Answer:
I am essential to life on earth! I am split into thirds. Two thirds are the same. One of the thirds is 8. The other two are 1 each.
I go around a yard but does not move.
You use a knife to slice my head and weep beside me when I am dead.
When young I am sweet in the sun. When middle-aged I make you gay. When old I am valued more than ever.
Lovely and round I shine with pale light grown in the darkness a lady's delight.
Why was the cook arrested?