The taste of sweet corn in the market has, to many palates, gotten better and better over the years. The taste of sweet corn that I grow is the same every year. Still, my taste buds tell me that my corn tastes best. It’s not from having a green thumb or a site particularly congenial […]

When I was younger, my grandmother, Doris, said that she and my grandfather, Big Jack, were like ships passing in the night. Big Jack, who liked to watch the news in his favorite straight-back chair and eat microwave popcorn, never went to bed before midnight. Doris, on the other hand, was an early riser. She […]

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. Two million years ago, glaciers clawed 11 long, deep gashes into what is now central New York. The resulting Finger Lakes are among the deepest in the United States, creating a micro-climate perfect for growing cool-weather wine grapes. The region, some 250 miles northwest of New York City, is home to more […]

AMSTERDAM Standing between raised beds of plants on top of a former naval hospital, Joris Voeten can look across to the garden, cafe and terrace that decorate the sloping roof of Amsterdam’s NEMO science museum. Such productivity is part of the urban engineer’s vision for cities worldwide, places where he sees the largely neglected flat […]

Many of us think of terrazzo — a composite including chips of various stones and glass — as a utilitarian flooring material, something you see in lobbies or hallways. But the centuries-old material is being rediscovered by architects and designers who are adapting its distinctive patterns for all kinds of surfaces, including furniture, and other […]

Last week, our washing machine broke and our car flooded from the rain. The good news was that my now retired Navy husband is neither deployed nor otherwise away with the military, so he was home to help with these household “emergencies.” Finally, he could deal with the car, and I could — well, I […]

BOSTON Here’s a novel way to enjoy autumn in New England: While the trees are dropping their leaves, you can be shedding some pounds. Activate the “Health” app on your iPhone (it’s standard and has a simple red heart icon), don a light jacket, unleash your inner multi-tasker, and you’re good to go. Powered by […]

When decorating a room, we don’t tend to give much thought to the waste receptacle. But the decorative details can be important. “They can make or break your best efforts,” says Diane Henkler, a decorator in Lake Murray, South Carolina. “The details are the fine tuning; you should give them the same thought and planning […]

We mothers like to hover. Even those of us who preach about not hovering, well, sometimes we still hover. It’s hard to resist at times, despite what we know about letting go. For me this summer, “letting go” came in the form of watching my older boys learn how to sail. Yes, on the water, […]

When it comes to landing dinner on the table on a weeknight, fish fillets are among the very quickest dishes you can prepare, rarely requiring more than five minutes to go from raw to ready to eat. And given the relative mildness of a fish’s flavor, they’re a natural canvas for a vast palette of […]