https://elspethhay.com/field-notes daily 0.75 2026-04-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/d61e4a0d-40ed-4b26-be90-f140d1e8f60f/Untitled+design+%283%29.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/7965dd50-05ae-467d-965c-5816c00101d8/Feed+Us+With+Trees+Mockup.png Field Notes - Book Coming July 2025 The day Elspeth Hay learned we can eat acorns, stories she’d believed her whole life began to unravel. We’re thinking about agriculture all wrong, she realized. Feed Us with Trees is her hopeful manifesto about a new and ancient food system centered on our keystone perennial nut trees: oaks, chestnuts, and hazelnuts. https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2026/3/31/create-drought-resistant-raised-beds monthly 0.5 2026-04-01 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2026/3/23/reflections-on-spring-from-a-wellfleet-gardener monthly 0.5 2026-03-23 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2026/3/14/a-perennial-vegetable-you-probably-have-in-your-yard monthly 0.5 2026-03-15 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2026/3/7/a-portuguese-chef-teaches-students-to-cook-local-seafood monthly 0.5 2026-03-07 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2026/2/27/restoring-native-meadows monthly 0.5 2026-02-28 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2026/2/20/sourdough-discard monthly 0.5 2026-02-20 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2026/2/12/eat-local-seafood-too monthly 0.5 2026-02-20 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2026/2/12/hickory-oil monthly 0.5 2026-02-13 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2026/1/22/how-abundant-shellfish-help-create-healthy-waters monthly 0.5 2026-01-22 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2026/1/19/rediscovering-the-chestnut-mining-bee monthly 0.5 2026-01-19 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2026/1/8/here-we-come-a-wassailing monthly 0.5 2026-01-09 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/12/29/turnip-latkes-from-a-chef-in-orleans monthly 0.5 2026-01-01 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/12/29/tips-for-pie-makers monthly 0.5 2025-12-29 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/12/29/not-your-grandmothers-fruitcakeice-cream monthly 0.5 2025-12-29 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/12/12/make-your-own-fermented-drinks monthly 0.5 2025-12-12 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/12/4/a-winter-quest-for-the-perfect-biscuit monthly 0.5 2025-12-05 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/11/28/cranberry-chiffon-pie monthly 0.5 2025-11-28 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/11/24/swiss-chestnut-processing monthly 0.5 2025-11-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/23e4e853-e2a6-4c31-879d-5c2182d88829/IMG_6441.jpeg Field Notes - Swiss Chestnut Processing - Make it stand out Me, tromping the woods hunting for mushrooms with my friend Catherine in the Swiss Bregaglia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/1764026832379-DR5PVB08EUQAUJ5ETTUN/IMG_2972.jpeg Field Notes - Swiss Chestnut Processing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/1764026814346-D7ZIVFXA6CCD62H8XEI5/IMG_3006.jpeg Field Notes - Swiss Chestnut Processing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/1764026887785-O6ORKBZ88EGAQ84ABFO5/IMG_2991.jpeg Field Notes - Swiss Chestnut Processing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/1764026894279-IHHX1DYGW3XX8QEZ6APE/IMG_3001.jpeg Field Notes - Swiss Chestnut Processing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/40a387bc-ee5c-4fb4-b2c0-f9337bc09110/IMG_2930.jpg Field Notes - Swiss Chestnut Processing - A few chestnut-themed menu items: Fresh goat’s milk cheese with chestnut honey Chestnut ravioli stuffed with alpine cheese and red chicory (pictured, right) Chestnut gnocchi with smoked speck Cappelletti filled with pheasant and chestnuts Deer filet with mountain herbs and caramelized chestnuts Chamois Salmi with vegetables and caramelized chestnut Dessert: “Castanamisu,” a chestnut-laced tiramisu Chestnut Catalan Cream Chestnut Cake Chestnut vermicelles with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and meringues https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/734996e9-246c-4735-a360-baef58c787f4/IMG_6498.jpeg Field Notes - Swiss Chestnut Processing - Make it stand out Upstairs in the cascine; the slats are where the smoke comes through from below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/2fb254ec-fd6e-419e-b7de-22ebdae1dbca/IMG_3039.jpeg Field Notes - Swiss Chestnut Processing - Make it stand out Chestnut shells from last year’s shelled nuts, ready to feed the fire. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/f7a0f59f-0fcb-46c6-84f6-68548e3640c2/IMG_2900.jpeg Field Notes - Swiss Chestnut Processing - Make it stand out The Mera River in Bondo; view from the mill where chestnuts and grains are ground into flour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/023a5df8-3ed9-4384-946d-12753625e6f9/IMG_6499.jpeg Field Notes - Swiss Chestnut Processing - Make it stand out Me with Manuela, meeting for the first time https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/1d77893a-0b1a-4b6a-8a6b-ed9e54bcff00/IMG_2985.jpeg Field Notes - Swiss Chestnut Processing - Make it stand out Chestnut beer, yum! https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/11/22/an-expensive-spice-you-can-grow-in-your-backyard monthly 0.5 2025-11-22 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/11/22/the-joys-and-frustrations-of-seed-saving monthly 0.5 2025-11-22 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/11/22/pheasant-hunting-in-the-cape-cod-national-seashore monthly 0.5 2025-11-22 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/11/18/getting-local-food-to-those-in-need monthly 0.5 2025-11-18 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/11/12/a-land-trust-for-farmers monthly 0.5 2025-11-12 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/11/12/the-fire-ecology-of-american-chestnut-trees monthly 0.5 2025-11-12 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/10/11/a-powerful-but-often-overlooked-berry monthly 0.5 2025-10-12 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/10/6/making-kombucha-from-scratch monthly 0.5 2025-10-06 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/10/6/grieving-provincetowns-beech-trees-and-the-foods-theyve-long-provided monthly 0.5 2025-10-06 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/9/23/how-to-harvest-and-process-acorns-a-video monthly 0.5 2025-09-24 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/9/22/wanprx4n6v4e7tarjgshb0meweq9ch monthly 0.5 2025-09-23 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/9/16/hal-minis-on-why-we-should-all-be-tending-apple-trees monthly 0.5 2025-09-23 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/9/16/creating-oyster-habitat-in-wellfleet monthly 0.5 2025-09-16 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/8/7/gi0vr351v4carxja4ewjdhqkv6i4jf monthly 0.5 2025-08-08 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/7/31/uzop8yuu4imorxmi3b6ct6oynf0jcd monthly 0.5 2025-08-08 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/8/8/using-rosehips-like-tomatoes monthly 0.5 2025-08-08 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/7/21/black-raspberry-ice-cream-a-taste-of-summer monthly 0.5 2025-07-22 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/7/21/foraging-for-black-trumpet-mushrooms monthly 0.5 2025-07-22 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/7/3/4g9ozz1siv1vry0dr8g6njjoqfw2xt monthly 0.5 2025-07-22 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/7/21/restoring-the-american-chestnut monthly 0.5 2025-07-22 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/6/19/3afwsr85e9adagal0rjq15f4h66586 monthly 0.5 2025-06-23 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/6/23/fine-tuning-the-relationships-between-cattle-and-grass monthly 0.5 2025-06-23 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/6/6/a-farm-family-on-marthas-vineyard-reflects-on-50-years monthly 0.5 2025-06-06 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/6/4/the-purple-color-on-local-quahog-shellsand-why-it-might-matter-for-fisheries-management monthly 0.5 2025-06-04 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/6/4/its-pollen-season-in-the-itchen monthly 0.5 2025-06-04 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/5/20/the-beautiful-intricate-relationships-between-native-bees-and-native-food-crops monthly 0.5 2025-05-20 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/5/12/97o5v12na27tjvk08dr3q0b3vhw9a1 monthly 0.5 2025-05-12 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/5/6/mashpee-wampanoag-youth-work-to-protect-a-beloved-fish monthly 0.5 2025-05-06 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/4/25/why-expanding-access-to-local-food-is-more-important-than-ever monthly 0.5 2025-04-25 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/4/9/john-bunkers-favorites monthly 0.5 2025-04-10 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/an-apple-expert-from-maine monthly 0.5 2025-04-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/1e253425-1181-45a0-ac33-86f27a0bb308/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+9.26.37%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - An Apple Expert from Maine Shares His Passion | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/ad14b42f-96d0-42f0-8f85-99d07561fc92/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+9.28.07%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - An Apple Expert from Maine Shares His Passion | The Local Food Report John first got interested in apples in the 1970s, when he moved to Maine, bought some land, and learned how to graft trees by attaching scions from the apple varieties he wanted to plant onto established rootstock — basically a form of vegetative cloning. Shortly after I arrived at his house, he walked me over to a large, gnarled tree. "Right here is probably the first graft that I ever did, and as I learned about these varieties, I learned that if I wanted them, I was going to have to learn to graft, or go buy a tree. But the apples that I was interested weren’t the ones that you could buy in a catalog they were the ones that the old-timers were growing up and down the roads," he said. "So as I began to learn about these historic, heirloom whatever you want to call them heritage apple varieties, then I began to understand that many of them were endangered." John learned that in the mid-19th century, there were about 17,000 named apple varieties. Today, that number is less than 5,000, but apple trees can live for more than a century — and John realized that old farms were probably home to countless old, forgotten varieties. "They were not in any collections anywhere, or if they were, I didn’t know about them. The trees were getting very old. And I came to realize that if somebody didn’t save them, they would be gone forever." https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/2025/4/7/why-the-woods-must-be-burned monthly 0.5 2025-04-07 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/hunting-for-hazelnuts monthly 0.5 2025-04-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/eb201b73-d19b-4c1e-940e-8c68f326024d/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+9.17.06%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - Hunting for Hazelnuts | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/153a322e-09ab-4cea-882a-26c9050d7f7d/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+9.17.23%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - Hunting for Hazelnuts | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/89904d88-2efa-47ee-8f6b-7cb5335d0249/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+9.17.40%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - Hunting for Hazelnuts | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/when-times-get-tough-marthas-vineyard-residents monthly 0.5 2025-04-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/a2da8463-20e7-460d-9a0b-1918c810859d/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+9.08.06%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - When Times Get Tough, Martha’s Vineyard residents practice gleaning | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/d24d1820-829c-4263-a189-4f6725b30bee/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+9.08.46%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - When Times Get Tough, Martha’s Vineyard residents practice gleaning | The Local Food Report "Today so much food goes uneaten, a huge percentage of the foodthat's grown is never even harvested. And that happens for a whole host of different reasons," Noli said. On the Vineyard Noli’s heard from farmers who have lost seasonal workers and have no one to help, farmers whose harvest comes in late after the bulk of the island’s summer residents have left so there is no market, and farmers who’ve done succession planting and moved on to the next rows of a crop but still know there’s some food that could be harvested in the rows they’re leaving behind. "But if at that moment when food is ripe and it's not gonna be harvested, you can bring in volunteers to harvest it to donate to neighbors in need, we can reduce food waste in the system and also support feeding people who need access to fresh food." IGI isn’t the only organization to remember gleaning. In fact, there’s a network of gleaning programs that’s grown up in recent years all over the United States — but IGI is the only gleaning program on the Cape and Islands. right now, Noli says, would be a great time to see this change and for gleaning to spread into other communities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/2f5bfd86-92c7-44c4-8259-c4b404ad5634/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+9.08.24%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - When Times Get Tough, Martha’s Vineyard residents practice gleaning | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/weekend-meals-help-hungry-kids-the-local-food-report monthly 0.5 2025-04-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/49e79489-3e44-4a03-ac49-65373ea9b380/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+8.55.38%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - Weekend Meals Help Hungry Kids | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/450e2932-d254-4978-8193-a1772dec88dd/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+8.55.55%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - Weekend Meals Help Hungry Kids | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/646ea149-22ee-4fea-9d23-b144cf339cc8/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+8.56.12%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - Weekend Meals Help Hungry Kids | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/rebuilding-our-regional-food-system monthly 0.5 2025-04-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/97e2c4f2-33f7-4570-b68a-3c19ab515bf5/Screenshot+2025-03-17+at+4.44.49%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - Rebuilding Our Regional Food System | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/the-shellfish-industry monthly 0.5 2025-04-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/ec729f3f-0b55-405d-98e0-0dba72939e5a/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+8.34.47%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - The Big Picture of Local Food Issues: The Shellfish Industry | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/6cc919a5-4fb1-4b4e-96e1-ccbeb07654da/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+8.34.27%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - The Big Picture of Local Food Issues: The Shellfish Industry | The Local Food Report The bacteria is called vibrio parahaemolyticus and it’s been in Cape Cod waters now for at least a decade. Over the past ten-plus years local, state, and federal regulators have worked together to keep the shellfish industry safe by adding new icing rules and other regulations and as of now the plan is working well. But in order for this excellent track record to continue, regulators on the local level need to be able to keep adapting and responding. "One thing that I will say is that Mass Division of Marine Fisheries, which is the state entity agency that oversees, they are the biggest advocate for the shellfishing industry, for fishing industries in general," Nancy shared. "They're wonderful to have on your side because they go to bat with the federal government all the time. And you understand people in the federal government are sitting at their desks. They don't have boots on the ground. And the Division of Marine Fisheries, which we call DMF, they do get down here. They do have boots on the ground. And the other thing is that Massachusetts is a unique state in that we have home rule. So each town that decides that they want to manage their shellfishing resources can opt to do that, lets the state know that, and they have to have a shellfish constable." https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/homemade-limoncello-on-marthas-vineyard monthly 0.5 2025-04-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/670ee18a-3db2-4800-8d6a-f23be517b0e4/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+8.25.07%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - Homemade Limoncello on Martha’s Vineyard | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/oyster-seed-ordering-for-the-spring-the-local-food-report monthly 0.5 2025-04-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/6e88724c-9cbd-4e5b-bae9-8cc81dc5df0a/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+8.12.26%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - Oyster Seed Ordering for the Spring | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/1143fa7c-1659-46ed-b4e7-402f18da728c/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+8.15.28%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - Oyster Seed Ordering for the Spring | The Local Food Report - The first oysters arrive on the farm sometime in June. "The earlier the better," Mark said. "But if you try to get them too early, there's not enough food in the water. There's not enough algae drifting by for them to eat. And if you get a whole bunch early and there's no food, it's a fast way to lose all of them." In some places on the Cape, there are still wild oyster populations that spawn and send out seed in early summer. Aquaculture growers have to try to mimic this timing, and some farms do this with the help of a sort of shellfish seed incubator called an upweller. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/f9244988-f96f-455d-ba45-43390bdfdbb3/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+8.13.32%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - Oyster Seed Ordering for the Spring | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/pruningtipsforbackyardberries monthly 0.5 2025-04-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/daae0cf9-3ce7-4a73-aba7-91bceb35f9b2/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+7.55.41%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - Pruning Tips for Backyard Berries | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/a83f672e-2e0a-4b6b-a763-24ec2dba094e/Screenshot+2025-04-06+at+7.56.00%E2%80%AFPM.png Field Notes - Pruning Tips for Backyard Berries | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/blog-post-title-three-z9nh8 monthly 0.5 2025-04-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/59152b0d-fd74-4bd7-8d4c-a24b104d8c0e/IMG_4675.jpg Field Notes - SHADBERRIES | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/8bf1b305-f2dd-48de-bb92-e0f1fc5cd400/IMG_4685.jpg Field Notes - SHADBERRIES | The Local Food Report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/blog-post-title-two-7hcpe monthly 0.5 2025-03-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/dcb137ab-f739-4583-835e-ee165e6f3d14/IMG_8793.jpg Field Notes - SPRING FORAGING | the local food report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/cc95b2d2-ee64-4181-9c16-75fdf36e2fbe/IMG_2982.jpg Field Notes - SPRING FORAGING | the local food report - CHICKWEED To be honest, I have never picked chickweed, though I see it all over our yard. But so many people swear by it that I felt I had to include it. And I have eaten it in winter salad mixes from my friend Victoria, and enjoyed it. This salad recipe sounds delicious, so maybe now's the time to try! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/972b86ac-b777-4c1b-b98e-03feb8130956/93920013.jpg Field Notes - SPRING FORAGING | the local food report - MOREL MUSHROOMS Yes, there are morels around. You have to know where to look. More on that in this old blog post! Hint: know of any old apple trees? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/af677df8-1805-4af2-b3d6-07abee1f81fe/IMG_2317.jpg Field Notes - SPRING FORAGING | the local food report - CINNAMON FERN I haven't seen any yet, but these should be up soon. You eat them like fiddleheads, which I'm familiar with from a childhood in Maine. More on this old Local Food Report with a forager in Truro, and in a video from my friend Nicole Cormier. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/61f4722b-fbc2-41e5-b586-966e0c81dad9/IMG_2942.jpg Field Notes - SPRING FORAGING | the local food report - POKEWEED This stuff is everywhere. It'll be up soon, and the early shoots and leaves can be eaten. Do not eat it later on in the season—once it's bigger than about 9 inches or starts turning purple, it can be toxic. But it's delicious when it's young—here's an excellent way to enjoy it with bacon and cornbread. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/9e8e04f1-8f96-415b-bf87-8c3a293c31c9/IMG_3428.jpg Field Notes - SPRING FORAGING | the local food report - ASPARAGUS Most "wild" asparagus is really escaped old domesticated asparagus, but since it's so common around here, it's worth adding. Last year for the Local Food Report I dug through the archives of the Eastham Historical Society's oral histories and turned up all kinds of fascinating local history about the plant. If you have it in your garden it should be showing up in a couple weeks, and that's around the same time you'd want to start hunting wild spears on the side of the back roads. It's good so many ways, but I especially love this salad. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/4f045278-2bee-493f-891b-c74675051238/IMG_3857.jpg Field Notes - SPRING FORAGING | the local food report - BEACH PEA SHOOTS These are just coming up in the dunes. Sally was the one who pointed them out to me—"Mom!" she said. "Come look! I bet these are edible." She was totally right. If you eat so many that they make up some ridiculous proportion like 30% of your diet, apparently they can be harmful, but in more reasonable amounts, they're a-ok. We ate them sautéed with little bits of homemade bacon and frozen peas and served them over pasta. YUM. One note: this time of year they're really hard to see, even when you know they're there. So check the dunes....and then keep checking til they jump out at you. They're very well hidden. One more note: soak them, otherwise they're sandy. https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/isolationbread monthly 0.5 2025-03-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/7bb4a90e-803a-4625-9d43-cfef763b6783/IMG_1001.jpg Field Notes - ISOLATION BREAD | the local food report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/b71e47b3-4dff-4323-8625-efd82aac79e8/IMG_1153.jpg Field Notes - ISOLATION BREAD | the local food report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/migratorybeekeepers monthly 0.5 2025-03-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/5ea2244f-bebb-4b33-9776-412205c8be14/ThePollinatorsAlmondAerial.png Field Notes - MIGRATORY BEEKEEPERS | the local food report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/49ff08f7-4136-47c7-b1f1-7bf92f83c9a7/ThePollinatorsHivesInfinity.jpg Field Notes - MIGRATORY BEEKEEPERS | the local food report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/a8dfbe32-edab-4f38-ab93-588a52e6b0ce/ThePollinators_BeeLoading_PNelson.jpg Field Notes - MIGRATORY BEEKEEPERS | the local food report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/aec52671-5723-4c7c-8601-6331c603d05b/ThePollinators_HackenbergPumpkins_PNelson-8891.jpg Field Notes - MIGRATORY BEEKEEPERS | the local food report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/18777cd1-1d81-4c5b-a6a6-7f6e5662b1e8/_ThePollinators_Hackenberg_PNelson.jpg Field Notes - MIGRATORY BEEKEEPERS | the local food report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/a42712d5-26c2-4fec-8c46-3fb74c29cf95/ThePollinators_Almonds_PNelson-1554.jpg Field Notes - MIGRATORY BEEKEEPERS | the local food report - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/category/Diary+of+a+Locavore+%2F%2F+Elspeth monthly 0.5 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/category/The+Local+Food+Report monthly 0.5 https://elspethhay.com/field-notes/category/The+Nutscape monthly 0.5 https://elspethhay.com/events daily 0.75 2026-04-01 https://elspethhay.com/events/2026/4/1/the-future-is-nuts-forests-food-and-bioregionalism-with-elspeth-hay-07-and-cherry-liley monthly 0.5 2026-04-02 https://elspethhay.com/events/2026/4/23/feed-us-with-trees-a-conversation-with-elspeth-hay-and-chez-liley monthly 0.5 2026-03-27 https://elspethhay.com/events/2026/4/18/yylp4ya3a7cubotm7fq562zey1a43j monthly 0.5 2026-04-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/1774636299017-HT3Q92OUJKAPOTUSMOAW/Taste+of+the+Earth+2026.png Events - Taste of the Earth: A plant-based foods cookoff - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://elspethhay.com/events/2026/4/8/forest-food-demo monthly 0.5 2026-04-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/6b33b62a-ae9e-4fd1-87bd-d16b6265197f/651174024_936512385589632_2558386750312034825_n.jpg Events - Forest Food Demo: acorn processing workshop with Farming Falmouth - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://elspethhay.com/events/2026/4/8/falmouth-300-series monthly 0.5 2026-04-01 https://elspethhay.com/events/2026/2/26/cornell-cooperative-extension-talk-humans-as-a-keystone-species monthly 0.5 2026-02-20 https://elspethhay.com/events/2026/2/28/acorn-reading-club monthly 0.5 2026-02-20 https://elspethhay.com/events/2026/3/7/firestorm-books-author-talk- monthly 0.5 2026-02-20 https://elspethhay.com/events/2026/8/7/willow-weaving-101 monthly 0.5 2026-01-30 https://elspethhay.com/events/2026/5/8/centerville-public-library-book-talk monthly 0.5 2026-01-30 https://elspethhay.com/events/2026/1/1/fire-training monthly 0.5 2025-12-16 https://elspethhay.com/events/2026/3/6/7nf9xm7jmayx3wvnzhva5u7zdz2tmr monthly 0.5 2026-02-20 https://elspethhay.com/events/2025/12/14/book-talk-at-the-uu-fellowship monthly 0.5 2025-11-25 https://elspethhay.com/events/2025/11/23/harvest-market monthly 0.5 2025-10-12 https://elspethhay.com/events/2025/11/16/hudson-valley-nut-fest monthly 0.5 2025-10-12 https://elspethhay.com/events/2025/10/12/1st-ever-nut-stomp monthly 0.5 2025-10-12 https://elspethhay.com/events/2025/8/8/foraging-walk-book-talk monthly 0.5 2025-08-08 https://elspethhay.com/events/2025/10/15/fh488pkmmthyp51d9tf3buvsr8tba0 monthly 0.5 2025-10-12 https://elspethhay.com/events/2025/9/19/feed-us-with-trees-talk-at-mofgas-common-ground-fair monthly 0.5 2025-06-23 https://elspethhay.com/events/2025/6/11/water-keepers monthly 0.5 2025-04-24 https://elspethhay.com/events/2025/8/28/reading-at-the-wellfleet-library monthly 0.5 2025-06-23 https://elspethhay.com/events/2025/8/19/book-talk-at-the-provincetown-monument monthly 0.5 2025-06-23 https://elspethhay.com/events/2025/8/13/reading-at-the-orleans-library monthly 0.5 2025-04-22 https://elspethhay.com/events/2025/8/4/nnga-talk-feed-us-with-trees monthly 0.5 2025-06-23 https://elspethhay.com/events/2025/8/5/reading-at-the-truro-public-library monthly 0.5 2025-04-24 https://elspethhay.com/events/2025/7/11/foraging-walk-at-steepletop monthly 0.5 2025-04-22 https://elspethhay.com/events/event-four-pba4m monthly 0.5 2025-06-04 https://elspethhay.com/events/incoversationbrewster monthly 0.5 2025-07-10 https://elspethhay.com/radio daily 0.75 2026-03-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618511743693-J3A8OYH6X8C7RXNU5K0J/20140301_Trade+151_0124+1.jpg Radio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/5140685c-8da1-41b9-a4c0-04296e5cbde0/IMG_1462.JPG Radio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/2b6359c7-4cbf-4e03-bc79-bccb21984e59/IMG_4035.JPG https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/49459747-6b8a-4bfe-8c14-6c6e014fbfa4/IMG_7728.JPG https://elspethhay.com/resources daily 0.75 2017-06-21 https://elspethhay.com/home-1 daily 0.75 2025-02-24 https://elspethhay.com/home daily 1.0 2026-03-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/128f0525-c9db-473b-b58a-8f5f46378544/front+cove https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/cbec2327-4903-4eea-a94a-6156d36ecef9/EH+21-4.JPG https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/cfa94955-58e5-4b19-b7ee-5da058c80f97/IMG_0068.JPG https://elspethhay.com/about daily 0.75 2026-03-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58d2adec20099ed265248d6e/d6b1e186-d069-495a-a763-a68d19146dde/this+one.JPG About - A uthor of Feed Us with Trees, creator of The Local Food Report, and passionate proponent of place-based living. As a kid, Elspeth wondered: Why is our species so out of place? Why don’t we belong in the natural world? Growing up in Maine with two birdwatcher parents, she was well-versed in the ways other species were perfectly adapted to the wild ecosystems of her home state. Sapsuckers used their chisel-like bills to drill neat rows of sap wells into birches and maples; crossbills had mandibles perfectly adapted for extracting seeds from the cones of pines, hemlocks, and spruces. But the human communities Elspeth knew seemed to be destroying wild places at an ever-increasing rate—not only through overconsumption, but simply to meet our most basic needs, including the need to eat. In her quest to understand why—and how and if we might change—Elspeth’s spent the past 15+ years interviewing local food producers, harvesters, processors, cooks, policymakers and visionaries about what it means to be human and live thoughtfully in place. In the process, she’s come to understand that we humans are, in fact, perfectly adapted to a wide range of places—and to believe that reconnecting with our home ecosystems is both the great challenge and great joy of our times. In addition to her work as a writer, Elspeth is deeply immersed in her home ecosystems on Cape Cod. She is the creator and host of The Local Food Report, a weekly public radio show for the Cape and Islands NPR station; co-founder of the newly launched Commons Keepers; part of the team behind The Wicked Oyster; a willow basket weaver; and a passionate student and teacher of place-based living. 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