I listen to the windTo the wind of my soulWhere I'll end upWell I think only God really knows-Islam Yusuf Change is blowing through my windows. This week will be the last week of Carly’s Cupboard. Alice is going on a cycle break and will resume in mid July but I will be closing up shop. This project was always meant to be ephemeral, and while I thought I’d make it to the fall, ...
Carly’s Blog
About 15 years ago, while driving on 116 near Umass, I spotted a snapping turtle lumbering across the road so, of course, I stopped. I was only 20 and this being my first snapping turtle rescue, I wasn’t making much progress. We were locked in a dance of mirroring fierceness. Cars were whizzing around us and soon a cop pulled over, shouting at me, “What are you doing?!” After explaining the ...
"Land snails spend most of their time in the leaf litter layer. There, they consume the dead and decaying vegetation, helping to decompose it. With the nutrient-rich feces they leave behind, snails play a role in soil formation. As environmental clean-up crews, snails’ nutrient-cycling activity extends also to fungi, and some species even specialize as consumers of dead animals. From insects ...
My sunchokes arrived by way of Vermont today from Pete’s Greens. I’m starting to hold these tubers with the same affection I have for potatoes. They may have an earthy acquired flavor, but I believe the tremendous joy they bring to my digestive system has flipped a switch, the microbes are starting to file requests, and I crave them. I’ve been probing for local(ish) sources ever since my ...
This is my friend Forest's garden. I found her deep in a cultivating fever yesterday when I stopped by to drop off her food. She'd rearranged and multiplied stands of her favorite plants, and showed me her work snaking behind the house into a private paradise. Despite what looked like hours of hard work, she was buzzing with energy, running on the same unstoppable force that pushes grass to ...
Spruced up mushrooms, coming soon to a table near you. I love being an auntie. I’ve got two nephews and another gestating womb side. The stamina, patience, and courage it takes to be a parent I likely will never know, but I am feeling grateful to stand in awe and support of my sisters’ journeys. My youngest sister Chelsea gave birth last August to a creature resembling a hungry caterpillar, ...
Well, the sun roseWith so many colors it nearly broke my heartIt worked me over like a work of artAnd I was a part of all that-Dar Williams Let spring in with some seasonal nourishment and green grass gazing. Feel a part of it, if only for a moment.
It's the time to stuff your face with green. Loading up on onions, garlic, bitter greens, and brassica family vegetables (garlic mustard) can keep your liver singing and strong. This means clearer skin, a clearer mind, and more pep in your step. Get it while the gettin' is good. When hope busts through. Celebrating victories small and large, even when there's a whole lot more ...
Last weekend on a HOT Saturday I was strolling through the Electric City, feeling electric. The cherry trees, shadbush, and magnolias all bud swollen on Friday had fully unfurled by Saturday. I wound around corners enraptured, chasing floral scent trails like a hound. I finally felt the spark I've been missing; thank you flowers. One of my favorite moments was sticking my face fully into ...
I come from a legacy of cooks and generous hearted folk. My great, great grandmother Julia, my grandmother Therese, and my mother Julie. When I meditate on my maternal grandparents Therese and George Clark, I feel opulence, laughter, joy, and generosity. They love(d) parties, food, and family. I can conjure an inner fullness, gushing warmth of spirit, when I hold their images. My grandfather ...
Freezer berries, they're nearly as stellar as fresh ones. This week we're embracing the freezer berry in a French-style dessert, the clafoutis. Ours is a grain-free version with a ribbon of elderberry swirl and low-bush blueberries running throughout a crepe-like batter, all baked in a tidy half pint jar. Nutritionally speaking, freezing the spoils of summer locks in the majority of ...
"Who cooks for you?!" That's what the barred owl says. There's one that's been hanging around honey hill lately, hooting out practical questions and watching for prey. From the third floor, I get to share the same vantage point, an owl's eye view you could say, and witness the patience required for this glorious creature's food acquisition procedures. Lucky for you, with a click of a button ...