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What’s Cooking at Leda’s Kitchen this Week

by LedaS | Food

Hello food lovers,

On the menu at Leda’s Kitchen this week (click the link below for the full menu, pricing, and an opportunity to subscribe to my newsletter to never miss a week):

Andhara-Style Chicken Curry: Free-range chicken marinated in lemon and chili powder, then simmered in a slightly creamy, slightly spicy sauce made from tomatoes, cashews, coconut, and aromatic spices including cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.

Creamy Mushroom and Chickpea Curry: Roasted mushrooms and chickpeas in a creamy cashew and tomato based curry.

Saag Paneer & Butter Chicken on the Menu at Leda’s Kitchen this Week

by LedaS | Food

Hello food lovers,

On the menu this week is my top seller, Saag Paneer, and Butter Chicken makes its debut at Leda’s Kitchen. My versions of these well-known restaurant menu items are made from scratch: I cook up 24 pounds of spinach and make paneer from 16 gallons of local milk to yield 100+ cups of Saag Paneer. My Butter Chicken is made with local cream and milk and free-range chicken. Most important, I cook these and all my dishes from my heart. Mexican Pork Chili Colorado, a deeply flavored and colored yet mild pork stew for flavor lovers who avoid spicy food, is also on the menu. I do not post on this platform every week, so the best way to keep in the loop is to subscribe to my mailing list. Click on the link to do so and to see this week’s full menu.

The Cost of War

by RDavis | Activism

The war in Iran is merely an expression of the deranged ego of the United States President. There may never be such a thing as a good or justified war, but the military action in Iran makes no sense from a military, economic or political perspective. Then there is the obscene amount of money that this country is spending to do something that very few people believe should even be happening.

The U.S. has spent $51 billion in the first 28 days of the Iran war. Where is this money coming from and how will this ridiculous spending affect other government programs? According to the Institute for Policy Studies, “Daily operations in and around Iran for these major military systems are costing taxpayers an estimated $59.39 million per day. That $59.39 million a day could instead cover the daily costs of Medicaid for more than four million Americans, or SNAP (food stamps) for more than 9.5 million Americans. Both programs were subject to significant cuts under last year’s H.R. 1, with millions of Americans at risk of going hungry and without healthcare as a result.”

April 2026 Precipitation Report

by local | Nature

April ended a little drier than average and with large temperature swings. My rain gauge recorded 3.30 inches compared to the NOAA normal of 3.85″.  Measurable precip on 15 of 30 days but most were small amounts. Year to date my number is 10.79″ compared to the norm of 13.97″, and Water year to date (the past 7 months) the total is 21.49″, more than  5″ below the average of 26.57″.

There was snow in April (2.5″) but all melted within a few hours of falling.  Season total of 57.4″ compared to my moving average of 62.4″.  A couple of mid eighty degree days in mid month brought fiddleheads out early.  I picked some then we had a couple of 20° nights and some froze and fell over.  Same with  a few early asparagus stalks in my garden.  Just started harvesting asparagus 2 days ago.  Put the hummingbird feeder up yesterday so I am ready when they show.

Taking Solace Series: After Death Care and Green Burial – May 6

by CenterforSolace | Questions & Answers

Please join Center for Solace staff on Wednesday, May 6, 6-8 pm in the upstairs Community Room at Brooks Memorial Library.

Learn about safe & legal options for caring for a loved one after their death, and local, accessible ways to access green burial. Topics will include: What is after death care and who can do it? What are the benefits and challenges? How can I plan ahead? What is green burial and how do I access it?

International Face Painting

by ann.newsmith | Family

Au pairs from Italy, Germany, and the Czech Republic will be offering free face painting for kids at Brattleboro Gallery Walk on Friday, May 1, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Ann Newsmith, local coordinator for Cultural Care Au Pair, will also be available to talk with parents about the benefits of hosting an au pair and the process of applying.

Cultural Care is the largest au pair organization in the U.S. and works through a local representative in southern Vermont to help families assess whether the program is a good fit and to assist in matching families with just the right au pair. Families provide room, board, and a welcoming environment to a young person from another country in exchange for flexible, live-in childcare. Not only convenient, hosting an au pair is often more cost-effective for families with multiple children, compared to daycare or a nanny.

Free Trees for Brattleboro Residents

by oakgeorgia | Home & Garden

Free trees for Brattleboro residents, through Community Canopy, a program of the Arbor Day Foundation. Four species are available: flowering dogwood, red maple, red oak and river birch.

Residents can reserve up to two free trees at vtcommunityforestry.org/trees.

The online sign-up process guides participants to the best locations to plant trees. Residents can also sign-up by phone by calling the Arbor Day Foundation at 855-234-3801.

What’s Cooking at Leda’s Kitchen

by LedaS | Food

Hello Food Lovers,

It is a dream come true to cook the food I love and to share it with you. Thank you, fellow flavor seekers.

This week’s menu includes Ghee Masala Chicken (Dede C. called it “the best thing I’ve ever eaten”), Palak Rajma (Kidney Bean & Greens Curry), and Austrian-Style Pork Stew. Click the link below to see the full menu, place an order, and/or subscribe to my newsletter if you wish. I don’t post every week’s menu here, so the mailing list is the best place to stay connected.

What’s Cooking at Leda’s Kitchen This Week

by LedaS | Food

Hello Food Lovers,

Here are some highlights of this week’s menu. Order by Tuesday, pick up Thursday (or Friday/Saturday by special arrangement). Go to ledaskitchen.com for the full menu and pricing.

Chicken Korma: One of the more well-known Indian dishes, free-range chicken in a rich and creamy cashew yogurt sauce anointed with ghee and a host of savory spices.

The Madness of King Donald

by RDavis | Activism

There should be no doubt in most people’s minds that the President of the United States is severely mentally ill. Other world leaders have described him as unhinged, or worse, based on his erratic behavior and lack of any sense of ethics or morality.

Some politicians are talking about using section 4 of the 25th amendment to remove Trump from office. It is a flawed amendment because it requires politicians close to the president to determine that he is unfit for office. It says, “Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.”

What’s Cooking at Leda’s Kitchen This Week

by LedaS | Food

Hello Food Lovers,

This week’s menu includes two rich and luscious Indian dishes, dal to go with, and a tart, sweet, and savory grounding Mexican beef stew for the start of spring:

Kerala-Style Fennel Coconut Chicken Curry: A dish I learned at the traditional fishing village of Marari Beach in Kerala, India. Free-range chicken with a dozen spices, lots of ginger and garlic, and a coconut oil-rich gravy.

Brattleboro March 2026 Precipitation Report

by local | Nature

March broke us from a cold winter to a somewhat warmer month with little snow and near normal moisture. At my location measured 3.25″ of precip compared to the NOAA normal of 3.62 inches.  For the year to date the total is 7.49″ compared to the average of 10.12″.  This area is continuing with below normal rain/snowfall.

Snow for the month was only 6.7″ compared to my average of 10.4″.  The season total stands at 54.9″ with my moving average continuing to drop, now at 62.3″.  Back during the first decade of the 2000’s my seasonal average was in the area of 68″ and has mostly been dropping since.  In 2001 the March snow total was 46″.

Who’s Reality?

by RDavis | Living

You never know where or when you might have a life-altering experience. Accidents and circumstances beyond your control may push you in certain directions. Then there are the more subtle events that seem to have an impact that lingers and force you to reassess your life.

I was on a tour of an animal refuge center in Costa Rica. There were 12 people in our guide-lead group. The age range of the group was from toddlers to my wife and me. We were clearly the oldest people in the group, but that fact did not seem significant.