tall clover farm

Medlar (Mespilus germanica) is a fruit you won’t likely see in the produce aisle of your local grocery. A mainstay of  medieval French and English gardens, the medlar’s mere appearance suggests (and rightfully so) that it is something special. I was smitten the first time I saw the tree, which was on a walk through the University of Washington [...]

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  I came across this lemon pie with a twist years ago after reading an article in Saveur magazine: The Shaker Table. The resulting pie was simple, with an authenticity one would expect from anything created by the Shakers. I love the fact that such a spare recipe can have such delicious results–all with the basics of the farm: eggs, [...]

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After a week of record breaking low temperatures outside, I enjoyed some much needed sunshine inside in the form of a handful of fresh  lemons and limes, courtesy of the potted trees in my dining room and study. I’ve been growing citrus trees for about ten years in a climate better suited for ferns than Florida’s finest, and I’m [...]

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Living on an island has its challenges, but it also has its rewards, revealing special moments that speak to the kinship of isolation and the camaraderie of everyone being in (and on) the same boat.  While commuting by ferry creates bottlenecks and headaches daily, it also fosters a bond, an unspoken appreciation that someone else shares your daily roundtrip odyssey. The smiles and nods to familiar [...]

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This year’s pecans had arrived! There they were in a parcel post wedged in my mailbox like too big a zeppelin in too small a hanger. I was grateful for my mail carrier’s determination to make it fit and in doing so, keeping a trip to the Post Office off of my to-do list.  (I see [...]

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