It's been a while since I've shared any new lamb recipes. A couple of weeks ago, our friends Yola and George visited and she shared one of her favorite lamb recipes with us. Yola is of Turkish descent and she is an amazing cook. It’s simple and quick to make. During zucchini season, it is so great to have another recipe to help whittle down the pile of overly abundant squash from the garden. During the winter, you can omit the zucchini. This makes a quick dinner and leftover koftas are a great snack or quick lunch. Perfect for a summer picnic too as they are delicious hot or cold.  If y ..read more

I'm still in restoration mode as I call it. In the winter cold (and it has been cold this winter), I hunker down, try to keep warm (the woodstove helps), do a lot of reading and perusing of my book collection, cook some very nice meals and help out with the lambing when needed. We are used to the cold here in western Massachusetts. I really felt for the folks in Texas who struggled with the cold, snow, and lack of electricity and water.  The days are getting longer each and every day. It has been very, very gray. We have had a lot of storms of sorts - mostly snow but not as much as in oth ..read more

  I first became aware of Frances Palmer when I read an article about her and her pottery and garden in one of my favorite magazines - US House and Garden. Her signature white earthenware pottery filled with my favorite sunflowers was featured on the cover. Although HG has been sadly long gone (Conde Nast closed it in 2007), Frances' beautiful pottery business and garden has grown and thrived in the years since. On my studio inspiration wall below you can see the cover photo from that issue of HG. Many folks recently will have stumbled upon Frances through her incredibly seductive&nb ..read more

Happy February everyone! It's been a slow slog back to making but I'm back. I finally finished a sunflower pillow that has been languishing in my knitting bag for years. Here it is...... It is an adaption from my Inspired Interiors PDF Download. I knit the square version in the round with a steek. Here is the chart I used. You can purchase the pattern on my website here or on Ravelry here.  After I finished the knitting and steeking, I decorated each flower with a Spider Web center outlined in French Knots. You can watch a 51 minute video on Creativebug on how to do ..read more

This poor little neglected blog. I've been focusing lots of my energy on my Email Newsletters. Friday I sent out an announcement about my three new Tea Towel Designs - each in 4 different colors. I design these Tea Towels myself - my website is the ONLY PLACE IN THE WORLD where you can get these Tea Towels (except for our booth at the Amherst MA Farmers Market).  Here's how I design them......I draw the designs out in black Flair felt tip marker or paint in black gouache on paper. I scan the sketches and bring them into Adobe Illustrator. In Illustrator, I do lots of computer manipulati ..read more

In the colder months, I could live on soup. I've got a bunch of favorites I turn to over and over again. Lamb and Lentil Soup, Potato Leek and Scotch Broth are two that are favorites here at our farm. When I can score some farm raised beef bones from fellow farmers, I make beef stock. Last week, our neighbor Debbie was cleaning out her freezer and she passed some on to me. It didn't take me long to decide what I was going to make.  This recipe came from Lisa White who is married to Tom White, a local potter. We went to a fantastic Pottery Open House a few years back and Lisa served the so ..read more

If you have read this blog for any length of time, you know we live in one of the most rural counties in Massachusetts. For years, I struggled with a dial-up connection internet connection. I started this blog in 2006. It was definitely a labor of love because it took forever to upload a photo or do a post. Eventually I got something called an air card which gave me a bit faster connection. At the Leyden Town Hall, they eventually installed some kind of high speed service. I spent many hours sitting in my car uploading blog posts and photos. Eventually I was allowed to sit inside the Town Hal ..read more

We are coming to the end of October. It feels it. The days are getting noticeably shorter. Some days are cold, clammy and the wood stove begs for a fire. Somedays the sun is out, the sky is a beautiful blue, and it seems like winter won't come.  I can feel the year change in my moods and thoughts. I am not very affected by seasonal affective disorder but I live with someone who is. I know what a struggle it can be.  When the days get shorter and the weather cools off, I feel a certain energy come my way. I was noticing it the other day and thinking what the heck is a matter with m ..read more

A quick note tonight to let you all know that I will be updating my On-Line Pottery Shop on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. EDT. I will have lots of new pots - pitchers, vases, mugs, platters, and more. I've been working on these pots since late spring. Here are a few that will be available. I use a white clay for my pottery. Each piece is thrown on my potter's wheel or built by hand from slabs that I roll out in my studio. Once the pot is thrown, I let it dry slightly and then apply handles if needed. These handles are pulled by hand. When completely dry, I use a sponge to clean up t ..read more

It is "crisp season" here in western Massachusetts. Crisp as in the coming weather and the fall of the deciduous trees' leaves and crisp as in fruit crisp - that typically American dessert of fall and winter.  For years, I searched for the perfect fruit crisp recipe. Every time I made one, it wasn't quite to my liking. One evening we were invited to our friends Peggy and Clara's house and they served the absolutely most perfect apple crisp. Clara passed along her recipe and each fall I make it. It is perfect for after dinner or breakfast the next few days. I've made it with apples and pea ..read more