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Posts Tagged ‘new hampshire’

Rumors are circulating that we’re getting snow tonight.

7 to 14 inches of it. New Hampshire has already covered its ground with a powdery white, + we here in Maine await its arrival. It seems like the snow just melted. Now, we’re all getting ready for it to start up again.

I’ve seen a lot of snow in my day, but I actually can’t recall any on Halloween. This may be a first for me? Thanksgiving, sure, there have been plenty of those with a frosty ground, but not Halloween. Here’s hoping everyone’s costumes include a wool coat + that all the landlords are nice enough to turn up the heat!

Happy first snow day!

xx.

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If you follow this road along the side of the mountain

you’ll come across the loveliest little stream. I grew up on this road, about a mile + a half in the direction of civilization (sort of…), and when I used to run my five mile route, I’d often stop there to splash myself with water, and quench my growing thirst.

I grew up drinking the water that runs from the top of this mountain (of course at my parents’ house they do have a well), + so did the rest of my family. My maternal grandparents first drove this road when they bought their Camp on the lake in 1952. The water that is pumped up to the house from the lake isn’t drinkable, so they would stop at this stream on the way to fill up jugs of water. I didn’t know this fact until two weeks ago when my uncle told me. I had just been drawn to the stream on my own.

I’ve certainly spent my fair share of time on this plot, though I’ve never been sure of who owned it. Most likely, it’s town property by now since I’ve never seen a soul come in or out, and there isn’t so much as a foot path to its front door.

In our curious younger years, my best friend + I would peek around inside this house innocently. We rarely touched anything, and if we did it was very carefully put back in the dust where it was found, we just wanted to see what it was like in there. We knew it would be lovely. We’ve always had an affinity for obsolete homes abandoned decades before our time. This house never even had electricity.

Rachel over at Smile + Wave just posted some beautiful photos that she took in a similar house recently. I couldn’t help but think of this cabin, and the Airstream trailer also located on this road that the other Julia (my BFF) + I used to explore.

If you need a bit of inspiration, definitely have a look at Rachel’s post. As for me, I’m now planning another trip inside the cabin. This time, with camera in tow.

I hope you’re all well.

xx.

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Ever heard of chaga?

Yeah, neither had I until my amateur mycologist man taught me about it.

Chaga is a type of fungus that sometimes grows as a parasite on birch trees. It has been used for centuries as a medicine because it boosts immunities in the body, and therefore helps people fight off illness. Apparently, though, it’s a very rare mushroom.

Ryan mentioned it to me for the first time last year, saying that it was sort of a medicinal miracle. And as soon as he described it, I knew exactly what he was talking about — I’d seen it every single day when I was growing up. In fact, it’s all over the New England woodland. Chaga needs very cold temperatures and an undisturbed habitat to survive. That’s my home sweet home!

So when we went home last weekend, he was very excited to get searching. And, within minutes, he found an 8 pound hunk of the stuff right on my family’s land.

So, Ryan borrowed my Grandfather’s hatchet, and returned to the woods to harvest.

What a happy mushroom man…

Happy mushroom hunting!

xx.

(Disclaimer: Ryan had been studying this particular mushroom for a year before actually harvesting it. Make sure you know what you’re doing before ingesting anything you’ve picked from the forest.)

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After Thanksgiving, Columbus Day might be my favourite holiday.

It’s certainly not that I greatly admire Mr. Christopher, or that I promote the “conquering” of more undeveloped land in favor of civilization, but my reason for loving this holiday in particular is instead thus: this past weekend typically marks the peak of the fall foliage in New England (except for this year), there is a fantastic little State Fair that I love to attend, and, because my home region feels the most like home in the fall.

In autumn, the electricity in the air is provoking. I can feel all of the creatures in the woodland preparing for winter. The leaves tenderly flutter from their branches to form a colourful blanket on the ground. It seems like an entire mountain can be soundless when you walk through its trees — somehow the only sound is that of feet on dirt. And the water looks cold… It looks so cold that I shiver to see it, and snuggle deeper into my scarf and mittens (again, except for this year).

It’s a hard thing to explain, this feeling. Maybe the only way to show you is to show you. So, here is why I love this time of the year:

Now can you see why it’s so hard for me to come back to the city?

xx.

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This summer we took our niece to the Science Center to learn about our climate.

We had so much fun while we were there, watching the mountain lions prowl and the black bears slumber, but I was really saddened to learn that within my lifetime, because of Global Warming, the New England that I have known my whole life will eventually turn into a climate more similar to that of North Carolina.

We read that the fall foliage that New England is famous for will start to decrease in its beauty year by year, and eventually  the leaf peepers will stop coming, too (some would say this is a mixed blessing). And the maple trees will never have cold enough weather to produce maple syrup, so we’ll have to live without that, too. The reality of the situation really hit me hard when I saw the display that they had constructed to illustrate the impact of Global Warming in our (literal) neck of the woods.

Anyway, I’m feeling a bit sad about it tonight because I’ll be heading home this weekend for the fair and I’m not sure if it’ll look the same as it always has to me. Yeah, yeah, I’m being a bit sappy here (pun intended), but I just hope all of those trees of mine still look like home. I talked to my mom the other day and she said that the leaves hadn’t really had much of a chance this year mostly because Hurricane Irene blew them all off, but it was a secret fear of mine that I may never see the trees as they used to be.

If every year it’s supposed to get worse and I don’t have this one last season to enjoy them, I’d just be really torn up about it.

Alas, it wasn’t my intention to be the Debbie Downer of your night, and I promise that I’m done. I guess I’m just hoping that everyone is doing their part to lessen the impact we’re having on our globe because no one person can do it alone, and we live in the house we all built.

I hope you’re all doing quite well and are looking forward to the weekend as much as I (really) am.

xx.

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This meal was made with three ingredients, all purchased from our local Farmer’s Market.

Here’s another yummy local meal that we’ve tried this year. We’re not as strict as we were last year, so this tempeh made with black beans fits the bill.

I stirfried the tempeh with chopped up green peppers, and steamed our green beans until they were nice + bright. We felt full, we felt healthy, we felt happy, and we helped to support the local economy.

Happy Friday night!

xx. Julia

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You-Will-Not-Be-Sorry-You-Made-This Tomato Soup

  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • Sea salt to taste
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 1 small carrot, diced
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 1/4 cups veggie broth
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Cut the tomatoes into large chunks and spread onto a baking sheet.

Season with salt and drizzle with 1/4 cup of the canola oil then roast in the oven until caramelized (about 15 minutes).

While they bake, heat the remaining canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.

Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened (about 10 minutes).

Add the roasted tomatoes, veggie broth, and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender (about 15 to 20 minutes).

Add basil. Puree in a blender until smooth. Enjoy!

This is my absolute most favourite local recipe ever (that I’ve had so far). I figured it out last year and it has stuck in my brain as the epitome of a rainy summer’s day dinner.

We’re having a friend over tonight and I can’t wait to share it with her.

Happy eating, everyone!

xx. Julia

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We’re leaving to spend the night at Ryan’s parents’ tonight, but first I wanted to pass along a link!

MaineLocavore.org is a great website that shows what’s in season in my region, and the available places to get each thing (including restaraunts — you don’t even have to cook this stuff)! They also have fibers like wool and alpaca for crafty people :)

Looks like we’re not the only Maine Locavores

(though it certainly does feel like it sometimes…)

xx. Julia

P.s. Click the photo in the sidebar that says “Local Summer” to find out more about our food adventure!

(Click image for source!)

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 Summer // summer // summer.

xx. Julia

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In a moment of weakness, Ryan and I decided to make a fried snack — onion rings.

We had been lounging in the park and reading, when a familiar smell wafted our way. We live on the ocean, so seafood restaurants dominate the coastline. It was probably one of these that scent the smell of fried clams our way on a stiff wind.

On the walk home, we decided that we needed something fried. In an effort to remain local, we made our own onion rings. It was incredibly easy and quite satisfying. Much advised.

We couldn’t help but indulge in this greasy mess. We’re healthy most of the time…

ONION RINGS:

1/2 an onion

1 egg

1/2 cup-ish of flour

1/3 cup of cooking oil

- In a saucepan, pour the oil and heat on medium heat.

- Slice the onion into rings.

- Crack the egg into a small bowl and scramble.

- Pour flour into a second small bowl.

- Coat an onion ring first in flour, then in egg, then drop into the oil. Do this in waves for all of the onions. Once the first group of onion rings has finished frying, transfer it to paper towels or a cloth to cool and replace it with more onion rings until all of your onion rings have been fried.

Enjoy  your greasy treat!

xx. Julia

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