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Best Soil for Cucumbers in Pots: My Foolproof Mix (and Mistakes to Avoid)
December 23, 2025. I was repotting my third cucumber seedling of the season on my east-facing balcony in Hyderabad when I realised something: every time I fail with potted cucumbers, it starts with the soil. Not bugs. Not sun. The soil. That fluffy bag labelled “all-purpose potting mix” I’d grabbed from the nursery? It held…
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How Healthy Are Baruka Nuts?
How do barukas, also known as baru almonds, compare with other nuts? There is a new nut on the market called baru almonds, branded as “barukas” or baru nuts. Technically, it isn’t a nut but a seed native to the Brazilian Savannah, known as the Cerrado, which is now among the most threatened ecosystems on…
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Year-end survey spotlights food safety, age-related consumer behavior, out-of-stock trends
In the latest Consumer Food Insights Report, Joseph Balagtas, professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University and director of the Center for Food Demand and Analysis, asked consumers to decide about discarding or consuming a food item based on different hypothetical “use by” dates. (Purdue Agricultural Communications photo/Tom Campbell) WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Building off…
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Can Vegan Fecal Transplants Lower TMAO Levels?
If the microbiome of those eating plant-based diets protects against the toxic effects of TMAO, what about swapping gut flora? “Almost 2,500 years ago, Hippocrates stated that ‘All disease begins in the gut.’” When we feed our gut bacteria right with whole plant foods, they feed us right back with beneficial compounds like butyrate, which…
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Perfetti Van Melle Brings Airheads Into Soda Aisle
Perfetti Van Melle, a global confectionery leader, has partnered with Fire Brands to introduce AIRHEADS Soda, a beverage line inspired by the iconic Airheads candy. This new drink range arrives in four flavors: Blue Raspberry, Watermelon, Strawberry and Orange. Distribution kicks off this year in the US at major retailers, with Canada set to welcome…
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Our Biggest Labor and Immigration Stories of 2025
Federal Agents Detain Workers at a Vermont Dairy FarmWorker advocates describe it as an on-farm immigration raid. The Department of Homeland Security disputes that characterization. Ahead of International Workers’ Day, USDA Touts Anti-Immigration Efforts on FarmsMeanwhile, Trump’s immigration crackdown has created fear and uncertainty in farm county. Protests Mount Against ICE Detentions of Immigrant FarmworkersUnions…
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New edition of UC ANR’s ‘The Home Orchard’ offers advice on growing tree fruit, nuts
“The Home Orchard,” second edition, delivers the latest research-backed guidance for tree fruit and nuts. Guide covers more crops, pest management and irrigation advances, practical research findings Growing tree fruit or nuts? “The Home Orchard,” a new edition of the definitive guide to growing deciduous fruit and nut trees at home, is now available for gardeners,…
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Skrewball Brings Back Limited Peanut Butter Whiskey Eggnog
Skrewball Whiskey announced the relaunched of its festive, limited-edition Peanut Butter Whiskey Eggnog. The crowd-favorite is the ultimate addition to holiday gatherings and toasting to the season, the company says. Made with 100% real, premium dairy cream with spicy eggnog flavor, notes of cinnamon and vanilla and Skrewball’s signature salty and sweet taste, according to…
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5 Simple Value-Added Products For the Farm in Winter
You can sell and produce winter farm products, even after the harvests stop. Adding a few high-value items to your to-do list provides revenue when most farms are shut down waiting for spring. Plan for a few next season and offset some of the costs farming presents. Source: modernfarmer.com
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Is Aflatoxin a Concern?
Is “toxic mold syndrome” a real thing? What do we do about toxic mold contamination of food? In recent years, mold has been blamed for all sorts of “vague and subjective” symptoms, but we have little scientific evidence that mold should be implicated. However, this “concept of toxic mold syndrome has permeated the public consciousness,”…