TIP OF THE DAY: Grow Your Own Herbal Tea

Tea leaves are herbs. Photo by Zakir Ghouse | Fotolia.   We use the term “herb tea” to specify a tea made of caffeine-free herbs. But black, green, oolong and white teas, which come from the plant Camellia sinensis, are also herbs themselves. According to Chinese legend, in 2737 B.C.E., Emperor Shen Nong discovered tea…
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FOOD HOLIDAY: Celebrate National Water Quality Month

August is National Water Quality Month. Whether you rely on tap water, bottled water or both, celebrate it by learning more about this substance without which no life form can live. Clean drinking water (called potable water) is essential to humans and other life forms. However, about a billion people around the world have no…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Lemon Wheel Vs. Lemon Wedge

A reader writes: “When I order a beverage, sometimes it comes with a wedge of lime or lemon, sometimes a wheel (a circular slice). Is there a substantive difference or is it just an individual choice?” The difference is style over substance. Whether your beverage is a soft drink, juice, water, tea/iced tea or a…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Check Your Bottled Water Quality

What’s in bottled water besides water? You have a right to know.   If you’re going to buy bottled water, shouldn’t it meet the same purity standards as tap water? Here’s a surprise: While tap water must meet municipal standards for purity, bottled waters don’t have to disclose anything about water quality. We simply don’t…
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TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: The Best Coconut Water

You can buy lychee-coconut water or take advantage of lychee season and enjoy fresh lychee. Photo by Deasy Setiawati Widjaja | Dreamstime.   If you’ve seen the uber-trendy Rihanna posing in ads with a container of Vita Coco coconut water, you know that chilled juice from green coconuts is a hot drink. When Vita Coco…
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