Resolutions to get fit might garner the bulk of people’s attention come New Year’s Day. But resolution season also marks a great time for busy families to commit to spending more time together. Hobbies can bring people together, which makes them an ideal outlet for families who want to spend more ti...

Looking for something bright to perk up your taste buds during the doldrums of winter? Look no further than this delectable recipe, courtesy of the Massachusetts Cranberries. Cranberry Spiced Braised Beef Makes 4 – 6 servings 2 T. olive oil or rendered bacon fat 3 lbs. boneless chuck beef roast, tie...

Real maple syrup and maple flavored syrup are both deliciously sweet and derived from plants, but they differ significantly. Unless labeled “Real Maple Syrup,” the syrup you purchase for your favorite breakfast foods is primarily made from corn. Some immediately observable differences include the pr...

Picture an orchard. You probably thought about apples, or maybe pears, or maybe peaches. Californians may picture almonds. Louisianans may picture pecans. Those from southern Europe may even picture olives. But have you ever thought about pawpaw? According to the National Park Service, the pawpaw is...

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. The U.S. EPA notes that radon disperses rapidly outdoors, which makes it a generally innocuous gas. However, radon can become trapped indoors, and it’s in those instances when the gas poses a potentially significant threat. How does radon get inside? T...

Humans are funny creatures – especially when it comes to celebrating a new year. There are different traditions around the world, but here in the USA, I think ours wins the prize for the strangest, if not most puzzling. After a month of feasting and making merry we suddenly, at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1,...

Post-holiday exhaustion is no joke. Everyone feels it in varying degrees of intensity, but the often days-long slump after New Year’s Day can be rough. Late nights preparing a house for guests and wrapping presents. Long, hot days of cooking for holiday feasts. A valiant effort to will yourself awak...

Country Culture’s assistant editor – a lifelong farm kid – reflects on the new year I’m sitting here on New Year’s Day at my grandparents’ kitchen table, looking out over the back pasture of 20 acres that crests down the hill behind the house. The farm in total is over a hundred acres – much of it w...

When I look back at my childhood and recall the passing of seasons – the peach trees blooming in spring, the waving grass of the hay meadows in summer and the changing colors of the trees in autumn – I miss the closeness of winter most of all and the exhilaration of the cold night air and the welcom...