summer fest: a vintage look at fresh corn

David Tsay

Tomato plants are a staple in many gardens, but did you know that there are weeds out there that can easily be mistaken for them? From horse nettle to black nightshade, check out these Weeds that Look like Tomato Plants.

No food signifies summer more than watermelon. We’re so sweet on the hot pink (or yellow) fruit that we designed an entire watermelon bar party showcasing the many ways to snack on, sip, and even centerpiece-ify the hydrating produce item.

A late start to the gardening season may not deterred insects. Bees and hoverflies are spoilt for choice of nectar rich flowers in the summer months

Tired of planting the same old marigolds, petunias, and begonias? Try some different annuals in your garden this year. Many provide pollen and nectar for pollinating insects and attract hummingbirds. Here are a few of my favorites that I always incorporate into my landscape. They will perform well in South Carolina’s hot, humid summers, and with proper care, these annuals will continually bloom until frost.

Each year, I look forward to watching the bleak winter landscape begin to come to life as if transitioning from black and white to Technicolor. Yellow is one of the first colors to appear with the flowers of forsythia and our state flower, yellow jessamine. As I was driving to work this week, I noticed a new color emerge amidst the roadside trees.

Start by considering what healthy eating means and what eating patterns are like for you during ‘non-holiday’ times. Referring to basics – use MyPlate to guide balancing and choosing from food groups and the US Dietary Guidelines for general health. Our plates should contain proportionately more plant-based foods – vegetables, whole grains, and fruit, and then lean dairy and protein sources. Focus on consuming nutrient-dense foods while decreasing foods high in sodium, sugar, and fat

You know by now that it's always good manners to show up to an event with a little trinket for the host in tow. But if you're feeling stumped about what to bring with you to the next summer get together that's on your calendar, we're here to provide you with a whole new list of ideas that are sure to be well received.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE WRITTEN to say you enjoy the radio podcasts I create with Robin Hood Radio (NPRs newest and smallest affiliate, and just down the road from me in Ruralville, USA here). Marshall, Jill and I do have fun with our Monday-morning conversations–but you can listen anytime.

Garden visitors, average early January 2015 day:30 dark-eyed juncos 11 goldfinches 1 male Eastern bluebird 3 Northern cardinals 5 white-throated sparrows 12 American robins 7 mourning doves 9 blue jays 3 tufted titmice 6 black-capped chickadees 2 white-breasted nuthatches 1 red-bellied woodpecker 2 downy woodpeckers 1 hairy woodpecker 1 yellow-belli

THE 2010 SCHEDULE:Each Wednesday for the rest of the summer and probably longer, a group of blogging friends including Todd and Diane at White on Rice Couple; Shauna Ahern the Gluten-Free Girl, and Food2 will swap our recipes and tips about the following harvest-fresh ingredients. You’ll love meeting this year’s participants (a full list with links will accompany my post Wednesday and every week). The schedule:7/28: cukesnzukes 8/4: corn 8/11: herbs, greens, and beans 8/18: stone fruit 8/25 tomatoes more to come if we all want it — stay tuned! We each post something and then link to one another, so that you can travel around the combined effort, gathering the goodies.HOW YOU CAN JOIN IN SUMMER FEST:Giving back

It Ain’t What It Used to Be Though corn is rightly labeled native to the Americas, the original plant from which today’s corn derives, called Teosinte (technically in the genus Zea), had a long and winding journey from its roots in Southern Mexico.  Talk about the domestication of a wild thing!The original grass had far fewer, tiny kernels, and not in anything so orderly an arrangement as today’s tightly packed heads that we call ears of corn. Have a look at these images (especially the macro ones) to see how heroic a job has been accomplished.Starting more than 7,000 years ago, careful cultivation and selection by native peoples of the Americas and much more recently by farmers in wider reaches have yielded corn for