The Farm Fresh Blog

A living, breathing list of books about moving to the country and making the most of it. Essays, memoirs, guides, histories, even some fiction. Most links go through the terrific independence book shop source Bookshop.org, with whom I’m an aff…

Continuing the guides to towns in the region. Thanks for this one to Diane Parisella, who with her business partner Lisa Morgan own Designed Grind Cafe at the Newburgh Mall and started The Newburgh Market held on Sundays from April through the end o…

It’s time to start planning all those adventures we’ve put off for the past two years and the perfect place to start an exploration is Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). Cidiot featured Saratoga and SPAC in Episode 69.  SPAC i…

Across the Hudson Valley, Catskills and the Berkshires, Pride is back in 2022. Tune into Episode 67 (available May 28) for a special interview with OutHudson Executive Director Osun Zotique and hear some highlights I don't want you to miss. In addi…

Again this year, Chronogram magazine is hosting the Chronogrammies, reader’s choice awards in several dozen categories. And again this year, Cidiot is a finalist for regional podcast in Arts & Entertainment category. Voting is April 1 thro…

Hudson Valley's unique history is what has shaped this area into what it is today. But like many geographic regions, the Hudson Valley has its own share of weird and unusual history. But none the less, it's our history and whether you're a newcomer …

You’re listening to this podcast, and you’re thinking: I could do that. I want to do that. How can I do that? Well, if you have a big idea for a great show, come join me for my first ever "Podcasting 101" workshop at Taconic Ridge Farm&…

Here is the beginning of a Cidiot guide of where to stay. It's a mix of hotels, motels, short-term rentals (STRs), and even farm stays across towns in the Hudson Valley, Catskills, and Berkshires. (Towns are New York, unless otherwise noted) Also c…

A List of What to Listen To From Far and Wide With an early job writing radio ads, I became involved in podcasting during its very first wave. I always loved audio as a format—dialogue, structure, the theatre one could create with voice and s…

Local news has been hit hard the last decade, and from shifts in reporting to the availability of free classifieds, there are a lot of reasons why. In addition to being a gossip, I like to know what's going on in my community to feel a part of it.&n…