Love Your Pet Day is Feb. 20, and while it seems like an easy enough thing to do, there are good, healthy ways to show your love best. I’m always being told “When I die, I want to come back as Tracy’s dog.” I know it sounds morbid, but if you knew how my fur babies are treated, you’d understand. The...

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow (shocker!), so that means six more weeks of winter. With that in mind, here’s some very helpful information, just in case: There’s a snowstorm predicted. Whatare some foods I should have on hand if I think I’ll be housebound for a few days? Generally speaking, bread ...

It’s never a bad time to learn a new skill, and as we settle into month three of winter, maybe you should try your hand at canning. January is Canned Food Month, and while some people’s first thoughts are the cans at the grocery store, we know you, Country Culture maven. You’re a home canner. But ma...

If you’ve ever run into a patch of Teasel plants, you won’t soon forget it. Teasel is a wicked looking plant which is green and covered in spines all summer long. When autumn comes, their spines and flower heads dry out and resemble a medieval mace – not exactly something you’d want to get too close...

As we head through winter, you may find yourself thinking about the warmth of summer and getting back into the garden again. This daydreaming is a good opportunity to reflect on the past growing season and set goals for next year’s garden by making some new year’s resolutions. Making New Year’s reso...

Eggnog has a limited shelf life, but consumers can still indulge post-Christmas cravings, and do so safely, with a few kitchen hacks. Mary Rapoport, consumer affairs and educational director for the Virginia Egg Council , shared some tips in aJanuary 2021 episodeof Virginia This Morning on CBS 6 New...

A brief history of the gingerbread house and finding a holiday’s sense of home in a Christmas tradition Gingerbread houses are a holiday staple in my house. We didn’t quite get the memo the first year we tried it – you know, to use actual gingerbread? There were five of us kids, early elementary to ...

Whether you’re planning to travel or not this weekend, safety should always come first. With that in mind, we share these winter driving safety tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Winter Driving Safety Driving safely in winter weather can be a challenge for even the most ex...

There was a saying back in the ‘80s – “real men don’t eat quiche” – that was provoked by American screenwriter and humorist Bruce Feirstein, who questioned one’s masculinity if you ate the French tart. Political incorrectness aside, my morning “pie” is a staple for a busy grab-and-go farmer while be...

Hung in doorways to spread holiday cheer, mistletoe is rich in mythology and tradition. Mistletoe comes from the Old English word “mistiltan,” in which “mistil” means “dung” and “tan” means “twig.” This reference to bird droppings is certainly counter-intuitive to mistletoe’s romantic symbolism. Ame...

As the holidays approach, many people mull over gift selection. Giving someone food is a thoughtful and kind gesture. Giving someone food poisoning? Not so much. To help gift-givers spread holiday cheer rather than foodborne illness, Martin Bucknavage, senior food safety Extension associate in Penn ...

With the holidays right around the corner, all the holiday festivities, parties, decorations, visitors and deliveries, we don’t realize that there can be unforeseen dangers lurking in the shadows for our pets. This time of year I become a more avid online shopper, which means more deliveries to my h...

My father and grandfather were some of the hardest-working, Bible-believing people I knew. My grandfather raised a family of four kids, and together with his wife they ran a small farm (110 acres), with some help from my grandmother working at Beech Nut Foods in Canajoharie, NY, when the kids became...

In addition to all of the photos being shared of happy families reuniting for Thanksgiving this year, my social media feeds were full of another kind of image. Across much of the Northeast, many of my friends received their first few inches of the white stuff. Some were filled with wintry glee at th...

Are you always hoping for that perfect holiday meal, be it the golden-brown turkey, moist and tender, or the rolls hot from the oven ready just as everyone is sitting down, or the table set just so? In my many years of hosting holiday dinners I confess it’s never happened. My potatoes are mashed and...