Hi! I am Michelle. I grew up in a garden near the Chesapeake Bay. Since then, I’ve lived all around this great state. After tending plots on the coast, and in the Piedmont, I am now living in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I am happy to tell you that no matter where you live in […]
In this post, we will discuss apps, local classes local certifications, schools, conferences, public gardens and nature center programs, WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms), and intern and work suggestions.
This is an ode to all women who live in the country, and chronicle the exciting and the mundane, and entices the rest of us to raise a lamb, plant a bed of asparagus, aspire to grow an entire meal’s worth of food, or at least eat locally for a year. These women have been […]
One year, while turning our kitchen into a bedroom and our former bedroom into the kitchen, it finally happened. I had a very strange desire. Though I had three children under the age of five, I somehow wanted to live a pioneer style. This new obsession meant I wanted to do almost everything by hand. […]
This is a poem I wrote in July 2008, when I was deep in the throes of motherhood and seasonal living. In praise of self-sufficiencyI once holed up almost anacre-island of sand and trees.Many days spent on kneesamongst chickens and rabbits,trowels and error.Slowly, I learnedand from the soil I earnedthe right to eatthe right to […]
How many years did I drink bad coffee, then good coffee, until I finally learned about the beauty of a great cup of tea? When I was little, my grandmother would make me “coffee” to drink while we watched Lassie. It was probably 80 percent milk with a few drops of coffee, and a lot […]
Over the river and through the woods (and down the road apiece) lies the 150-acre intentional community Springtree. Located on the banks of the meandering and historic Rivanna River, Springtree has been demonstrating so many of the ideals I strive for (and more) for more than thirty years (Now, for more than fifty, Ed.) We […]
Gardener’s best comfort and protection tips Not long ago, I asked some of my favorite gardeners to share their best tips and tricks for staying comfortable in the garden, and for working outside in general. Even though I have been gardening for almost thirty years, I was delighted to learn so many new things. My […]
