senses that allows us to observe the past. Rem...

I don’t remember the first Christmas season that I tried eggnog. I was a bit of a picky eater as a child, so I’m imagining it wasn’t too early on. Once I tried it, I was hooked. It’s like Christmas in a cup. And it’s celebrated on Dec. 24 with National Eggnog Day! Most of the store-bought eggnogs ar...

Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, was a 12-year-old paper boy for the Bangor Daily News when he won a trip to Washington, D.C. His first trip to our nation’s capital was one he would never forget, and Arlington National Cemetery made an especially indelible i...

Mistletoe may be a welcome holiday sight when hung over a doorway if a loved one is near. Still, it can be an unwelcome intruder when found in your trees, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service horticulturist. “Mistletoe is a hemiparasite – a semi-parasitic plant,” said Allison Watkins,...

Did you know there are 1.3 million registered snowmobiles in the U.S.? And that the economic impact of the snow machines is around $26 billion annually? Snowmobiling is a big deal if you live in a region fortunate enough to receive enough snow to make the season happen. According to the Internationa...

The things that you learn doing research! December is National Pear Month and so, in thinking of the fruits, my mind immediately latched on to the first lyric from “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” But why was the partridge in a pear tree? It was speculated more than a century and a half ago that “pea...

The daylight hours keep growing shorter, and the days are flying by. Before you know it, the holidays will be here. If you have a gardener (or garden lover) on your holiday gift list, you may be wondering what might make them smile during a season when the garden is buried beneath snow. For new gard...

“America’s farms have long been vital to our nation.They contribute to our public health, safeguard our environmental resources and stand at the forefront of our country’s path toward energy independence.We must continue supporting the vital relationship between American farms and families, and work...

If you’re like me, the last couple of months have run away from you. November is far from the exception. It’s hard to believe that we find ourselves a little more than a week from Thanksgiving 2022. Planning for a major holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas can be daunting, whether you’re a seasone...

The first thing that pops into most people’s minds when they hear the word “pickle” is a pickled cucumber (often seasoned with dill). And that’s fine! There’s a reason that particular fruit/vegetable has risen to the top of the pickle pile. Pickled cucumbers are easy to make and fun to snack on. Nex...

The increased and widespread use of artificial light at night is not only impairing our view of the universe, it is adversely affecting our environment, our safety, our energy consumption and our health. The good news is that light pollution, unlike many other forms of pollution, is reversible and e...

There is a running joke in pop culture about the average American (outside of certain immigrant and minority communities) not knowing how to properly to utilize spices and seasonings. Take an app like TikTok – there are pages and pages of videos with Black and Hispanic moms, grandmothers and aunts r...