In 2018, I published the first edition of Farm Girl's Guide to Getting Lost & Found in the Catskills. It covered every single town in Sullivan County, NY. When I started the project a couple of years earlier, the folks I knew who lived or had second homes up here NEVER went out. In the summer, I would invite a pick up truck load of friends to join me for lunch (at Samba) and a little shopping spree (at Global Home) in Jeffersonville. It took a lot of convincing. At the time,

A surprise in a local bakery leads to another surprise.

As far as tech goes, I love my GPS and how it gets me from here to there. Thank you, GPS. That said, while it gets me there, it doesn't give me much perspective on where I am or where I've been. In the last year, as you know, I released an online guidebook to the Catskills. Why online? Well, it's a work in progress. It currently covers some back story -- how to get to the Catskills and some Inside Scoop on why it's so cool and who makes it that way -- plus over 150 destinatio

95 Broadway Brooklyn, NY (718) 388-5700 marlowanddaughters.com @marlowanddaughters I frequented this butcher in Brooklyn long before I had a house upstate. It was my first experience with a whole animal butchery and it left quite an impression. Shortly after watching a team of butchers dissect a cow, I ate at its sister restaurant Marlow & Sons to fantastic results in the rustic dining room with a cashier desk well stocked with Dr. Bronner's soaps and Necco wafers. Amen. Fast

524 Hudson Street & 555 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY (212) 799-1269 & (212) 675-7075 hudsonandcharles.com @hudson_charles It's tough to transition from the abundance of fresh-from-the-farm food upstate to city options. I haven't eaten an egg that my hens haven't laid since 2010. And being upstate makes you hyper conscious of how important it is to eat meat raised well and processed responsibly. While Hudson & Charles' meats come mainly from Pennsylvania farms, its whole anim

240 Columbus Avenue New York, NY (646) 490-4075 oxbowtavern.com @oxbowtavern Chef Tom Valenti has a cabin upstate and fly fishes the Beaverkill and Willowemoc rivers with his farmer friends. He is stellar chef. When I met him he was at Le Cirque, but had previous local fame and Upper West Side adoration as the owner and chef at Oest. Now, Valenti has opened another Upper West hit, Oxbow Tavern on Columbus and 67th Street. While the food is American French, it has a delicious

Have you ever traveled into a painting, your mind wandering, becoming a part of the scene yourself? The colors. The atmosphere. You can see that a story is there within it and it just draws you in. I have. Certainly in a museum or a gallery. I have some favorites that I visit over and over again. I love a good story. Our house is filled with the art created by my husband's grandfather and great grandfather, the former a painter and potter and his father, a painter. Art runs d

This year, I skipped Thanksgiving and went to Denmark where Noma has transformed the national food experience over the past 10 years to be more than just pickled herring (but yes, also pickled herring!). Farm to table is front and center there, with families of restaurants designed to focus intently on different parts of a farm and its products. A bakery to employ the grains and, oh, how the country knows good bread! A dairy or creamery for milk, cheese and ice cream. Meats,

I resist the urge to think about the holidays until Thanksgiving, but the other day I found myself singing along to Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" in the grocery store. Really? Well, I guess it's apropos because Berlin penned that iconic song in the Catskills hamlet of Lew Beach. If you're ever driving through there on a snowy day, you can see just how it happened. Following the release of Farm Girl's Guide in early November, I am giving you a little gift: a shopping guide

Narrowsburg Proper 44 Main Street Narrowsburg, NY 845-252-3242 @narrowsburgproper The shelves in the front are stacked to the rafters with foodie treats good for a gift box or basket for the discerning eater. Caviar. Chocolates. French honey. Pastas and sauces. Cheeses and olives. Tidbits of all ilks. The back lures you in with proper items for the men in your life -- cocktail shakers, bitters and simple syrups, exclusive beard oil, clothes, humidors and other manly accessori

Buck Brook Alpacas 99 Bestenheider Road Roscoe, NY 12776 (845) 807-3104 www.buckbrookalpacas.com @buckbrookalpacas Buck Brook Alpacas is a family run farm located in Sullivan County. The farm raises 150 alpacas, along with angora rabbits. Oh my! They strive to raise these adorable animals in a warm, clean and loving environment.  Buck Brook harvests the alpacas' luxury fiber once yearly to create beautiful yarn and products for the home, family and crafters, which are availab

Catskill Carriage Dry Goods Store catskillcarriage.com Back in the day (1920s to the 1970s), the Catskills were known as the Borscht Belt, a nickname that references the traditional beet soup made in Jewish communities. Mmmm! What better way to celebrate history than with your very own Borscht Belt buckle?! Raised antique brass with a sandblasted finish (2.5" x 3.5"). $25 plus shipping. Available on line only. XOXO Farm Girl #farmgirlsshoppingguide #holidayshopping #shoplocal

Dette Flies 13 Main Street Livingston Manor, NY (845) 439-1166 (shop) (607) 498-4991 (conditions report) detteflies.com @detteflies Dette knows fishing and they hand-picked a Vedavoo pack for the fisherperson on your list. Vedavoo products are designed for the outdoor adventure. Whether exploring small brook trout streams or taking a hike through one of the many wooded trails in the Catskills, these packs are built to last with the explorer in mind. With features such as deep

Maison Bergogne 226 Bridge Street Narrowsburg, NY maisonbergogne.com @maisonbergogne Maison Bergogne's Juliette set up a festive holiday decor pop-up in her converted old school bus garage offering local Christmas and birch trees plus garland and wreaths made with foraged greens enhanced with pine cones, red berries, beaver sticks, feathers & light ... Ahhhh ... 'tis the season! Can you smell the pine scent yet? Garland starts at $3.50/ft. Wreaths are 12 inches up to 5 feet i

Catskill Mountainkeeper 47B Main Street Livingston Manor, NY (845) 439-1230 catskillmountainkeeper.org @mountainkeeper Stop in to Catskill Mountainkeeper's office on Main Street in Livingston Manor and make a $50 donation to give the ones you love a little slice of green, a little peace of mind, a little trickle of a fresh running stream. Pick up a stainless steel Keeper cup for your donation and give it as a token of your (and their) love for keeping our environment pristine

7 Barnhart Road Hardenburgh, NY (845) 439-4844 beaverkillvalleyinn.com @thebeaverkillvalleyinn For the stylish fisherperson or beer enthusiast, how about two 16-ounce Belgian beer glasses to reminisce about days on the fabled Beaverkill River or afternoons on the porch sipping a cold brew and listening to the river flow by? Either way, these glasses are a great conversation piece. Cue fish tales. Do double duty for the ones on your Nice List and add a cute trucker-style cap.

Main Street Farm 36 Main Street Livingston Manor, NY (845) 439-4309 mainstreetfarm.com @mainstfarm You can fill any stocking to the brim here. Catskills provisions from honey to syrup, from pancake mix to Bjorn Corn, from Cabin Porn to a pine sachet. How about a pillow with a favorite Catskills zip code or one that professes love for hiking or fishing? Shady Acres granola? Literally a ton of delicious choices starting at $5 at Main Street Farm where "eating is an agricultural

River Gallery 8 Main Street Narrowsburg, NY (845) 252-3238 rivergalleryny.com @therivergallery Leave it to Tony and Barry. Barry, a very busy real estate agent (on IG as @catskillhomes), can find you the country house of your dreams. And then you can just pop over and visit Tony who presides over the River Gallery to suit up your new home with just the right touch. Whether that special someone has a country house or not, the River Gallery has the perfect gift to accentuate a

Catskill Distilling Company at the Dancing Cat Saloon 2037 State Road 17B, Bethel, NY (845) 583-3141 catskilldistilling.com dancingcatsaloon.com @catskilldistill As a matter of fact, you can celebrate a White Christmas with a set of New York State white spirits from Catskill Distilling Company. But Peace Vodka is a good place to start. If your tastes run more toward whiskey, you are in the right place. Try Fearless Wheat Whiskey or Most Righteous Bourbon. Can't make up your m

Duke Pottery 855 County Road 93 Roscoe, NY (607) 498-5207 dukepottery.com @dukepottery Take a trip into Roscoe to find Carolyn Duke's ceramic studio and shop one flight up. This low-fired stoneware is hand-built and draws its inspiration from the surrounding natural beauty. All of her work is one-of-a-kind. Prices range from $20 to several hundred for her specialty pieces, especially her Raku work. Come get lost and found in the serenity of Carolyn Duke's creativity. Other ar