Living and writing in a circa 1840 New England Farmhouse with three generations of my family
I grew up celebrating Independence Day with sparklers and barbecue. We lived in Kansas and didn’t really need the guise of a holiday as an excuse to eat barbecue. Fourth of July parades and celebrations seemed to be as ubiquitous as sunshine on a summer Read More
I love to find a new purpose for materials that would otherwise be discarded. I enjoy the challenge of re-imagining the use of items found in our recycling bin or stored in the old hay loft of our barn. I also much prefer using materials Read More
I enjoy the tangy flavor of sauerkraut paired with many dishes and also served on its own. For years, we have been purchasing local kraut. Each time we served it at our family table, I wondered if we could make a homemade version. The process Read More
August is a month filled with landmark moments that took place here at 1840 Farm. To begin with, we moved to this farm during August of 2005. Five years later, in 2010, I published my first post on 1840Farm.com and began to dream of turning Read More
A crisp dilly bean is like a celebration of the summer garden. Once you learn how to make quick refrigerator dilly beans, you’ll be making them all summer long.
Strawberry Jam with Natural Pectin yields approximately 4 half pints Most strawberry jam recipes call for adding pectin in order to properly gel the jam. Strawberries have very little pectin, so a source of pectin must be added. I prefer to use the natural pectin Read More
Tennis Ball Lettuce was found in the United States as early as the eighteenth century. It was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson. He grew it in the famed garden at Monticello beginning in 1809. When describing Tennis Ball, he wrote, “it does not require so Read More
Here at 1840 Farm, we eagerly await radish season each spring. Radishes are the first vegetable crop harvested from our garden and announce the happy arrival of the growing season. They also enable us to enjoy eating a spring menu favorite: Sliced Radish Tartine. French Read More
Black Seeded Simpson Heirloom Lettuce is a staple in our 1840 Farm garden every year. I first tasted Black Seeded Simpson four years ago when I reached down on a sunny day to pull a fresh leaf from the lettuce bed. One bite of a Read More
Throughout the year, we produce as much food for our family table as possible. Through the years that we have lived here at 1840 Farm, we have covered the calendar year from maple syrup to summer’s garden produce to fall and winter’s fresh eggs from Read More
The Sunset Runner Bean is beloved for its ability to bring beauty and a nutritious crop to your garden plot. The beautiful salmon pink colored blooms are unique to the sunset variety of runner bean. The vines can grow to be six feet tall and Read More
Biting into a perfectly ripe ear of sweet corn is a summer rite of passage. There’s just something about the sweet, juicy flavor of sweet corn that instantly transports me back to my childhood. When I watch my children enjoying an ear of corn grown Read More