Enjoy your time together as a family outdoors, and don’t forget hydrating drinks and sunscreen.

Enjoy lounging outdoors with a refreshing beverage

It doesn’t take much to dress up plain water for a healthy treat

Wait. Stop the van,” I said to my husband. He knew what I saw and pulled to the side of the street. “We can fix them!” I said with enthusiasm. He sighed rather heavily. Yes, he’s usually the fixer and I am the painter. Actually, sometimes I just decide where to put things. I had

When buying strawberries, look for fruits that are bright red with green caps and are free from moisture or bruising.

Enjoy seasonal strawberries

This is when strawberries are at peak quality and, usually, a lower price

I remember the “you-pick” strawberry patches we would visit in the early summer when I was a kid. You could see the plump, red berries peeking out from under the green foliage. I thought walking down the rows in a large field of strawberries was fun. I also remember a lady in a broad-brimmed floppy


Spring cleaning is a great excuse to wash and disinfect the kitchen.

Are you inspired to do some spring cleaning?

Spring cleaning, especially in the kitchen, can have multiple health benefits

As I looked around my office, the inspiration for this weekly column was right in front of me. Spring cleaning needs to be on my to-do list. Fortunately, my office isn’t dusty, and the carpet was vacuumed recently. However, piles of paper accumulated on my desk and table during the winter, just like the deep

A hemp plant in Alberta. (Jennifer Blair photo)

Hemp acres expected to double due to crop versatility

MarketsFarm — Canada’s hemp acres are set to double in 2019, according to the most recent principal field crop acreage report from Statistics Canada. The hemp industry is experiencing somewhat of a boom as hemp products of all stripes enter mainstream consumer markets. “Health Canada is running at least double the number of hemp license


Fashion, television and nutritional thinking have all changed in the past 40 years.

Looking back on nutrition trends

Though nutrition recommendations have changed over the years, moderation is still key

Where were you in 1979? I know some of my readers were adults at the time. Others were teens or children. Still others weren’t born yet. I was recently at the 40th anniversary meeting of a nutrition group that featured a keynote speaker who walked us through decades of changes in nutrition recommendations. Trust me:

Fruits and vegetables are typically the foods most lacking in diets and often wasted in kitchens.

Keep a cap on fruit and vegetable spoilage

Fresh produce is among the foods consumers waste the most

“This would be a good followup article,” my husband said with a grin. I pondered his suggestion as I grabbed a grocery cart. A while back, I wrote about a grocery shopping trip I took with our son. I was providing a “kitchen warming” gift for him after he moved into his own place. I


This time of year many of us can’t wait for the chance to grow some of our own food.

Is anyone else anxious for spring?

Now is a good time to think about what we put on our plate and perhaps growing some of the food we eat

The woman looked in my cart, glanced up at me and smiled. “I know how you feel,” she said. I didn’t look sad or dejected, by the way. I laughed and kept adding more items to my cart. What was I loading in my cart? I’ll give you a hint: I was in a hardware

One study determined that if half of all Americans increased their consumption of a fruit and vegetable by a single serving each day, 20,000 cancer cases could be prevented each year.

Comment: ‘Dirty dozen’ list of ‘dangerous’ produce questioned

Unnecessary concern about pesticides could backfire by reducing consumption of cancer-fighting produce

Since 1995, an activist group (Environmental Working Group) has released a so-called “dirty dozen” produce list. However, peer-reviewed studies show this list’s recommendations are not scientifically supportable while other studies show it may negatively impact consumers since it discourages purchasing of any produce — organic or conventional. “There are many ways to promote organic produce


Only a kitchen thermometer can tell you for sure if a food item has been cooked safely without overcooking.

Where’s your food thermometer?

If you don’t have this essential piece of kitchen equipment, you need to get one

Hi, I’m Julie. What’s your name?” I asked the woman sitting at the table at a food safety conference. She responded with her name and place of work, and asked me where I work. “I work at North Dakota State University,” I replied. “I went to college there,” she said enthusiastically. “What was your major?”

Grapes and cheese on skewers. A fun way to serve fruit and cheese while also controlling portion size.

Snacks and lunches to go

Spring can be a busy time so try these quick and nutritious food ideas

Spring break marks the home stretch for school and the start of spring farm work. For us home cooks, this means making more lunches and snacks to go. Keeping your kids and farmers fuelled with good food will help them function at their best and prevent fatigue, constipation, energy crashes and dehydration. For the best