For some delicious comfort food, try the macaroni and cheese ($17), which is elevated by bits of confit duck that work their way into the shells and a creamy cheese sauce. These are English pea tendrils, not the sweet snap-pea tendrils favored in Chinatown, which means they have a grassy fresh flavor but enough pea sweetness to set off the crunchy assortment of wild mushrooms. Following a change of ownership, this cozy Cambridge spot has been reborn as an upscale gastro-pub with an...

While that might seem like a good thing, agriculture officials say it is the biggest threat to the future of farming in the state. Maryland is one of the hottest real estate development markets in the country, and farmers in some parts of the state are being offered as much as $500,000 for lots. During the first two weeks of June, survey workers will visit properties throughout the state and interview owners and operators of farms and ranches. They will be counting the number of farms in...

Land being used for agriculture is down only 6 percent in the same time period, from 42 million acres to 39. From a lack of moisture to the skyrocketing prices of fertilizer, fuel and land, many producers could be facing a tipping point. In 15 years, the county lost 20 percent of its farms, and those that were left grew in size by nearly a quarter of their previous acreage. In a few cafes in the southwestern part of the state, farm-auction bills have been plastered up this year like...

Biodiesel is made primarily from soybean oil, and the price of soybeans is up as farmers put more and more land into production of corn, the more lucrative crop of the two. A new study by economists at Iowa State University suggests the biodiesel market won't grow substantially unless the government requires its usage or adds more subsidies. Find information on Iowa's biodiesel plants, including ownership, public incentives and other data at the Register's biofuels Web site. And that...

And, he wants to bring in 500 more workers in July to detassel seed corn. Spokesmen for Tyson Fresh Meats, which has 9,000 employees in Iowa, and Cargill Meat Solutions, which employs more than 2,000 workers at its hog processing plant in Ottumwa, said they support proposals that provide a way for workers in the United States illegally to earn legal status, allow for better control of the border, and give employers better tools to verify citizenship. Terms of the deal say that holders of...

Candy corn represents the sacrifices of the pilgrims first winter as food was so scarce they survived on just a few kernals of corn a day. Nuts and sunflower seeds are our promise of a future harvest that one will reap if the seeds are planted and tended with diligence. Ingredients 2 cups Bugles corn snacks 2 cups small pretzel twists 1 cup candy corn 1 cup dried mixed fruit bits, raisins or dried cranberries 1 cup dry roasted peanuts or sunflower seeds 1 cup chocolate M&M brand candies 1...