Articles From February 2013

Planning Your Vegetable Garden Part 1


winter garden

An article on gardening – in January? It’s the middle of the winter, and the temperature this week has dipped into the teens, but we diehard gardeners are nevertheless always thinking about our gardens and spring thaw, which is not too far down the road. In fact, now in the dead of winter is really the perfect time to start thinking and planning for this year’s vegetable garden.


  A lot of us really do think about making a vegetable garden: Who doesn’t want to adorn their table with homegrown and fresh-picked produce from the garden? You just can’t compare


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Purim and Prunes A Perfect Pairing


The deeper spiritual meaning of the holiday notwithstanding, Purim is a day when we indulge the body with food and drink. Good nutrition may be the last thing on your mind as you prepare your shalach manos and Yom Tov seuda. Well, I’m here to tell you that Purim observance and healthy eating needn’t be mutually exclusive. You can “have your cake and eat it too” – literally! In fact, one of the unsung heroes of the day – no, not one of the characters in the Megilla – is a humble fruit commonly used in hamantaschen that is a


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Simchas Esther Discreetly Helping Baltimore's Chassanim and Kallos


It is the night after the vort. The happy crowds have gone home. The food is put away, and the floor is vacuumed. But the big Mazal Tov sign still hangs on the wall, and the parents, along with the chasan and kalla, are still smiling at the memory of the kisses, hugs, and brachos that embraced them so warmly the night before.


  Now reality sets in. The parents worry: “How are we going to find the money to set up this new couple? It is not only the wedding expenses that loom on the horizon but also all


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Ask the Shadchan


My brother and sister-in-law have daughters who are in the “parsha.” My brother has taken himself out of the process, leaving it entirely to my sister-inlaw. While I understand this is normally the case, I am becoming very concerned. My sister-in-law is a very angry, in-your-face person. I have, of course, been on the lookout for my nieces and have attempted to redt (suggest) a few boys. But every time I have tried to speak about a boy, she interrogates me. In cases where she knows the family, she will always find some fault with them, such as “She will


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Five Things Your Child Wishes You Knew... But Wont Tell You


As parents, you surely want the best for your children. You focus tremendous amounts of energy on trying to provide the ideal nurturing environment for them. That is why it can be so frustrating when you see your child struggling and you don’t know how – or if – you can help.


  Whether your kids share with you freely or not, they may not be able to articulate what they really need, as they do not fully understand it themselves. But if you were able to get into your child’s head, here are five the things they would probably


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Yom Tov and Shabbos Memories


When I think back to my childhood in the 1960s, I realize that the wonderful memories of Shabbos and Yom Tov, which have stuck with me until today, had a major impact on how I live my life. Let me take you on a brief journey through my childhood years, which reflect not only on my family but also on the Baltimore community in those not-so-far-off days.



Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Before Rosh Hashanah, my mother would search the stores for special new fruits. There was a fruit and flower stand at Reisterstown Road at Mortimer Avenue that


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