Blogs

If you're looking for some easy Halloween recipes, here are a few tricks to help you out—with ideas for an appetizer, drink, dinner, and dessert. For an appetizer, make monster "eyeballs." Split 6 hard-boiled eggs width-wise and remove yolks. Fill "sockets" with cream cheese and stick in...

This autumn, I drove past an unusual site: a giant contraption towering above crowds of cheering people. Suddenly, I saw the machine's "arm" swing forward to hurl something through the air—why, was that a flying pumpkin? Indeed, I had discovered "pumpkin chunkin," an unusual competition that i...

My friends received an apple cider press for a wedding present long ago. Last week, they threw an Apple Cider Press Party, and what a treat! Have you ever tasted apple cider fresh from the press (your own or a local cider mill)? WOW! The cider has a pure, refreshing flavor that's hard to beat.

Last week, I was scrambling to harvest all of my roma tomatoes because we had a frost warning. It turned out to be a false alarm. I suppose we'll be making lots of fried green tomatoes! Has frost hit your area? The arrival of frost can sometimes nip a neighbor's yard or garden but spare your own. Gardening is so local,...

Welcome October! For your enjoyment, I've posted this beautiful poem by Robert Frost. In it, he urges nature to slow down—before the leaves fall and the chilly weather begins!

Are you seeing signs of autumn in the air? Here in New Hampshire, the temperature is falling, the leaves are starting to change color, and the garden plants are slowing down. Recently, I’ve also noticed another sign of fall: bird migrations.

Have you been intrigued by the increased chatter about root cellars? They seem to be experiencing a revival. I looked back at The Old Farmer's Almanac archives and was not surprised to see some useful information. Here are the highlights of what I learned:

A new baby was delivered today. She has cream-colored skin and a black head. She's only about 1/4 inch long. Her name is Cynthia, and she's a painted lady butterfly larva, or caterpillar. Her scientific name is Cynthia cardui, also known as Vanessa cardui. Painted lady butterflies are found throughout much of North America....

As my husband and I worked in the garden this weekend, I noticed the bees visiting my azaleas (okay, not my azaleas, but the neighbor's azaleas). I take extra notice when I see bees since hearing so much about their population declining.

A few weeks ago, I had a surprise one morning when I opened my mailbox to put in a letter. Inside were dozens of medium-sized black ants busily tending a nursery of a hundred or so cream-colored eggs. Well, thank goodness for the Internet! I quickly scanned the Web to see if anyone else had this trouble, and sure enough, qu...