Books, blooms and edible possibilities draw crowds in Cornwall

CORNWALL — By all standards, the Books and Blooms weekend fundraiser to benefit the Cornwall Public Library was a huge success. Perfect weather on June 9 and 10 greeted the Friday lecture event at the library and the Saturday showcase garden tour focusing on vegetable gardens.

Vermont-based author Ellen Ecker Ogden spoke to a capacity audience at the library on  June 9, sharing stories of how she came to create the Cook’s Garden seed catalog and then expanded her interests to become a leader in food and garden writing. She publishes often and appears frequently on national broadcasts.

Tips on kitchen garden design and realization were the focus of Ogden’s library talk. Her enthusiasm was convincing as she shared her gardening knowledge with novices and experts alike. Her garden design work has spanned the past 10 years of her life. Newly married after college, she and her art-major husband made their way to Vermont, where they worked a small vegetable plot and eked out their living through their roadside farm stand, supplemented by her talents in sewing.

Attracted by the notion of importing unusual seeds from Europe, they learned that a minimum order for such seeds would be a 2-kilo bag. That was the start of the mail order seed business that led to the Cook’s Garden catalog (without pictures).  

Writing skills were honed, as Ogden needed to describe the particular flavors of the unusual vegetables and herbs to create customer interest in buying them. 

The next step was travel to European cooking schools to learn tips on cooking the produce. Particularly helpful was her study with culinary legend Marcella Hazan.

A life-changing trip found her in Ireland, where she encountered formal farm-to-table garden plots edged with boxwood in geometric designs. The same design elements could be used for vegetable or flower gardens.

Ogden said that the first kitchen gardens date back to 1500 BC, when they were called “Paradise Gardens.” Islamic gardens, even today, always have a water feature. Good examples of cottage gardens can be found at Colonial Williamsburg.

Today, Ogden recommends the 80-20 rule in the home garden, using 80 percent of the space for tried and true plantings, and 20 percent to try something new.

Ogden told her audience, “There are two things that money can’t buy: true love and a home-grown tomato.”

Ogden’s latest publication is “The Complete Kitchen Garden,” available at www.ellenogden.com.

Latest News

Windy weather cancels Kent Invitational

Glastonbury High School crew attempted to battle wind and white caps on Lake Waramaug at the Kent Invitational that was ultimately cancelled, May 10.

Photo by Lans Christensen

KENT — The annual Kent Invitational regatta on Lake Waramaug did not start this year due to strong winds of 30 miles per hour on Saturday, May 10.

The gusts caused white caps on the lake's surface and boats were unable to stay in lane or arrange on the starting line.

Keep ReadingShow less
Masked, armed ICE agents arrest two men in Great Barrington as witnesses taunt, shoot video
Masked, armed ICE agents arrest two men in Great Barrington as witnesses taunt, shoot video
Masked, armed ICE agents arrest two men in Great Barrington as witnesses taunt, shoot video

GREAT BARRINGTON — Attarilm Mcclennon woke up on Tuesday morning to see a man standing on the fire escape and talking on the phone outside his apartment building in Barrington House.

When Mcclennon stepped out into the hallway that connects Main Street with the Triplex parking lot, he saw another man lingering there.

Keep ReadingShow less
Wake Robin developers reapply with P&Z
Wake Robin Inn is located on Sharon Road in Lakeville.
Photo by John Coston

LAKEVILLE — ARADEV LLC, the developer behind the proposed redesign of Wake Robin Inn, returned before Salisbury’s Planning and Zoning Commission at its May 5 regular meeting with a 644-page plan that it says scales back the project.

ARADEV withdrew its previous application last December after a six-round public hearing in which neighbors along Wells Hill Road and Sharon Road rallied against the proposal as detrimental to the neighborhood.

Keep ReadingShow less
Housatonic lax wins 18-6 versus Lakeview
Chloe Hill, left, scored once in the game against Lakeview High School Tuesday, May 7.
Photo by Riley Klein

FALLS VILLAGE — Housatonic Valley Regional High School girls lacrosse kept rolling Tuesday, May 6, with a decisive 18-6 win over Lakeview High School.

Eight different players scored for Housatonic in the Northwest Corner rivalry matchup. Sophomore Georgie Clayton led the team with five goals.

Keep ReadingShow less