Ben, we moved into an old "abandoned" farmstead years ago and gradually built and reclaimed the area. try to find old issues of Mother Earth News. It has tons of ideas and great info. Also a regional garden guide for your area will help. Try to make friends with your County Extension agent. I plagued mine with tons of questions as the new place was 2 zones warmer than I was used too. Get Id's on plants you don't recognize and recommendations on veggie varieties that do well in your area. Go slow with clearing cleaning and tearing up as you may discover some terrific old plants, Rhubarb, daffodils, Mock orange, forsythia etc. It is an adventure to be cherished and enjoyed. I like the book Gardening with Heirloom plants and, another, Heirloom Herbs. You should be able to find used copies pretty cheap. Have fun!!!!

If you can't find exactly what you want used, you can try J.R. Greene who writes about Quabbin history. He's local to Orange/Athol area. The Jeff Book shop in Amherst carries Quabbin books, and the local libraries have copies of Quabbin books. Swift River Historical Society has a little museum to visit as well. Good Luck! Maryanne in WMass

Such and exciting subject to talk about the Bancroft Garden! The covers go on around late October or early November and stay on until April. Some of them are very large and it takes several days to place all of them. There is one that is like a very large tent around the most tender species (such as the aloe plicatilis, which they say is the largest in Northern California) and it even has a tent-like door. But most of the plants survive uncovered and are somewhat protected under trees or near larger plant, and even with the covers, the overall beauty of the garden is not spoiled. There is so much to see there any time of the year (this was the first year for winter tours). What kind of blooms are of interest? There always is something in bloom. Right now, many of the aloes are in bloom. There are also masses of bulbinella that look really impressive. I haven't seen the seasonal bloom cycle, but the many of the cacti should be starting in April or May. The tours are on the website and change depending on the time of the year. For example, summer tours are in the morning and early evening since the afternoon heat can be too much for flesh and blood. The tours are on the website and right now through the end of March are at 1 PM on Saturdays for docent tours.

I'm going to probably step out of bounds here, but everyone, even heart patients, need at least a little bit of fat in their diet. Some very important vitamins that are essential for heart health are fat soluble, meaning they won't be available without some fat included in the diet. I have no cookbooks like you describe, as I don't do mixes either, but I agree with those who recommend the library. I check cookbooks out of the library frequently to see if I like them and for a change of pace from the cookbooks I own. There's also used book stores in most areas that probably have a good selection of cookbooks. Good luck you you and your husband. Sally