Renovating an overgrown fruit tree is not about cutting at random and hoping for the best. It is about reading the tree, stepping back often, and making thoughtful decisions branch by branch. Once a cut is made, it cannot be undone, which is why patience, observation, and restraint matter so much.

Pollarding is not simply cutting a tree back. It is a centuries-old practice rooted in necessity, where trees were shaped with intention to provide a steady supply of wood, fodder, and materials without ever being removed. When done thoughtfully, it can be both beautiful and functional. When done carelessly, it quickly slips into something that looks less like stewardship and more like damage.

Spring ephemerals are my part part of Spring. Before the forest fully leafs out, there is a narrow and fleeting window when the understory comes alive. The light is still able to reach the forest floor, the soil remains cool and saturated, and the first true edible greens begin to emerge. It is during this period that ramps appear, often quietly and without drawing attention to themselves. To the untrained eye, they are easy to miss. To those who understand the conditions that support them, they become far easier to locate.

Finding ramps is not a matter of…

Cooking oils are those small kitchen choices that seriously shape how we eat and feel every day. Over time I have gotten much smarter about what I keep in my pantry, which really comes down to four main fats: avocado oil, olive oil, ghee, and canola oil. Each one has a specific role, and together they cover nearly everything I cook. The biggest reason these are the ones I use is their specific Omega 3, 6, and 9 content. For a while, sunflower oil was a huge fad in healthy eating, but it is literally the worst one you can use because it is massively high in Omega 6. Even with a lot of good Omega 3 to balance it out, which most Americans do not get anyway, a high Omega 6 intake causes systemic inflammation. If you want to know the cause of most modern disease, the drumroll leads straight to inflammation.

One thing that may surprise people is that I…

There is a profound mystery to a broody hen. In an era of industrial agriculture, the "mothering" instinct—the fierce, singular drive to sit on a clutch of eggs until they crack open with new life has been systematically bred out of most commercial flocks. We’ve replaced the hen with the sterile, hum of the plastic incubator, trading biological magic for mechanical predictability. But after five seasons of successfully midwifing my hens through this process, I can tell you that while you cannot force a hen to go broody, you can absolutely…

If you ever cracked an egg and found two golden centers staring back at you, congratulations! According to centuries of folklore, someone might be shopping for a double stroller soon.

Today, when I gathered my girls’ eggs, one of them was massive in size. I assumed by the size that it was a double or triple yolk from my 5 year old broody hen, Frog. She rarely lays anymore but she’s happy to set on the younger hens’ eggs and occasionally pop out an oversized egg that shows that while her ability to produce eggs is dwindling, she is still quite happy to keep the brood going.

In Romani and Mexican traditions, the double yolk is the ultimate fertility forecast. The logic is as old-school as it gets: like produces like. Because the egg contains…

To the uninitiated, pruning may appear to be an act of subtraction, but in the context of high-performance fruit production, it is a sophisticated act of redirection. When we prune a peach tree in the volatile climates of Zone 4b or 5a, we are essentially communicating with the tree’s hormonal systems, specifically the distribution of auxins, the growth hormones produced in the apical buds. By removing specific branches, we break apical dominance and force the tree to invest its energy into a robust, sustainable architecture. The success of this intervention depends entirely on the grower’s ability to identify "branch hierarchy" and execute cuts with surgical precision

In the rigorous climates of Zone 4b and 5a, the timeline for pruning is not a matter of choice, but a matter of survival. To maximize the tree's potential and ensure it can withstand the physical load of both fruit and snow, pruning must

In the pursuit of systemic wholeness, one eventually confronts the reality that the boundaries of our own biology are inextricably linked to the nutritional inputs of our food sources. For years, I operated under the reasonable assumption that "local organic" feed represented the ceiling of responsible poultry management. It was convenient, certified, and certainly superior to the industrial-grade dross found in big-box stores. However, as I’ve deepened my understanding of inflammatory pathways and lipid profiles, I’ve had to acknowledge a difficult truth: local and organic are merely the "entry-level" requirements for true nutritional excellence. To achieve the high-omega, anti-inflammatory egg profile necessary for a healing-centric lifestyle, I was forced to abandon the "reasonable" and source a rigorous, hard-to-find blend of wheat, flax, and peas—entirely devoid of the ubiquitous corn and soy fillers.

The decision to eliminate soy and corn is rooted in

If you have ever driven past BB Lane Gardens or drifted by on Lake Iroquois you already know her. She is not the type to whisper for your attention and she certainly does not apologize for the space she takes up. She spills toward the road and the water with a confidence that practically dares you to look twice. It is a regular occurrence those visiting the lake to lean out their windows just to shout their admiration across the air. I receive it all with a smile that knows exactly why they are lingering because there is no limit to the material that feeds my ego when the view is this good. Still, I will tell you something honest. When the garden is a mess I feel it in my own skin. Usually I look the part too but the moment I put my full effort into that dirt everything changes. I enter the garden as one person and leave as another entirely. I walk out rejuvenated and frankly unstoppable.

Now in its sixth season BB Lane Gardens has reached a maturity that only comes with a bit of history. Last year she had to rest while the world around us got loud and messy. Between the relentless dust from the road and the nearby construction…

There’s something undeniably romantic about the idea of having fruit-bearing trees in your own yard. The thought of stepping outside and picking fresh apples, peaches, or plums straight from the branch feels like the ultimate version of seasonal living. That kind of freshness is hard to beat, and it’s one of the purest pleasures of growing your own food.

But what many people don’t realize at first is how much responsibility can come along with that dream.

Fruit trees are not the kind of plant you can simply “set and forget.” They require

Ash trees have long been an integral part of Vermont’s landscapes, from the shaded avenues of Burlington to the riparian woodlands and wetlands of Addison County. They contribute not only aesthetic beauty but also ecological and cultural value. Vermont is home to three native ash species: white ash (Fraxinus americana), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), and black ash (Fraxinus nigra), the latter of which holds deep cultural significance for traditional Abenaki basketmaking. Collectively, ash species constitute approximately five percent of the state’s forests, with higher concentrations in northern wetlands, floodplains, and roadside plantings. Their ecological contributions are manifold: they provide critical habitat for birds and mammals, stabilize soils, moderate stormwater runoff, and offer straight-grained, durable timber. The loss of ash, therefore, is not merely a matter of individual trees dying—it represents a profound disruption to Vermont’s ecological fabric and cultural heritage.

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Soil forms the fundamental framework upon which every garden and landscape depends, yet its composition varies widely, influencing water retention, nutrient availability, root development, and overall plant health. In Vermont, gardeners frequently encounter two extremes: dense clay soils that remain waterlogged for days and resist root penetration, and coarse sandy soils that drain almost immediately and fail to retain nutrients. Both present unique challenges to cultivation, but by understanding their properties and employing appropriate amendments, gardeners can transform even the most difficult substrates into productive, resilient ground. Recognizing the characteristics of each soil type is

In Vermont, the landscape is dynamic, and even seemingly stable open fields are subject to change. A meadow left unattended for a few years will inevitably begin to host saplings of pine, birch, poplar, and occasionally invasive shrubs such as buckthorn, gradually transforming into a young forest. This progression, known as ecological succession, is a natural and healthy process that contributes to biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and long-term landscape stability. However, for those who value fields for hay production, wildlife habitat, pollinator support, or scenic vistas, allowing…

If you spend time walking through Vermont’s forests, fields, or even your own backyard, you may notice plants that appear to belong, from wildflowers tucked along stone walls to grasses filling old pastures and shrubs alive with the hum of pollinators. Yet appearances can be deceiving: not all plants that seem at home in Vermont are genuinely native. Some are naturalized, having escaped cultivation and established themselves in the landscape, while others evolved here over millennia, forming intricate ecological relationships. Recognizing this distinction is essential for gardeners, landowners, and conservationists who aim to cultivate healthy ecosystems, support pollinator populations, and maintain biodiversity…

Peonies are among the most celebrated perennials in the late spring garden, renowned for their fragrant, abundant blooms and impressive longevity. Their capacity to return year after year with increased vigor has made them a staple of both formal and cottage gardens. However, even these robust and long-lived plants require occasional intervention to maintain optimal health and floral performance. When peony clumps become overcrowded, when flowering diminishes, or when gardeners wish to propagate their plants to expand their own garden or share with others…

In Vermont, autumn signals more than the vibrant turning of leaves and the culmination of harvest—it also offers an opportune window for judicious shrub maintenance. While conventional wisdom often recommends pruning many shrubs in late winter or early spring, there exists a select group of species that genuinely benefit from strategic fall pruning. The rationale lies in…