Spread out on my kitchen counter, a bowl, bag of bread flour, salt, glass of tepid water, and jar of pasta madre (sourdough starter), vie for space among cocktail glasses and half-empty food plates. I shout over the noise of conversation: "Pour in your madre, weigh out 400 grams of flour and 300 grams of water." Only a handful of people in the room gather close to watch my demonstration. It is an informal classroom.

You stroll through the sliding glass doors and fumble for the grocery list at the bottom of your reusable bag. Immediately, you have the sense that something's different in this store. Friends told you that would be the case. You can't put a finger on it, but, yeah, something is definitely different here.

What's going on with agave nectar? It came on the scene a few years ago, touted as a healthy alternative to other sweeteners because of its low glycemic index, and soon thereafter was summarily disparaged by Joseph Mercola, an influential osteopath and alternative medicine internet personality. Mercola calls agave nectar a "triumph of marketing over truth," equates it with high fructose corn syrup, and recommends steering clear of it.

Beyond Boston baked beans or California-style pizza are foods through which we can actually reach a deeper communion with place. Cheese is one of these foods, its alchemy dependent on the subtle unseen of a place, as the microor­gan­isms that permeate the environ­ment work away to alter the raw material into the final product.

Check out these great workshops and classes to get you gardening like a pro!
—by Lacey Ellen Kniep

Meet three people who transformed their bodies—and their lives—along with comments from area experts.

Easter is on Sunday, March 31 this year. If your celebration of physical and spiritual renewal features dyed eggs, a roast ham or lamb, consider purchasing directly from one of Utah's farmers. However, many of these producers run small-scale, family-run operations, so get in touch with them early in the month to reserve your Easter dinner. (If your Easter celebration includes some of the more esoteric cultural trappings—willow switches and mystery novels, anyone?—you're on your own.)

Come in, come in! Free-trade Guatemalan coffee—is percolating! The syncopated pulse, the blue orange flame flickering beneath the silver pot and that come-hither aroma invite us to wake up to this luscious day!

With an average temperature of only 31 degrees, Feburary doesn’t jump to the top of most people’s lists as a gardening month. If you’re planning on starting your vegetable plants from seed, though, this is the time to start many types of seeds indoors. Here’s a handy guide for when to start some common veggies.

Downtown, 10:30pm, a Thursday night. I steer my bike into the parking lot of a popular small Salt Lake business and lean my ride up against a concrete wall. My posse of two pulls up behind me and does the same. Next to us is a blue dump­ster. City lamplight pours down on the bin. A family glides past on bikes glancing our way with a mixture of curiosity and concern. Cars drive by. I'm nervous at being so visible. But, there's nothing illegal about what we are about to do, unless you consider going through someone's trash trespassing.