Vermont: Growing Things

I don't know why it surprises me every time. Summers in Vermont are profoundly fecund. Apple trees seem to punctuate your every ride from one place to another. My mother has two volunteer apple trees growing down the hill from her house. This makes the deer living in the woods behind them very happy, and so you'll see lots of deer prints there. She also has blueberry and raspberry bushes that deliver so many berries that she has a hard time keeping up with picking them all. She freezes what she can, and we make preserves throughout the year from them. And if you've ever had homemade preserves, you know that store bought pales in comparison. She also makes tomato ketchup, which is actually more like tomato relish but serves the same function. Fresh flavors in the dead of Winter.

Vermont: The Food Issue

While in Vermont, I ate beautifully ...

My mother's and sister's gardens are both wildly prolific due to the perfect summer they've had. There was a fine showing of heirloom tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, pumpkins and herbs. I considered grabbing a few things, but thought about how I would explain to airline security what I was doing with a soccer ball sized butternut squash in my luggage.

My brother-in-law, Louis, makes a storied corn chowder. I only eat corn chowder when he makes it because others just don't measure up.

The correct way to grill corn; soak it in water for a few hours, throw it in the coals with the shuck on to retain moisture and let the sweetness blossom. Enjoy.

This is what beets look like when you don't buy them in a can.

My mother has raspberry, blackberry and blueberry bushes growing behind the house. I make a batch of preserves with my mother every time I visit. If you have ever smelled raspberries cooking on the stove, then you know one of life's greatest pleasures.

My sister, Carol, has mastered the fine art of Middle Eastern eggs, which she made for breakfast for the whole family every morning. Paired with spicy Arabic coffee, what better way can you start the day?

Dreaming in Color

My husband and I went to Oakland Park Nursery yesterday to plan the next phase of turning our backyard into the garden escape we've always dreamed of. While the "bones" are all in place, we still have many other plants and trees to add to make it complete.




I really want to have Foxgloves.



... and this Snow Queen Hydrangea.

What sort of garden escape do you dream of?