A Gift from the Gods
By Sheila O'Neill
"Pears are a tempting fruit and man's taste for them goes back to ancient times. Their cultivation has been traced to Western Asia for 3,000 years and many historians speculate Stone Age peoples also enjoyed them. Whatever the origins, pears have been enjoyed for a very long time..."

The Little Blues
By Sheila O'Neill
"Blueberries have been around for thousands of years and were once called "star berries" because of the star-shaped outer protective covering of the flower. The American Indians believed that the "Great Spirit" sent these star berries to relieve the hunger of their children during times of famine. Explorers Lewis and Clark found that Indians in the Northwest Territory smoked wild blueberries to preserve them for the winter..."

Who Put the Graham in Graham Crackers?
By Patricia Bridgman
"If you like Graham crackers, you have Sylvester Graham to thank. Graham was a minister and “reformer” in 1800s New England. What he wanted to reform, or improve, was Americans’ eating habits. He had his work cut out for him. Typical meals in Graham’s day included huge portions of fatty meats, fried foods, gravies, pies, and cakes. People didn’t know what we know today about good nutrition..."

A-MAIZE-ING CORN
By Sheila O'Neill
"Corn is one of the world's healthiest foods and has a long interesting history. The earliest written record of corn is found in the sacred book of the Quiche Indians in western Guatemala. Those records date back to the eight-century. Better still, recent archeological excavations in southern Mexico unearthed more than 23,000 specimens of maize, as the Indians called it..."

Applesauce Pancake Surprise (with recipe)
By Loralee Leavitt
"'Breakfast,' Dad yelled. Riley ran to the kitchen table. On each plate was a golden pancake, covered with applesauce. 'Wow,' said Riley. 'What's this?' 'It's my mother's special recipe,' said Dad. 'Applesauce Pancake Surprise.' Riley looked at Dad. There was a funny look on Dad's face..."

The Luscious Strawberry
By Sheila O'Neill
"Everyone seems to love the mouth-watering strawberry, our most popular and widely grown fruit. It has a history that goes back over 2,200 years and grew wild in Italy as long ago as 234 B.C. Throughout the centuries the strawberry has been studied, cultivated, reported upon, and simply enjoyed by millions..."

Why We Scream For Ice Cream
By Sheila O'Neill
"Most everyone knows the jingle, "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream." Ice cream has been around a long time and not only children, but adults love it. They may not scream for it, but they come close. The early history of ice cream remains in doubt. Chilled or iced drinks were mentioned in the biblical world, but it's most likely that the Chinese were the first to serve iced desserts..."

Broccoli (with recipe)
By Cheryl Tallman & Joan Ahlers
"Broccoli has been around for over 2000 years. Primarily eaten by the Romans and Italians, broccoli has not been a popular veggie its entire existence. The taste was not well liked by many cultures. The USA was one of those cultures. Broccoli was planted in gardens in the US since the 1700's, and only commercially produced since the 1920's..."

Black Beans (with recipe)
By Cheryl Tallman & Joan Ahlers
"The common black bean is thought to have originated in southern Mexico and Central America over 7,000 years ago. Black beans are part of the traditional Latin diet of beans, corn and squash. Black beans are a member of the legume family. Legumes include all types of beans and are high in protein. Age to introduce:..."

Kiwi
By Cheryl Tallman & Joan Ahlers
"Kiwifruit is a berry. Originally grown in China and sometimes referred to as the Chinese gooseberry. In 1906, it was brought to New Zealand and cultivated throughout the country. New Zealand is credited with introducing the fruit globally. Thus, it carries the name of New Zealand's' national bird, the Kiwi..."

The Sun-Loving Berry
By Sheila O'Neill Lobdell
"It doesn't take long to open your refrigerator in the morning and pour a nice glass of orange juice. However, it took oranges a long, long time to get to your kitchen! The orange first appeared about 20 million years ago in the tropical jungle of southern China..."

Zucchini
By Michelle Larson-Sadler
"Summer squashes, such as zucchini, and winter squashes are native to the Americas. Archaeologists have traced their origins to Mexico, dating back from 7,000 to 5,500 BC. They were an integral part of the ancient diet of maize, beans, and squashes. This trio of foods is still the mainstay of Mexican cuisine and is commonly referred to as the "three sisters"..."

The Great Pumpkin...& Winter Squash, too >
By Michelle Larson-Sadler
"With the arrival of Autumn and the winter holidays just around the corner, their bounty will be at their peak! Each variety has its own unique personality, nutrient value and recipe versatility. Take your children to the store or the farmers' market and see how many you can identify, then have everybody try and enjoy a new one -- or several -- plain, in a recipe, or just for decoration!.."

The Perfect Fruit
By Sheila O'Neill
"Around a thousand years ago, Christian missionaries discovered an odd fruit in a North African marketplace. It tasted delicious and yet strange. One of them wrote his Bishop in Rome about this wonderful fruit and told him if you slice it, you will see a reminder of their faith, a cross. The natives knew the fruit as anana and we know it as the banana..."

Pass the hors d'oeuvres, please!
By Margaret Rizutto Smith
"My six year old son Elijah has been a vegetarian since birth. And he is one of the most finicky eaters around - he loves his pasta, though! In our ongoing effort to get Elijah to eat a more varied diet we've had to be very creative. One thing we came up with about a year ago that has been working surprisingly well is to have him make his own 'hors d'oeuvres'..."

Asparagus
By Cheryl Tallman & Joan Ahlers
"Today, during the asparagus season every eatery in Germany, offers their regular menu and a "spargelkarte," a special asparagus menu, that may list as many as 45 variations of this first spring vegetable. While asparagus may be Germany's favorite veggie, in the US, we manage to eat our fair share of this healthy stalk..."

Sweet Potatoes
By Lucy P. Watkins
"Sweet potatoes are more than the just the mush under colored marshmallows at your family's Thanksgiving dinner. These colorful root vegetables are a nutritional powerhouse offering a high level of beta carotene, a variety of uses, and great flavor that requires little, if any, seasoning..."

Use Your Veggies! How to keep greens from going to waste
By Lucy Watkins
"As members of an organic produce cooperative, we often end up with either too much produce or produce that has never seen the inside of our kitchens. In order to help reduce our waste, I will pass along storage tips, recipes, and other ideas for getting the most out of our organic veggie booty, specifically greens and broccoli..."

Tap Into Pure Maple Syrup Nostalgia, Facts, and Recipes
By Mic Lebel
"Although maple and other deciduous trees display dazzling colors in autumn, the simple pleasure and nostalgia of New England's maple syrup season begins in March and ends in April. Maple sugaring season is an important part of New England culture and the flow of sap signals the long-awaited arrival of spring. Below is a summary of the "sweet past and future" of maple syrup from Coombs Family Farms, a 7th generation maple syrup family..."

Vegetables...for Desserts?
By Rebecca Ortinau
"Mention to the kids that carrots are on the menu for dessert tonight and it won't be long before the whining begins. "Carrots . . . for dessert? But, Mommmm!" Won't they be surprised when a soft, spicy cake with creamy, sweet frosting appears on their plates rather than the crunchy, cut-up sticks they were expecting?"

Cranberries
By Cheryl Tallman & Joan Ahlers
"The cranberry is a Native American fruit that grows on trailing vines like a strawberry, and thrives in wetland areas, called bogs. Cranberries are harvested in September and October. The most common technique for harvesting is known as a "wet" harvest..."

What is "Natural Granulated Sugar"?
By Nava Atlas
"Into the category of natural granulated sugar fall several varieties, the common denominator being that they are not as refined, nor bleached like white sugar. Many vegetarians and vegans are not comfortable with the fact that 25% of all white sugar is refined using the animal bone-char process..."

Tofu at Home
By Tara Gillet-Liloia
"If you or your family is wary of new foods, begin with something that looks and tastes familiar. I am always an advocate of the surprise attack when it comes to kids; let them try it before you tell them there's tofu in it. A sweet dessert made with tofu is unlikely to be rejected by anyone in your family..."

A Two-Minute Soup to Rejuvenate Your Body
By Dr. Donald Schnell
"When you are having a salad for lunch or dinner in warm weather and don't necessarily crave hot soup, this innovative recipe for uncooked miso soup will be especially pleasing..."

Give Tofu a Try
By Kristine Roberson
"When your baby has reached 7 to 8 months of age, he is ready to give tofu a try. Tofu is a great food for babies because it can be creamed with other foods or cut into chunks and served as a finger food and offers a great nutritional boost. One ounce of tofu contains about 32 mg of calcium, 2.5 grams of protein and 1.7 milligrams of iron and no cholesterol..."

Tofu: Confessions of a Love-Hate Relationship
By Melanie Wilson
"I admit it. I haven't always loved tofu. In fact, I used to hate it with all the gusto of a diehard meat-eater..."

Popsicles: A Summertime Favorite
By Melanie Wilson
"Nearly every one of us ate Popsicles growing up, and if you grew up in the average American family, they were neon green, red, and orange, and filled with artificial flavors and refined sugar. I have fond memories of hot summer days eating those cold pops, but I wouldn't dream of giving store-bought pops to my children on a daily basis. We prefer to make our own wholesome and nutritious Popsicles, and it's no exaggeration to say that we have them in our freezer nearly all the time..."