Open View Gardens

Just a short while ago, I thought I’d be sitting in a fabulous Indian restaurant in London right about now, during a two-day stopover on  the way to Fes, Morocco for a month to think, to write, to cook, to take photos, to taste living in that incredible city. And then on to Italy for […]

This past weekend cooking for my best friend Julia, who was visiting for a few days from England, I was reminded of how much I enjoy cooking for the people I love. I find pleasure in every aspect — the planning, shopping, preparing and eating of a meal I know will bring joy to the […]

When I travel, I seek out farmers’ markets and food shops as much as museums and historic sites, hoping for the unique and telling glimpses into a culture offered by hanging about where people buy their food. And so in Montreal this past weekend, yes, the unforgettable Jean-Paul Gauthier show at the Museum of Fine […]

Last Sunday for Father’s Day, the LA Times published 10 recipes to celebrate fathers. The recipes included: three types of steak, two gourmet hamburgers, “Man-sized turkey wings,” “Naked ribs,” two desserts, and a gin cocktail. After spending the past year researching and writing a thesis on the relationship between gender and food (The Gendering of […]

The bluebird boxes go up today (even if it is snowing); in a few days I’ll set up the Mason bee house.  Audubon called this morning with the news that their report on our bird habitat is complete and we’ll soon receive it in the mail.  I’m interested to see if any of their recommendations […]

It’s snowing. Hard.  On April 28 in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.  Two days ago I spent seven hours in a t-shirt hauling dirt around new garden beds (we’re doubling the size of the already large garden), planting potatoes, weeding, cheering on the rattling bumblebees and softly whirring honeybees at their work among the blossoming […]