About HerBrief

HerBrief is a free morning newsletter for women over 50. We cover the news that affects your health, your home, and your money, with recipes, garden advice, and answers to the questions readers send in.

We do the reading, but the summary is only half the job. If there’s a food recall, you need to know what to check in the fridge. If a health study makes headlines, you need to know what it actually found and whether it’s a reason to change anything. We explain the useful parts and link to the sources so you can read further.

In the kitchen, we pay attention to the details that make a recipe work. Brown the meat in batches so it sears instead of steams. Let the filling cool before the potatoes go on. We’re interested in good food you’ll make again, including what keeps, what freezes, and what you can get done ahead of time.

The garden advice follows the season. We explain what needs attention now, what should be left alone, and how the timing changes depending on where you live. Not everything needs doing this weekend.

When we look at something to buy, the question isn’t just whether it’s good. It’s whether it’s worth the price, and whether something less expensive does the same job. Sometimes our answer is to keep your money.

Reader questions get a considered answer, too. Going gray shouldn’t automatically mean buying six products and booking more salon appointments. We look for a useful place to start, including what you can do with what you already have.

There’s also room for a good book, an interesting house, and a trivia question to think about before you check the answer.

HerBrief arrives by email every morning. It’s free.