Ila Bonczek
Ila has a Bachelor's degree from from Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Science. She lives in the Garden State, where she has been growing produce and perennials for 25 years.
Join Ila in the exploration of exciting topics like sustainable living, holistic health, and the cultivation of not just plants, but mind and body as well.
Making Mooncakes: A Chinese Recipe for Reunion
Mooncakes are a traditional Chinese dessert served during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Topped with elaborate patterns, these rich pastries are exchanged as gifts while families reunite for the holiday. Traditional mooncakes made with quality ingredients can...
The Delightful Dragonfly: Facts, Fables and Spiritual Insight
With wings like a fairy’s and colors to match, it’s no wonder the dragonfly is mired in myth and superstition. The magical tales revolving around dragonflies are as varied as the lands in which they...
Okra Attracts Microplastics – an Odd Fruit With an Unusual Application
Largely considered a vegetable, okra is actually, botanically, a fruit — as it carries seeds. This prickly-on-the-outside and slimy-on-the-inside pod may also hold the secret to microplastic management. Studies have shown that okra attracts microplastics in...
Is Good Posture a Thing of the Past? 10 Reasons It’s Worth Pursuing and How to Achieve It
Good posture used to be a serious issue, stressed both at school and in the home. Although those rigid standards have largely disappeared, we have again come to recognize the importance of good posture for...
Maintain a Productive Garden Through Fall: Seasonal Tips
As summer winds down, you may find that your garden has gotten out of your hands. It is truly incredible how much some plants can grow in a few short months, while others may be...
The Marvelous Bean: A Traditional Protein and a Promising Carb
As a valuable source of protein, beans have been cultivated for millennia, starting with the earliest civilizations of prehistoric times. Today, there are countless varieties of beans in all shapes and colors, and some of...
The Enchanted Elder: Folklore, Medicine and Cultivation of Elderberry
Elderberry is one of man’s earliest medicinals, with records showing evidence of cultivation as early as the stone ages. Throughout recorded history, a variety of cultures have harnessed the plant’s many assets for use in...
Natural Solutions for 9 Stubborn Stains
It seems incredible how many different ways one can ruin a piece of clothing. Aside from physical wear and tear, our garments face daily threats of stubborn stains in the home, office, and outdoors —...
Strange Gelatinous Blobs on the Beach? Those Would Be Salps
If you’re lucky enough to have been to the shore lately, you may have encountered some — or even a multitude — of odd gelatinous globs on the beach. At first glance they might appear...
6 Reasons You Attract Mosquitoes and What to Do About It
Do you attract more than your fair share of mosquitoes? Your mosquito magnetism is not a figment of your imagination. For a variety of reasons, some people are naturally more attractive to these tiny vampires....
Transcending Pain: Understand, Accept, and Become Comfortable With Discomfort
As humans, we have both a natural and a learned aversion to pain. Be it physical or emotional, we go out of our way to avoid pain. Yet if we try to understand pain and...
Storing Food: 7 Traditional Methods for Preserving a Variety of Foods
Should you be storing food? If you’ve noticed your favorite grocery items being out of stock for weeks on end, you have every right to be concerned. This trend is likely to continue and may...