We have a root cellar. This statement seems improbable when you consider our contemporary house, situated in the end of a cul-de-sac full of other mid-1970’s houses in suburbia. But we do indeed have a root cellar. Tucked into the northern-most corner of our basement, made of plywood and blueboard insulation, with a tube to Read the Rest…

Books are an important part of my life, on almost all subjects – fiction, history, gardening, among many others, including cookbooks. I usually keep one on my nightstand and read it straight through before bedtime, as if it were fiction. I love everything about books, the way the pages smell when they are new, how Read the Rest…

I have not always been a good cook. In fact, I didn’t even know that I liked to cook. I knew, however, that I liked to eat, and living in New York City after college meant that I had constant access to really delicious and well prepared food. There was not a lot of motivation Read the Rest…

Entertaining loved ones from far away is one of the hallmarks of the holiday season for many of us. I have such great pride in our tiny northern state, with her beautiful landscapes: challenging and breathtaking in the hardest of winters, and yet lush and indulgent in the summers. I love to show off a Read the Rest…

I grew up here in Vermont, but I am perennially amazed at how much productivity can be stuffed into our short growing season. In a recent conversation with a farmer, we marveled together at how vigorously vegetable gardens and farms grow and yield such great bounty for our little northern state. As if they know Read the Rest…

When my roommate decided to buy a side of grass-fed beef from a co-worker 10 years ago, she came home with a single sheet of paper in her hand. “What is it?” I asked, holding the sparsely typed page gingerly, noting where we were to indicate our preference for steaks or roasts or ground beef. Read the Rest…