Hitting April is the hard part of spring. It's getting nice out. The days are long, and by the second week of April, we cross 13 hours of daylight in Shenandoah Junction, WV. But early April is also a troll - and if you give into the cabin fever of planting, you will potentially lose… Continue reading The 2026 Garden: Midway Thru April
Spring Blooms and Spring Growth
After months of deep cold, spring has been glorious so far. It's almost my one-year anniversary of living in West Virginia. That will come very soon this week. I have gotten to see our land through 4 seasons and experience spring as it wakes up. The weather ebbs between warm and cold, teasing one to… Continue reading Spring Blooms and Spring Growth
Lemon Pound Cake
Use fresh lemons for an amazing spring pound cake. It tastes - and smells - like a warm day in the sun. Lemon Pound Cake Ingredients: 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp fine sea salt 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) (room temperature) 1 cup granulated sugar 4 large eggs (room… Continue reading Lemon Pound Cake
Walker’s Key Lime Pie
Walker asked to make a key lime pie, so I got him the supplies and let him at it. It turned out well and was very delicious. He got hooked on the flavor on a trip to Florida a few years ago. It's hard not to indulge in a pie or 2 at Publix if… Continue reading Walker’s Key Lime Pie
Strawberry Lemonade
Warm days call for fresh, ice-cold lemonade, over a tall glass filled with ice. I used stevia, the 1:1 measurement type, to make a lower-sugar drink. The powdered stevia takes good shaking to dissolve, and tastes best if it has a couple of hours to chill (and finish dissolving). You can use whatever 1-to-1 sweetener… Continue reading Strawberry Lemonade