A year ago, my husband Denny and I, relocated to the north side of a mountain near the heart of Vermont’s Green Mountain Forest. Even though I’d lived further southeast in Vermont for more than 35 years, I finally felt as if I’d come home to “real” Vermont and the unspoiled minutia of an old-fashioned life.
Read MoreOctober 7: I stroll into the woods to visit an old oak tree. It's a short trek that I've been making for about 17 years. This forest, like others in Brattleboro, feels more like a park than wilderness. Its trails are well traversed by a daily cadre of dog walkers, hikers, and bikers. This year I marvel at the quantity and size of the acorns. It's the biggest mast year for oaks that I've ever seen.
Read MoreThe foxes knew us long before we had any inkling of them. They quietly surveyed us, and discreetly roamed around the land we shared in common, without us ever knowing of their existence. All this changed dramatically, at least for us, during the summer of 2017. Denny installed a game cam at our garden. We then became aware of their existence.
Read MoreAvocado Squash is a summer squash from Korea that looks just like an avocado! But interestingly enough, it also has a creamy texture reminiscent of avocados, too. I first heard mention of Avocado Squash in Elizabeth Schneider's book, Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini. She had found the squash in an Asian market, but didn't know much about it.
Read MoreIf You Plant It They Will Come! We had been trying to get milkweed established for a number of years now. Milkweed is a weed. One would think it would be easier! First mistake I made was to plant them in an already established flower bed. I didn't see them come up at all the following spring. I finally noticed them a year and a half later.
Read MoreIn 2014 I bought a six pack of Shishito peppers from a local farm stand. I had read about these small green peppers from Japan, which were now being served at high-end restaurants. I was excited to try them. And so it was with great anticipation that I harvested the first few peppers, and then proceeded to chop and saute them.
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