Gardeners/helpers: Here’s an offer you can’t refuse

Weekend Gardener Valle Novak has an offer for her fans

Apples are original ‘health food’: Oldies and surprises

Bite into these delicious apple recipes from Country Chef Valle Novak

Strawberries star in flavorful summer drinks, desserts

Strawberries just seem to keep on producing and that’s a happy thing

Summertime is watermelon time: Great ideas!

It’s watermelon season and they're a “must” at every gathering

Hearty salads serve as full-meal partner to BBQ

Today’s column offers a savory taste of history along with suggestions for one-dish salad offerings that cut way down on the dish-washing.

Beautify shoreline with thoughtful buffer planting

Waterfront property owners often find themselves dealing with two problems they’d never given much thought to: erosion and pollution.

Ground-covers offer options for yard, landscaping

Weekend Gardener Valle Novak talks creeping ground-covers and landscaping your yard.

Barbecue season beckons with tasty meals

Enhance your feast with salads, end with strawberries

Country Chef Valle Novak shares her favorite grilling tips and ideas for the Fourth.

Peonies glorify summery June garden landscapes

Weekend Gardener Valle Novak talks the lavish beauty of peonies and how to fit them into your garden.

Crab’s in season! Serve it with citrus for easy dining

Love crab? Country Chef Valle Novak serves up delicious recipes.

A ‘buggy ride’ of beneficial landscape insects

Weekend Gardener Valle Novak extols the benefits of “bugs” in the landscape, and urges readers to let them do their work without by pesticides.

Toss the poison and let Mother Nature do the work

Weekend Gardener Valle Novak talks pesticides, plants and letting Mother Nature do the work.

Birding adventures and a compendium of valuable garden weeds

Country Chef and Weekend Gardener Valle Novak talks birds, gardens and more.

Spring’s edible gifts provide gourmet fare from garden and forest

Country Chef and Weekend Gardener Valle Novak shares mushroom information.

Super companion planting list includes veggies, herbs, flowers

Weekend Gardener Valle Novak shares garden planting tips.

Landscaping: Think ahead with fire-resistant plants

Why not consider landscaping plans to protect your property from the dangers of forest fires.

Roses: planting, proper care & tips for growing success

Rose care in North Idaho is a far cry from the advice you’ll get in other places.

Full-meal salads: innovative, satisfying, easy on the cook!

Full-meal salads go easy on the cook

Old Roses bring breathtaking beauty, scent, history

Old roses bring breathtaking beauty

All about roses: Pruning, wild rose primer and old roses

Of all the flowers in all the world the Rose is Number One in history, literature and legend.

Make Easter special with at-home desserts

Country Chef Valle Novak reminds us that Easter’s coming – and is a great time to celebrate at home with special desserts.

Birds, raccoons, plant protection, pots as gardens

Today’s column will be a “catch-all” of information and ideas, brought about by personal experience in the realms of gardening and bird feeding.

Rich and flavorful seafood dishes overcome weather woes

Country Chef Valle Novak is inspired by how versatile, savory and satisfying seafood is. This led me to explore some former recipes featured during the past years for special favorites. Here’s the outcome, with a special veggie and salad go-with.

Plan now to make a pollinator-friendly garden

Weekend Gardener Valle Novak shares the importance of all the pollinators — necessary for garden health and even existence.

Humble onion wears crown of world’s top veggie

Country Chef Valle Novak shares recipes celebrating the humble onion, the oldest known vegetable that is eaten in the world.

Daily blessings are the true valentines of our lives

Weekend Gardener and Country Chef Valle Novak reflects on Valentine's Day.

Kodiak’s culinary gift to ocean fish lovers: Halibut

Country Chef Valle Novak shares that she is lucky to have a son who lives in Kodiak, Alaska, and keeps her well-stocked with salmon, halibut and other delights such as scallops and King crab.