Now and then I’ve been inspired to take cooking classes. Sometimes, walking past a bustling kitchen store, I’d hear laughter rise on a night it hosted cooking classes, or I’d sample fresh homemade cheese crafted by a friend who attended culinary school, and I’d…
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These days we hear a lot about “knowing your farmer” and being mindful of where your food is coming from. Every issue of the parenting magazine I read mentions something along these lines. Before I had children this was something I did not give…
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“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Or does it? A recent study published by the Environmental Working Group called “The Dirty Dozen,” has many people wondering just what they should be eating. The report ranked fruits and vegetables based on the levels…
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Our blueberry baby snitching blueberries from his big brother! It’s hard for me to believe this is almost the end of June. Life at the Orchard is running at a regular (sometimes frantic) pace. The number of tractors and equipment buzzing by our door…
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Maggie Nesciur owns an unusual business. She leaves her New York City home early in the morning—4 a.m. sometimes—drives miles away from the city and picks fruit all day. Then, she buys the fruit, returns to the city and sells the fruit to one…
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Freshly Pressed Strawberry-Carrot-Peach Juice Have you ever tasted fresh juice? I don’t mean Ocean Spray, or even the flash pasteurized juice found in the produce aisle, like Bolthouse Farms or Odwalla juices. I mean freshly pressed juice made from freshly picked fruits and vegetables. Don’t get me wrong:…
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Last year at this time, my husband and I had just moved back to Berks County from a far-off city. We returned just in time for strawberry season, and I realized that for the five years we lived in the city, I had not…
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My youngest son is 15 months old and he is crazy about berries! I never knew a kid his age could polish down half a quart of strawberries in one sitting. He’s sneaky and fast too, often swiping the strawberries off of my kitchen…
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One of the things I’ve come to love about living in Berks County is that people around here do amazing, skilled, accomplished things but treat those things as “no big deal.” They make soap, raise chickens, nurture abundant gardens, bake sprouted grain bread, can…
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You’re Invited to First Wednesdays on the Farm! Cooking and nutrition are passions of mine. When I come across a new food fact, I love passing it on to all my friends (some are more interested than others!). I also am known for talking…
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