Area legislators tour damaged farms; orchard in Stoddard co. In the last week, two area legislators have been touring the area trying to find out what the state can do to help out the displaced farmers. Record high temperatures in March followed by record lows in April have left many area farmers scrambling to figure out how to make it this year. Wright, who serves as vice-chairman of the House Agriculture committee, plans to visit several other area orchards and farms over the next couple...

To the background twang of an acoustic guitar, a woman's voice boosts Washington state's beautiful scenery, mild summer weather and the money to be made picking apples in the state that produces more than half the U. For years, farmers across the West have complained about a labor shortage to harvest fruits, vegetables and other crops. Last year, some growers complained that acres of fruit went unpicked or were harvested too late and were less valuable, due to a worker shortage. We want...

Kingsolver tells the story of the family's year spent living off the fruits of their land -- a farm in Southwest Virginia -- and their farming neighbors' The experiment's goal? "We hoped to establish that a normal-ish American family could be content on the fruits of our local foodshed," Kingsolver says. Wait! That means no coffee, no chocolate, no spices, no wheat flour, no December raspberries or January tomatoes, no processed foods, no lots of things delivered by air, train or truck....

In case you'd like to stop the worm's depredations, consider some of the more promising, new controls available to home orchardists: The wormholes I'm talking about were typically a twosome -- one opening in the shoulder, the other at the calyx, or blossom end, of the fruit. Commercial orchardists use sprays and other controls to ensure that supermarket apples don't have "eat around" holes. If you were a kid who swiped apples from neighbors' unsprayed trees, you probably ate around a lot...

Income for the farmer is based on when the harvest is brought in and therefore is not regular; often farmers will only receive one or two bulk payments a year. However, there are some important issues facing farmers and the agricultural industry that need to be addressed, or they could prove problematic for Ghana in the future. A bar of chocolate is too expensive for a cocoa farmer to buy; he is therefore unable to sample the goods that his hard work provided the raw material for. Crops...

After trial-and-error, experimenting with grape after grape and a host of wine-tasting sessions across the world, Kanwal and his son Kapil have today succeeded in bringing wine to the Indian connoisseur's palate. So, what does it take to make fine wine? Coming straight from the horse's mouth, in unison, the father and son say, "The choice of grape is the most important factor. Dad was in France, he got introduced to the wines there, and once he was passionate about it, there was no looking...

Food & Drink . Events . A Divine Chocolate Experience At Eden This Summer. Divine, the farmer-owned Fairtrade chocolate company, will be running an interactive exhibition this summer at Eden Project, under the banner of Eden s major exhibition on climate and environment conservation and sustainability Towards the Edge (May 26th Sept 2nd) Divine, the farmer-owned Fairtrade chocolate company, will be running an interactive exhibition this summer at Eden Project, under the banner of Eden s...

Grapeapparel.com announced today the launch of an innovative new wine-related website, featuring hundreds of custom-designed t-shirts and novelty gifts, showcasing dozens of grape varieties and wine regions from around the world. Grapeapparel.com announced today the launch of an innovative new wine-related website, featuring hundreds of custom-designed t-shirts and novelty gifts, showcasing dozens of grape varieties and wine regions from around the world. Thanks to its association with...

Many local farms are open right now with some fresh, locally grown produce. Walnut Grove Farm in the Town of Crawford offers frozen, organic free-range beef, pork, bacon, as well as pies and jars of jams and jellies by appointment. Photo Provided January 14, 2007 In the dead of winter, most of us dream of the plump ripe tomatoes of summer while fondling the hard, pink excuses we find in the supermarkets. You can currently find apples, pears, shallots, turnips, beets, garlic, onions (of...