This adorable mulberry muffin recipe is a cute, delicious way to use two of my favorite tree ingredients– mulberries and maple syrup– to make clean, real-food mini muffins with all the charm of bagged ones. (If you grew up in the 90s, you know what I mean.) The only sweetener here is maple syrup (and […]
small town america
Peanut Butter Acorn Flour Energy Balls
Acorn flour is a really special ingredient that is increasingly central to conversations about sustainable agriculture, foraging, and permaculture. Acorns are a ubiquitous tree nut whose mother tree (oak trees) provide unnumerable ecosystem services, from carbon offsetting to providing shelter and sustenance for local wildlife. Not to mention: their nuts are incredibly nutritious, rich in […]
Easy Chestnut Hummus (Yes, Chestnut Hummus!)
This easy recipe for chestnut hummus combines cooked chestnuts with olive oil, garlic, tahini, lemon and spices to make a lovely, velvety, bean-free hummus. I first became aware that chestnut hummus was “a thing” when I attended a permaculture-focused paw paw festival that espoused the power of growing and cooking with native fruit and nut […]
9 Gorgeous Vineyards For Wine Tasting in Charlottesville, Virginia
Going wine tasting in Charlottesville, Virginia is a Bucket List experience in this beloved foodie town, which is secretly one of the most beautiful places to go wine tasting in America. Celebrity Chef Jose Andres once said that this bucolic, verdant region of the Blue Ridge is “more beautiful than the Napa Valley”! (And […]
This Redbud Pink Lemonade Recipe is a Delight of Antioxidants
This easy redbud pink lemonade recipe combines bright pink redbud flowers with water, citrus juice, and sugar to make a gorgeous, colorful spring drink that can be mixed with seltzer, coconut water, or any cocktail or mocktail in need of a little pizazz. The naturally-occurring anthocyanins in the petals turn this lemonade a gorgeous baby […]
5 Beautiful Places to Go Strawberry Picking in Northern Virginia (2026 Edition)
When May and June roll around, it’s strawberry-picking time in Northern Virginia. This is a great Mother’s Day and/or Father’s Day activity, depending on whether the season starts early or goes long. For two or three precious weeks in the early fruit season, picking strawberries in Northern Virginia becomes the region’s most lovely agricultural activity– […]
The 6 Best Lobster Rolls in Kennebunkport, Maine
Searching for the “best” lobster roll in Kennebunkport, Maine, is sort of like searching for the “best” grain of sand on any of the beautiful local beaches: it’s hard to find one that’s better than the rest. This is because there are so many great options! As we wrote in our Insider’s Guide to Kennebunkport, […]
9 Cool Things to Do in Cumberland, Maine
Cumberland, Maine is a lovely little idyllic town in Southern Maine that’s known for its peaceful recreation areas and luxuriously slow summer living. It’s full of charmingly expansive farmland, lush wooded areas, and welcoming small town New England heritage that makes it a nice place to, quite frankly, simply wander around. Having a car […]
Redbud Olive Oil Muffin Recipe: A Delightful Way to Eat These Colorful Spring Blooms
Eastern redbud trees (Cercis canadensis) burst into beautiful magenta blooms each spring across the East Coast, Midwest, and Middle Atlantic– and yes, you can eat the flowers of this imminently recognizable tree. The redbud is a striking tree that flowers around the same time as two of my other favorite spring blooms– cherry blossom and […]
Yes, You Can Eat Magnolia Flowers— Try This Easy Magnolia Spice Cake Recipe for Spring
Yes, you can eat magnolia flowers— and they’re having a renaissance right now. Magnolia season arrives in early spring every year, and it is very short– usually lasting only two weeks, so it’s sort of like a shooting star in the realm of seasonal food (like ramps or morels, they are special in that way, […]