Chester County Dwell

Into the Maze at Paradocx Vineyard (Opening this Weekend)

Margaret Gilmour — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:04:52 +0000

By Roger Morris It seems only fitting that a winery with a name like Paradocx would have a maze – a corn maze – planted in a field next to it, one that children and adults could try to puzzle their way through, with the big folks hopefully testing their GPS skills before they visited [...]

Summer’s Peaches Dripping with Flavor (Try this Peach Crostini)

Margaret Gilmour — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:03:23 +0000

By Margaret Gilmour Mix a few downpours with record heat this summer and our local produce is bursting with flavor. So much sweetness, in fact, that Lisa Kerschner of North Star Orchards in Cochranville says “eating fruit this year is definitely not something to do while driving— talk about distractions!” Our warm, dry weather helped concentrate the [...]

In the Vineyard with Eric Miller of Chaddsford Winery

Margaret Gilmour — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:00:18 +0000

By Roger Morris There is an old cliché that says, “Wines are made in the vineyard.” Even though it is a cliché, every winemaker, including Eric Miller, co-owner and winemaker at Chaddsford Winery and a 30-plus-years veteran of winemaking and grape-growing, repeats the cliché and firmly believes it. Recently, Miller and I sat in the Kennett [...]

Crispy Kale Chips

Margaret Gilmour — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:00:59 +0000

By Margaret Gilmour We’ve had record-breaking heat this summer, along with occasional bouts of soaking rain. So why is kale, ordinarily a cool-weather crop, still keeping company with the cucumbers? To help me answer this question, I gave Jennifer Cully, co-owner of SunnyGirl Farm, a call. My friend Paula picks up her CSA share from SunnyGirl each [...]

Local Happenings

Margaret Gilmour — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 17:06:42 +0000

List your event by leaving a comment on the post, below. Only list events related to our mission; special occasions should be held in Chester County, or within 50-miles; summer-time happenings can include area beaches—we encourage day trips and exploring new, close-by places.

Want Milk? Visit Baily’s Dairy of Pocopson Meadow Farm

Margaret Gilmour — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:02:10 +0000

By Margaret Gilmour Last week I pulled into my friend’s driveway as her 19-year-old son Will rode out on his scooter (1983 Honda Express). His destination: Lenape-Unionville Road, where Baily’s Dairy of Pocopson Meadow Farm sells farm fresh, all-natural milk. It’s just a mile or so from Will’s house by way of back roads. He scooters [...]

July is for Daylilies

Margaret Gilmour — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:00:58 +0000

By Margaret Gilmour By the first of July daylilies (hem-er-o-kal-is) seem to rule the landscape, the common “roadside lily” starting off the month with a dense rug of orange blossoms. And it never fails, as soon as I see the first stalks of these dayflowers, I think of Carolyn Heimberger’s daylily collection, her one-acre plot of land [...]

Making a Mint Garden (and Very Minty Tea)

Margaret Gilmour — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:56:35 +0000

By Margaret Gilmour Right outside my back door grew two pots of mint: peppermint (Mentha piperita) and curly spearmint (mentha spicata v. crispa). For several years the mint has continued to thrive, but this year I knew they needed transplanting—their root-bound bodies were gasping for air. My mint has been confined because these fragrant, leafy herbs are [...]

Blending Wines at Galer Estate

Margaret Gilmour — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 20:59:57 +0000

By Roger Morris Like a financial portfolio manager who spreads his investments among stocks, bonds, CDs, funds and real estate, most winemakers would never limit themselves to making only one kind of wine. Or bottling a single wine that is not itself a blend of various cuvées or batches. Part of this diversification among bottles and within [...]

Margarita

Leslie Kedash — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:52:55 +0000

By Leslie Kedash There is nothing like a good margarita, and they don’t come from cheap tequila and “margarita mix” and they certainly don’t emerge from the bowels of those souped up “slushy” machines. They are made, painstakingly, with four simple ingredients of the highest quality. I struggled to find a patriotic themed beverage for 4th of [...]