Onions are one of those foods it is easy to take for granted. Yet they are an essential ingredient in a variety of dishes. Anybody who does much cooking probably uses onions several times a week. I can think of countless recipes which start with the words: “sauté onions until they are translucent.” Because they […]
Henry David Thoreau, in the years after he wrote On Walden Pond, devoted himself to the study of the native plants in the vicinity of his home town: Concord Massachusetts. One plant he wrote about at some length was the wild grape (Vitis labrusca), which abounded in his neck of the woods. In one passage, […]
In the natural foods business, we are always looking for the next “superfood.” Last year it was mangosteen, a tropical fruit from southern Asia. This year it is goji berries, a Tibetan food from the Himalayas. Both are revered in their native habitats and have long traditions of use as health supporting foods. Both have […]
It is one of the most versatile plants known to man, harvested for food and fiber for well over 10,000 years. It was grown by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The original Declaration of Independence was printed on paper made from its fiber. Its seed has more protein than any plant food except the soybean. […]
Like most Americans, my first experience with figs was in the form of a cookie. Fig Newtons were one of the first “mass-produced” cookies, first made in 1891 and still popular today. This famous soft cookie with its fig jam filling was a favorite of my grandfather. I was never wild about them because I […]
