By Diane Schivera Many natural barriers help prevent bacteria from entering eggs. The “bloom” or “cuticle,” a gelatinous covering that dries after the egg emerges from the hen, helps seal the pores in the shell, reducing moisture loss and bacterial penetration. The many egg membranes also help prevent the passage of bacteria. The shell membranes
By Eric Sideman, Ph.D. Winter is the time to plan gardening and farming practices that will overcome problems from the past year. It is a time of optimism. Looking forward to great success is easy with all the beautiful pictures in seed catalogs, but the rotting vegetables in the root cellar may bring back a
By Roberta Bailey I recently heard the results of a study comparing the success rates of three popular diets. They were about equally successful, and researchers advised going with the one that seemed easiest to stick with. The report was followed by a doctor’s personal commentary saying that losing weight comes down to the simple
By Deb Soule This article is for information only; please consult a health care practitioner if you have a serious medical problem. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a member of the nightshade family. It grows as an annual in northern New England. This herb grows as a semihardy evergreen shrub in its native habitat of India,
By Jean Noon I operate a 50- to 60-ewe, organic sheep farm in southern Maine. During the fall of 2002 I learned through Coastal Enterprises about the Northeast SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) Grant Program. I was interested because I was worried that I would be unable to continue managing my flock organically under
Ribes Species and White Pine Blister Rust – An Update, June 9, 2015 Over the past several years, interest has increased throughout the Northeast in growing and cultivating currants, gooseberries and other species in the genus Ribes for backyard and commercial fruit production. Stimulated by development of varieties that were either resistant or immune to
Growing cranberries from seed can result in unusual fruits – such as his albino that Harker grew. English photo. By Jean English John Harker thinks that our native cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon, is “probably one of the better crops to grow organically.” He explained its culture at the 2004 Common Ground Country Fair. When he isn’t
John Bunker coats an apple with Tanglefoot. English photo. Hang about two sticky apples in each tree, at eye level, and prune away nearby branches. The apples trap apple maggot flies. English photo. A soda bottle with a hole cut in the side and molasses and vinegar in the bottom can trap codling moths. English
An organic farm in the Bacuranao River Valley, near Havana, Cuba, as viewed from 26th of July Cooperative’s headquarters. Jed Beach photo. By Jed Beach The view from the hilltop headquarters of the former Empresa Pecuaria Bacuranao is just the sort of command-and-control, panopticon view to satisfy the manager of a large-scale, industrial farm. “All
Christine Zollinger (left), Terry Allan and Robert Zollinger pose at the Zollingers’ demonstration seed garden at the Ballenberg Building Museum in Switzerland. The Zollingers travel two to three hours to this garden every other week to help promote seed saving – and to take a break from their own seed farm. Terry Allan photo. by
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