Celebration Season this year has been quite lengthy. We had one rowdy family Christmas on December 22, but then a quiet adult Christmas on December 25 with only one child and his lady, and a dear friend who always joins us for Christmas dinner. On December 29 the Heath Gourmet Club celebrated Christmas with a theme of Looks Like a Wreath to Me! Nearly every course was wreath-like. My savarin pans came in handy for the main course which was…
As we race around shopping and buying Christmas gifts for the people we love, the Salvation Army bell-ringers seem an appropriate accompaniment. The Holy Family was poor, and enduring so much bad luck, that they had to find shelter in a stable for the birth of the Christ Child. It is not hard to imagine the fear that Mary must have felt as she labored to bring this baby into the world. Where were they to go from…
I am counting this as the first snowfall of the year, although there was a couple of inches of snow on the ground on Christmas so we could all have a white Christmas and get an extra helping of Christmas spirit. Now we can enjoy the post-Christmas tranquillity, sitting by the fire, watching the snow snowing and the wind blowing. This photo was taken at 7 a.m. More Christmas is coming with further gatherings with family and friends.…
Jacqueline Heriteau and Holly Hunter Stonehill, along with Liz Ball, James Fizzell and Joe Lamp’l have put together the New England Gardener’s Handbook: All you need to know to plan, plant and maintain a New England garden (Cool Springs Press $24.99) that focuses on the plants that will thrive in the our soil and climate. Heriteau and Stonehill have been gardening and cooking together for many years; they are mother and daughter. Ball, Fizzell and Lamp’l will be…
Mel Bartholomew came bursting on the garden scene over 30 years ago with his technique of Square Foot Gardening. I have visited many gardens that use his raised bed, grid organized system out here in the country, and I have seen it in front yards when we have visited our son in Cambridge. This year Bartholomew has come out with the Square Foot Gardening Answer Book (Cool Springs Press $16.99) that he says was inspired by the questions…
I've written about a number of garden books for the young over the past year. They are not how-to books although there are books that do lead a child into the garden with real instructions. My friend Kathryn Galbraith wrote Planting the Wild Garden and turned science into poetry. She reveals all the ways that Mother Nature spreads seeds over the landscape using the wind and rain, and hot sun that makes seed pods burst. The rivers and…
I just realized that I planted my succulent container on December 19 last year. This was a new project for me. I posted an update in February when the succulents looked like this. Today the succulents look like this. I love being able to put together this series. With so few words. For more Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.
I’m not saying gardeners are greedy, but it is true that it is easy to choose Christimas gifts for gardeners. When I wander through Shelburne Farm and Garden or Greenfield Farmers Coop I have all I can do hold myself in check. There are so many bright and sturdy items that will please and be useful to both novice and expert gardeners. The Shelburne Farm and Garden Center has a wonderful collection of pots. So many of…
I never have much in bloom at this time of the year. but on this Garden Bloggers Boom Day I have something to show. My big Christmas cactus sits in the corner of our bedroom and thrives with no care at all. A smaller Christmas cactus sits on the kitchen divider, the only blooming plant in public space. Lots more blooms to come on both. This little pot of cyclamen , bought last February, spent the summer forgotten…
We usually cut our Christmas tree from our own land. We are famous for having Charlie Brown trees. This tree strikes me as a hemi-demi-semi tree. The only tree we could find was this section of a tree that had been damaged by the ice storm several years ago. It only has branches on one side. I think this year, for the first time in over 30 years, we'll be shopping for our Christmas tree. For more (almost)…