Turning over a new leaf: From homegrown to homemade
Those who know me know I have a weed problem: I like to grow it, but don't partake that much. In the three years I've tended a garden,...
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Rich Kassirer
- Nov 8, 2021
- 3 min
Seasons change and so do I: a 2021 garden recap
A couple of days ago, after our first real frost, I cut down the Brussels sprout plants. They were the final crop standing in the garden,...
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Rich Kassirer
- Sep 28, 2021
- 2 min
When the choosing gets tough...
Maybe you -- like me -- have found yourself in the grocery store staring perplexed into a display of items considering back and forth:...
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Rich Kassirer
- Sep 23, 2021
- 2 min
Winner, winner, chicken (share) dinner
Karl Prahl of Underline Farm is a Local Hero (as recognized by the Western Mass. agricultural organization CISA) and one of ours as well....
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Sue Kassirer
- Aug 2, 2021
- 4 min
What is This Cool Mushroom I Just Found?
You could go ask Alice... Or a better choice might be to consult someone who really knows. For those unfamiliar with mushroom foraging...
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Rich Kassirer
- Apr 25, 2021
- 2 min
When one outgrows their garden
When we moved into our house four years ago, one of the first things I wanted was a vegetable garden. If you had seen the yard back then,...
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Sue Kassirer
- Apr 22, 2021
- 3 min
It’s Earth Day, Love your Mother!
In honor of Earth Day, it’s time for another installment of Earth-friendly household item reviews. As you know, we’re seriously doing...
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Sue Kassirer
- Jan 3, 2021
- 3 min
A Blessing in Exchange for a Christmas Tree
Once Christmas turns to New Year’s Eve, it’s time to remove all of the ornaments, unwind the lights and take the tree down. When we lived...
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Rich Kassirer
- Oct 6, 2020
- 2 min
Shhhh! Shishitos are our summer secret
Shishitos are a small mild pepper with an amazing taste when lightly blistered in a pan with oil, salt, pepper and a spritz of lemon.
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Sue Kassirer
- Sep 6, 2020
- 4 min
Floored!
It all started as a Covid-19 shutdown project. We wanted to tackle one big project for the house while we were cooped up in it.
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Rich Kassirer
- Jul 31, 2020
- 2 min
For produce in summer, we take to the road
The real discovery is when you are driving along some back road and, like an oasis, there's this little stand of vegetables.
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Sue Kassirer
- Apr 21, 2020
- 2 min
Don't Poke the Dragon
In my mind, I could just see the sleeping dragon wrapped around our fire.
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Rich Kassirer
- Apr 15, 2020
- 6 min
How does your (weed) garden grow
As I go into my third season of growing, I decided to document my successes and failures so far.
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Rich Kassirer
- Apr 9, 2020
- 2 min
How to keep busy during a pandemic
Sue has so many ideas, I sort of sit back, hear them out and wait until the dust settles on the best one.
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Rich Kassirer
- Mar 28, 2020
- 2 min
Seeking solace – and pork chops
One of the few upsides to all this virus/social distancing nonsense is time: For Sue and I, it means more time for excursions together.
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Sue Kassirer
- Mar 26, 2020
- 3 min
Fighting the good fight even while quarantined
Since we’re all spending more time at home, it’s a perfect opportunity to catch up on our search for environmentally responsible products.
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Rich Kassirer
- Mar 4, 2020
- 3 min
My obsession with birds? In a word, baffling.
Even before coffee or breakfast, I head down the basement steps and out the door with the suet feeder and a plastic cup full of bird seed.
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Rich Kassirer
- Jan 29, 2020
- 2 min
Just your garden-variety mid-winter dreaming
Four or five months of cold and wet and gray does eat at the soul. With that comes the beginning thoughts of what to plant in the garden.
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Sue Kassirer
- Dec 8, 2019
- 2 min
Rethinking your wrap
This time of year is a real opportunity to reduce waste and eliminate some plastic with reusable wraps, and by creatively sourcing paper.
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Rich Kassirer
- Nov 24, 2019
- 2 min
The full Monte
Monte Belmonte is a DJ by day. He is also one of the Valley's most popular and active hosts for fund-raisers.
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