State park trail entry point.

Journey Home

Tales from the pilgrimage.

local food

  • Summer Begins Sunday

    After seeing the garlic crop up close—by weeding for three hours—I can say it looks quite good. Most of the leaves are still green which means it is not quite ready. It won’t be long. As summer approaches I am ready to turn the page on the garden to focus on cooking, writing, and property… Read more

  • Week 10 — Planting Finally Finished

    Finally the garden is in! On Sunday I fenced and planted the final plot for the year. There are plenty of the usual tomatoes, greens, peppers, alliums, and curcurbits. Also growing are tomatillos, fennel, celeriac, huckleberries, and okra. A lot of good cooking and eating lies ahead. Week 10 was the first for donations to… Read more

  • Vegetable Broth 2026

    My spring ritual of replenishing the shelf of vegetable broth is comforting. I enjoy lining up the quart jars on the shelf, and being able to take one from to make rice or soup. The annual process results in never running out. This year I changed the varieties of greens and the amount and mixture… Read more

  • Week 8 — Using Early Produce

    This spring unfolded early in Big Grove, a reminder of how closely gardeners watch nature. Phenology — the study of recurring seasonal events in plants and animals, such as leaf-out, flowering, migration, and fruit set — is an unfamiliar term that gives meaning to what gardeners do by nature when weather and climate change. Garlic… Read more

  • Gardening Septuagenarian

    With spring’s garden work, my joints ache in the morning. By the time I finish my daily exercises and 30-minute walk on the state park trail, the ache subsides. I wouldn’t change anything, yet have to wonder how many more years I can continue tending the large garden we have. That’s not a question for… Read more

  • Week 7—Rain Out

    This week in the garden is mostly about what I did last Monday and Tuesday, which is not much. The overnight rain—four days in a row—made the ground too wet for digging. However, it was ideal for weeding and I made a clean sweep of the leeks, onions, turnips and radishes. They all look good… Read more

  • Using Up Collards

    In early Spring I inventoried frozen leafy green vegetables. A lot remained from last year. That prompted me to use some of the collards, so I came up with a collards and white bean dish that was satisfying and used up two quart bags. Here is how I made it. Unnamed Collards and White Beans… Read more

  • Spring Slips Through Our Fingers

    There was heavy rain overnight from Monday to Tuesday, our fourth night in a row of it. We should enjoy spring rain. It cleanses the atmosphere, and cleans the house, driveway, and yard. Instead, I feel tension that garden planting is not further along. This despite the fact the growing season extended by 10-20 days… Read more

  • Week 6—Planting Getting Real

    While locating seedlings for the next plot, I could not find the zucchini. I planted yellow and green, then realized they didn’t germinate and I pulled them from the greenhouse. After stewing for a while, I planted more of the same old seeds and made a special order for new ones. Luckily, there is enough… Read more

  • Week 5—Life on the Cusp of Summer

    By my calculations, we passed the last frost and the rest of the garden can go in. If cold temperatures return, I have a banker’s box full of old flat sheets to cover and protect young plants. Three plots had been planted, leaving four and part of the garlic patch with which to do something.… Read more