Bhopal Update: April 20, 2000 By Terry Allan Remember Bhopal? The site of the worst chemical industrial disaster in history? I will never forget it. The tragedy of Bhopal put me on a path of questioning our agricultural systems that dramatically changed my world view and led to my decision to become an organic farmer.
By Diane Schivera, M.A.T. Selling organic eggs in Maine requires knowing the regulations for licensing, certification, labeling, etc. Here’s a summary of some of those rules, with links to more extensive information. Licensing and Labeling If you raise fewer than 3,000 laying hens, you don’t need a license or inspection from the Maine Department of
The branch collar is the wrinkled-looking tissue where one branch joins another or joins the trunk of a tree. English photo. By C.J. Walke As the ground freezes and winter takes hold, our fruit trees become dormant and settle in for their own winter’s nap. The trees may be dormant and we may spend more
By Cheryl A. Wixson When the skies turn a dark, mottled gray and the clouds start to scurry as the winds pick up from the northeast, my heart flutters. As the elegant spruce trees bend into swirling white snowflakes and our lights flicker, my taste buds quiver. There’s a winter gale coming: time for a
Roberta Bailey grew ‘Duborskian’ rice in Maine in the summer of 2010 and displayed it in the Common Ground Country Fair Exhibition Hall. English photo. By Roberta Bailey I grew rice this year! And I actually harvested mature rice heads. The entire process entertained me all summer. It has been ages since I grew something
Insidious and Invited Invasion of the Immune System Random odors can enter the body on a cellular level in seconds. By Diana Prizio Wake up, get out of bed, but before you drag that comb across your head you might take a quick shower. Soap up. Wash your hair, condition it, maybe use shave cream.
Professor Gilles Lemieux, the father of pedogenesis applied to agriculture. By Céline Caron Soil is much more than “dirt.” Why is such a disrespectful word still used for one of the major components of life on Earth? Humanity could not be sustained without the living soils and the living oceans. Let’s banish the word “dirt”
John Fuchs with his ‘Ailsa Craig’ onions. Photo courtesy of John Fuchs. By John Fuchs Three key factors are involved in bringing in a bumper crop of large, tasty onions in northern New England: providing the right soil conditions; planting onions at the right time; and selecting the right varieties to plant. Onions grow best
Fava beans, from Thomé, Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz, 1885. English photo. By Will Bonsall So many names for one species: favas, broad beans, field beans, Windsor beans, horsebeans, tickbeans, bell beans, pigeon beans, etc.! And such a long history: Along with wheat and barley, favas have been cultivated by humankind since the
Quince drawing by Toki Oshima By Roberta Bailey Dating back over 4000 years and originating in Persia and Anatolia, quince was once the most popular fruit grown. In the Middle Ages, quince were so highly esteemed in France that a quince preserve or marmalade called contignac was the gift to visiting royalty. When Joan of
