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A woman stands in a kitchen with a bowl of rice pilaf posing for the camera.

Savor the flavors of fall in this rice pilaf dish, made with dried fruit and sage.


A hand sprinkles eggshells on garden soil

Can Eggshells Prevent Blossom End Rot?

June 28, 2022

Most of us have heard that eggshells can help increase the calcium in our garden soil, and some of us may have even tried it in our own yards. The goal is to help prevent blossom end rot on tomatoes and other plants affected by calcium deficiency. As it turns out, using eggshells really doesn’t fix anything.

slice of Overnight Blueberry French Toast

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

June 21, 2022

This casserole recipe makes French toast simple. It’s great for breakfast but could easily be a dessert with the cream cheese and berry combination.

Joro Spider

Joro vs. Golden Silk Spider

June 17, 2022

You may have recently heard about joro spiders on the news. The gigantic yellow spiders are creepy enough to give anyone the heebie-jeebies! The good news about these spiders is that they have not shown up in Mississippi yet. 

A woman stands in front of a tennis court

Get Active: Why and How

June 14, 2022

Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. No matter your age, you can gain many long-term benefits from being active, like improving your strength, supporting emotional and mental health, and helping manage or prevent illnesses.

a collage of various poison look alikes.

Poison Look-Alikes

June 10, 2022

Summertime is here. School is out and children are spending more time at home. Do you know what potential poisons are in your household? Could you, your children, or your babysitter mistake a harmful product for a safe product? You may be surprised by how often these close calls happen!

Easy Veggie Bake casserole

The Food Factor: Easy Veggie Bake

June 6, 2022

Not a fan of vegetables? Try this Easy Veggie Bake to camouflage them with a cheesy flavor and creamy consistency.

Canned salsa in a basket with other produce

Home Canning: Where Do I Start?

June 3, 2022

Canning is a precise process that must be done correctly to have a safe, edible product. Proper preparation ahead of time will make the entire process much easier. These steps will help you get started.

Green tomato with buckeye rot.

4 Common Tomato Diseases

May 26, 2022

Tomatoes are a popular crop for home gardeners, but they can be tricky to grow. Insects, disorders, and diseases can all cause problems with tomatoes. 

People gardening in hay bales.

Gardening in Straw Bales

May 26, 2022

Summertime means everyone is hard at work on their gardens. Gardening can be quite the tiresome project and can even be difficult for those who can’t bend over easily. That’s where hay or straw bales come in handy!

Yellow coreopsis flowers.

Fuss-Free Native Plants

May 24, 2022

Native plants are great to have in the landscape because they often do not require watering, fertilization, or maintenance. They grow naturally in the region and are adapted to the overall climate and soil conditions. Native plants also provide food and shelter for wildlife and pollinators! 

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About Extension for Real Life

Extension for Real Life is a product of the MSU Extension Service’s Office of Agricultural Communications.

That’s a long way of saying we are professional communicators who get to talk about food, families, 4-H, flowers, and farming for a living.

Blog content is created by a core team of communicators, including Susan Collins-Smith, Ellen Graves, Natasha Haynes, Qula Madkin, Michaela Parker, and Jonathan Parrish. But we get by with a lot of help from our friends in Ag Comm and Extension!

You can reach us at 662-325-2262 or extreallife@msstate.edu