Originally Published January 2008Have you ever wondered whether some fruits or vegetables are more important to buy organic than others? The simple answer is yes! Certain crops can be more difficult to grow, and when not using organic and natural methods, require the use of many more pesticides and sprays than other crops. So ...

Ripe (very, very ripe) pears waiting to be peeled and cut. I bought a 25 lb box of Bosch pears several weeks ago and was surprised to come home from a couple days away to discover just how ripe my pears were (since they had still been green the week before)! I sprang into ...

Sadly, my sweet pickles didn't turn out this year. For some very unknown reason, rather than staying wonderfully crisp, then turned soggy. Very soggy. Since the recipe I use is pretty tried-and-true (I've done it before many times without fail), I decided to call my mother-in-law to brainstorm ideas of what went wrong. The ...

Originally Published December 2008Imagine taking a chocolate-loving woman (so, that would be pretty much any woman) to some incredible chocolate store, perhaps in, say, Belgium. The shelves and counters are lined with incredibly decadent, melt in your mouth, sweet perfection and goodness. Chocolate truffles, chocolate covered cherries, chocolate toffee, hazelnut chocolate pralines. As she stands ...

Originally Published June 2008There is a lot of bad news out there. Sometimes, being on the internet so much, I can tend to feel overwhelmed by all that I read and see. One site in particular has really been getting to me lately, with what I feel is a particularly negative, hopeless and humanistic ...

Looking for a way to memorize scripture with your children? Over the last month or two, we have begun using a system that is working so well for us. It helps us to not only learn new scriptures, but to continually be reviewing the ones that we have already committed to memory. My husband ran across this system on a ...

Originally Published March 2008The debate isn't over whether we should actually wash our fruits and vegetables or not. Most people and "experts" agree, all produce should be washed before being eaten. What is hotly debated, however, is why and with what. Some say we don't need to worry about pesticide residues, but only food-borne ...

Originally Published November 2008(Update: I didn't grow any of my own pumpkins this year, but I still intend to purchase some nice organic ones from my favorite produce market in the beginning of October and go through this same process with them. I was really happy with the pumpkin puree that I made last year ...

I have such a lovely giveaway to offer you in anticipation of my new series, A Year of Herbs (which I hope to be kicking off within the next week or two)! Here's a taste of what's up for grabs:   Aren't they beautiful? As soon as I saw them, I could just imagine how perfect any ...

Being a mama, wife and homemaker is a full time, occasionally overwhelming, but always a blessed and privileged career and calling.Lately, though, this blessed mama is finding herself with very full days! My tasks at present feel like all (and some days more than) I can handle: caring for three little ones aged 4 ...