The woods are a thousand tans, reds, and browns. Furrowed bark every shade of charcoal. Snowfall in the woods, in the low winter light, a cast of blue. The muted […]
Farm & Garden
What would it look like to grow, harvest, and protect our bounty?
Browse all Farm & Garden stories below or dive into a topic:
SCHOOL BREAK
Exploding Seed Balls
Hey kids — do try this at home
In nature, seeds get dispersed by wind or rain or they get eaten and then pooped by animals. Seed balls are probably an ancient farming idea. But these seed balls […]
FARM AND GARDEN
Sal Del Deo’s Garden and Its Bountiful Memories
It’s a piece of the Old World in Provincetown
Salvatore Del Deo sits in his kitchen on a snowy December afternoon, holding a jar of dried beans. “My favorites of all the favorites,” he says, holding them up to […]
VIEW FROM THE HIVE
Honey Bees Await the Solstice
Our dark Outer Cape bees winter in frugal clusters
WELLFLEET — On this farm we have Wellfleetian honey bees — although not really; their origins are more likely Ukrainian. Honey bees were never native to North America. With the […]
NATURA VIVA
Juniperus Virginiana (Eastern red cedar)
“Juniperus Virginiana (Eastern red cedar)” by Natalie Van Staden
ON THE LANDSCAPE
Structure and Shape in the Winter Garden
Reminders of the bones required to support summer’s softer beauty
I used to rent a small house with large windows. The windows overlooked a meadow of grasses and wildflowers framed at its edges by low oaks and autumn olive. In […]
HOLIDAY TABLE
Ecoprinting: Natural Dyes From Leaves and Flowers
Dyeing is a multi-step process. The first step is a visit with nature.
Even in these chilly gray days of November we find color everywhere on the Outer Cape. Marsh and beach grasses are golden fire. Junipers are deep green, their bright berries […]
ROOTS
All Eastham Turns Out for Turnips
The 16th annual turnip festival is at Nauset High on Saturday
EASTHAM — By the time this story goes live, the library’s countdown clock for the Eastham Turnip Festival will reach two days, eight hours, and counting. You can watch the […]
VIEW FROM THE HIVE
In Winter, Bees Become a Superorganism
A strategy to conserve energy and food
Hive entrances are eerily vacant and quiet this frigid November morning, but an ear to the boxes reveals lots of life inside. A healthy cluster of wintering honey bees emits […]
ON THE LANDSCAPE
The Rewards of Caring for House Plants
The basics are simple: soil, water, light, nutrients, and love
Frost etches the margins of the grass in the early morning. You can see your breath when you step outside at night. The bin of winter clothing has been pulled […]
IMMIGRANTS
Finding Increasingly Rare Refuge on a Truro Farm
A Nepalese couple succeeds even as asylum policy is strangled by Trump
TRURO — Fall hasn’t yet hit Down Home Farm: devoid of the expected autumnal colors, its fields glow green. The growing season isn’t over, and the farm’s cozy stand on […]
KITCHEN TABLE
A Sweet Reward for Fall Foragers
The best applesauce mixes wild and cultivated flavors
A study published this summer in Science suggested trees are the best tool we have to stabilize our rapidly changing climate. We could increase the world’s forest cover by a […]
at the library
Finding Fertile Ground in Old Card Catalogs
Repurposing turns out to be the perfect recipe
When local libraries began to introduce computers with searchable databases, most patrons thought they’d seen the last of the old card catalogs — those imposing wooden drawers filled with index […]
kitchen table
Boletes Ask for Butter
Layer them over pan-grilled bread for a well-foraged meal
It’s been a good fall for mushrooms, with plenty of rain followed by some warm, sunny days. I’ve been out in the woods looking for boletes — being careful not […]
view from the hive
The Bees Are Busy Getting Ready for Winter
Fat winter bees will jump-start the colony in spring
Unlike some bipeds I know, honey bees never seem to procrastinate in their preparations for the big chill of an Outer Cape winter. The bees take advantage of every warm […]
