It isn’t all about food. Sometimes we write about our house, our garden, our chickens, or our life in Beacon, in the Hudson Valley of New York. Here are a few of our witterings.
Our Kitchen Renovation
Last year, like most people, we spent a LOT of time inside the house. We also planned a gut renovation on our kitchen. Did we lose our minds in the process? Read on to find out!
Our Kitchen Renovation (part 1)
We're in the middle of our kitchen renovation. In the New York shutdown. While writing a cookbook. Help!
Garlic! A garden success story (with Easy Roasted Garlic)
A successful garlic crop in the urban backyard depends on a lot of factors. We tell you what went right this year for us, what we might do differently, and one option for roasting your garlic once it's harvested.
Chickens! Episode 3: More Chickens.
Dear reader, or indeed, readers: You may, singularly or en masse, have become increasingly concerned at the startling lack of chicken-related news in this blog. It is possible, but admittedly not likely, that you are of a nervous disposition, and have been unable to reconcile the existence of a “Chickens” menu with the non-existence of ...
In the garden – July
A few notes on our success in the garden this summer ... as well as our failures.
A Very Nerdy Hallowe’en
Hallowe’en is a very exciting time over at the Nerds residence. You see, one of us (EMILY) not only grew up on horror movies but also, you know, HAS HER BIRTHDAY on October 31st, and the other one of us (MATT) has a fondness for Edward Gorey and M R James, and has spent whole months of his life subsiding entirely ...
Chickens, a winter update
A lot of people have been asking me how our chickens have been coping with the winter weather. To be honest, I had been a little worried about keeping them safe through the cold months. We’re not exactly Minnesota, but we do get snowy winters. Last year the snow didn’t seem to stop coming until ...
That’ll do, hen.
It’s been an exciting sort of week in the world of chickens around these parts. First, we started getting eggs last weekend. I might have mentioned in our first chicken post that we weren’t exactly sure how old our hens were, but breath was baited, fingers were crossed, wood was touched, and, more practically, I ...
Aw, nuts.
I like to tell people that growing up in England, and particularly in the Garden of England™ that is the Kent countryside, you naturally absorb, as if by osmosis, an understanding of the ways of nature. You find yourself in easy harmony with the plants, and the trees, and gardening and horticulture come as easily ...
Garden Fall Wrapup
It’s October, and the bulk of the vegetable garden is finished for the season. Of course, our herbs are still going strong on the deck, and we’re still pulling out ripened tomatoes, but the soil beds are now empty. For our first year, we didn’t do too badly. Here’s a recap. Although last winter wasn’t ...
The chickens have landed! I repeat, the chickens are in the coop!
Matt writes: Hello there, chickadees! You’ve probably gathered that I’m not quite as prolific as m’wife when it comes to updating the blog, but I think it’s about time – no, past time – for an update on how the chicken coop is going. Well, it’s done. We have chickens. “What’s this?”, you cry in ...
Arya’s Kitchen Chair
Like most dogs, especially rescues*, Arya likes to be around us. A lot. Usually that’s A-OK because look at that face. Look at it! But… doggie in the kitchen with heavy pots, hot pans and poisonous ingredients (for pups. I don’t cook with arsenic…much) is a recipe for trouble. Oh dear, cooking blog humor. Luckily, little ...