Foraging Local Food

I went out and picked some fiddlehead ferns this morning, then caught some horned pout in the afternoon. I was hoping for brook trout, but pout are tasty little fish, too.

Here in Craftsbury there's lots of wild, local food available, but we're not unique. You can forage just about anywhere, even in some cities.

This post by David DeFranza is a good introductory guide to foraging.

Check Out Matador Abroad

Remember Matador? The online community for travelers? In the past few years Matador has published a bunch of my feature articles, and when Brave New Traveler and Matador joined forces, I began editing for them on a regular basis.

These days, Matador is really taking off. As print travel magazines hemorrhage cash, we're closing new ad deals, becoming profitable, welcoming thousands of new members and publishing some pretty spectacular content on a whole network of travel sites.

Along with Sarah Menkedick, an immensely talented writer who lives in Oaxaca, Mexico, I'm editing Matador Abroad, a site that focuses on study abroad and long-term travel. Sarah and I have put a lot of work into Matador Abroad recently, and I'd appreciate it if you could stop by and leave us some comments.

A good place to start is an excellent essay Sarah wrote yesterday called "Why You Should Travel In Times Of Swine Flu".

And remember, if you have an article to pitch, you've got a friend in the editor's chair!

My Land In Craftsbury Common, VT

Last fall I closed on 2 acres of pasture just west of Craftsbury Common. The land is sloping and a little wet, but the views are gorgeous and it's just a 2 minute walk from the Common, the library, the post office, the high-school and Sterling College.

Here's a nice photo of the Common.

This summer I plan to break ground on my future homestead, although after the septic system goes in I probably won't have any money left for actual construction.

Right now the water well is in (only 220' deep, which was lucky) and I've got a couple Adirondack chairs in the meadow, which were gifts from my parents.

This morning I went up to the land, set up my tent and took a few photos. Come visit!