Unusual desserts make sweet holiday gifts
I try my hardest to shop local during the holidays. Since I live in Vista, I often visit the Vista Farmers Market, which is open...
Jano Nightingale
Far from family? Celebrate Friendsgiving this year
“Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother’s house we go.” This popular phrase is no longer the case for many of us who...
Ways to get help or help out during CalFresh benefits delay
More than 395,000 individuals across 240,000 families will be affected by the federal shortage of funds to pay CalFresh (aka SNAP and EBT) benefits for...
Put a squash on your table
Can you eat your Halloween pumpkins? Why not? Instead of throwing your orange treasure in the compost or recycling bin, why not make a pie...
A rough patch in the garden
Somedays it is just a bad day in the garden. As hard as you try, the elements seem stacked against you, or an unwanted visitor...
Plan ahead for holiday herbs
Christmas in July or Thanksgiving in September? As vegetable gardeners, we grow food that is useful, not just pretty to look at. And right now,...
The irresistible fig
At this time of year in Southern California, figs are in season. But if not picked immediately, they will fall to the ground and become...
Getting the hang of butternut squash
The winter squash, which in midsummer is showing its stuff, is a botanical wonder that surprises us all in its utter determination to grow to...
Discover a new tomato sauce from the Southwest
It’s harvest time for tomatoes and peppers in most North County gardens. Many gardeners hark back to preparing the traditional Italian tomato sauce that they...
Summer squash soup
Summer soup. Although the two don’t seem to go together, I love to gather as many vegetables from the garden that are just ripe and...
Jano’s Garden: Berry Berry summer desserts
As I walk through the summer farmers’ markets, filled with stalls offering boxes of sweet strawberries and blueberries, I am reminded of Sunday dinners at...
Farm-to-table home dinners
It is officially summer! June 20 brings thoughts of summer food and outdoor dining. So, clean off your outdoor picnic table and get started on...
Searching for the brightest summer flowers
“Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows … is what I feel when we’re together.” That’s how singer Lesley Gore felt in the 1960s, but lately we have...
Spending summers outdoors can be magical for kids
A young girl was walking in a Carlsbad Village park with her mother and younger brother. She reached down to pick up a long brown...
A school garden to grow on
Why garden with children? According to Pam Arias, second-grade teacher at South Oceanside Elementary School, “The idea of taking children outdoors to work in the...