Fresh

"Madden NFL 13" EA Sports Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 Score: 3 stars out of 4 The "Madden" series hasn't quite lived up to expectations since eliminating competing NFL franchises in 2005. Still, it is taken for granted how much EA Sports maximizes its exclusive license with the NFL to produce video games that allow fans to come as close as most ever will to an NFL field. The knock on “Madden” is that it's the same year-in and year-out. “Madden NFL 13” absolutely disproves that notion, though “different” doesn't automatically mean “better.” Like it's little brother, “NCAA Football,” this year's edition of “Madden” has fine-tuned its passing game to mirror the throw-happy offenses in the real NFL. Receivers run their routes in a less robotic fashion than previous editions, and as a quarterback, the player has a real opportunity to put the ball where they want.

Instead of heading to the market next time you need fresh produce, take a trip to Aberdeen's farmers market. Every Friday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m., Festival Park across from Aberdeen City Hall is full of vendors selling local goods and families having a good time. “Aberdeen wanted its citizens to grow local, buy local,” says Felicia Bledsoe, a spokesperson for the city of Aberdeen. “It helps the small business out, and you can always be sure there will be fresh vegetables, delicious homemade snacks, handmade products and other items each week.” Aberdeen's farmers market began in May and will run until October.

Secretly we all have questions about the universe that we would love to have answered. And now, Harford County has an outlet for such curiosity in the science café concept. Sponsored by the Northeastern Maryland Technology Council (NMTC) in Aberdeen, a science café is a fun and free way for people of all ages to learn about various scientific topics. “We're trying to bring science to the general public,” says Dr. Nina Lamba, an NMTC board member. Inspired by the science pubs in her native England, Lamba, who is also president and chief specialist of CCL Biomedical, LLC in Havre de Grace, thought they'd be a great event for Harford County.

When a dozen Morgan State University students launched a theater troupe called ArtsCentric nearly a decade ago, their goal went beyond creating performance opportunities for themselves. They wanted to do work that could make a difference to people. The two goals come together this weekend with a production of the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning musical "Next to Normal," a groundbreaking show about a woman whose battle with bipolar disorder threatens to tear apart her family.

Sweet corn is at its seasonal peak, and its abundance is a great (and inexpensive) reason to get cooking. Sweet corn has a place in every cookout this time of year, whether in a salad, a side dish or, more likely, on the cob with butter and salt and pepper (or better yet, Old Bay). Jesse Albright, general manager at Albright farms in Monkton, sells sweet corn at the Fells Point Farmers' Market for $6 a dozen and offers preservation techniques for those of us who like to have a little bit of summer during the winter months.

The Orioles placed rookie utility man Ryan Flaherty on the disabled list Wednesday so he can recover from a bacterial infection. Flaherty was sent home early during Tuesday's game with tonsillitis and a 103-degree fever. The club was concerned Flaherty might have mononucleosis, but tests done Wednesday ruled that out. He still had swollen glands, but no longer had a fever. The team sent Flaherty home again Wednesday to get rest. "The next three days are pretty important, because it could turn into something pretty serious there, more than just tonsillitis with the infection," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

The polio vaccine was not my idea. Nor was the Second Vatican Council of the Catholic Church. The first idea protected my physical health. The second idea continues to protect and preserve my Catholic faith. At the time the council was convened by Pope John XXIII in 1962, I was an elementary school pupil in the vast, all-encompassing American Catholic ecosystem known as the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. In summoning the world's bishops to Rome, the rotund, genial pontiff stated that it was time to open up the windows of the church and let in some fresh air. Even a fifth-grade Catholic schoolboy could understand why it was a good idea to open the stained glass windows, at least now and then.

Eggplant has to be one of the most intimidating items at the supermarket. With its monolithic shape and Darth Vader coloring, eggplants are a mystery to many shoppers. This fruit (yes, fruit) is named after the early varieties that propagated across America and resembled large white goose eggs. The standard purple variety resembles the French aubergine. While the purple and white varieties taste the same, the only place you will be able to find the white eggplants is at a farmers' market.

A New Windsor farm is one of three operations in Maryland that will be featured on Monday, July 16, during a Chefs Go Fresh farm tour Local Washington and Maryland chefs will rev up for the motorcycle tour in an effort to build relationships with area chefs and purveyors of produce, meats and other farm-raised products. Shepherds Manor Creamery in New Windsor, which produces "artisan sheep cheese," will be one of three stops on the tour. The creamery and farm is operated by Colleen and Michael Histon, and was named by the Carroll County Department of Economic Development as its 2011 Agribusiness Award winner.

Nalley Fresh has become a neighborhood favorite for the downtown office crowd, who line up to create their own rice bowls ($5.75), burrito wraps ($7.50) and salads ($8.30). Those prices include the addition of a basic protein, vegetables, homemade dressings and cheeses. You pick them out, and a counter crew prepares it. Lunch for $10 or less: Nalley Fresh Sound easy? It's not. Well, not the first time. The interface at Nalley Fresh can be confusing. You can add eight toppings to a salad, but it's hard to see all of your options before you start picking them out. It's really only a problem on your first visit, and the Nalley gang has learned to look out for customers with that deer-in-the-headlights stare - “First time?