Physician, Heal ThySelf

In America, we have havens for mistreated farm animals, such as the Farm Sanctuary. But they tend to focus on large, fuzzy mammals, such as goats and cows. In England, however, a group of dedicated knitters has been providing aid and comfort to battery chickens — birds that have outlived their egg-laying years and would [...]

There are lots of uses for leftover gravy. Want to share yours?
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That’s what many fear about genetically engineered alfalfa. Organic farmers grow alfalfa as a forage crop for livestock, but genetically engineered crops can pollinate organic crops, making them non-organic. No organic forage, no organic livestock. No organic livestock, no organic milk. 
That scenario has already played out in corn and canola, at least in some regions. [...]

I’ve been battling insomnia lately (and losing.) As a result, I’ve been feeling too tired to cook much. But I would hate to leave you in the culinary lurch so I thought I’d share some of the food blogs, sites, and cookbooks that I find most inspiring in the hopes that some of them will [...]

scones with bonnie's plum jam

This fall my sister got a serious “baking bug” and made everything from delicious ginger carrot layer cakes, biodynamic quark cheese cakes and pavlova, to whole wheat shortbread and a tiramisu (“pick me up” in Italian) that lived up to its name so much so that I was tipsy after I [...]

One of the modern animal-rights movement’s early successes, a generation ago, was raising awareness about the conditions under which baby calves were raised for meat. As a result, veal consumption plummeted. In the past few years, though, the veal industry has started implementing reforms, chiefly allowing calves freedom of movement and raising them on grass. [...]

This sumptuous dinner for the anniversary of d’Artagnan was all about mutual idolization and respect; the real joy came from working with and paying tribute to one another.
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A decade after such regulations were proposed, the USDA has passed new requirements for organic dairy farmers. New rules specify that cows must be allowed to graze on open pastures for at least 120 days of the year and get a minimum of 30 percent of their nutrition from fresh grass for their product to [...]

Lately, we’ve been making a lot of pears for our 9-month-old son, Will. We cook them with a little water until they’re soft and mix them with oat cereal for his breakfast. He loves them! They strike me as the perfect baby food — pure and sweet with the loveliest smell — it’s delicate and [...]

adding harissa

My mother and sister have been telling me about a mysterious harrisa couscous salad for years and I’m never sure what they’re talking about. They say,  “yes, you know the one we make in a glass bowl with layers of roasted vegetables, cous cous and arugula.”  I swear I have never seen nor eaten [...]