Featured

I felt the sun on my face and the sweat on my back today. The green things are greening, and the crows are hanging out sunning themselves in the trees while watching me work.

First Flowers

February Thaw

Fiddlehead Wander

Do you harvest fiddleheads? Can you identify them? Below are all the other ferns that I saw growing alongside ostrich ferns today.

Beltane Wander

Rain used to be a disappointment. Days when it wasn’t pleasant to be outside, when I wanted to stay in and was annoyed if I had to go out. But when I started farming, the rain became a joy…

Signs of Life

The spring sun is warm, the bluebirds are singing, and there are signs of life in the gardens. Walk with me.

Willow Propagation

March is here, and so is the first project of the new growing season: willow propagation! The seed shortages of 2020 and 2021 have got us thinking seriously about seed saving and propagation, so we are giving our dying willow tree new life by cutting off some whips and rooting them in water.

Stay home, but break the rules.

I’m eating a lot of cookies these days, and that’s okay. They are good for the soul.

Cold Therapy Wander

Cold therapy isn’t just for athletes. Getting outside at all times of year is good for the soul.

Wandering Through the January Thaw

We’ve had a few beautiful “spring” days this week — a great time to get out and walk in the fresh air and see what has remained hidden under the snow this winter. Lots of berries left in the landscape still. It must be a pretty easy year for the wildlife. Well earned after last year’s winter that never ended.

Immune Boost Broth

Sometimes, despite our best efforts to stay healthy and take care of ourselves, life (and cold and flu season!) get in the way. Here is a kitchen witch recipe for immune boosting broth that I just cooked up for myself.

Woodland Fruit Wander

Strawberry Shrub Recipe

Fruit shrubs (AKA drinking vinegars) are a great way to reduce or eliminate your soda habit and make sure your fruit scraps don't go to waste.

Garden Wander After the Heatwave

After a long heatwave, the air is finally cool and dry. Many of the annual plants are looking worse for wear, but the perennial herbs and flowers are chugging right along!

The bearded irises are luminous in the afternoon sunshine today.

Garden Wander

I have a rare quiet day today to enjoy the garden and catch up on some chores. The sun is bright, but not hot, and it feels so good to be outside. The gardens are almost in full bloom, and I'm starting to harvest herbs.

First glimpse of the bog through the trees.

Quincy Bog Wander

The Quincy Bog walk is a wonderful respite on a hot and humid day, winding through wetland and woodland and everything in between.

Iris Garden Wander

Wildlife in the Garden

It's been quite a year for wildlife in the garden. Here are a few photos I took this week of our newest residents...

Parking Lot Wander

We tend to think of vast box store parking lots as wastelands, but there are herbs growing even there. Herbs specialize in growing where other plants fear to tread — bold, strong, survivors. Here are the shots from my wander between box store parking lots this afternoon.

The first rugosa rose of the year. These flower flush in June and then continue to bloom until the first frost. Each day, I harvest their petals for Rosewater Toner while tiptoeing among a diverse array of bees.

June Sunset Wander

I'm trying something new this year...inviting you to join me on my wild wanders. Here are some of the plants I visited with this evening, just before sunset. It's a beautiful time in the North Country!

Quick & Dirty Hard Cider

In the unseasonably hot September afternoon sun, I visited the orchard to stock up on eating apples and a gallon of unpasteurized cider. Turning it into hard cider takes minutes of your time and a few days of blind neglect.

Dehydrated Pineapple Snacks You Won't Be Able to Resist

I find that I can’t eat a lot of fresh pineapple at once, so I’ve gotten into the routine of buying a few pineapples when they are on sale and dehydrating slices to snack on later. They are absolutely delicious — a real revelation in the world of dried fruits.

Miso Soup with Egg Drop: Instant Breakfast on the Go

I'm a bagel and cream cheese kind of gal, always have been, but I'm trying to branch out my breakfast options when I'm on the go and don't have time to make a big breakfast at home. Enter miso soup.

Whole Food Chocolate Chip Cookies

Craving cookies but cutting back on refined flour and sugar? This small batch of whole food chocolate chip cookies will satisfy at any time of day (or at late night; no judgement!).

How I Replaced My Asthma Inhalers with Meditative Breathing

A friend was recently diagnosed with underlying asthma that gets worse when she exercises. Having spent ten years as an elite athlete training with exertion asthma, her story struck a chord with me. It's time to share the story of how I gave up my asthma inhalers, and developed a healthy mistrust of pharmaceuticals

An Evening in the July Garden

Coming home to the garden after a few days away is such a joy in July. The vegetable gardens, which we quintupled this year, are thriving.

A Little Color in the April Garden

A bright blue sky on a sunny and cold April day beckoned me into the garden to see what was growing. Although it's mostly brown around here right now (the forsythia hasn't even started blooming), there are patches of green and other colors from the boldest northern plants