By Tonia Moxley
The Roanoke (Va.) Times
October 25, 2006
Kabocha, cushaw and carnival — there’s more to winter squash than the run-of-the-mill pumpkin.
Although Blacksburg Farmers Market organizers are calling Saturday’s winter squash celebration “Pumpkinfest,” all kinds of exotic fruits will be on sale there from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Buy lots because one of the virtues that [...]

By Tonia Moxley
The Roanoke (Va.) Times
June 15, 2008
BLACKSBURG — Goldenseal. Jewelweed. Motherwort. Dandelion.
The names of healing plants call across continents and through the millenniums, up and down the spine of the Appalachian mountains, echoing even today along the paths of a terraced hillside off Jennelle Road in Blacksburg where herbalist Lauren Cooper helps keep the [...]

In writing this blog it’s tempting to only recount the successes, to post only photos of the beautiful finished dishes and regale you, gentle reader, with semi-authoritative recipes.
In short, it’s easy to make cooking look easy.
But cooking is not easy. Nor is it safe.
There are the everyday, ordinary debacles. Biscuits that look beautiful, but [...]