As many of your may know, Jon and I plan to lead a rebuild of the J. & E. Riggin, a National Historic Landmark, next winter. For those of you who don’t know, owning, or as we sometimes say, stewarding, one of these National Historic Landmarks is a way of life and a labor of [...]
The air was still shaking off the sharp, crisp tang of an early spring morning when we left with our deep in the back of Joe’s Subaru to receive our first nuc from Humble Abode in Cooper’s Mills, Maine. The drive through lime and kelly green farm country and past fields of dewy grass took [...]
The original impetus for traveling to Portland a couple of weeks ago was to attend an Alabama Chanin workshop. I’ve saved the best for last. Before I met her I admired the intentionality she brought to her clothing and her business, now I’m a fan. I say often about sustainability, becoming an environmental leader and [...]
Less than a week before we sail! Can’t believe we are there already. This has been the best outfitting season of our career with the perfect mix of good crew and weather and a healthy dose of experience on our part about how to do this well. The Portland Press ran the column last week [...]
The sun was bright and high in the sky as I turned the compost pile today. I find few things more satisfying for releasing aggression (not that I have any, of course) than turning a pile of garden refuse, kitchen waste and office paper into food for the garden. As I stuck my pitchfork into [...]
I have yet to see one stalk of asparagus come up in my garden, but I’m waiting, albeit impatiently, and it’s warm enough for me to have a serious craving. At our recent Easter dinner, India, a friend and chef, brought asparagus cooked in a new way. And it was du-lish-ous, as Chloe says. While [...]
To travel somewhere and experience differences and then to relish in coming home is a delicious feeling. Last week, I traveled for five days with friends to Portland, Oregon, where the weather was so temperate, I didn’t even need the coat I’d left in my car in Portland, Maine. I’m told by locals that it’s [...]
We’re seated at the dinner table as a family, a cozy little scene, when my oldest daughter takes a bite of her vegetables, screws up her face and says, “Mama, there’s something not right about these vegetables!” A usual comment at dinner tables across the country I’m sure, but not with this daughter. Chloe likes [...]
It’s getting a little late in the season for fingerless mittens, but to round out the post that already ran about Chloe’s sweater, I thought I’d close the loop. The previous post was about upcycling a felted sweater. I cut the sleeves into three-quarter length and then had about 5 inches of cuff and lower [...]
My Bread by Jim Lahey, all about the no-knead bread process, is my new favorite read. Mostly, it’s my new favorite “look” because the book has a number of super helpful photo essays that illustrate what the bread should look like, step by step. When I initially wrote my column on no-knead bread using my [...]
