I love homegrown organic cherry tomatoes. There is something magical about picking them off the plant and popping them in your mouth as you work in the garden. The also add warm color to a tossed salad.

Cherry tomatoes are abundant in the summer months, but what is extra special is if you can stretch your season longer, so you get them earlier in the spring and later in the fall. Obviously, Southern states have a longer growing season, but there are a few things you can do to extend your tomato season no matter where you live.

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Tips for Decoding Egg Carton Labels

New York Times writer, Catherine Price, recently wrote an interesting article about one of the most common kitchen staples: the egg. As she says, in the past, “an egg was an egg.” Your only choice was size.

But now, consumers can choose from what some foodies call “designer eggs.” Some producers claim to treat their hens more humanely than other producers. Other cartons boast of extra health benefits from their eggs, such are more Omega-3 fatty acids.

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of regulation of some of these terms; animal welfare groups warn consumers to pay careful attention when they buy.

Here’s a brief explanation of the controversy, a glossary of terms, and some tips for wading through the competing claims.

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Do ever feel amazed at the fast pace of life in the year 2007 compared to life even just a decade ago? Information on demand, multitasking, fast food, and the ever-increasing pace of business can be downright overwhelming sometimes. The food industry is changing too. Ironically, as Americans speed up and become more worldly, we yearn for foods from a simpler time: foods produced by people we know, foods whose ingredients we can pronounce, high quality, lovingly prepared dishes with an eye toward environmental sustainability. Because consumers are demanding these things, the organics sector of the food industry is growing at an amazing rate and shows no signs of slowing down.

What Does Organic Mean?

Walk down the aisle of any large grocery store today. Nestled just around the corner from the processed foods full of dyes, chemicals and sugar we came to know and love as children, are the new organic, natural, good-for-you products. Most of them purport to be good for the environment and good for our bodies. With all the clamor about organics these days, deciding what to buy and how to cook can be confusing. It doesn’t have to be.

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