This year, we have decided to try our hand at growing our own food. I love food and I love the idea of going outside and picking some fresh vegetables or herbs right from the ground. Square foot gardening seemed to be the way to go because it’s a great way to garden in limited space. The first step was to build the boxes (thank you son-in-law) and set them in the ground and level them. We chose pine because it was inexpensive, but cedar will last the longest.

The boxes

You’ll need a garden soil, compost, peat moss and fertilizer mix, which is easy enough to find the ratio online.

16 square foot sections in each box.

I divided our 4×4 boxes with tacks and twine into 1-foot square sections. There is a guide you can find that will tell you how many of each plant you can fit into one square. For instance you can put 1 tomato plant in a square, 2 parsley plants or 4 dill plants. It takes all the guesswork out of it. Of course you’ll want to plant the tall plants like tomatoes in the middle boxes.

Don’t be tempted to plant too early. We planted in the beginning of May and had to cover the plants to prevent them from freezing a couple of nights. Much better to wait until the middle of May here in the northeast anyway.  We’ll see if I learned my lesson next year.

Six weeks later

So after 6 weeks, we are already harvesting parsley, chives, basil, thyme and other herbs! Gardening is a rewarding experience!

We still have empty spaces to plant.

So far, so good. This is a great way to do it if you live in the city and have a little patch of sun in your yard. So get your hands in the dirt and grow some of your own food. You will be hooked!

After hosting many guests here at Hilltop House that come back year after year to attend this event, I decided it was time to go and check it out for myself.  Well, to say that I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement! Dozens of vendors from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York bring a wide variety of merchandise. Trade Secrets is packed with every beautiful thing you could want for your garden, from rare plants to antique garden furniture and art to hand made pots and planters, topiaries and more. It’s held at Lion Rock Farm, a beautiful venue with breathtaking views of the valley in Sharon.

Here is a sampling of some of the lovely things you can find at this amazing garden show.

Make sure you bring cash or checks because they aren’t set up for credit cards.

palms

Creative succulents

A nice way to spend a Saturday in May! So if you love all things garden, mark your calendars for next year. It’s just 8 miles from us and we’ll hold a room for you!

Old Mill of Irondale, Millerton NY

One of my favorite shops in the Hudson Valley is the Old Mill of Irondale (one of our guests turned me onto it) in the town of Millerton, NY which incidentally, was named one of the top 10 coolest small towns in the country by Frommer’s. When you walk inside the door, you feel like you’re stepping back in time.

A window into the past.

It’s fun to imagine where these beautifully crafted pieces of furniture, paintings, lamps and various decorative and utilitarian items came from and who made use of them in their everyday lives. You just can’t beat the charm of a vintage piece with all the history behind it.

They don’t build houses like they used to, and the same applies to everything else. You won’t find “made in China” stickers in these shops.

Paint a piece!

And a little tender loving care can bring new life to a piece. Here is a little vintage desk that I found at a used furniture store. I painted and distressed it myself and put in our Firefly room.

Our Hudson Valley bed and breakfast is filled with a mix beautiful antiques and repainted furniture that fills the house with charm and beauty that you just can’t get from a furniture store. And hey, it’s environmentally friendly right?

I remember wishing for snow as a child and the anticipation of pulling out our wooden sleds to go sleigh riding down “Suicide Hill”. Doesn’t everyone have a suicide hill near their house? Well, I wouldn’t call our little hill in the back out behind the porch suicidal, and the sleds aren’t wood, but it is fun just the same.

And after about 45 minutes of bundling up, the grandkids fly down the non-suicidal hill on their little saucers for a few minutes until their faces are frozen and their hair is dripping icicles.

Time to come in for some delicious hot chocolate. Ahhhhh, the joys of winter!

Ok, I’m done. Spring where are you?

Adams, one of the Hudson Valley’s best for food and garden, is my favorite place to shop.

I can’t really explain the feeling of going to Adams Fairacre Farms. You just have to experience it for yourself. My sister, who has lived in the Hudson Valley for 40 years, would go on and on about how much she loved Adams. But it can’t be as nice as Fairway (a well-known NYC gourmet store) I would think to myself. Oh yes it can……it’s actually better!  This one is in Poughkeepsie.  There are four in the Hudson Valley.

The produce is always so fresh and beautiful! 

Coffee beans………

Jelly beans…………

Custom gift baskets and chocolate shop……..

Oh yes, Adams IS AWESOME!!

Hudson Valley plumbers must be very busy because we finally gave up trying to get a plumber out here and begged our gas company to come and run the line for us.  So five months later and here we are!  Thank you Suburban Propane and Fairview Hearthside!  We are loving our new living room and dining room remote controlled fireplaces!

Take a winter weekend and come enjoy some cozy breakfasts by the fire!

Kaitlyn outside Krause’s Chocolates.

Living in Brooklyn for so long, I always longed to be upstate in the Hudson Valley in the Fall.  There is no better time of year to be here.  The long hot humid days give way to the cool crisp Autumn air and your spirit feels renewed!

There are so many activities and great little towns to explore……..pumpkin patches, apple picking, hayrides, apple cider and fresh homemade donuts. It really doesn’t get any better.

One of our favorite places to visit is Krause’s Chocolates in Saugerties.  Voted best chocolate store in the Hudson Valley, their chocolates are coated so thick in rich chocolate, it’s worth a trip anytime!  And it won’t break your wallet!

Krause’s Chocolates in Saugerties

YUM!

As luck would have it, the day I decided to look online for a new camera, I had two professional photographers stay at our bed and breakfast.  When I asked each of them separately for advice on which camera I should purchase, they both answered the same:  Canon Powershot G12.  Saved me hours of looking online at reviews and making a decision on my own.

So below are pictures of our Hudson Valley bed and breakfast taken with my new camera. Not half bad for an amateur!

I’ve been a huge fan of hers after I read one of her memorable quotes: “If you’re afraid of butter, use ice cream.”
LOL! She’s a woman after my own heart!

If you would like to take your cooking or baking skills to a whole new level, check out the boot camps that the CIA is offering:

http://www.ciachef.edu/enthusiasts/weekends/taste.asp

And hey……I know a great Hudson Valley Bed & Breakfast where you can stay!