Cheesemaking Does Not Stand Alone
As an integral part of a sustainable food system, the craft and its products are culturally valuable, nutritionally valuable and an intrinsic part of social and ecological landscapes everywhere. The guest writers of this special Life on the Farm column are committed to small-scale farmstead cheesemaking, practicing it year-round at their acclaimed Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse in Holland Township.
Horseradish Power
It’s the cure for the cold weather common at this time of year and LOTF columnist Kate Munning has the prescription for its many uses.
Mugolio: ‘Made with a Piece of the Pines’
A magical combination of earthy and sweet, the pinecone syrup that has pro chefs bewitched is never better than when made from a harvest in our Pine Barrens. Lauren Vitagliano forages, macerates, waits – and then celebrates with a pasta dish that makes any day a holiday.
Sumac, a Singular Source
When much else is turning brown in mid-fall, count on this crimson berry to blaze a trail to possibilities in the kitchen. LOTF columnist Kate Munning reports from field and brew pot on its vinegary, tart and citrusy soul.
Hydro-powered Beverages
Experimentation and collaboration are teaching LOTF columnist Lauren Vitagliano that it takes only a spray of intensified herb to up the flavor ante on a drink of choice – “mock” or not. Here’s to your health!
Beauty of the Bounty
High-summer’s crops are in their glory right now, as TPW’s backyard farmer Alessia Eramo finds herself in constant harvest mode. Catch tips for making the most of what once was a lawn, as well as a recipe straight from Italy, in her latest dispatch.
Paying Respect to the Elderberry
What tastes good can do good, and that’s why this particular berry charms and astounds our Schooley’s Mountain-based homesteader.
Looking Back to Get to Today
TPW’s backyard farmer Alessia Eramo analyzes her four years of growing in her own yard in Clifton, takes stock of what’s sprouting right now, and shares plans and tips for the season ahead in another primer on turning lawn into a food-producing farmette.
The Rub On Rhubarb
With all due respect to baseball’s expressive word diet, spring’s eternal vegetal stalk reaches its apex in the gardens and kitchens of those who learned of its charms from family gardeners and cooks preceding them. LOTF columnist Kate Munning passes on her own traditions.
Regenerative Agriculture 101
You hear a lot about it these days, but how exactly does taking a look back at the way our ancestors farmed help to frame a brighter, healthier farming future? LOTF columnist Abigail Sickler shares methods and mind-set from her livestock farm in Stow Creek.
Original Foragers
Beehives produce more than just honey, says homesteader Lauren Vitagliano, which is why the LOTF columnist and Rob Williams, the other half of the Pine Barrens Post, also harvest the bee pollen hunted and gathered by their buzzy neighbors.
Of Plants and Projects
Sprouting seedlings are a call to the garden every spring. TPW’s backyard farmer Alessia Eramo explains how she uses winter to prepare for this moment and why she’s expanding her growing ’scape. Be educated and inspired.