BURLINGTON − Blueberries, which originated in North America, are one of the healthiest fruits to eat. They have a unique and delicious flavor, are low in calories and are packed with antioxidants. They hold up well in the freezer or fridge, so can be enjoyed long after harvest. This year,[Read More…]
Columns
Be Alert for European Cherry Fruit Fly
BURLINGTON – University of Vermont (UVM) Extension and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets are urging Vermont cherry growers and pick-your-own customers to be on the lookout for the European cherry fruit fly. Although this insect has not yet been detected in Vermont, it has been found in[Read More…]
Uneventful and cooler forecast for this week
EAST HARDWICK – Our forecast period last week included a dramatic shift in temperatures. Highs in the upper-60s on Saturday under full sunshine and a south breeze changed to a cloudy Sunday, with temperatures falling to the 30s and accumulating snow across the region. 2.5 inches of new snow fell[Read More…]
An Interview Sticks With Me
EAST MONTPELIER – There are several good features of my current racket of working with a television program rooted in the outdoors. I get to visit places I’d never have been able to get to myself, or, in some cases, even heard of. I get to meet and interview some[Read More…]
Showers, Thunderstorms Break Heat; Sunny Start to the Weekend
EAST HARDWICK – Conditions remained largely hot and humid this past week as we remained under the influence of an upper-level low with multiple waves serving as the focus for slow-moving scattered showers and thunderstorms. The variability in thunderstorm location and rainfall amounts is reflected in this week’s rainfall observations,[Read More…]
Community Support for Athletics Strong, Despite Distractions, says Hill
HARDWICK – Hazen Union Athletic Director Aaron Hill just completed his first year as director and coach, after coaching and teaching for 25 years. In his time at the high school, he has learned extensively about today’s changing youth, athletics and hard work. He is originally from Hardwick, began coaching[Read More…]
Precious Presence
June 30 was WholeHeart, Inc.’s last day as a nonprofit. July 1 was my precious pup, Emerson’s, sixth anniversary. He passed on our way to the veterinarian after pawing his obituary. In lieu of flowers, donations to WholeHeart were encouraged. Emerson was WholeHeart’s Ambassador of Unconditional Love. He graced many[Read More…]
The Promised Land is a Fragile Promise
NEWTON, Mass. – In the Hebrew Bible, Moses, the great liberator of the Israelites, only glimpses the Promised Land from afar. After forty years of leading his people through the wilderness, he dies just outside its borders. The moment is both tragic and profound: a symbol of longing, of striving[Read More…]
Weeks Gone By
Local Lumps Thursday, July 16, 1925 HARDWICK – With the painting of the new bridge, a very pretty battleship gray color, and the new cement sidewalks, on each side, at each end of the bridge, Hardwick may well boast of as nice a bridge as can be found in any[Read More…]
Tick Populations Rise, Health Officials Urge Precautions
VERMONT – Invasive plants, new housing development and climate change are boosting tick populations in Vermont, officials say, prompting new concerns about diseases the tiny arachnids carry. Although ticks have been present for a long time in Vermont, the population has grown substantially, said Patti Casey, environmental surveillance program director[Read More…]
Treetop Gem: Brilliant Blackburnian Warbler
HOPKINTON, N.H. – One recent morning, trying to find the source of a warbler trill high in a white pine tree, I was rewarded with a brilliant flash of orange. It was my first sighting of a Blackburnian warbler, one of the most beautiful songbirds in the northern woods. While[Read More…]
Growing Strawberries Requires Sun
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – If seeing strawberries at farmers markets and roadside stands starts a dream about harvesting this sweet, juicy fruit, give it a try. Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) are a perennial fruit hardy in United States Department of Agriculture Hardness Zones 3 to 9, depending on the variety.[Read More…]
