Patricia Rain tells an ancient story of star-crossed lovers and murder. An innocent princess, Morning Star, is killed with her young lover. In death, their spirits live on. Their blood falls onto ...

Vanilla is a vine of the genus Vanilla of the Orchidaceae family that grows in hot and humid areas in low latitudes such as Central America, Southeast Asia, and West Africa. The fruits of vanilla, an ...

I’ve loved the great outdoors since I was a young lad growing up among exotic plants and colorful Cajun relatives in South Louisiana. Every day spent among towering moss-covered cypress trees and a ...

As a life-long science geek, one of my hero/favorite authors has long been Cal Tech physicist and Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman. His collection of short works, "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out ...

SANTA CRUZ >> Vanilla is getting its turn in the spotlight. And it’s about time, said Patricia Rain, one of the organizers of this Thursday’s Vanilla Festival at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and ...

Ever wonder how to tell mildew from crystallized essence on those vanilla beans in your cupboard? Ever hear about the 17th-century Jewish vanilla curers of Guyana? Need a recipe for Chipotle-Vanilla ...

VANILLA REALLY IS just vanilla when you put it in chocolate, in blondies or in a batch of oatmeal cookies. If it wasn’t there you’d miss it, but it’s not the single most important flavor in the food.