The Mountain Gardener: Keep your indoor plants alive during cold winter
I miss the Christmas tree and decorations that bring color to the house over the holidays. After they're packed away for another year and the tree recycled it looks a bit bare around here. The houseplants get their favorite places back now near the windows. This an important month for them when the garden is asleep. I want them to look great but Mother Nature delivers darker skies and less daylight hours. Even though they are still green they are taking a break and don't grow much over the dark days of winter. Don't become a clueless houseplant killer. Remember houseplants clean the air. We need them.
Plain Talk About Food: The truth about lard…leaf lard and tamales
Lard can be a touchy subject for many cooks who have or have not cooked with lard over the past 50 years, especially if you have not brought yourself up to speed with the new way pigs today are being raised on sustainable farms — such as Flying Pigs Farm in upstate New York.
Cramped for space? Try compact plants
You know that growing your own fruit and vegetables can supply your family with fresh-tasting and nutritious food. But what if you don’t have much space for a big garden or an orchard of fruit trees? Nowadays there are many dwarf and compact varieties available for smaller yards and containers. Here are some good ones to try.
Editorial: Be safe on Halloween — and then vote
Fall is an exciting time in our area. The weather starts to cool, the high school football teams are in action (and throttling their opponents) and folks are decorating their homes for Halloween. On Tuesday, Nov. 2, we’ll head to the polls for the third time in 2010, this time to vote on a new governor, nine state propositions and a handful of local offices. With that in mind, we’d like to remind parents to talk with their children about these two important issues.
Datebook
- Submit Datebook items to [email protected] or drop off press releases or photos at 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Ste. F, Scotts Valley 95066. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Entries are subject to editing, and publication is not guaranteed.
Plain Talk About Food: Spatchcocking a Chicken
Mention to anyone that you are serving Spatchcocked Chicken for dinner and the ladies will blush, the men will frown and the children will giggle.
Datebook
- Submit Datebook items to [email protected] or drop off press releases or photos at 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Ste. F, Scotts Valley 95066. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Entries are subject to editing, and publication is not guaranteed.
Editorial: Potential supervisor boundary change is wrong
What is taking place at the county government level is exactly why the average person dislikes politicians.
News Briefs | Published Sept. 12, 2025
Fun run, emergency preparedness fair set for Saturday
On Saturday, Sept. 13, the City of Santa Cruz will be hosting Race the Wave, a 3K...