by Naila Moreira | Jul 11, 2018 | Columns, Down to Earth, Featured, Newsletter
It’s summer, and with these golden months for many of us come trips to the seaside. As much as I love the Pioneer Valley, one of my regrets in choosing this home is its landlocked geography. Out here in Western Massachusetts, the ocean can feel almost infinitely far...
by Naila Moreira | May 10, 2018 | Articles, Columns, Down to Earth, Featured, Newsletter
I sit on the twisted root system of a great tree, a shelf of exposed roots thrust out over the Connecticut River at the edge of the Northampton Meadows. I’m perched 15 feet above the olive water. The muddy bluff has been licked and sucked away under the tree by years...
by Naila Moreira | Apr 12, 2018 | Articles, Columns, Down to Earth, Newsletter
In the sugaring room of North Hadley Sugar Shack and Market on a recent Saturday, a trio of young farmers manned the massive wood-fired evaporator slowly boiling off water from maple sap. Mahogany-colored product rushed every couple minutes from the spigot. On a...
by Naila Moreira | Mar 14, 2018 | Articles, Columns, Down to Earth, Newsletter
Two summers ago, I visited the grasslands of southwestern Brazil. I stayed at a fazenda, a farm property offering lodging for tourists on the side. Our pousada or lodge was especially tiny as these properties go – run by a woman and her partner who had rented space on...
by Naila Moreira | Feb 12, 2018 | Articles, Columns, Down to Earth, Newsletter
The other day, wandering the back alleys of social media, I discovered a Facebook group to fall instantly in love with: “Slime Mold Identification & Appreciation.” Joining the group, I was amazed to discover that it boasted 5,422 members (today, it’s cracked...
