Herbs such as coriander, basil and mint can make any dish more flavourful. They are fun to grow and it is great to have our own garden we can pluck fresh herbs from. We can make a kitchen herb garden or plant herbs in pots on the terrace. Herbs are easy to grow and require little patience as some herbs start to sprout in as little as two days!...

Monsoons are here and as the rain pours tip tap, wouldn't it be nice to read a book or watch a favourite show while munching something fresh and tasty? Here is a corn salad recipe that is quick to make and is full of nutrients. Corn is a rich source of calories and is a staple among many populations. The calorie content of corn is 342 per 100 grams, which is among the highest in cereals. Calories are important for healthy metabolism. Corn is a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin E, and several minerals. Its high fibre content helps in the prevention of digestive ailments such as constipation.

Don't become couch potatoes and gadget slaves this summer. Make the best of your summer holidays, move around the house, and assess how you consume resources with the help of some interesting activities.

Down To Earth travels to the desert state of Rajasthan to find out about the traditional food habits of the people in one of the driest regions of the country. We discovered that so many things grow in the wild and traditional knowledge of these will ensure that you have plenty to eat in the harsh desert environment. But is this traditional knowledge losing its ground slowly?. Down to Earth is Science and Environment fortnightly published by the Society for Environmental Communication, New Delhi...

Health, Food and Environment are closely related. All living beings have to eat. We eat food to keep our bodies healthy and strong, so that we can go about doing our day to day work. A wide variety of foods is available to us. In fact, our food can vary from region to region. For example, people living in coastal areas might eat a lot of sea food (fish, prawns, etc).

This member of the cucumber family goes back thousands of years

The key lies in education. We should expose children more to food systems, says nutrition consultant Rujuta Diwekar.

This is the age of hard sell: everything that is or can be on sale, is being sold aggressively through promotions, advertisements, media campaigns, claims of how good the product is, what health benefits it supposedly has, etc... and that also goes for the food that we eat. 

The beautiful and healthy lotus stems—you can find these stems being sold by roadside vendors, especially along roads that run by a river or a pond. The light brown or white, sausage-like tubular vegetable has holes in it. These are lotus stems and they are used widely in Indian, Chinese and Japanese cuisine. They are relished for their taste and nutritional value. Known in Hindi as bhe or kamal kakri, the lotus stem contains hollow air channels that run the length of the stem. It is crunchy, sweet and tastes like water chestnut. It has a delicate flavour and is suitable for eating raw or cooked...