I cannot claim that I have a tradition just yet, but if I remember to do the same thing next year I will have an official spring ritual. Last Thursday on my drive to work, I noticed there was still ice on Dublin Lake. However, on my drive home, the ice was out. My potential […]
winter
Best Dog
We are all excited about the passing of this winter in particular because of an ice storm that paralyzed us in many more ways than just the absence of electricity and the comforts of home. It came in December, before the first snow, but we are still talking about how it affected us. And so […]
The Deadline Season Begins
I am really glad my blog is about the outdoors and that the only sport I do where you have to pay-to-play is alpine skiing. Otherwise I would feel like a used car salesman year-round giving you tips on deals. Buy this now. These prices won’t last. In my case, I am only telling you […]
Scents of the Past
A long winter often gives up some of our friends. February and March tend to be particularly rough months for the elderly. A glance at the obituary page in the daily paper confirms this — much more space taken up by death notices in these months than, say, in April or May, such hopeful months […]
Tales of Mud Season
Last Friday evening was a fine one with a hint of warmth and the sun sinking into a good pink sky. I was on my way to a party at a friend’s house on one of our more remote dirt roads, also known at this time of year as mud roads. She lives way off […]
Free Skiing at Okemo on April 1
What could be better than skiing for free at Okemo? How about skiing for free and donating some non-perishable food items to a good cause? I think that is better than just skiing for free. FREE SKIING AT OKEMO FOR APRIL FOOLS — NO FOOLING! LUDLOW, Vt. – When skiers and snowboarders visit Okemo Mountain […]
The vast majority of artists are never able to make a living from their art, and the fate of even those who do is typically to slip into obscurity after death. If they were any good at all, their work may enjoy a second life on the antique and auction market 50, 75, 100 years […]
Lara Atkins — Richmond, VT
The Kitchen Table Bistro Richmond, Vermont thekitchentablebistro.com Lara Atkins feels lucky about her location near Burlington’s Intervale, a fertile region of Vermont that’s home to several strong community-based farm-preservation projects. “We love winter, don’t get me wrong, but when it’s time, we’re happy to let it go,” she says. “As a chef in Vermont, well, […]
Evan Mallett — Portsmouth, NH
Black Trumpet Portsmouth, New Hampshire blacktrumpetbistro.com “I confess that I’m a comfort-food-loving chef, and I celebrate winter’s hearty soups, stews, and braises like nobody’s business,” says Evan Mallett. “Yet that first murmur of spring opens up a world of freshness every year and jump-starts the creative process. That’s not to say that we chefs keep […]
Josh Ziskin — Brookline, MA
La Morra Brookline, Massachusetts lamorra.com “Oh, man–by the end of winter, it is the toughest time,” says Josh Ziskin. “It’s so hard to write a menu. We stick really close to what’s locally available, and spring takes its time. We don’t put asparagus on until it’s in season, and that can take a while.” But […]
Matt Jennings — Providence, RI
Farmstead, La Laiterie, and Farmstead Lunch Providence, Rhode Island farmsteadinc.com “By the time the first ingredients start poking through, I am so ready,” says Matt Jennings. “After getting through winter, to see food growing again is monumental for the psyche. I think in New England we really do appreciate it more when it comes along. […]
Michel Nischan — Westport, CT
Dressing Room Westport, Connecticut dressingroomhomegrown.com Chef Michel Nischan spends much of his time promoting local food systems and preparing heritage recipes at his restaurant. He gets twitchy when wintered-over parsnips arrive. “It’s a perennial root in northern regions,” says Michel, “and when properly tended, survives the winter, so that you can dig it up in […]