Around 1:25 p.m. and it’s just about time to head out from the farmers’ market, which officially ends at 1. This season, we’ve been storing the entire farm stand in the communal cage where vendors can leave stuff from Saturday to Saturday. The stand is quite the compact set-up, once it’s torn down and stowed away…efficiently. On the dolly, there’s the 10′x10′ E-Z UP canopy, half a dozen folding metal sawhorses and the plywood boards that turn them into tables, a pair of chalkboards, rough cut cedar display trays (a strip of four, and singles), pieces of 2×4 used to prop up the trays, and a plastic water jug used as a canopy weight (we normally have four, but this year we’ve been lashing the canopy legs to one of our neighbors, so weighting the four corners isn’t necessary). The only thing missing, besides the veg, of course, is our market box, which is a bin containing scales, bags, signage and so forth. Most farms come to market stand and all, as we did until last season’s start of…commuter farming—living off-farm—when logistics made leaving this gear at market a lot simpler. Anyhow, this huge exhibition hall houses the indoor market on Saturdays, November through April, and the big parking lot outside is where the summer outdoor market is located. The cage, a chain link fenced corner, is out of sight to the right. And that’s just about ALL the details. :)

The late comedian George Carlin once elucidated the word "natural": "Everything is natural. Everything in the universe is part of nature. Polyester, pesticides, oil slicks, and whoopee cushions. Nature is not just trees and flowers. It’s everything. Human beings are part of nature. And if a human being invents something, that’s part of nature, too.”

Dogs have held a special place in the hearts of humans for tens of thousands of years. As one of the first domesticated animals, they have practically evolved alongside us, guarding our homes in exchange for tasty morsels, a pat on the head and a warm place to sleep.

As it turns out, dogs are guarding more than our homes – they are also guarding our health.

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Cake mixes, which were first introduced in the 1930s, didn’t really catch on until after World War II. And even then, despite stereotypes of the apron-clad '50s housewife juggling taking care of kiddos and cleaning the house with just enough time to whip together instant baking creations, cake mixes actually weren’t popular at first.

Simply adding water to a dry mix wasn’t enough to make consumers feel proud of their baking handiwork. So, those crafty manufacturers reformulated their mixes so that consumers had to add fresh eggs themselves. Sneaky.

Today, the same appeal exists. Just add a few ingredients and baking a masterpiece of a cake (that’s all your own) becomes a piece of cake. Whether a mix or a homemade cake rates better on the tasty-scale, will probably be a debate that goes on, well, forever. But from a health standpoint, there’s no debate. Homemade cakes are healthier, even if it is dessert.

Need proof? Take a look:

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If getting regular exercise and eating sensibly are just too difficult (as they often seem), you could probably use a hand in reaching your weight goals. I’ve got great news for you: There’s a product on the market that will make all of your scale anxieties melt away. It’s not another protein shake, energy pill or fad diet—no, this product comes to us from Japan, where inventors are hard at work perfecting the thing that will make you a “ten:” Fat-burning underwear.

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While the Obama Administration just announced plans to make major cuts affecting the nation's farmers in the new deficit reduction proposal “Living Within Our Means and Investing in the Future,” farming is showing no signs of slowing down—especially in American cities.

Cheerful mums, with their autumnal hues, hardy character and abundance of blooms, are easily the showoff superstars of a fall garden.

And for those among us who prefer less labor-intensive gardening, all you need to plant these flowers are a few containers. These robust babies will produce blooms (and bunches of them) for weeks, even in finicky weather. While resilient, these happy blossoms still need some TLC. Try these four tips to keep your mums looking fresh all through fall.

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From backseats to off the bow, I have had my fair share of motion sickness. The blue shade of skin is nothing compared to that dreaded feeling of nausea that I think we can all agree, is the worst! As the symptoms set it, my parents always reached for the ginger ale, as did their parents before them. Well, when (if) I become a parent, will I grab for the same thing?

From ginger ale to cranberry juice, we've all sipped our way back into health at one time or another. Or have we? Let's take a look at some common curatives that come in a cup and see if they really have what it takes to heal what ails us. 

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Junk drawers. We've all got 'em. Don't let these tiny caves of forgotten things be the bane of your existence, though. Open the drawer, take a deep breath and confidently state these five words: "What can I upcycle today?"

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