The needs of grocery shoppers are seemingly always evolving, and now more than ever, they want to know where and how their food is produced and what impact it has on the environment. This is commonly referred to as “sustainable eating,” and its … read more

We all understand and appreciate the need for sound financial planning during the years preceding retirement. Who hasn’t gone online to calculate the retirement “nest-egg” needs and then panicked because accumulating that much wealth seemed inconceivable, especially if starting the process at age … read more

The skies may be gray this time of year, but the cities and towns around the Kitsap Peninsula region are glowing with bright-colored lights, festive window displays and lots of holiday cheer to share with visiting family and friends. November events kick off … read more

Lynn and Jim McIntyre’s garden is a bird sanctuary. Cedar waxwings visit each year to feed on red elderberry fruit. Nuthatches hop along the trunks of trees looking for insects. Pileated woodpeckers tear apart rotting wood in search of a meal, and sapsuckers … read more

When thinking of food preservation, many people have visions of some big-production, time-consuming project with dozens of jars to fill with pounds and pounds of produce. But that doesn’t have to be the case. The first thing most people say to me, after … read more

For a shrub that looks like it belongs in the tropics, Fatsias are surprisingly hardy in our region. The plant provides spectacular foliar effects to the West Sound garden, whether it is a plain green-leaf species or one of the variegated cultivars. It’s … read more

If you want to feel good about the world, drive to Poulsbo and spend some time visiting Martha & Mary, a unique organization where kids get their start in life and seniors find a caring and peaceful place to spend the last part … read more

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt adapted from the book “Modern Pressure Canning,” recently released by Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. The glass clinks gently in the hot, soapy water as I wash my jars for this year’s canning. Sitting on the counter … read more

All plants have stories. Perhaps the plant was Grandma’s favorite cut flower. Or it was that green bean variety passed down through generations of family gardeners. Or that pretty veronica whose name you learned on that hike at Mount Rainier. Every kind of … read more