A Recipe for a Very Memorable Summer at Smokey House Center
Author Ela Green
Published August 2026
This summer, the Future Forester Apprentices had a system of shared meals in which we took turns cooking for the group in pairs. We have been eating very well and improving our culinary skills, so I wanted to share a recipe of my own for you to try. I hope you enjoy how it turns out as much as I did!
Ingredients:
360 degrees of scenic mountain views
1 old farmhouse with a picnic table in the yard
1 extra-large fallen sugar maple
236 inventory plots
4 black bears
5 porcupines
78 species of birds
4 torrential downpours
6 pairs of soaked boots
5 campfires, banjo optional
1 hacky sack
10 crossword puzzles
Appx. 50 mini, half-rotten apples
4 bowls, carved on a lathe from the 1970s
2 swimming holes, the colder the water, the better
2 trips to urgent care
1 backpacking trip
4 Earth Sky Time concerts
Community connections, add to taste
1 Forest and Field Fest
10 staff lunches
5 farmers markets
6 disposable cameras
As many blueberries as you can pick
Instructions:
You’ll know you’re starting in the right place when you’re met with a beautiful view of Dorset Peak from the front door of your old farmhouse. There should be a picnic table in the front yard where the apprentices can share delicious home-cooked meals every night. Make sure there’s also a huge, ancient sugar maple, which will make you feel extremely lucky to be in the right place at the right time to witness it falling during a storm.
Make a plan for doing a full inventory of Smokey House Center’s wooded property by taking forest measurements on 236 plots. Yes, even up on Dorset Peak, or in that particularly buggy area behind the bobolink fields. Spend all day in the woods with no service, and love every second of it.
While you’re doing inventory, make sure to keep an eye out for wildlife. Pass a large pile of fresh bear scat and stumble upon a mama bear with two cubs, or a porcupine crossing the road. Keep your ears open for birds, and be ready for a coworker to ask you “what bird was that?” at any time.
Water it down as necessary: Everyone knows that inventory, farm chores, and digging waterbars are more fun in the pouring rain! Even when your boots get soaked, there is a special kind of joy in working outside and accepting your soggy fate.
On the side, don’t forget to pick up a few hobbies. Sitting around a campfire, learning songs on the banjo, working together on a crossword puzzle, or trying to get better at hacky sack are all great ways to pass the time. When you need a break from work, try throwing the little rotten apples from the apple tree on main campus into its trunk cavity, and don’t be discouraged if it takes some time to master this skill.
Learning a new craft is another good way to spend your time after work. With a little help from some neighbors, carving bowls on the antique lathe in the woodshop can be your new obsession.
You can also relax by whittling or exploring the many gorgeous nearby swimming holes. Either of these activities could result in a trip to urgent care for a few stitches, but these experiences will build character and teach the apprentices how to take care of each other.
Spend some time getting to know the other apprentices outside of work! Going on a backpacking trip on part of the Long Trail or attending as many Earth Sky Time concerts as possible are great ways to build relationships.
Start putting it all together by engaging with the community. Show off your hard work at Forest and Field Fest, where you can talk with people about the exciting ways that we are caring for this land. Never miss a staff lunch, which will become the highlight of your week. Go to as many farmers markets as possible and enjoy the abundance of fresh and delicious food in this area.
Finally, be intentional about capturing your favorite memories of the summer by taking photos on your disposable camera. Garnish by sprinkling as many blueberries as you can pick on top, serve, and enjoy!
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