One of three commercially grown fruits unique to North America (the others being blueberries and Concord grapes), cranberries are gaining in popularity as a healthy and versatile culinary fruit. Once only found in the wild, today they are cultivated in the northern U.S. and bordering regions of Canada, and are widely available fresh, dried, or […]

As any noodle lover knows, the world of noodles is a big one with almost every country having a traditional noodle deeply rooted in its history and culture. Italy is known for its long pastas like spaghetti and linguini, Germany is noted for spatzle, and Hungary for its pinched noodles (or csipetke, as my Hungarian-born husband […]

There is a gardeners’ joke that goes something like this: Why do New Englanders lock their cars only in September? Answer: To keep them from being filled with zucchini. Like all great comedic lines, this one is rooted in the truth because the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) of vegetables includes some 700 different varieties, of which […]

“Whereas there has long represented love, friendship, peace and the devotion of the American people to their country…that the flower commonly known as the rose is designated and adopted as the national floral emblem of the United States of America.”  …. the Joint Resolution of the Senate and House of the 99th Congress Acting on […]

There’s a familiar old saying about mushrooms making meals marvellous, but when it comes to the delectable shiitake, here’s a pick that goes way beyond the call of duty. Aside from being top choice for the pan, the healthful benefits of eating shiitake mushrooms make them even more to marvel over. Shiitake (Lentinus edodes belonging […]

The International Herb Association named the genus Origanum “Herb of the Year” in 2005. This put them in very good company. Venus, Greek goddess of love, adored sweet marjoram – an Origanum – and grew it on Mount Olympus, naming it joy (ganos) of the mountains (oros). When I learned this, everything I felt and […]

The miracle of growing plants from tiny seeds is one of the fundamentals of human existence on planet earth. We depend upon plants for our food, oxygen and medicines. Without them we would not be here. And so the amazing phenomenon of seeds sprouting from tiny dormant capsules into small plants and then maturing into […]

In most parts of Ontario, when we take a walk in the open fields from late June to mid-July, sooner or later we are going to find that the air is filled with a strong sweet aroma. A quick search is likely to turn up some common milkweed plants with their large globular clusters of […]

Based on principles as old as the Sanskrit literature of ancient India, the modern chakra garden provides a healing sanctuary where emotional, mental and physical relief may be contemplated. Chakra is the Sanskrit word for wheel, disc or circle. And like the spokes of a wheel, chakra has generally come to mean the radiation of […]

The arrival of spring always brings the urge to detoxify the body as an annual ritual and fresh start. Many people take it upon themselves to do juice or water fasts to cleanse their systems, with some adding in colonic irrigations or enemas. This does provide some benefit for enhanced liver detoxification and removing winter’s […]

My goal when I wrote the Vegan Cook’s Bible many years ago was “to design recipes so good that everyone who enjoys food – non-vegan and non-vegetarian cooks included – would scramble to make and taste them.” I wanted to create new vegan recipes that celebrate the very best of organic fruits, herbs and vegetables. […]

(The following is an excerpt from The Boreal Herbal: Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North; Aroma Borealis Press 2011; adapted for publication in Vitality Magazine) Funnily enough, the word “nettle” made its way into the English language as part of the folk expression, “What the nettle!” probably because that is what you say […]

The Science Behind Ingredients That Curb Our Cravings

Winter in Canada can often leave us wondering who shut off our energy supply and replaced it with the urge to load up on carbs. Up to 35% of Canadians report suffering from dwindling energy levels during the long dark months of snow and ice.

When European settlers came to Canada, out of necessity they often came with very few possessions. They could only bring what was most valuable to them. Once they arrived, most of them had to grow their own food. Knowing that there would be a limited availability of seeds for planting in their new home, they […]

Dig deep and you will find that from beets and burdock to turnips, turmeric and yams, plant roots are some of the most humble and unassuming – and at the same time underrated – foods we can eat. Economical, healthy, and tasty, roots have been important to humans since the dawn of time. Paleobotanists and […]

“There is nobody who, having a garden, shouldn’t plant a great number [of black currant bushes] for the needs of their family,” wrote the Abbé P. Bailly de Montaran in 1712. And he added: “Black currant is a fruit that promotes long life in human beings.” One of the most interesting things about herbal medicine […]