While travelling in Tuscany in 2008, our family had a wonderful time, staying in apartments and agritourism sites. After several days in Firenze, a side trip to Venezia and a lovely week in a house on the island of Elbe, looking out over the Mediterranean, we arrived at Fattorio di Fubbiano, an organic winery and olive oil plantation in the hills east of Lucca. The vineyards on this hillside were a favourite of the Roman emperors. The grapevines stretch out over acres, along

In this comprehensive online article, Ame Vanorio of Morning Chores outlines all the basics you will need to grow peppers. Although the varieties she mentions may not be as well adapted to northern, short season, growing, she provides the basic steps and knowledge you will need. Read the article HERE.

Dame Judi Dench, the esteemed British actress, has a deep love for trees. In this hour long BBC documentary, she explores the secret life of trees and our relationship with them.

In this video, Doug and Stacy, off-grid homesteaders in the US, demonstrate how they create sweet potato slips for planting, sprouting them in water then planting them out.

Ready to make some, tasty, traditional, truly weird bread? How about starting with some 150 year old sourdough starter from the place it all started? Here is the link to order your own! https://kensingtonsourdough.ca/

The word herb is a loose term that means any plant grown for flavour or medicinal purposes, including various leafy greens and flowers that contain strongly smelling and tasting compounds and plants that help our bodies heal or maintain balance and health. Wise women (and men) have known about the ability of certain herbs to heal for centuries. Common herbs include low shrubs with woody stems, as well as more delicate annual plants. Many are perennials, meaning that they will

What do turnips, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and bok choy have in common? They are all in the Brassica family. This article will tell you how to shop for brassicas and includes some simple recipes to use them up. Read it HERE.

Wondering which flowering plants to add to your garden this year? Great for pollination, as well as adding beauty, annuals are easy if you scatter seed or prepare bulbs by stratifying them in your refrigerator. HERE are some suggestions.

All of the members of the Brassica family that we grow for food (cabbage, kale, kohl rabbi, broccoli and broccolini, cauliflower) are closely related and have developed over time as humans have selected plants for their edible leaves, stem or flower. HERE is the full story!

Everything that lives dies. Everything that dies decomposes and releases minerals and nutrients to feed the soil. In nature, organic materials decompose and nutrients are released into the soil to be taken up by surrounding plants. In the forest, tree leaves and other organic materials fall to the ground and over time they decompose with the help of macro-organisms (insects, worms, snails, etc.) and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) to produce nutrient-rich organic material