In Our Fall 2020 Issue

Last Updated September 28, 2020
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Grist for the Mill

Autumn brings the wonderful opportunity to reap what you sowed earlier this year from the garden. But I feel as though I need to unburden myself here; to come clean about the person I used to be. I was a “taker.” That person who sat idly by and waited for friends’ gardens to become overrun with cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and more. “Here, take these,” they’d say, and I’d happily oblige. What was lost on me was the joy that comes not in the reaping, but the sowing, the watering, the weeding (yes, the weeding) and the watching. The watching could be my favorite of all. Checking the progress as that cantaloupe rounds out and forms the familiar wrinkly skin. Being amazed by cucumbers which seemingly appear overnight.

Several years and four raised beds later, I’m converted. I learned all about what I was missing. Fall is a time for learning as well as reaping. Wellfleet lobsterman Captain Dave Stamatis is taking the idea that not all learning takes place in the classroom to heart with his educational lobster charters aboard his boat, D-Tails, where lobsters are just the tip of the learning iceberg.

In the Provincetown schools, students expand their minds and taste buds with the help of the collaborative efforts of Chef Andrew Bernard and farmer Ennie MacDonald. Andrea Pyenson shares the story of how they and others are doing their best to keep expanding horizons no matter how different this school year looks.

Another source of education is your local library. Not only a place to check out how-to books, the Wellfleet Public Library is the place to get the materials to get growing once you know how. Karen Bento brings us the story of the Wellfleet Public Seed Library where members can learn and do, all from one valuable resource.

Staying healthy is something we all could learn more about. If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, we’d do a lot better with an orchard in our backyards. Michelle Koch talks with Tom Fettig about the art of plant grafting and how important it is, particularly in the world of apples.

Mary Petiet shares a look at the apple from not only a historical perspective, but also a personal one. She even graciously shares the recipe for her mother’s apple pie — a dish that one could barter with for just about anything in the town of Barnstable.

We may know that onions, well, stink. Veronica Worthington’s Farmgirl Confidential column goes beyond the aroma and into the history of the bulb onion. She also steps into the kitchen of Chef Christophe Gest at Pain D’Avignon for his rich and robust French onion soup that is the perfect defense against the cooler days of autumn.

If you know friends and family that are still in the ranks of “takers,” give them a couple of heads of garlic this fall. And don’t be discouraged. It took a dear friend of ours several attempts at giving me garlic before I stopped eating it and actually planted it. Explain how easy it is to plant the individual cloves and, voila, next summer they’ll see how effortless it is to have grown their own garlic! They’ll be building their own garden beds and joining us in the ranks of “givers” in no time.

The Dewey Delicious System: Wellfleet Public Seed Library

On a lazy Sunday in early March, I zipped up my coat and walked toward the Wellfleet Public Library on West Main Street. The sun was...

Smith Family Popcorn

For the Smith family, the tradition was simple. Their yearly vacation to Ocean City, Maryland wouldn’t truly begin until they picked up a...

Core Essentials: The Art of Grafting

Picture yourself crossing the Atlantic 400 years ago to check out the New World. You step onto that shiny Plymouth rock and stumble onto...

Mom and Apple Pie

Apple pie. It’s a Fourth of July must-have, an enduring autumn tradition, and delicious à la mode. If you asked a soldier in the Second...

Eating Wild: Going to Seed with Curly Dock

Looking for curly dock seedstalks growing along the roadside is an experience akin to searching for your tallest redhaired friend at a...

A Crustacean Education It’s all in the D-Tails

The lessons began even before the engines of the lobster boat D-Tails ramped up to full throttle as she slowly headed out of Wellfleet...

Stinking Alliums

These recent times of uncertainty have made some of us reflect on the lives and hardships of our ancestors and on the importance of self-...

Feeding Students from the Ground Up

When school closed abruptly on March 13, 2020 due to the coronavirus, Andrew Bernard, “Chef Andrew” to the 136 Provincetown Schools...

Through the Pass: Chatham Filling Station

Moist chocolate brownie oozed through my fingers like quicksand during its transport to a to-go container, creating a chocolatey Jackson...

Oysterville Ricky at The Chart Room at Crosby’s

For most of us, the “new normal” somehow feels anything but. Fortunately, enjoying an adult beverage is still on the table as long as said...
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