How To: Make Your Own Natural Dyes

Those who celebrate Christmas know that the holiday wouldn’t be complete without a tall, wiry coniferous tree, draped in lights and decorations. Despite the convenience of owning an artificial tree, many Americans still appreciate the authenticity of having a real one in their homes. Last year Americans bought 26.2 million real trees, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. There’s no denying that an annual trip out to the farm to pick the perfect tree makes f

A “superfood” typically gets that moniker when it overflows with more nutrients than most other foods we eat, or if it has some special type of nutrient that’s rare in the modern diet. Whether such claims are primarily marketing hype or have some basis in fact depend on the foods in question. So while the nutritional merits of an ordinary blueberry versus, say, a macqui berry from the pristine slopes of the Chilean Patagonia continue to be debated, eating

Tired of your boring old lawn? Need a little pollination in your life? Why not try planting your own wildflower meadow, if not for yourself, then at least for the birds and the bees. Meadows are not only beautiful additions to the land, but they also promote the growth of native species of plants, pollinators and songbirds. (Who doesn’t like waking up to birdsong?) Paul Jenkins, co-owner of Wildflower Farm in Coldbrook, Ontario, has been selling wildflower seed mixes

Murraya koenigii Have you ever dug into a bowlful of yellow dal from your favorite restaurant and marveled at that subtle, citrusy flavor that maybe you couldn’t quite place? Want to make that herbaceous deliciousness a part of your personal culinary repertoire? Then you should consider growing your own curry leaf tree at home. You can use the leaves in your cooking, and as an added bonus, this plant is also stunning as an ornamental. It has an elegant bush-like g