Though used interchangeably, herbs and spices are two very different things—and they should be used in different ways in the kitchen. Do you know the difference? Buff up on your foodie know-how so you can better utilize that parsley and sage you’ve been growing on your apartment windowsill all season. 

There's nothing quite as soothing as a cup of hot herbal tea. Add a little honey and a squeeze of lemon, and herbal teas can calm you down for a good night's sleep, relieve a sore throat, ease cold or flu symptoms and build your immune system up. Plus, deliciously so. Herbal teas also make fabulous iced tea in the summer for a refreshing, healthy drink that's not too sweet. And guess what? You can easily grow a small herbal tea garden and harvest your own herbs for home-grown and home-brewed herbal teas galore.

It’s flu season, and almost everyone has experienced this infectious disease (also known as influenza) at some point in his or her life. Like a gift that keeps on giving, the flu brings sore muscles, sweat-covered chills, nausea, fever, scratchy throat, headache, coughing, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue and a general feeling of death warmed over.

So long olive oil; there’s a brand new oil in town and it comes from a favorite winter veggie, squash.

Part of the journey in returning to a simpler, artisanal kitchen is attained by getting in touch with better sources of foods. And the kitchen equipment we cook our foods with can be just as big a part of that journey as the food itself.

Donate all of your nonstick pans and celebrity-endorsed skillets to charity; you’re investing in cookware that beats them all: the cast-iron skillet. And with a little TLC, your trusty skillet is going to stay with you through the years.

Are you a self-proclaimed, bonafide foodie? Make sure you're pantry is stocked with these five culinary essentials in their most gourmet, healthy and pure of forms, and get one step closer to mastering your home chef skills. They’ll take your level 1 Home Cookery to level 3 Top Cheffery.

Cleansing is as vital to skincare as strawberries are to summer (can't wait!). Consider the pollutants, dust, oil, dirt and particles our gorgeous skin is blitzed with on the daily... need we say more? In addition to cleaning, cleansers exfoliate the skin surface to promote circulation and skin renewal. But we have to be careful not to use harsh chemiclas that will strip the face of its natural oils and protective layer and actually promote aging. A homemade facial cleanser made from a few organic ingredients that are tailored to your skin type will get glowing skin in the bag... for decades to come.

Ever take your dog to dinner and get rude looks, crazy rules, or even been asked to leave? We know, we know, you can’t take dogs in restaurants. But in the warmer months it’s legal to have a dog sit outside with you. Even then, not all establishments are stoked on the idea. Luckily, there is a new site called Eddie Eats Out that tells you all about and rates the service that dogs and their owners get at sidewalk cafes.

As we head into March, New York’s biggest rooftop farm - the Brooklyn Grange - gears up for a fresh load of crops with the knowledge of what works and needs improvement for year two.

After all the decadence over the holidays and Valentine’s Day, your waistline could use a break. But the thought of giving up your sweets is enough to send you into sugar shock. Try these butter alternatives the next time you bake for a lower-fat version that’s just as tasty. After all, one cup of butter in a recipe adds a whopping 1,600 calories and 177 grams of fat. Eek!

A new iPhone app, Organic Wine Find, helps you search for organic wines. Finding organic wine with another wine app, or heaven forbid, without any technology at all, may actually be harder to do than you think. Many vintners do not include the word "organic" on their product label names, making it easy to pass right by a great organic choice, and for apps that aren't specifically designed to recognize organic wines, it may be extremely challenging.

The feeling of anxiety is somewhat unavoidable in this life - that is if you go anywhere and do anything and challenge yourself in any new ways. Why, even watching some Grey's Anatomy could elicit a little anxiety! But when anxiety becomes a longstanding, perpetual problem it can lead to more serious health problems. Plus, calming those jumpy nerves of yours naturally feels good. We've got a few remedies to give a go the next time you feel the anxiety rising within you.

The pomelo is the patriarch of the citrus family - albeit underappreciated. Sometimes called pummelo, pommelo, shaddock or jabong, pomelos resemble overgrown grapefruits, but are in fact an ancestor to the grapefruit. And while hefty in size, don't be fooled into thinking you'll get pomelo juice for days. Much of a pomelo's bulk is in its foam-like pith, which makes it awesome for candying. Pomelos are usually pale green to yellow when ripe, with sweet white or pinky flesh and a very thick rind as we mentioned.

In 1987, a wealthy Austrian entrepreneur named Dietrich Mateschitz arrived in Thailand with a killer case of jet lag. He tried a traditional drink known as Krating Daeng to cut through the brain smog and give him an energy boost... Mr. Mateschitz is now one of the richest people in the world, and his drink known as Red Bull is consumed by everyone from soccer moms who need a jolt to college kids in jagerbomb form (more on that later).

With snow covering much of the United States, many of us are waging a war against ice, a safety hazard for humans and dogs alike. But before you pull out the de-icer you used last year, consider whether or not the method is actually safe. Many chemical de-icers cause harm to your dog, as well as the environment. Even some natural ones do! Not to worry; we've got everything you need to know for de-icing safely and effectively while keeping pets safe. Find out how your method for de-icing measures up!

OK, so it is freezing cold outside and you need to do something good with all your kitchen scraps. So what if you could keep making compost over the cold season and have it ready for spring’s thaw? That would be awesome, because compost is one of the very best tools available for the organic gardener. And guess what? You can compost without fuss in all but the coldest regions, so let's have a look at what it takes.