In a world obsessed with thinness, “clean eating,” and wellness fads, it’s easy to assume that diet culture is helping us live longer, healthier lives. But in truth, it’s often doing the opposite. By gaining sovereignty over my food sources…

Above is a photo of a real Vermont Native Phlox. When you buy plants labeled “Native” often times they are technically Nativars (cultivars x native) because they have been bred for certain properties. Also, many times plants labeled as Native aren’t even native to Vermont but Native to the Northeast.

I found that I really had to do my research. Often plants are touted as “Pollinator friendly”, which is purely a marketing ploy. Many of these plants are far from native, which means they do not support local pollinators.

My garden beds do not include just natives, otherwise there wouldn’t be many plants in them at all. I continue to add more and more natives but that is a harder job than one might think. Sourcing true natives is a like finding a needle in a hat stack. There are small grass root nurseries but the big suppliers are hardly selling true natives, if they carry many at all.

Did you know that 80 percent of Vermont land is privately owned? That means it is truly up to us landowners to tackle the invasive issue. The photo above shows a thick stand of Japanese Knotweed that impedes a new building site.

When I first moved to Hinesburg, I had a pretty idyllic vision: wide-open countryside, chirping birds, and a landscape bursting with native Vermont wildflowers. What I didn’t expect? A full-blown invasion. And no, I’m not talking about zombies or aliens. I’m talking about invasive plants.

I quickly realized that…

In the world of wellness, it’s easy to obsess over supplements, designer water bottles, and mineral-enhanced beverages. But for many of us living in Vermont—especially in towns with high-quality municipal water—the real mineral boost might…

This is where real beauty is created. These protein packed truffles with no refined sugar  taste like candy but are made with anything but typical ingredients found in candy. They taste like dessert but pack in loads of antioxidants and adaptogens.  Almond butter helps ensure digestion so that you get the full benefits of the herbs. This is one you’re going to want in your stack. Friends of BB Lane Garden are welcome to pop into Lunaria Estate and sample a few!

One of the trickiest garden styles to pull off—at least without it looking like a botanical laundry pile—is the cottage garden. It teeters on the edge of wild beauty and utter mess. But when done thoughtfully, it’s magic.

On our woodland estate, I steer clear of harsh lines and rigid symmetry. Instead, I favor soft, winding borders that drift naturally into the woods, letting the garden blur into the forest like an old watercolor. That’s my style. And if yours

We have a gravel driveway, and I wouldn’t dream of paving it. That gravel is country living—the sound of tires crunching, the freedom from runoff worries, the soft edges that blend right into the land. But the reality of a gravel driveway plus snowplow service? That gravel gets pushed everywhere. Into the lawn, across pathways, even over garden beds—unless you do something about it.

Hardscaping would have created a clean division between garden, lawn, and drive. But I decided to let them play together for an authentic cottage feel that still feels upscale. In Vermont…

Most of the services I offer are seasonal—especially anything that keeps me tied to the kitchen for hours. In the summer, I like to trade my apron for garden gloves and spend as much time as I can outdoors. From May through August, I pause most of my cooking workshops and shift into full-on garden mode. After all, once fall rolls in and the harvest baskets are full, I’ll be back inside preserving, preparing, and teaching again. That’s the rhythm of this life—it flows with the seasons.

This summer, my main focus is…

Ok. So this isn’t your average cookbook—it’s a behind-the-scenes look at the meal hustle that changed everything for me and a way for you to play along, if you’re local. What started as a personal challenge to consistently meet my daily nutritional needs evolved into a full-blown system—a way of planning, prepping, and eating that fuels me with intention and it’s all based on the Recommended Daily Allowances that have been established by Medical Professionals. I have accomplished this by not restricting myself from certain foods. Back 15 years ago when I was overweight, unhealthy and having daily migraines, I used to think if I just cut out dairy, if I just cut out…

In our flock at Lunaria Estate, we don’t just raise chickens—we raise generations. One of the most powerful tools for maintaining and improving traits like temperament, broodiness, foraging instinct, resilience, and even feather pattern is line breeding.

Unlike random mating or hybridizing, line breeding…

It’s a rare and beautiful thing: a mother hen raising her chicks the natural way. Most chicks these days are hatched in incubators, never meeting a parent, and rarely seeing the outdoors. Even most homesteaders do not hatch eggs the natural way because broody hens are a rarity. But here at Lunaria Estate, we do things differently.

This June, Friends of BB Lane Gardens are invited

It’s tempting, I know. The packaging is beautiful, the words like “Pollinator Paradise” and “Northeast Native Blend” seem promising, and it feels like tossing a handful of seeds should result in a lush wildflower meadow. But here’s the truth: these packets…

Yes, you read that right—Weeding. Together. On purpose.

Hear me out.

Weeding is wildly therapeutic. I’m not kidding. There’s something about getting your hands in the dirt, pulling stubborn roots, and watching a messy patch transform into something open and clean—it does something to your soul. It’s one of the best mood-lifters I know. And I want to invite you to come experience it with me.

Let me tell you a story.

Back when I ran a community garden, there was one gardener…

Broody Again: Frog the Hen and Her Springtime Ritual

Every spring, like clockwork, our hen Frog goes broody. This is her third year in a row, and at this point, she’s something of a legend around here. So far, she’s hatched 36 chicks in her lifetime—yes, 36—and this season, she’s…

If you want your landscape to look like you hired a high-end designer, the clues are subtle—but unmistakable, especially to the trained eye of a garden planner, like me. The first giveaway is the…

I’m looking for recipe taste testers for a very special project I am working on! Do you want to come feast on nutrient-dense, organic, locally grown meals I’m creating over the span of this summer? I’ll be preparing lunches as part of my Lunaria Estate Lifestyle Book, and you’re invited to be part of the experience. Are you camera ready? I’d love to snap a few photos for my advertising campaign.

For me, being a foodie is…

Most backyard chickens are kept in coops or enclosed runs to protect them from predators. And for good reason—losing hens to foxes or owls is a painful reality. But over last 5 years, I’ve been raising a free-range flock on a rocky mountainside in Hinesburg, Vermont. People often chuckle when I tell them this. “You won’t have them long,” they say. But here’s the twist…