It's always so much fun to see photos from others taken during their vacations.
Not long ago, my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, returned from a trip to his native Nepal. Nepal is a landlocked nation located between India and the autonomous region of China known as Tibet. Sherpas live in the most mountainous areas of Nepal, high in the Himalayas. They are renowned in the international climbing and mountaineering community for their hardiness, expertise, and experience at very high altitudes. Chhiring and his family try to go back once a year to visit other relatives and friends, and to enjoy the many beautiful sights and delicious foods of their homeland.
Enjoy this selection of his photos.
Chhiring’s hometown is Solukhumbu, which is close to Mt. Everest. Solukhumbu is one of 14 districts of Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. Chhiring says he has climbed many mountains, but not Mt. Everest – not yet, anyway.
Here is Chhiring standing in front of the wrathful Hindu god, the White Bhairava. Bhairava comes from the word bhīru, which means “fearsome”. Bhairava means “terribly fearsome form”. This god is known as one who destroys fear and protects his devotees from dreadful enemies, greed, lust, and anger.
This is an example of the ancient Nepali architecture. These 500 to 600 year old structures show handmade, hand-painted wooden windows. These were once traditional homes in Nepal, but are now maintained as museums.
Here is the World Peace Pagoda, also called Nipponzan Peace Pagoda – a Buddhist monument in Pokhara, Nepal. This Pagoda was designed to be a symbol to unite humanity in a desire for peace. Shanti Stupa is the first World Peace Pagoda in Nepal and the 71st pagoda built by Nipponzan-Myōhōji in the world. The pagoda is 115-feet tall and 344-feet in diameter.
This is Chhiring’s wife, Ang Pema, standing in front of this stunning view of the mountains. Nepal is home to Mt. Everest and to many other mountains, from the 3000-foot summits of the Churiya Hills to the giants of the Greater Himalayas and the ranges along the border with Tibet.
Here is a view of the beautiful rice terraces in western Nepal in the village of Landrung. Chhiring and his family did a lot of hiking during their stay to capture these beautiful sights.
Chhiring also visited The Old Gurung Museum, where he and his son, Mingmar, tried on custom clothing and posed with gurkha knives called khukuri, used in WWII.
Here is Ang Pema trying the traditional female Gurung dress and basket used for carrying goods from the market.
Chhiring stayed in the Gurung village of Gandrung, the biggest Gurung town in Nepal.
These are some of the native ferns in Nepal. Chhiring says he has never seen this type of fern in the United States.
Some of the local Gurung food includes this buckwheat porridge, served with vegetables and dry buffalo meat.
Mingmar, who also works at my Bedford, New York farm, preferred the rice to the porridge. The meals are served in traditional Nepali brass plates.
This is another breathtaking view of the mountains from the Poon Hill View Tower. Poon Hill is a hill station overlooking the Annapurna Massif range and Dhaulagiri mountain range, located on the border of Myagdi District and Kaski District in the Gandaki Province of Nepal. This day was a bit cloudy, but the view is still spectacular.
Here’s another dish of traditional Nepali buckwheat porridge with a variety of other appetizers – it is among the most popular dishes in Nepal.
This is a bungee jump bridge in Kusma Parvat. This city lies in the western part of Nepal about 35-miles from Pokhara. Mingmar, a United States Marine, took the leap and loved it.
Here’s Chhiring after walking across the same bungee jump bridge.
For those not ready for bungee jumping, this is called the Tick Tock Swing.
And here is a triple seater Tick Tock Swing.
Here, Chhiring visits the Chamere Gufa cave in Pokhara, Nepal. It is known for its resident Horseshoe bats that live inside the cave, over the walls and on the ceiling. The cave is made of limestone and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Pokhara.
The Baglung Parbat Footbridge is claimed to be the longest suspended footbridge in the world with a span of about a third of a mile. The bridge is over the Kaligandaki River and is more than 400-feet above the water at its lowest point. It is named ‘Gandaki Golden Bridge’ in English and ‘Gandaki Sunaulo Jhula’ in Nepali.
Mingmar bought a prayer wheel for his grandmother. It signifies peace of mind and is a popular gift from the young to their elder relatives. These prayer wheels are on spindles made from metal, wood, stone, leather, or coarse cotton.
Another view of the snow-capped mountains behind the village of Solukhumbu. These mountains can be seen from almost every vantage point.
Here’s a photo of Chhiring’s family including his mom, Damu Sherpa, who accompanied them on many of their treks.
This is the Swayambhunath Stupa or Monkey Temple Buddhist Monastery in Kathmandu. The complex sits atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley and consists of the stupa, a variety of shrines and temples, some dating back hundreds of years.
Channeling peace, Chhiring takes a few minutes to rest and meditate on Ghorepani Hill. Reaching this summit one can see the panoramic views of the famous Annapurna region including Annapurna South, Annapurna I, Annapurna II, III, and IV, Dhaulagiri, Lamjung Himal, Gangapurna, Machhapuchhare and Manaslu. What a wonderful trip Chhiring – thanks for sharing these photos with us!
In order to keep my working farm and all its gardens, allées, and groves as beautiful as possible, I pay lots of attention to the maintenance and care of all my trees. This time of year, my outdoor grounds crew is busy pruning many of the trees - most recently, my allée of lindens.
Lindens, Tilia, are medium to large sized shade trees that are easy to maintain and attractive in any landscape. I have two linden tree allées - one that runs from the old corn crib all the way down to the chicken coops and the other slightly older allée near my stable. These trees, with their pyramidal shape and slow growth, are excellent specimens for the type of pruning called pollarding, a very severe method that involves cutting the branches back either to the trunk, or even all the way down to the top of the trunk to promote the growth of club-headed stems and dense new foliage and branches. Pollarding should be done annually. We started pollarding these lindens in 2021, and already we've noticed good development.
Enjoy these photos.
These lindens have grown beautifully here at the farm. This allée is adjacent to my pigeon pen and just outside my stable. This photo was taken in summer when the trees were full of leaves. Lindens have a loose canopy that produces dappled shade on the ground below, allowing in just enough sunlight for shade grasses and flowers to develop nicely.
And in autumn, the leaves take on a beautiful golden hue before dropping. Linden trees are easy to care for and ideal for urban landscapes because they tolerate a wide range of adverse conditions, including pollution.
This photo was taken last April, a couple months after we first pollarded these trees.
And here they are just before this year’s pruning – look at all the growth from the past 12 months. The best time to prune and pollard trees is when the trees are dormant, during the cold winter months. It’s best to complete all pruning before early spring when the buds begin to form. Dormancy pruning reduces the amount of stress placed on the tree. The reduced flow of fluids in the tree during the time helps the pruning wounds heal quicker.
My peacocks and peahens are always so intrigued by all the activity around the farm. Here are some of them watching the crew as snow is falling.
Chhiring begins by cutting off suckers and low dead, damaged, diseased, or crisscrossing branches. He uses a good pair of Okatsune bypass pruners. Each crew member always carries a pair of sharp snips. Remember, a sharp tool always cuts clean, and helps the plant to recover better. Dull cutting tools rip and shred the plant tissue.
Here, Chhiring uses a long-reach pole pruner to cut higher branches.
This tool has about a 1/2-inch cutting capacity making it perfect for suckers and new growth.
This branch shows some of the lower cuts that were made.
The following day was much more sunny. This entire process takes a few days to do properly by hand, but it is all worth the efforts to have well-manicured, healthy trees. In pollarding, each year the long slender shoots that grow below the cuts are removed, and a set of new shoots develops creating a gnarled appearance. Pasang continues pollarding high up in this tree. He is trained in climbing trees and wears all the necessary safety equipment including gloves, a helmet, eye protection, and a body safety harness.
Pasang is essentially forming a “knuckle” or “bole” by removing growth back to the main stem.
Here is one tree all done – notice the tops are starting to develop the “nubs” or “knuckles” – these will look even better in a couple more years. More thought and planning goes into pollarding than regular topping, and lopping. Pollarding is similar to coppicing but when a tree is coppiced, it is regularly cut back to ground level to stimulate the growth of vigorous, new stems.
Here, the lindens in the front are done, while those in the back have yet to be pruned. Pollarding is started when a tree or shrub reaches a certain desired height.
Down below, the crew spreads out a large tarp to catch all the fallen branches. This makes cleanup a lot easier and a lot faster.
Once the tarp is full, the branches are loaded onto the dump truck and taken to a designated pile for the wood chipper. Traditionally, the cut branches were either burned as fuel or used for building. Pollarding was a way of using wood over time, rather than cutting it down and having only one-time access to its wood.
This is a dead branch – notice the dark brown wood. Dead branches, or those without any signs of new growth, are always cut, so the energy is directed to the healthy, living branches.
And for comparison, here is a cut live branch – light in color.
Pasang moves onto another tree and also removes branches that appear weak or have a crotch angle of less than 30-degrees.
The peafowl seem to like the pollarded trees – they perch on each one as it is done.
This peacock claimed another tree all to himself.
Pollarding can help make trees live longer by maintaining them in a partially juvenile state and by reducing the weight and windage of the top part of the tree. By the end of the second day, nearly all the trees are complete.
And here is the allée all finished after three days. Some of the other types of trees that can benefit from pollarding include beech trees, black locust trees, catalpa trees, hornbeams, horsechestnuts, London planetrees, mulberry trees, redbuds, and willows. There are many ways of pruning and training trees to grow in unusual shapes. I will continue to share photos of my pollarded linden trees as they develop.
Valentine’s Day is less than two weeks away - how are you spreading the love?
Valentine's Day is celebrated every year on February 14th. It originated as a feast day honoring early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. Through the years, folk tradition has made it a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance, love, and appreciation in many regions around the world. I love all holidays and on Valentine’s Day, I try to give a little something to close family and friends. This year, we have lots of great gift ideas for you on Martha.com, our new e-commerce site. There are also items from my collections at Macy’s, from Martha Stewart Wine Co., Martha Stewart Kitchen, Canopy, iGourmet, Goldbelly, Mixbook, Sam's Club, and Walmart - lots of great tokens of love and gratitude for those that mean so much.
Enjoy these photos.
This Valentine’s Day, why not give the gift of calm with my special limited edition heart-shaped gift box of my Martha Stewart CBD wellness gummies. Canopy Growth and I are offering this six-flavor sampler gift box packed with gourmet flavors inspired by some of my favorite ingredients.
Go to our new web site, Martha.com for gift ideas for every occasion. On Martha.com, you can shop all the wonderful products I’ve collected, curated, and designed over the years. These are my Patterson Cake Stands. They are glossy white with detailed ruffled edging – perfect for all your delectable Valentine’s Day treats.
My Martha Stewart Collection at Macy’s always includes great items for holidays. This is my Cast Iron Heart Pan. Delight your family and friends with heart-shaped eggs, pancakes, and more with this fun offering any time of year.
My Macy’s Collection includes lots of Valentine’s and heart-themed products this season, such as my Ranunculus Heart Wreath, my Pink Magnolia Wreath, my Valentine’s Day Truck, and other small gift and serving items.
And what about these fun heart-shaped dough presses from Macy’s? These are great for everything from homemade fruit hand pies to savory empanadas.
This year, I am happy to partner with Goldbelly, the curated online marketplace for regional and artisanal foods crafted by local food purveyors throughout the United States. Order some of my favorite pastries including rich butter croissants, apricot danishes, and addictively delicious cookies.
If your nearest and dearest like wine, give them a bottle of rosé from our own Martha Stewart Wine Co. My crisp and fruity rosés can be enjoyed all year round!
And have you seen Martha’s Chard – a terrific chardonnay that I just released nationally this week! You can find this delicious new wine by visiting 19Crimes.com for a store near you. Work hard, play hard and drink Martha’s Chard.
This decadent Champagne Toast Gift Box from iGourmet will make any Valentine happy. Curated by myself and my culinary team, it includes a special Heart’s Desire limited-edition triple cream by Cowgirl Creamery, Cocktail Kumquats by Laura Ann Jams, Toast for Cheese by the Fine Cheese Co., The Billy Goat Chip Company Original Potato Chips, Dom Petroff Sturgeon Caviar, and Creme Fraiche by Vermont Creamery.
iGourmet also offers my Martha Stewart Valentine’s Day Sweets Gift Box. Filled with chocolates and jellies, your Valentine will be feeling the sugar rush for days – it includes a True Love Chocolate Bar by Woodblock Chocolates, Farmstead Goat Milk Caramels in Heart Box by Big Picture Farm, Sour Peachy Pink Hearts by Marich, a Dolfin Belgium Chocolate Bar, Marzipanerie by Niederegger, and a Berry Berry Dark Chocolate Bar by Wildwood Chocolates.
Here’s my warm and cozy Faux Fur Coat from my Outerwear Collection on Martha.com. Whether you’re layering it over a formal look for a nighttime event, or throwing it on over jeans for a fabulous finish to your weekend wardrobe, the faux fur will provide instant insulation. Best of all, despite the lush look, it is fully machine-washable. Pair this with the matching Faux Fur Pull-Through Scarf – it’s a great Valentine’s gift and a great winter gift, for a loved one or yourself.
Or, when it’s not too cold, get one of my Short Sleeve Quilted Down Puffer Vests from Martha.com – this one has a soft Faux Fur Collar. This vest is complete with down filling, channel quilting, and a weatherproof, machine-washable finish.
For the foodies you love, give them a tin of ROE Caviar also from Martha.com. This gift set contains a key to open the tin and a beautiful Mother of Pearl caviar spoon.
Also on Martha.com, you’ll find the Perry Street Dinnerware Set – perfect for creating a beautiful and intimate Valentine’s Dinner table setting. The set includes four 11-inch dinner plates, four 8-inch dessert plates, and four 9-inch dinner bowls, each crafted from durable stoneware and finished with a reactive glaze and attractive taupe rim.
Don’t you want this mouthwatering dessert? Serve my Martha Stewart Kitchen Double Chocolate Brownies to your loved ones on Valentine’s day. You can make it your own with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a dollop of rich chocolate ganache or a drizzle of warm caramel.
At Sam’s Club, find my Three-Piece Baker’s Set. It includes two bakers and one loaf pan. Homemade makes everything more special on Valentine’s Day or any day.
Vintage Wedding by Martha Stewart is part of my Wedding Photo Books Collection at Mixbook. At Mixbook, you can take all your favorite photos of your wedding day and transform them into an album you’ll cherish for years to come. A beautiful gift for him or her.
This Martha Stewart Beaded Melamine 12-Piece Dinnerware Set in pink from Walmart is perfect for Valentine’s Day. They may look delicate, but these pretty and practical pieces are virtually shatterproof. Made from durable, BPA-free melamine, these stylish plates and bowls feature an embossed rim design and faux crackle glaze finish that adds a touch of understated elegance to any occasion.
Everyone appreciates a good hand cream. This fast-acting recovery cream from my Collection at Canopy Growth has Magnesium and Ginger and is perfect for on-the-go application to help soothe tired hands and bodies. Formulated with US-grown, hemp-derived CBD, the cream also includes 5% Broad-Spectrum CBD in every tube.
And, be sure to pick up a copy of my January/February 2022 issue of “Living” for my special Valentine’s treats! Issues are on newsstands now! I hope this helps you choose the best gift, or gifts, for your special Valentine.
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