As the days shorten and the gardens are put to bed, I find I not only miss fresh greens, I miss puttering in my garden and watching my food grow. So, for several years, I’ve been experimenting with ways to grow meaningful amounts of vegetables indoors.
Posts filed under Food & Nutrition
Kids Can Cook, Too! And Why They Should…
Cooking isn’t just about whipping up tasty treats (although that’s definitely a big part of the fun). Empowering and nurturing children’s culinary skills extends far beyond the kitchen. It’s a fantastic adventure where kids explore, create, and learn skills that will stick with them for life. Think of it as a mix of delicious experiments and add a sprinkle of essential life lessons on top. From crafting scrumptious snacks to understanding the fuel that keeps us going, kids learn the importance of nutrition, gain confidence, and feel accomplished. In today’s fast-paced world, introducing kids to the wonders of cooking is an invaluable gift, offering them a foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating habits and a deeper appreciation for the culinary arts.
Out Of My Comfort Zone: Sharing My Song
I’ve never enjoyed exposing myself to potential scrutiny and criticism. Staying quietly out of the limelight seemed like a good strategy for avoiding these unpleasantries. My friendly, people-loving nature, along with a deep desire for approval, caused me to prioritize putting others at ease, and to do what I could to keep everybody comfortable. I’d always believed that was the right thing to do…the nice thing to do. In many ways it felt good, yet a disastrous cost to me of all this people-pleasing was that I was chronically tense, and I was squelching my own true self-expression.
Cooking with Lisa: A Flavorful Winter in Michigan
In Michigan, winter can be cold and snowy which limits the availability of locally grown fresh vegetables. However, some flavorful vegetables can still be in season during winter, especially if they are grown in greenhouses, cold frames, or are properly stored. Here are some vegetables that are in season and readily available during our winters. Many root vegetables like carrots, beets, turnips, and parsnips can withstand cold temperatures and are nearly always available in winter. These are versatile and can be used in a number of ways, including roasted, and in soups like the one below.
Great Tastes in Local Food
Local restaurant reviews for Winter 2024: The Deep End Cafe and Gallery, Cups n’ Chai, and Hidden King Cafe and Bar.
Tea with Peggy: Mindfulness and Tea
Try the following experiment with me. Shut off your TV, silence your phone, grab your tea kettle, and go over to the sink. Fill it with cold water. Listen to the sound of the water falling into the pot. How does the sound change as it fills? Place the kettle on the stove. Listen to the sound the kettle makes as the water gently heats to a boil. Pour the hot water in a clear mug. Place your tea in the water. Observe as the color slowly swirls and filters through the cup until it turns the water a rich brown. Take a moment and breathe in the tea’s aroma. Take a small sip. Sit for a moment and just breathe.
Tantre Farm Honeybee Nut Festival A Fall Celebration of Nature’s Bounty
If you’re looking for a fun, free, educational, and delicious way to celebrate fall, the Third Annual Tantre Farm Honeybee Nut Festival in Ann Arbor is the place to be on Sunday Ocotber 8th.
In Pursuit of the More Perfect Apple at Amrita Farms
Amrita Farms is the only organic apple orchard within over a 50-mile radius for U-Pick apples. The farm was started 27 years ago, on a 54-acre parcel, in order to combine sustainable farming and education in pursuit of an eco-friendly lifestyle. The owner’s first initiative was to help mother nature by planting several hundred evergreens. The farm struggled since its start to find its identity, milling through multiple products with a revenue stream not taking root because of the clay soil. Kymal, known in business circles as a serial entrepreneur, refused to accept failure
Cooking with Lisa: Cozy Soups for Fall
As the crisp autumn air sets in, it’s the perfect time to indulge in comforting and nourishing fall soups. From hearty stews to creamy bisques, these seasonal delights capture the essence of fall flavors and warm our souls. Here are two easy and delicious fall soup recipes that use seasonal ingredients and will keep you cozy and satisfied throughout the season.
Herbs for Your Garden: Yarrow
Yarrow is an indispensable herb that you’ll always find growing in my herb garden. Its versatility is formidable, making it an excellent tool in your herbal medicine kit. If you asked an herbalist what single plant they would bring with them to a deserted island, their answer will most likely be “Yarrow!”
Great Tastes in Local Food: Fall 2023
Local restaurant reviews for fall 2023.
Fall Produce Preservation and Meal Prep
It’s the perfect time to preserve the abundance of the local harvest—and make meal prep a snap all through the winter! If you’ve only used your dehydrator to make apple rings and kale chips, get ready to fall in love with dehydrating some new vegetables and learn how to use them to make fast, nutritious meals.
Tea with Peggy, Mystical Pu'erh Tea
As fall and winter fast approach, night arrives earlier, and the once lush fields and gardens filled with flora and fauna are dying. The magic of fall and winter is different than that of spring. Earth emits a darker unknown quality. It’s a mystery to be explored. A time of year to tell a good ghost tale while shipping on something warm, dark, and inviting—like Pu’erh tea.
Gateway Farm: Growing with Permaculture
The mid-January day I visited Gateway Farm in Plymouth was breezy, and the temperature was in the low thirties with faint flurries falling. At the farm’s small, dirt parking lot off Joy Road, I met Bridget O’Brien who, along with her husband Dr. Charlie Brennan, is the farm’s co-director. After we greeted each other, I said, “Not the best time of the year for me to see the farm, I guess.” “It’ll be okay,” she replied cheerfully. “We’ll be able to see everything because there’s no snow on the ground. Plus,” she added, “The sorrel is still green.”
Herbs for Your Garden: Calendula
Calendula is grown as a self-seeding annual in USDA grow zones two through eight. In areas with warm winters (above 25⁰F), it blooms year-round. Calendula thrives in full sun with well-drained soil. I recommend sowing Calendula seed directly into the garden early to mid-spring. It’s ideal to plant the seeds as soon as the soil is workable since germination benefits from cool weather, but don’t stress too much about timing. I’ve had success planting seeds year-round. Calendula is a self-seeding annual, which means seeds dropped by the plants in the fall will lay dormant on the ground all winter and then sprout the next spring. However, it’s not an aggressively spreading plant, so don’t worry about it taking over your garden.
Great Tastes in Local Food: Spring 2023
Restaurant reviews for: North Star Lounge, Latin American Cuban Cuisine, and Plate Sushi and Chicken.
Sustainable Health: When Food as Medicine Becomes Food as a Threat to Health
In the early 1990’s, when first beginning my foray into nutrition work, the cutting edge was the emergence of the low carb diet. The Atkins Diet was published in 1992 and faced off against the high carb, low fat heart disease reversal program of Dean Ornish. Ornish is a physician who led the public and the medical community toward a plant based, low fat lifestyle approach to preventing and reversing heart disease.
Cooking With Lisa
Vegan burgers are plant-based alternatives to traditional meat-based burgers. They’re made with a variety of healthy and tasty plant-based ingredients, such as beans, grains, vegetables, and soy protein, and can be seasoned with a variety of spices and herbs to create a flavorful and satisfying meal.
Tea Time with Peggy: Cold Brew Tea
By Peggy A. Alaniz
With the high heat and humidity of a summer day in Michigan, the last thing I want to do is boil water for tea. It’s summer! I want to take life easy, maybe play in my garden or go out on the lake. While boiling water is not hard, I don’t want to waste time waiting for the tea to chill. While I could let the sun brew some tea, I could just as easily cold brew it in the refrigerator overnight.
Argus Farm Stop: Mission Driven
Mission driven in all its disparate pieces, this grocery store, that is so much more, is determined to serve many sectors of our local culture. It could seem confusing, if it wasn’t all so smooth. Argus is a daily farmers’ market, and a local grocery and sundries store. It is a coffee shop and cafe, a tavern, and an entertainment venue. It is an education center offering weekly webinars, classroom curriculum, and full trainings. And Argus Farm Stop is a crucial component that was missing for the growth of our local food system.
