Featured Articles
Holiday Gift Guide
By Holly J. Coley This is Organic Hudson Valley’s first Holiday Gift Guide, and we are thrilled to show you what we found. Our writer, Holly, has made it her mission to find a variety of handmade, sustainable, fair-trade holiday gifts made by different artists in the Hudson Valley. What these artists have created with […]
A Holiday Balancing Act
By Erin Wyble Newcomb Songwriters may call December “the most wonderful time of the year,” but for many people, the holidays present financial, emotional and spiritual burdens instead of joy. Even in the best of circumstances, the holiday season that stretches from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day (and sometimes feels even longer) can be exhausting […]
Dutchess County’s own Cinema Paradiso
By Jay Blotcher In an era before television, local movie theaters provided not only entertainment but also an escape—a chance to commune with neighbors in a shared fantasy on celluloid. Especially during difficult times, like the Depression of the 1930s, movie houses were portals to mystical foreign lands and happier times—even if that illusion evaporated […]
Holiday Weight Gain, Winter Blues and Adrenal Fatigue
By Kelly G. Jennings, ND, LAC, MSOM Well, it’s the holiday season again. A time when people often overdo it with sweets, alcohol and parties. In my practice, our motto is prevention is the best medicine. This means preparing yourself for potential temptation and practicing moderation. It may be a chance for you to show […]
Building the Castle of their Dreams
By Dave Aderson Back in 1970, lifelong Millbrook resident Peter Wing made a promise to his soon-to-be wife, Toni Ann. He would build her a castle—a place to call home. Nearly 40 years later, Wing’s Castle stands atop Peter’s century-old, family-owned property overlooking the Hudson Valley on Bangall Road in Millbrook. It was a dream they’d […]
Smells of the Holidays
By Chris May, Babycakes Café Childhood memories of a much-anticipated family meal evoke happiness in us all. The smell of pork roasting in the oven reminds me of when I was a kid lying on the carpet, watching TV and waiting for one of my favorite dinners: my mom’s homemade version of Shake ’n Bake. […]
House of Hope
By Laurie Szostak Domestic violence and abuse can happen to anyone, yet the problem is oft en overlooked, excused or denied. This is especially true when the abuse is psychological, rather than physical. Noticing and acknowledging the signs of an abusive relationship is the first step to ending it. No one should live in fear […]
All in the Family
By Brian P.J. Cronin A hundred cows are walking by Ronny Osofsky’s office window they came from the pastures just above the low-slung house that acts as the administrative building for the dairy farm that Ronny’s parents started in 1947 and named after him. From the pasture they amble by in a gentle line, passing […]
More than Just Horseplay
By Dave Aderson Seeing a horse in the Hudson Valley is no uncommon sight. However, there are horses in Brewster that are doing extraordinary things for people with special needs. Just ask Shelly Pope, program director of Pegasus Therapeutic Riding, where local steeds are helping to instill comfort, confidence and companionship in participants. Read more […]
Newburgh’s Los Portales
By Brian P.J. Cronin There’s a brief stir in the dining room of Newburgh’s Los Portales as six impeccably dressed mariachi musicians stroll inside, but things quickly settle down once the band pulls two tables together and sits down to order. They have not come to entertain you. Los Portales is not the kind of […]
The Farmers’ Voice
By Serena Kenna For this issue of OHV, I was fortunate enough to interview Leda Blumberg, who with her husband, Steve Cole, owns and operates Faraway Farm Alpacas in Yorktown Heights. On a perfect autumn afternoon, we plopped right down on the grass in the field where her beautiful alpacas were grazing. It was a […]
Gifts that Keep on Giving
By Kerry Lee Zeff The holiday season is a time of many things. ’Tis the season of excitement, family, spirituality and excess. I’m going to discuss the latter of the bunch. In my Waddle n Swaddle, I hear a lot of parents discussing their dread of the impending excess soon to be unloaded into their […]
Organic Finds a Home at River Rock Health Spa
By Kymberly Breckenridge The practice of immersing oneself in hot or cold springs in hopes of effecting a cure of some ailment dates back to prehistoric times. The ancient Greeks adored bath time, as did the Romans, Scandinavians and English. I myself visited the oldest Turkish bath in Istanbul—a rather frightening experience involving two crones […]
The Benefits of Strength Training
By Dorothy Hamburg, M.S. Exercise Physiologist As we get older and less active, our bodies undergo many physiological changes that can increase the risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis and diabetes. Our bodies with age and inactivity tend to lose lean muscle mass, gain body fat and lose bone-mineral density. All can […]
Nostrano Vineyards
By Karen Fredrickson New York is the third-largest wine-producing state in the country, and the Hudson Valley, in particular, is one of the oldest and best-known wine regions, with a focus on premium boutique farm wineries. Nostrano Vineyards is a new winery that continues in that tradition, located in Milton, a picturesque section of Ulster […]
Celebrating the Holiday with Half Moon Theatre Company
By Diane Schnoor Half Moon Theatre Company continues its sizzling winter season at The Culinary Institute of America’s Marriott Pavilion with December performances of It’s a Wonderful Life: The 1946 Radio Play and Fully Committed in January. “In choosing our first season at the Culinary Institute of America, we wanted to offer new and returning […]
Planning will Give you a Great Harvest
By Jay Levine As a vegetable gardener, this is a sad time of year. For most of us, the fresh vegetables are gone until March at the earliest. So what can we do to assuage ourselves? Why, plan for next year’s garden, of course. Vegetables don’t just grow on trees. Okay, really they do (shrubs, […]
Organic Farmers and Chefs of the Hudson Valley
Written & Photographed by Francesco Mastalia Organic Hudson Valley is honored to showcase a selection of Francesco Mastalia’s newly released book, ORGANIC: Farmers & Chefs of the Hudson Valley (powerHouse books, November 2014). We hope you enjoy reading and admiring the beautiful photographs that Francesco’s journey took him on. One of Organic Hudson Valley magazine’s […]
Stars of the Season
By Clifford Hart There are certain times of year when the quaint towns of the Hudson Valley are particularly resplendent; when their old-fashioned charm spills generously into the streets, imbuing the atmosphere with light and warmth. Without question, the holiday season, stretching from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, is one of those times. And though […]
Follow Us