A Community-based Participatory Action Research (CPAR) project on mango production of the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), which launched in 1999, has led to the fulfillment of the long dreams of Tiblawan farmers. A Community-based Participatory Action Research (CPAR) project on mango production of the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), which launched in 1999, has led to the fulfillment of the...

Ingredients 3 eggs, separated 1 cup raisins 1 cup water Pinch of salt 1 cup sugar 2 heaping tablespoons flour 1 tablespoon vinegar 2 tablespoons butter Baked single-crust pie shell MERINGUE: 3 egg whites 6 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Cook raisins in enough water to plump; drain. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form. Beat egg whites until frothy. Instructions Separate eggs and save whites for meringue. Pour into baked pie crust and top with meringue. In...

He toured orchards in Skagit County and talked to tree fruit society folks who promoted varieties that would thrive commercially west of the mountains, including Jonagolds. When most people think of Washington state and apples, they're transported east of the mountains, where huge orchards and giant packing houses reign, Aplets and Cotlets are available at every roadside stand and the sun seems to shine all year long. Unlike many of the apples sold in grocery stores, this fruit will never...

Farmers say they -- and their customers -- are paying about $4 extra to take home a bushel of apples this fall, all because of the spring freeze in early April, around Easter. Usually 15 people are working on and around the orchard, whereas only six are working this year. The travel, the import of goods, and the inability to grow his own crop has contributed to the added cost -- and to an early closing date for business. At Murphy's Orchard, the crop is so significantly smaller that the...

Fruit and vegetable production is rising, the average earnings of farm workers are not going up extraordinarily fast, and consumers are not feeling a pinch the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables has averaged about $1 a day for most households over the past decade. Labor-saving mechanization can be difficult for one farmer, since packers and processors are usually set up to deal either with hand-picked or machine-picked crops, but not both. Fruit and vegetable production is rising, the...