Nobody likes to be bugged, or appreciates a pest. However, when the annoyance is of the insect variety, dislike can quickly progress to hatred. When being plagued by insect guests, any solution, up to and including an all out war on anything with over four legs, seems entirely reasonable. Poisons quickly transform from an extreme measure to a viable solution.

The balance between needing to protect your plants and trying to find an environmentally friendly solution presents a dilemma every gardener must eventually face. What is often forgotten is that the battle between insects and humans has existed as long as we have, and historically the war was fought without the chemical aids we now have at our disposal. In general, most people are also unaware of the ongoing, and long running, battle between the plant kingdom and insects. Viewed over a longer evolutionary timescale, plants have evolved with insects, and have adapted with far more successful natural defenses than humans have been able to come up with.

Press Release: 12 Organizations File Amici to Defend Plaintiffs’ Right to Trial and Respond to Monsanto’s Attempt to Dismiss Case

With the advent of the factory farm and the onset of globalization, buying locally produced food has been somewhat of a trade-off for the modern consumer. Sure, we all know that local food is fresh food, but with an always open mega-chain supermarket right down the road, who has the time, or money, to shop local? All of us, that’s who.

Naturalist, author, and environmental educator “Wildman” Steve Brill,America’s go-to guy for foraging, has just released a master series of foraging apps, WildEdibles, that will give iPhone users the in-depth information they need to identify, ecologically harvest, and use 165 of the best wild edible and medicinal plants of North America, plus essential details of 52 look-alikes. The focus will be on eastern species, but half the plants and many more very similar close relatives that are also edible grow across the country.

Have you ever seen someone burn a rustic-looking bundle of dried herbs to cleanse their new home orwork space? Well, that herb was most likely white sage. Though some people may find this practice alittle odd, burning sacred herbs as a safeguard against evil or negative energy actually dates centuries back to ancient Babylonian practices. In most recent history, Native Americans continued this ritual throughout North and South America and burnt this culturally-sacred herb to ward off negative energy and rid their homes and temples of bad spirits. The botanical word for sage, ‘Salvia’, actually comes fromthe Latin words, meaning “to heal”, and its medicinal properties as well as its natural ability to repel insects (like ladybugs), is probably at the root of its mystical history.

High demand requires high efficiency. But organic farmers can’t use the technologies common to conventional agriculture – like pesticides and genetic engineering – to increase yields. As such, there’s a misconception that they stubbornly shun technology, preferring age-old tradition over modern methods. But that’s not the case. Through recent technological developments, these farmers can use their understanding of natural processes – the mating habits of pests, for example – to optimize yields. The surprising results can make you wonder where to draw the line between technology and nature.

Members of the sustainable food movement are furious and, frankly, we have a right to be. Last month’sdecision by the USDA to fully deregulate GE alfalfa isn’t just a minor skirmish in a long and exhausting battle. It threatens the existence of organic farming and organic food, and flies in the face of USDA’s mandate from Congress under the Organic Foods Production Act to promote and preserve organic agriculture.

Apparently, even certified organic eggs can come from hens living in inhumane, factory conditions—making their eggs both a nutritionally and ethically inferior product. So, if you can’t even trust certified organic eggs anymore, how do you know what kind of eggs are safe, nutritious and humane?

Not that long ago, many people knew how to preserve food. Information about canning, freezing and drying was passed down from generation to generation. But that’s not the case today say Susanna Meyer and Mary Clemens Meyer, co-authors of the new Herald Press book Saving The Seasons: How To Can, Freeze, or Dry Almost Anything. Passing on tips and ideas for preserving food was one reason why the two decided to create Saving the Seasons.

When Buying Sustainable Seafood, There are Good Guidelines but No Absolutes

The woman in the light blue shirt is raising her hand and I anticipate her question before the words leave her mouth. “All wild fish are unsustainable, right? So we should eat all farmed fish, yes?” I’m in Edmonds, Washington, teaching a cooking class on sustainable seafood. We’re only three minutes into the class and I’m already poised to clear up some major misconceptions.