The pond is still frozen. There’s still more than a foot of snow behind our house. But the place I skied the day before yesterday is now completely bare. We had 2023’s first thunderstorm. It’s finally spring! We all love the increase in daylight — and so do the chickens! They lay more ...

Happy spring! The ground is still white. Spring bulbs are still under the snow. But the days are longer. The sun is bright. We’ve had both rain showers and snow showers in the past week. Believe it or not, spring is here. We’re getting ready for spring festivals. Passover begins Wednesday ...

It’s spring. The freezer and root cellar are close to empty. But lentils, beans and grains are plentiful. It’s time to renew our acquaintance with these humble, ancient staples. Many Americans are unfamiliar with the tiny, lens-shaped legumes we call lentils. In ancient times, these ...

“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “to talk of many things: “Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax. Of cabbages — and kings — “And why the sea is boiling hot — And whether pigs have wings.” — Lewis Carroll in “The Walrus and the Carpenter.” Did you ...

“The gift of the sugar maple trees is from a benevolent Providence.” — Benjamin Rush, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson. The calendar still says winter. But warm days and below-freezing nights have meant that even in February, some producers were tapping trees for the season’s sweet ...

On gray, gloomy, chilly days, many turn to creamy, gooey, warm macaroni and cheese. The starchy, quintessential cold weather dish is a favorite among children and adults. In November, I was a vendor at the North Country Community College’s Holiday Fair. Lunch was a fundraiser for the ...