However, the farm value of retail fruit and vegetable prices is below 20 percent- an average 19 percent for fresh fruit and vegetables, and 16 percent for processed fruit and vegetables. By value of sales, grapes, oranges, and apples are the most valuable fruits, and potatoes, lettuce and tomatoes the most valuable vegetables. A sixth of the typical households food-at-home expenditures in 2004 were for fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, an average $560. Farmers producing crops such...

Ive told you all a few times over the years I have been writing this column about the vegetable gardening adventures my family had when I was growing up. Though we children knew a garden meant hard work, we didnt realize how blessed we were to have fresh vegetables to enjoy during the summer. Those memories came flooding back this past week when one of my kind neighbors brought me a bag of fresh, beautiful tomatoes. And we froze and canned enough vegetables to last a good many months into...

Squash, okra and tomatoes are still available. The current selection of vegetables is good, especially fresh peas and quite a few butter beans. He said the nutrition program is an economic benefit to both the consumer and the producers. We had a couple of vendors that still have some fresh fruit, peaches and blueberries especially," said Toole. These coupons are valuable because they're pretty much free money for people who qualify. Watermelons and cantaloupes are still trickling in as the...

If you're not feeling like any of these recipes, simply choose greens, chop and add two or three seasonal vegetables and dress with your favorite vinaigrette. That said, we offer - more as inspiration than prescription - a trio of salads that showcases the produce of the season. In fact, the term "salad" conceivably could encompass almost any ingredients you wanted to chop, chuck into a bowl and toss with dressing. And a baby spinach confection saves on effort by incorporating high-quality...

Today, the produce sections of most supermarkets carry many kinds of mushrooms that weren't there in the past. Varieties differ in flavour and texture, but you can't go wrong saut ing almost any type of mushroom in olive oil with onion and garlic - mushrooms' best allies. Commonly considered a vegetable, mushrooms are actually fungi that thrive in the dark. Here are some of the more popular types of mushrooms appearing more frequently in the vegetable aisles. Studies claim that most...

Lightly brush outsides of mushrooms, both sides of bread and remaining vegetables with olive oil. Eat the tasty flatbread as is, dipped in flavorful olive oil, or cut into six pieces and split to use as a bun or bread for other sandwiches. Place remaining vegetables except mushroom stems and garlic on grill. Grill covered 4 to 6 minutes or until filling is thoroughly heated and mushroom caps are tender, topping with cheese during last 2 to 3 minutes to melt cheese. Cover, and set aside...

Atkinson said the urban gardens tour regularly sells out even though the number of slots for participants keeps growing. The urban garden tour is starting to get mythical status in the city on par with the Fourth Street Art Fair, the annual unofficial block party just west of Wayne State where bands play in a vacant lot and neighbors sell homemade cocktails from their front porches, and the Abreact Theatre, a black box theater that operates in a residential loft in downtown. People can...

People want to get their fresh produce before they go to work. Customers line up to buy vegetables at one of the stands at downtown Kewanee s farmers market. The train whistling its way through Kewanee did little to interrupt the flow at the downtown farmers market Wednesday morning. This time, they will be open, and will continue through September to sell, among other items, fall vegetables like pumpkin and squash. Fruits and vegetables grown within 40 miles of Kewanee can be sold here,...

Tina Boyer says she has cultivated vegetables and flowers for three years in a community garden. He and cooperative extension service director Jim Monroe have worked with a number of gardeners who are using organic compounds instead of chemical-based fertilizers. Every morning and evening during these peak months of summer, a handful of gardeners gather at the 1-acre parcel on Grier Road, to pull weeds, harvest ripe tomatoes and beans, and trade a few secrets. Community gardens are places...