BOULDER, Colo. — Ethan Welty is thinking ahead to harvest time as he cycles through tidy Boulder streets pointing out apple, plum and mulberry trees on public and private land.

PORTLAND, Maine — There's no smoke and mirrors about it — Americans are eating a lot more smoked seafood than they used to.

Jewell Parker Roades, the Virginia G. Piper Chair in Creative writing, meets fans and discusses "Sugar," her new novel for middle readers. It tells the story of a 10-year-old girl who lives on a sugar plantation on the banks of the Mississippi and takes it upon herself to serve as the cultural bridge between the plantation residents and the Chinese workers who come to harvest the cane. Roades will sign copies of her book after the presentation.

By the time a client parks their car and walks up to the front doors of Harvest of Tempe, the southeast Valley’s only medical marijuana dispensary, he or she, their license plate, and their car have all been caught on camera.

My friend Bob would shudder if he knew that I planted plantain today.

Sometimes the best view isn't what you see through a window but what catches your eye underneath it.

Starchy, crunchy and flavorful, fried rice is a deeply satisfying dish no matter what you add to it. And you can add just about any vegetable or protein you care to name, fresh or left over.

I was chopping vegetables for dinner recently when my 14-year-old daughter, Grace, disappeared with the unusable end of the bok choy. She returned five minutes later with paper, a stamping ink pad and the pilfered vegetable.

Most people know what it’s like to pull up a chair at a family reunion or holiday meal, but not many have tucked their toes under the table at a community harvest feast. Several local art and community organizations are hoping to change that with Saturday’s “Feast on the Street” in downtown Phoenix.

For a time many years back, I would become nervous every time I went out to my garden to weed. The weeds were so few that I feared something was wrong with the soil.

LOS ANGELES — What does it take to elevate the common ant from picnic pest to household pet?

MULBERRY, Ark. — A small but growing number of farmers have been experimenting with an edible soybean as they look to capitalize on Americans' interest in adding non-meat proteins to their diets.

Gardening can be an intoxicating hobby, especially if the botany is booze-related.

"Starfish Prime" from Chandler’s Basha Accelerated Middle School won the 14th annual Honeywell Fiesta Bowl Aerospace Challenge on Saturday at the Challenger Space Center Arizona in Peoria.

The olives from the 2012 harvest have been pressed, and the slick, aromatic liquid they yielded is something to celebrate. At least, it is around these parts.

On a chilly Thursday afternoon, Desert Vista High School junior Ava Posta worked contentedly at Pomegranate Cafe in Ahwatukee Foothills, stamping pastry bags and coffee sleeves with the local cafe’s signature pink logo.