Residents of Phuket, Thailand, are celebrating the Vegetarian Festival, which calls on devotees to purify themselves as they take on the sins of the community. A vegetarian or vegan diet is eaten for up to 10 days as a rite of spiritual cleansing. Devotees whom the gods enter during the festival manifest supernatural powers and perform feats such as walking on hot coals to bring good luck to the community. The festival originated in 1825 when the community noticed that illness spreading through a traveling opera troupe disappeared after its members ate a vegetarian diet. ...more

October 5, 2008

A garden pest chewed my pineapple plant, and the almost-ripe pineapple fell off the stem. How can it finish ripening? ...more

August 20, 2008

Cooking in aluminum foil is a slick campfire trick: Fold and crimp the foil shut, place the packet over hot coals (or into a hot oven), and a few minutes later you're serving up lean cuisine. ...more

July 19, 2008