I was lucky enough to spend a day scouring the tents at Brimfield with Yankee staffers Amy, Heather and Brenda a few weeks ago. While Brimfield can be a truly overwhelming experience, I find that it is helpful to have an idea of what you are looking for…but at the same time, remain open to […]
Living
Steam-Clean Your Microwave The inside of your microwave oven probably looks like an abstract painting: spaghetti sauce from last Thursday, chicken soup from the weekend. And, of course, it’s all baked on so hard that you’ll need an archaeologist’s chisel to chip it off (which you don’t want to do, by the way, because you […]
How To
Crush-Proof Lunch Containers
Brown-bagging presents a challenge: how to avoid squashed soft foods, crushed chips, and liquid leaks. Here are four clever ways to solve the problem without spending much on fancy packaging. Recycle margarine tubs and yogurt cups. Not only are you helping the environment, but you also won’t be upset if the containers accidentally get lost […]
Gardens
Grow Fresh Herbs in Your Garden
There is nothing like walking out to the garden on a summer day to snip fresh mint for iced tea or tender chives for a sautéed meal. Once you have used ultra-fresh herbs for your recipes you won’t want to go back to using the store bought variety. I grow an outdoor herb garden, and […]
On Mother’s Day, I had a moment of panic. We were headed to brunch at a friend’s house when I realized that I needed a hostess gift. There wasn’t enough time to hit the stores, so I decided to make something. I had a small pot of pretty flowers, and a bunch of wild lilacs—I […]
Crop rotation may sound complicated, but this age-old practice is such a useful method for thwarting pest and disease problems that it’s worth gaining a basic understanding of why crop rotation is important and how to try it in your garden. In The American Gardener’s Assistant (1869), Thomas Bridgeman offers this reason for crop rotation: […]
Q. I am crazy for herbs (cilantro, basil, parsley and mint). How can I get a head start on a great herb garden indoors that I can move outside when the weather gets warmer. Any tips for a year-round indoor herb garden? Answer: Herbs may be grown indoors year round, though they won’t be as […]
How To
How to Clean Wood Furniture
Learn how to clean wood furniture with our tried-and-true cleaning tips. They’ll help you remove everything from dirt to crayon marks. Clean Wood Furniture with Wax or Varnish Finish If your wooden furniture has a finish such as wax or varnish, clean it every few months with lemon oil (which is actually scented mineral oil). […]
Colorful masking tape is all the rage right now in the craft world. It can be used for almost anything—prettying up packaging, decorating picture frames, even making unique greeting cards. I was recently gifted several rolls of jewel toned masking tape, and after scratching my head, wondering what to do with them, I decided to […]
Almost all native flowering trees can be forced to bloom indoors, ahead of nature’s schedule. As soon as buds are visible—usually by early April here in New England—branches of flowering and fruit trees such as forsythia, willow, apple, cherry, pear, peaches and honey suckle may be cut to be placed in containers of water inside […]
Not many homes have served as both a men’s club and a church. But a certain four-bedroom, 4,200-square-foot home in the popular White Oaks section of Williamstown, Massachusetts, has. Not at the same time, of course. Still, from the time it was built in 1930 until 1960, it was the White Oaks Men’s Club, otherwise […]
Homes
The Detail
In 2009, after years of shooting Terry John Woods’ home in Shrewsbury, Vermont, for a variety of shelter magazines, photographer Kindra Clineff teamed up with Terry and writer Dale West for New Farmhouse Style (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2009), a coffee-table book that takes readers on an expansive tour of the home and the interior […]