winter

In January, winter sets in, typically with the coldest days of the year. Local fresh fruit seems a distant memory, and the fresh growth of spring a distant wish. But I have learned (thanks to some fellow nature nerds on Instagram) that winter offers the abundant fruit of the crabapple trees that lavishly bloom in the spring. The small crabapple fruits, typically ignored all summer, hang on long after the leaves have fallen, stubbornly persisting in bright red cheerfulness on the branches all winter. Read more about Want Fresh Fruit in Winter? Try Crab Apple Trees

Ward off seasonal sadness with these expert tips. Read more about How to Beat the Winter Blues (aka SAD)

Fall is the perfect time to start getting a garden ready for winter. Read more about Follow These Tips from the Lake Minnetonka Garden Club to Prepare Your Plants for the Chilly Months Ahead

Last Valentine’s Day, Jackie Scherer wandered through the woods of the Minnesota River Valley in Saint Paul with her Nikon D600 to capture the falling snow. She photographed wild turkeys and deer. “It was cold, and honestly I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore,” she says. Shedding her coat and gloves at her car, she spotted a buck as it stepped out to cross a small frozen stream not far away. “I grabbed my camera and ran.” She knew where it would emerge on the other side of the stream; her heart danced with the same “buck fever” that hunters feel. Read more about Buck Fever

Read more about Lake-Area Winter Activities