Country Living November 2022

Here’s the thing about restoring a home in the Mississippi Delta: You do a lot of talking. I’ve edited enough makeover stories to know that home renovators should plan on going 20 percent over budget, but when a friend and I went in on a foreclosed fixer-upper in the fall of 2021 (pg. 74), I wasn’t prepared to factor in 20 percent more time—for discussing football, pork tamales, juke joint festivals, soybean harvests, and who-knows-who. (Spoiler alert: Everyone knows everyone.) I also didn’t expect that my sole neighbor in a town with a population of 112—where, try as you might, you can’t pay any sort of bill online—would turn out to be related by marriage to my best friend from high school. But, like a winding country road, conversational twists…

1 Finding new ways to get your pumpkin fix (Go to countryliving.com/pumpkin-recipes for this Savory Pumpkin Soup and more gourd goodness.) 2 How baking season offers an excuse to pull out your cherished vintage mixing bowls 3 That first knock at the door on Thanksgiving Day—a sign of the happy chaos about to ensue 4 Hauling home wood for making memories’round the fire 5 Setting a festive table for all your favorite people with all your favorite things (Get more table ideas on pg. 40.) 6 The ceremonial pulling of the wishbone and the family bragging rights that go with it 7 Taking an invigorating stroll in the cool, crisp autumn air 8 Giddily anticipating December’s holiday magic Follow us on Instagram @countrylivingmag for a daily dose of Simple Country Pleasures.…

There are ample ways to make a home feel cozy, but nothing makes you feel right where you belong like a couch that perfectly fits your contours after years of faithful service. There’s lived in, and then there’s lived on. A good couch knows you at your most stressed and most serene, whether it’s waiting up past bedtime for the kids to get home by curfew or a marathon television binge on a rainy afternoon. No matter what kind of day you’ve had—or what kind of night you’re recovering from—it’s a constant cushioned companion. The more broken in it gets, the more snugly it accepts you. Sure, it might sport a stain or two; it may have even sprung a spring somewhere along the way. But there’s comfort in that…

Object Lesson The Dish: Before built-in cabinetry and open shelving, homeowners looked to simple storage pieces to keep prized plates off kitchen countertops, yet close at hand. Enter: The unassuming plate rack. Country Cred: A hanging pine rack with a primitive slot-and-dowel construction was most popular with home cooks in the countrysides of Europe and Colonial America. These pieces sometimes featured hooks and shelves to show off a small collection of teatime finery. Hanging racks with narrow shelves and sturdy crossbeams also became a favorite way to display everyday china. Vanity Plates: In the 200 years between Catherine de’Medici popularizing the fork in 1550 and the explosion of mass-produced dinnerware in 1750, plates and a well-laid table were the ultimate signs of wealth. Noble households and farm cooks alike relied…

$775,000 Port Jervis, NY 7 BR; 5 BA; 4,306 SQ. FT. WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: Built by early Dutch settlers, this Gothic Revival farmhouse boasts two front porches, each with a set of French doors leading into the spacious foyer and formal dining room. Bonus: It’s a farmette (think small farm), with more than 17 acres and multiple outbuildings. AGENT: MaryBeth O’Hara; ellissothebysrealty.com WORK REQUIRED: The CL Fixer-Upper Scale MOVE-IN READY NEEDS MINOR IMPROVEMENTS INVEST IN A DECENT DRILL PUT THAT CONTRACTOR ON SPEED DIAL $239,900 York, PA 3 BR; 2 BA; 1,808 SQ. FT. WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: Italianate-style details, such as narrow shuttered windows and green corbel brackets, lend refinement to the exterior, while exposed brick and chinked-log walls inside exude coziness. Out back, the home’s original stone…

Above Board Carved wooden breadboards were first crafted for English landed gentry who saw their household income expand greatly under the Corn Laws of the early 1800s. The pieces were often commissioned with family names or coats of arms, but as the trend grew in popularity across Europe, carving styles simplified to suit production processes. (Manufacturers also expanded into complementing butter boards and knives.) Today, these pieces are typically priced between $100 and $400, with values increasing according to condition and age. Older boards tend to be larger in size and feature more intricate carvings. Loafing Around Also known as a banneton, the humble bread-proofing basket gives dough its symmetrical shape during the rising process. (The rattan material also absorbs moisture from the dough’s outer layer, allowing crust to form…