The Road Trip
Dreaming of a fall and winter getaway? Need an excuse to take a day off? Start your day with the sunrise in Lumberville, a quaint village known for its scenic views and historic charm. Lumberville Begin your morning in Lumberville, a picturesque village on the banks of the Delaware River. Known for its historic walking bridge and charming landscapes, Lumberville offers a serene start to your day. 1740 House Inn Stay at the 1740 House Inn, a historic bed and breakfast with stunning river views and a welcoming atmosphere. The inn features a beautiful white picket fence and cozy outdoor seating by the water, perfect for a relaxing retreat. Lumberville General Store Enjoy a handcrafted hot drink, pastry, or breakfast at the Lumberville General Store. This rustic store, housed in a stone building, offers a cozy interior with a leather sofa by the fireplace and a wood-burning stove, making it an ideal spot to start your day. Stockton, NJ Walk along the canal on the Pennsylvania side, either walking or biking into Stockton, NJ. Stockton is home to the newly renovated Stockton Market, which features a variety of local vendors, and the historic Stockton Inn, known for its rich history and elegant dining. Quarry House and Prallsville Mill Explore the Quarry House and Prallsville Mill in Stockton. These historic sites offer a glimpse into the region’s industrial past and are perfect for photography enthusiasts. New Hope and Peddler’s Village Visit art galleries and shops in New Hope, a vibrant town known for its artistic community and eclectic boutiques. Peddler’s Village, a colonial-style shopping village, offers unique stores, eateries, and beautiful gardens. Lake Nockamixon Consider dog walking and boat watching at Lake Nockamixon, a large reservoir offering various recreational activities including fishing, boating, and hiking. Martine’s RiverHouse Restaurant & Bar Lunch at Martine’s in New Hope is a must. This riverside restaurant offers delicious meals with a stunning view of the Delaware River. Farley’s Bookshop Check out Farley’s Bookshop for a new read. This beloved independent bookstore in New Hope offers a wide selection of books in a cozy, inviting setting. Julia Child’s House Drive by and perhaps tour a house frequently visited by renowned French Chef Julia Child on Greenhill Road near River Road. This historic home offers a unique peek into the culinary icon’s life. Black Bass Hotel For sunset, head back to the Black Bass Hotel, an iconic riverside inn offering a rich history and gourmet dining. Enjoy a hot drink, an evening refreshment, and a tavern dinner. Choose from Fish and Chips, filet mignon, or your preferred dish, accompanied by coffee served in a French press. Love road trips? Let’s getaway.
BUYING A STONE HOUSE: Deciphering the clues
Stone houses have a particular attraction to the buyer looking for a unique property. First of all, they aren't built anymore! Secondly, they feel like a tangible link to our past. America is a young country, and stone houses built before the Revolution are rare, indeed. When I was a new agent a homeowner stumped me with his label "vernacular", but I soon came to understand these houses were domestic examples of the everyman's home—what would be most commonly found in the region. These days, for the most part, the original section of the house will be small and quaint, and additions have been added over the years—some made of stone, some from different materials, often clapboard. How to identify a stone house? The exposed stones are the easy part—sometimes. Modern cultured stone can sometimes deceive at first glance; this is a concrete product cast and colored to look like stone. It will usually be found on development homes, but not always! If a house is covered in plaster, it's still probably a stone house. The 20th century preference has been to remove the plaster and expose the stone. But in the period, the stone was considered rubble and unsightly. The plaster served to dress up the house; it also provided protection against the elements. Only houses with "dressed" stones—in other words, cut square—were left unplastered. These belonged to the very wealthy. Occasionally you will see a plastered house that is not stone but this is pretty rare. Sometimes they plastered brick. Or, if you remember the Tudor half-timbered houses, American colonists built a few and covered them with plaster on the outside. The best way to tell if the house is stone is to look at the windows on the inside. A stone house will have deep window sills—probably around 18". The oldest stone farmhouses are pretty reliably identified from the main (or keeping) room—if they haven't been altered over the years. This room would have been their living space and kitchen all thrown into one; it's where the term keeping house came from. The oldest homes have a walk-in fireplace, or at least a fireplace taking up much of one wall. On one side of the fireplace you will usually see a winding staircase—also called boxed stairs, or even pie stairs, as we refer to them in Bucks County. One set goes up; next to it, behind a door, the other set goes down to the cellar. The winding stairs will continue from the second floor into the attic—which will usually have the oldest and widest floor boards in the house. Straight staircases tend to be later—after 1850—or part of a grander, estate home. The keeping room fireplace may originally have been on the exterior wall; an addition was often built on the other side of it. Again, the way to tell is look at the depth of the interior doorway; if 18" wide or so, you're walking through an original exterior door. From the outside you will see a long stone house with a chimney in the middle (and probably a second one at the end). That middle chimney is a give-away that there was an addition put on. Also, you can usually spot a vertical line in the stonework where the original corner once stood; there's a good chance the stones are patterned differently on each section, having been laid by another mason. Some stone houses have two front doors. No, you are not looking at a duplex. One of the front doors led to the parlor, which was kept pristine and rarely used except for special occasions. The other door would open to the keeping room (with the big fireplace). With these small houses, upstairs you will usually pass through a little "hall" room (from which you can go to the attic) leading to two very small bedrooms. A larger stone house might have had a summer kitchen, either attached to the building or standing alone. It, too would have a large fireplace. Now you're getting higher on the social ladder, so to speak. Occasionally, I've seen a large fireplace in a walk-out basement, which I assume served the same purpose as an outside kitchen—in other words, keep the heat out of the house. Another way to guess at the age of the house is to look at the joists in the basement. The oldest homes have flattened logs for floor joists; some even have the bark still attached. They are usually spaced farther apart than we are used to today, but don't worry; remember they are first growth logs and incredibly strong. Later on they would shape square joists with an adze; you can still see the marks in the wood where they are cut by hand. Milled joists indicate mid-19th century or later, as a broad generalization. You might have a dirt floor in the basement; concrete floors are a later improvement. You will see a huge foundation for the fireplace; this is not a separate fireplace but rather a "footer", just like you'd need today. Also don't be surprised if one of the chimneys in the house is dedicated to the furnace; central heating came much later and this is one way they adapted, making the fireplace attached to that chimney unusable. Exposed ceiling rafters are also a delight to the modern eye. If you take a closer look, you might see a bunch of holes in the rafters; this is where a solid ceiling has been removed at some point in the past. Also you might be looking directly up at the floor boards from the second story. Take a look at the "beading", or decorative edge on the flooring, if you are lucky enough to see it. One plank will be beaded on both edges then nailed next to a plain board, to look like there's a bead at each seam. Since there was no tongue-and-groove in the early days, you might see light between the edges of really old floorboards. This is not a bad thing! It certainly does not mean the floors are falling apart; they are to be treasured. Generally, the wider the floorboards, the older they are. Bathrooms are tricky for an old house. Of course, in the old days they used outhouses. You'll occasionally still find a rare house without a bathroom—usually empty. To insert a bathroom, part of a bedroom, or a whole room, had to be sacrificed—making a small space even smaller. I often see powder rooms under a staircase. Sometimes you will see that there is absolutely no plumbing at all in the original section of the house; that makes the job easier. Once you develop an eye for stone house characteristics, you find yourself looking for clues every time you walk into one. They are not always easy to spot, but every old house has secrets just waiting to be discovered.
The Rise of Sourdough
There is nothing quite like the smell of homemade bread, except maybe the taste of a fresh piece of sourdough right after the loaf has just been sliced. It is highly likely you know a baker, are a baker, or at some point, have heard someone talk excitedly about their sourdough starter. Sourdough baking seems to have reached new heights in terms of popularity, shapes, and recipes in recent years – you may only have to go as far as a neighbor’s home or your local Farmer’s Market to find your next homemade loaf. The pandemic drove many people to try sourdough baking for a variety of reasons. Some were frustrated with the lack of available options at their local grocery store; some wanted to avoid the grocery stores as much as possible. Others just had more time at home and needed a new hobby to keep them occupied. Many needed something to help them regain a sense of control during a time of chaos – creating a starter, nurturing it, experimenting with the process of sourdough recipe creations, and enjoying the results feels empowering. The reality is sourdough is both incredibly complicated and incredibly simple at the same time. If you are in the Central Bucks County area, you are lucky enough to live close to one such local sourdough baker who has built quite a following for her delicious and clean bakery creations. Alexis Howerton, owner of Pedestrian Farm in Solebury, answered some questions about her business, why she started, and where you can taste her products. Question: Alexis, tell us about the inspiration behind Pedestrian Farm Alexis: The idea for Pedestrian Farm began about 15 years ago, when a cheese monger at a local shop called my choices "pedestrian." Despite being in graduate school for neuroscience at the time, I found the pretentious comment inspiring, and vowed to start my own “Pedestrian Farm” someday. That “someday” came to fruition when my family and I moved to New Hope in 2020. While some may be perplexed by the name (does anyone want pedestrian sourdough?), it embodies a sense of simplicity consistent with Pedestrian Farm’s goals and approach to feeding our community, and also makes us smile. Question: Sourdough bread has become a signature offering at Pedestrian Farm. What benefits do you see with sourdough baking? Alexis: I grew up in San Francisco eating sourdough bread, so my primary motivation in baking it is that I find it delicious. Secondary to this, sourdough baking aligns with my philosophy of using simple, whole, and minimally processed ingredients. Swapping store-bought bread for sourdough or other homemade yeasted breads is an easy way to eliminate unnecessary additives and processed ingredients from our diets. At Pedestrian Farm, our sourdough bread is made with just three ingredients: organic flour, water, and salt. It's a refreshing alternative to the lengthy ingredient lists found in commercial bread. Kim: I can certainly relate to that – I got into sourdough baking to cut down on the amount of sugar my family was eating. You completely leave it out with most sourdough loaves! Alexis: Absolutely. None of our breads have added sugar, just local honey in a few of the specialties like our challah and rye bread. Can’t say the same for our browned butter sourdough chocolate chip cookies though! Question: Where did you get your first starter (and do you still have it)? Alexis: A lot of people have strong feelings about their starter and its history. I don’t happen to fall into this camp. I bought mine from King Arthur, but many people have success making their own. For those hesitant to start their own, I make mine available to our customers who are interested in trying their hand at sourdough baking. I’m fortunate that I’ve never had any tragic starter mishaps, but always keep a little extra in the back of the fridge just in case. Question: With your background in neuroscience, how do you apply scientific principles to sourdough baking? Alexis: My scientific background has certainly influenced my approach to sourdough baking. Understanding the science behind variables such as fermentation, time, temperature hydration, and protein content allows me to be intentional as I adjust recipes, and the ability to keep a good lab notebook allows me to to track my process and progress. It's a fusion of science and art that makes the process enjoyable for me, even meditative at times. I'm constantly experimenting with different variables and anticipate our recipes will be continually evolving. Question: Dutch-oven or open-bake? Alexis: I used a cast iron Dutch oven that was a wedding present when I started. After I started baking more regularly, I was gifted the Challenger Loaf Pan. This thing is the beast of Dutch ovens and HEAVY. It was so heavy that it basically lived in my oven through this period of my baking, rendering the oven useless for any other cooking. Once I started baking more than a few loaves per day, I bought a baking steel (and then a second) and haven’t looked back. I currently bake in a double oven, and it is serving me well as I put out about 40-60 loaves per bake day. Question: Without giving away your secret recipes, any tips or tricks you can offer other sourdough bakers? Alexis: Honestly, I don’t really believe there’s a secret sauce to it. I believe anyone can make delicious and healthy bread at home. My advice to those getting started is simple: embrace the process, find joy in the journey, and take good notes on what is working and what isn’t. You don't need secret recipes or special tricks to make delicious and healthy bread at home. Be open to experimentation and learn from your mistakes. Sourdough baking is a beautiful blend of science and creativity, and anyone can master it with practice and patience. But not everyone has the time or interest, and I enjoy it, so here I am. Question: How has the local community responded to Pedestrian Farm? Alexis: We’ve had a tremendous response from our neighbors in New Hope and Doylestown and have folks traveling to pick up our bread from throughout Bucks County. The majority of our customers place pre-orders on our website for pickup at the farmstand near Carversville each week, and we’ve been selling to capacity most bake days. In response to the growing demand, we’ve just purchased a bigger bread oven, and are in the process of expanding pickup spots throughout Bucks County. We’ve also started selling at pop-up markets and farmers markets to get more face-to-face time with the community. We try to make it to Rice’s Market just down the road at least once a month, where we’ve enjoyed meeting a wonderful mix of locals and tourists. Question: What does the future hold for Pedestrian Farm? Alexis: We are in an exciting growth phase, and I anticipate looking back in a year and marveling at how much we’ve evolved. As we explore new grains, hydration levels, and additional flavors, we aim to deepen the flavor experience and expand our offerings for our customers. We are also excited to be collaborating with local retail partners to bring our bread to more convenient pickup locations throughout Bucks County. FOR MORE INFORMATION, A LIST OF PRODUCTS AND AVAILABILITY, OR TO PLACE AN ORDER, PLEASE GO TO: www.pedestrianfarm.com By: Kim Hawksworth, Realtor and Amateur Baker with Alexis Howerton, Pedestrian Farm
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