You probably already know you can get wine or cheese or ice cream maps in different states. Last summer we visited several wineries in the Camden ME area. We also pick up a list of the farmers markets so in Maine I can highly recommend the Friday market in Brunswick and the one in Bath (sorry, I think it was a Saturday). Since it's a drive, I only get to the Tilton NH Winter Farmers Market every couple of weeks. Friends from Marlborough MA thought it was worth the 1 1/2 hour drive (they must drive fast) to visit. Lots of value added products like jams and jellies but also the basics. Closer to me, the Hopkinton NH winter market has only a few vendors but Wind Song Farm has wonderful swiss chard. Kind of pricey but worth it. The chard is grown in their high tunnel and has sweetened with winter cold. Nothing like it in the big supermarkets. NH grown mushrooms are available at the Tilton market - grown in Tamworth. Concord NH has a very nice food coop that's open to the public. Across the street is Bread and Chocolate, a wonderful European style bakery. At the other end of Main Street across from the State House is Crust and Crumb. She makes wonderful unigue whoopie pies as well as several different kinds of breds. She's local but is gaining attention as a recipe tester for AP. Alison Ladman. Of course, up on congested Loudon Rd you can get locally made ice cream at Arnie's! You can make a grand tour around Concord NH since there are several apple orchards, blueberry farms, etc. Gould Hill in Hopkinton has a very large variety of heirloom apples - see the list on their website. There is also a local garlic festival in Canterbury. Organic garlic and blueberries are available in Contoocook NH. The Best pies are at Richardson's Farm Stand in Boscawen NH. They make their own ice cream, too, although up until recently they picked up the ice cream at their family place in Dracut MA. They don't have a lot of apples and veggies but I can get a good deal on apple seconds for baking.

We used to raise goats, chickens, a pig now and then, geese...made our own yoghurt and utilised "mexican" refrigeration, which is to say we'd kill whatever we were going to eat the day of eating. (Highest regards to Mexico for teaching us this energy saving concept)... We now limit our meat intake to that which is around us. Venison, grouse, squirrel, rabbit, woodchuck on occasion, and fish from the many lakes and streams around us. Keeps us from having to feed and water the critters, or hire a caretaker when we travel, or use costly refrigeration/storage/transportation techniques. We are fortunate to have 50 acres within the confines of over 80 square miles of state forest. However, I've read complaints from cattle ranchers in North Eastern Arizona that the elk herds (which number in the hundreds and perhaps a thousand) are grazing on "their" BLM leased land ruining it for the ranchers 400 head of cattle. I say, take the cattle off the land...allow the elk to thrive and allow the ranchers to "harvest and cull" the herd periodically. It would provide healthier meat in greater quantities than the beef provides from the equivalent land. Same goes for Buffalo on the Great Plains.

Beautiful photography! I eat stinging nettles steamed & dandelions & pig weed. Planted ramp seeds 1 1/2 yrs ago & they just sprouted this spring!?! My personal suggestion, when harvesting ramps, I wouldn't pull the entire plant out of the ground. I see roots on them in your photo. Just cut very low down at soil level, but leave the plant in the ground. It will re-root & not be over-harvested, as if often the case with this plant.

Sorry to hear your drought has been so extended this season. Lots of Maples beginning to turn here, maybe 30-40% in some cases. Some of that is certainly bc of the dry weather but I think it's also the long season we've had. The Picea have set buds early compared to last year. The leaves on most of the trees are tattered and signs of bugs snacking is apparent. Hard to say, we've had long, hot Septembers in the past but never when the season started so early. So will be interesting if that happens this year. I just know it gets tiring having to water every few days. I try to have a rotation where large trees in the front gets watered one day (3 trees that should be on their own but I hate to not water bc the new growth just stops in this sand if too dry). Some of the established spruce I left to fend for themselves but I finally gave in and left the hose lay on the ground to flood the area, a couple of times, by July and into August. I had one Spruce had a two foot central leader fall off when chewed around the base of it by something. The pine screen was free range this year, the tip borers did more damage than usual on those and they lost a few leaders. Overall pine here can take the dry although new growth was limited to about 3-5". The Sugar maple, Eastern Hemlock, Bur Oak, N. Pin Oaks got regular watering during the dry spells. Mostly bc those don't do well on the dry upland sites and I didn't want to see any drought stress damage or borers moving in. All the small, less than 2 yo trees and shrubs get regular watering, when no rain. Always a lot more work around here when dry. I thought it might be a dry season this year and early it was. But we got those few good rains when needed so it could've been much worse. Good part, my utility bill was only ~$35 higher this month and that includes electricity running the AC more than usual and forgetting the hose faucet turned on all night, several times, which drips enough to increase the bill somewhat. I'm sure the rain barrel saved some on extra water but this last rain could've fill things up several times. The excess just went into the ground. but what do you do?