By Dom Cioffi Thanksgiving has really transformed itself over the last several decades. No longer a one-day, solely American holiday, the Thanksgiving “festivities” now span from Wednesday, through the weekend, and into Monday. First of all, it’s become customary to throw major parties on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. These parties grew out of the…

By Dave Hoffenberg Tis the season for holidays, snow and the kickoff of the Killington concert scene. This Thursday make sure you head to the Pickle Barrel for Kung Fu’s first Killington appearance. I had the pleasure of speaking to Rob Somerville, saxophonist for the band, who has been playing up here since the early…

By Mark Bosma Snow could affect holiday travel. A snowy Wednesday and Thursday leading up to the Thanksgiving Day feast created challenges for travelers. It’s important in Vermont to prepare for winter driving and the heightened risks on the road that are inherent to the time of year when we see snow and ice on…

By Kate Robitello In my previous article on oils, I discussed why there are only four oils that we should be consuming: flax oil, olive oil, coconut oil and advocado oil. However, just a glance at many ingredient lists of top brand food items reveals that they will almost always contain an oil that is…

Why don’t toads croak in winter? By Tiffany Soukup I manage a lodge in the Groton Forest on behalf of Vermont State Parks. One warm fall day, while standing outside the lodge, I noticed movement inside one of the window wells around the basement. Realizing that something noteworthy was about to happen, I ran inside…

One of the most confusing aspects of Christmas is the beloved ritual of Christmas dinner. For those who celebrate the holiday, there is no doubt that a special family feast should occur on the most special day of the year, yet as a nation we have still not agreed upon what, exactly, we should serve.…

Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor, UVM Do you like trivia, or at least learning more about the top-selling holiday plant? If so, perhaps you will be interested in a dozen fun facts about the poinsettia plants you buy and see everywhere each December. Fact 1: Did you know that the poinsettia’s main attraction is not…

By Karen D. Lorentz Instead of dreading winter, which admittedly can be challenging, there are steps we can take to enjoy a fun, rewarding, and injury-free snow season as well as a warm time outdoors! Yes, many fear falls and accidents on slippery surfaces and others dread the cold. Reality check: life in general is…

By Kate Robitello One thing you may have noticed in the last decade is that plant-based oil is found in virtually every product we use. Look at the ingredients next time you’re shopping at a grocery store and you’re likely to see one or more of the following plant-based oils: soybean, canola, safflower, sunflower, or…

If I have my timing right for when this column goes to press, it is safe to say tomorrow the majority of you reading this will celebrate Thanksgiving. Hopefully, you will sit down with family and friends to enjoy a homemade turkey dinner – with all the fixins. Fixins means different things to different people,…

By Rachel Sargent As you put together a dinner plan for this Thanksgiving, perhaps you’re looking for something to add a little variety to the traditional holiday meal, or ways to eat healthy food while supporting good environmental practices. How about adding insects to the menu? Along with crackers and cheese, grasshopper fritters make excellent…

Staff report It took Sarah Josepha Hale, the same woman who wrote the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” 36 years of campaigning to get Thanksgiving made into a national holiday, which President Abraham Lincoln did in 1863. Now, people all across the country celebrate the pilgrims’ bountiful 1621 harvest, eating an average of…

By Dom Cioffi Most everyone is familiar with the popular adage that I used for the title of this week’s column. More commonly known as Murphy’s Law, the phrase “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong” points to the understanding that, given enough time, even the most unlikely scenarios will eventually unfold. The last…

By Dom Cioffi I always chuckle when I see a movie where a grandfather is depicted as an amenable old man who takes his grandson to baseball games and pizza shops and showers him with gifts of love and adoration. I chuckle because I did not have this experience – far from it, in fact.…

By Carolyn Lorié By late October, with the summer birds long gone, I find myself growing ever more appreciative of the birds that stick around, including wild turkeys. With their leathery necks and odd gaits, they are reliably entertaining and interesting subjects. There are six subspecies of wild turkey found in North America, with the…