From the New York Times: A primer by Mark Bittman on how to use herbs. Very useful advice.

From the New York Times: Another piece by Mark Bittman, and this time he visits Maine to write about  sustainable agriculture. My only quibble with the piece is that Bittman describes Maine soil as acidic. While this is true in parts of Maine—namely the coast—central and northern Maine have rich soil that is ideal for farming. In fact, in the 188os, central Maine was the “bread basket” of New England.

From Shine on Yahoo: How much protein do you need? Not as much as you think, and it can all come from plants, if you plan it right. And according to the Environmental Working Group, if you eat one less hamburger a week, it’s the equivalent of “taking your car off the road for 320 miles.” Let’s hear it for bean burgers!

From Mother Jones: Berkeley and Oakland come to the table. An interview with Alice Waters, of Berkeley’s Chez Panisse, and Nikki Henderson of Oakland’s People’s Grocery. Two very different parts of California meet to talk about good food for all citizens, not just the the affluent ones.

From the Portland Press Herald: Two Israeli brothers come to Maine and start a thriving hummus business. Now that’s multicultural!