This is a wide-open topic, since so many vegetables and fruits require so many different things to be harvested efficiently and safely. It could be as simple as your hands and a basket or box; it could require specialized tools; it might even be useful to have a tractor. It really depends on your cr...

Mushrooms can be a great source of vitamins . It’s not just fruits (apples) and vegetables (potatoes) receiving some love this month. September is also National Mushroom Month! And I want to start this article with a glowing review of a must-watch movie on Netflix. “Fantastic Fungi,” released in 201...

As we previously mentioned, September is a very busy harvest month, and in addition to being National Apple Month, it is also National Potato Month. And here’s a fun linguistics fact for you: The French word for apple is pomme . The French word for potato is pomme de terre , or apple of the earth. P...

If you don’t grow your own, you can find an orchard near you through your county or region’s tourism site. September is known for a lot of things, with “back-to-school” generally getting most of the attention, but it’s also a great harvest month for a lot of tasty produce. The first harvest we’ll be...

Like Ricky Bobby says, if you’re not first, you’re last . Happy September 2021! This is your Country Culture editor-in-chief, Courtney Llewellyn, blue ribbon champion of the Great New York State Fair. I earned my coveted blue ribbon yesterday at the fair’s Hay Bale Tossing Contest after launching my...

The school bus ride is an important part of country life . I grew up in a school district that spanned all or parts of 12 towns, spread across areas of four counties in Upstate New York – Otsego, Herkimer, Oneida and Madison. This meant that some of us had to be up incredibly early to catch our scho...

As a homeowner, landowner, gardener, farmer, parent – or just generally a human being in 2021 – labor never stops, not even on Labor Day. Still, if you get the chance, take a moment to slow down, sit down and relax a little today, especially with a good book, if you can. September 6 is National Read...

Back in 1989, the National Honey Board declared the month of September as National Honey Month as a way to promote beekeeping and honey production (and honey consumption!) in the U.S. It’s a major commodity for both beekeepers and consumers. U.S. honey production in 2020 totaled 148 million pounds, ...

Winter bok choy harvest, showing a row cover system. The Transformers toy line began in the mid-1980s. It described the battles of sentient, living robots that could turn into other forms, often animals and vehicles. Transformer greenhouses follow a similar idea – using their wood and plastic forms,...