Dried fruits, especially raisins. Applesauce or other fruit cups. Now in 14 states, the program could be expanded across the country under a $290 billion farm bill that sets the nation's agriculture policy for the next five years. The expansion of the snack program could have significant benefits for students who typically don't eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables a day, health experts say. When the snack program started in Union County, students were skeptical about fruits...

Using a baby food mill, blender, food processor or hand blender, blend fruit until smooth. I buy whatever fruit looks fresh and is labeled organic, although citrus fruits are too acidic for young babies. This recipe is suitable for babies just starting on solid foods and can be adapted to suit your baby's tastes. The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Steam fruit until very tender, about 15...

CA keeps apples in good condition three to six times as long as normal cold storage and, because of this process, apples are available throughout the year. The other half of the fresh apples on the market are preserved by a process known as ?controlled atmosphere,? or CA, storage developed in the 1940s. Although you will find apples in the produce section of the local market year-round, they are a seasonal fruit. This process speeds up tenfold when apples are left at room temperature...

Short supply and high demand have pushed up prices -- and profits -- for Michigan growers, who contribute $450 million a year to the state's agriculture economy. Farmers from states such as Ohio, Arkansas and Missouri who lost their apple crops to freeze and drought are buying fruit from Brown's 25-acre orchard. Even though the freeze, along with a midsummer drought, did reduce yields statewide, orchards managed to produce some luscious and profitable fruit, said Bob Tritten, an MSU...

Roxanne Husmann walks through the orchard with an apple in hand. He toured orchards in Skagit County and talked to tree fruit society folks who promoted varieties that would thrive commercially west of the mountains, including Jonagolds. When most people think of Washington state and apples, they're transported east of the mountains, where huge orchards and giant packing houses reign, Aplets and Cotlets are available at every roadside stand and the sun seems to shine all year long. He...

The staff is nurturing several hundred young apple trees that will be planted next spring in the new Apple Court, one of the plantings in the Heartland Harvest Garden, a 12-acre ornamental farm garden of astonishing breadth scheduled to open in the fall of 2008. The staff is nurturing several hundred young apple trees that will be planted next spring in the new Apple Court, one of the plantings in the Heartland Harvest Garden, a 12-acre ornamental farm garden of astonishing breadth...

Hoping to produce thinner waistlines, many doctors --including the American Medical Association --- want Congress to stop subsidizing the production of foods that are high in fat and cholesterol and spend more to promote fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains that are not. That's just what the nation's doctors are doing, saying that federal lawmakers are responsible for the fact that a salad costs so much more than a Big Mac. Hoping to produce thinner waistlines, many doctors --including...

That's welcome news to everyone in the area, but especially to the area's farmers who have suffered losses during the fires. The county is a major source of cut flowers, plant nurseries, citrus, and one of the nation's most expensive fruits: the Haas avocado. He says that security has prevented him and other farmers from protecting their crops with hoses and equipment installed in the orchards. So when you see the sides or the tops of hills green, those are going to be avocado trees,...

Sunday, October 28, 2007 By Ron Cammel The Grand Rapids Press SPARTA TOWNSHIP -- It's hard to imagine the west side of the township being anything than what it is: rolling land where crops, cows and orchards mix with old homes, barns and stands of trees along lightly traveled roads. Sunday, October 28, 2007 By Ron Cammel The Grand Rapids Press SPARTA TOWNSHIP -- It's hard to imagine the west side of the township being anything than what it is: rolling land where crops, cows and orchards...