Growing Bolder Community

News organizations all over the world are reporting on the passing of Olive Riley, hailed as “the world’s oldest blogger.” Olive was born in 1899 and passed away Saturday at the age of 108. She certainly deserves recognition for being a remarkable woman but she was not the world’s oldest blogger. That title goes to Orlando, Florida’s Ruth Hamilton. Ruth was born in 1898 and blogged up...

Chickpeas, otherwise known as garbanzo beans, enjoy a huge popularity in kitchens all over the world. In most Middle Eastern countries, chickpeas are included in a variety of different foods, from hummus to falafel, and in some places in India, chickpeas are consumed on a daily basis. Two varieties of chickpeas dominate: desi and kabuli. The darker desi is eaten more frequently in India, Mexico,...

One of my neighbors, Richard Scammell, is a wonderful cook. Even though Richard does not cook for a living, I consider him a chef. Cooking is Richard's hobby, but when it comes to food preparation, Richard is a highly skilled and well-educated professional. (He's even traveled to Europe to take cooking classes.)Richard and I share a love of creative, healthful cooking. When I asked him for ideas...

From wine to jelly to raisins, grapes can be enjoyed in a number of ways. So it's no wonder that grapes are the second-most popular fruit (they come in a close second to oranges) and that growing and processing grapes is one of the world’s largest food industries.One of the earliest cultivated fruits, grapes were introduced in biblical times, and the consumption of wine is an important motif in...

Isn’t eggplant an odd moniker for a purple vegetable? Just for the record, the eggplant is not really a vegetable. Technically, eggplants are considered fruit, and the first eggplants were small, round and white; hence the name. Whatever its history, once you’ve discovered eggplant, you are likely to make it a staple in your kitchen. Because of its bland taste, eggplant absorbs surrounding...