What better time is there to talk about flowers than the middle of winter, especially when we're talking about winter tulips! In this episode, the Valley Girls chat with flower farmer Lauren Tamraz of ⁠Alchemy Farmhouse⁠ about impermanence, seasonality, beauty, CSAs, getting little treats, the astonishing number of tulip varieties, and flowers as the artist’s muse and medium.

Check out ⁠@alchemyfarmhouseblooms⁠ on Instagram for an instant mood boost.

Thanks for listening! To help support the Valley Girls, please follow our podcast from our show page, leave a rating and review, and please spread the word and share our podcast with others. We really appreciate your support!

To stay up to date and for more content you can find us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠valleygirlspodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/ValleyGirlsPodNY⁠⁠⁠⁠, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.com/@ValleyGirlsPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠, and also check out the Newsletter and Pod Squad tab on our website to sign up for our e-mail newsletter and join ⁠⁠⁠⁠our Facebook Group⁠⁠ ⁠⁠so you never miss a thing! All links can also be found in our Instagram bio.

Episode music by Robert Burke Warren entitled Painting a Vast Blue Sky can be found at ⁠⁠⁠⁠robertburkewarren.bandcamp.com/track/painting-a-vast-blue-sky⁠⁠⁠⁠.

The Valley Girls are back for our third season! We're starting off this season talking with Debbie Gioquindo, aka The Hudson Valley Wine Goddess, about all things Hudson Valley wine, cider, and spirits! Debbie calls the Hudson Valley “a craft beverage mecca” with “something for everybody,” and gives us her best advice about enjoying wine. (Spoiler alert: it’s “drink what you like.” )

Head over to our blog for links to more of the places and events we chat with Debbie about on the episode.

Thanks for listening! To help support the Valley Girls, please follow our podcast from our show page, leave a rating and review, and please spread the word and share our podcast with others. We really appreciate your support!

To stay up to date and for more content you can find us at ⁠⁠valleygirlspodcast.com⁠⁠, at ⁠⁠instagram.com/ValleyGirlsPodNY⁠⁠, at ⁠⁠YouTube.com/@ValleyGirlsPodcast⁠⁠, and also check out the Newsletter and Pod Squad tab on our website to sign up for our e-mail newsletter and join ⁠⁠our Facebook Group ⁠⁠so you never miss a thing! All links can also be found in our Instagram bio.

Episode music by Robert Burke Warren entitled Painting a Vast Blue Sky can be found at ⁠⁠robertburkewarren.bandcamp.com/track/painting-a-vast-blue-sky⁠⁠.

This episode - the last one of 2024 - is packed with stories, poems, readings, and even songs to celebrate the season. We’ve been fortunate to assemble an all-star cast of Hudson Valley creatives to bring you comfort and joy, no matter what or how you celebrate. This Hudson Valley Holiday Story Hour is our gift to you; a small token of our enormous gratitude for your support of the Valley Girls so far. 

We hope you’ll listen all the way through, but if you want to revisit some of your favorite performances, these time stamps should help:
02:40 Excerpt from “The Snow-Walkers,” by John Burroughs; read by Robert Burke Warren
10:12 “Caterskill Falls,” by William Cullen Bryant; read by Mat Zucker
11:35 Excerpt from “The Bells,” by Edgar Allan Poe; read by Tracey Knapp
13:41 Excerpts from ““Christmas Eve” and “The Christmas Dinner,” by Washington Irving; read by Brett Barry
18:24 “My Day” column from December 30, 1957, by Eleanor Roosevelt; read by Holley Snaith
20:36 The Story of Judith, the Hanukkah Heroine; told by Rabbi Sivan Rotholz
28:04 The Story of La Befana; told by Karen Sangaline Pillsworth
37:00 A Visit from St. Nicholas, by Clement Clark Moore; read by Rebecca Ash
41:19 Day 100 from Reservoir Year: A Walker’s Book of Days, by Nina Shengold; read by the author
43:05 “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?,” performed by Lara Hope
46:26 “Angels We Have Heard on High,” performed by John Burton

For an extra bonus, visit this episode's page on our website for our easy mulled wine recipe, using a New York State red blend recommended to us by Paul Brady Wine in Beacon.

Thank you for listening! We'll be back in January for Season 3!

To help support the Valley Girls, please follow our podcast from our show page, leave a rating and review, and please spread the word and share our podcast with others. We really appreciate your support!

To stay up to date and for more content you can find us at ⁠⁠valleygirlspodcast.com⁠⁠, at ⁠⁠instagram.com/ValleyGirlsPodNY⁠⁠, at ⁠⁠YouTube.com/@ValleyGirlsPodcast⁠⁠, and starting this season check out the Newsletter and Pod Squad tab on our website to sign up for our e-mail newsletter and join ⁠⁠our new Facebook Group ⁠⁠so you never miss a thing! All links can also be found in our Instagram bio.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from the Valley Girls!

Following our fantastic chat in our last episode about supporting small, local businesses, this week we are talking to David Leifer from David Leifer Photography. We chatted about skinny posing, the importance of lighting, and the ineffability of photography as an art. Jenny and David get technical about file formats and we have a philosophical conversation about whether cameras enhance or distract from our experience of the moment. Shout-outs to past guests Bentley Potter and our favorite baker Anrika Martin.

Thanks for listening! To help support the Valley Girls, please follow our podcast from our show page, leave a rating and review, and please spread the word and share our podcast with others. We really appreciate your support!

To stay up to date and for more content you can find us at ⁠valleygirlspodcast.com⁠, at ⁠instagram.com/ValleyGirlsPodNY⁠, at ⁠YouTube.com/@ValleyGirlsPodcast⁠, and starting this season check out the Newsletter and Pod Squad tab on our website to sign up for our e-mail newsletter and join ⁠our new Facebook Group ⁠so you never miss a thing! All links can also be found in our Instagram bio.

Episode music by Robert Burke Warren entitled Painting a Vast Blue Sky can be found at ⁠robertburkewarren.bandcamp.com/track/painting-a-vast-blue-sky⁠.

The Valley Girls are getting warmed up for Small Business Saturday and exploring all the ways and reasons to support local businesses during the holiday season (and all year long). Join the Valley Girls as we chat with Jess Davis, VP of the Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce; Danielle Centofanti-Davidson, President of the Rivertowns Chamber of Commerce and owner of Main Street Business Strategies (and Valley Girls’ very own Westchester correspondent!); Nicole Andrick, founder and owner of Catskills Candle Studio, and Candace Rivera, owner of The Book & Nook.

While Danielle is busy being a guest on our panel this week, Rebecca is bringing us details about some spectacular entertainment in the Capital Region that you do not want to miss! Click here for tickets!

Thanks for listening! To help support the Valley Girls, please follow our podcast from our show page, leave a rating and review, and please spread the word and share our podcast with others. We really appreciate your support!

To stay up to date and for more content you can find us at valleygirlspodcast.com, at instagram.com/ValleyGirlsPodNY, at YouTube.com/@ValleyGirlsPodcast, and starting this season check out the Newsletter and Pod Squad tab on our website to sign up for our e-mail newsletter and join our new Facebook Group so you never miss a thing! All links can also be found in our Instagram bio.

Episode music by Robert Burke Warren entitled Painting a Vast Blue Sky can be found at robertburkewarren.bandcamp.com/track/painting-a-vast-blue-sky.

Valley Girl Jenny visited ⁠The Thomas Cole National Historic Site⁠ in Catskill, joined by special guest co-host ⁠Brett Barry⁠ of ⁠Kaatscast: The Catskills Podcast⁠ and ⁠Silver Hollow Audio⁠, and production intern Olivia Sippel, for our very first episode recorded on location! They talked to - and walked the site with - Executive Director ⁠Betsy Jacks⁠.

The ⁠⁠Thomas Cole National Historic Site⁠⁠ covers more than 6 acres in ⁠⁠Catskill, NY⁠⁠, with stunning views, meticulously preserved or restored buildings, interactive exhibits, and of course iconic paintings from the ⁠⁠Hudson River School⁠⁠. Betsy gave us in-depth access on what might just have been the most perfect autumn day the Hudson Valley has ever seen. To experience more of the site and the art, check out our video on YouTube, as well as ⁠thomascole.org⁠ and ⁠explorethomascole.org⁠.

Also check out Brett's ⁠very first episode of Kaatscast from January 7, 2020⁠⁠, where he chatted with Betsy as part of his audio driving tour of the Northern Catskills’ Mountain Cloves Scenic Byway.

Thanks for listening! To help support the Valley Girls, please follow our podcast from our show page, leave a rating and review, and please spread the word and share our podcast with others. We really appreciate your support!

To stay up to date and for more content you can find us at ⁠valleygirlspodcast.com⁠, at ⁠instagram.com/ValleyGirlsPodNY⁠, at ⁠YouTube.com/@ValleyGirlsPodcast⁠, and starting this season check out the Newsletter and Pod Squad tab on our website to sign up for our e-mail newsletter and join our new Facebook Group so you never miss a thing! All links can also be found in our Instagram bio.

Episode music by Robert Burke Warren entitled Painting a Vast Blue Sky can be found at ⁠robertburkewarren.bandcamp.com/track/painting-a-vast-blue-sky⁠.

Jen’s favorite day of the year is here… It’s Halloween! In

Our Valley Girl correspondents are scaring up some spooky

Lombardos, Dobbs Ferry: www.orderlombardospizza.com/,

The Parlor, Dobbs Ferry: www.theparlordf.com,

Club Car Grille, Irvington: https://clubcargrille.com/.

And you are in for a real treat as this episode features special theme music perfectly fit for this episode. We have the pleasure and honor of spotlighting a song by local Hudson Valley musician Jonathan Joel, entitled “Sinister”. Jen also sat down with Jonathan and chatted about his music, including the song you’ll hear in this episode. Watch the interview on the Valley Girls Podcast YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrGJ5AuvYIc&t=6s and find Jonathan’s music on Instagram at @jonathanjoelmusic and on YouTube www.youtube.com/@jonathanjoelmusic.

Thanks for listening! To help support The Valley Girls,

To stay up to date and for more content you can find us at

In this episode, Jen chats with David Strout, proprietor of Catch Me When You Can in Saugerties, about antiquing, floral arranging, art, and curating a home you love. Find David at www.catchmewhenyoucan.com and on Instagram @Catchmewyc for more info and for some BEAUTIFUL pictures of his collection!

Our Valley Girls’ correspondents, Rebecca and Danielle, are getting us into the spirit for Spooky Season with happenings in the Capital Region and Westchester. Danielle dares you to outrun the Headless Horseman at the Sleepy Hollow 10k, and Rebecca might not be the only ghoul you’ll meet at a haunted cemetery near Troy.

This episode is sponsored by The Book & Nook, Warwick’s only independent bookstore. Check out our interview with the owner, Candace Rivera, on our Literary Hudson Valley YouTube channel.

Speaking of bookstores, are you signed up for our newsletter? This episode’s edition has our recommendations for spooky season reading. You can sign up for our newsletter to receive bonus content after each episode and join our new Facebook group so you can be part of the Hudson Valley conversation at www.valleygirlspodcast.com/valley-girls-pod-squad. We will never sell your email address or spam you!

Help support Valley Girls Podcast by nominating us for an award for “Best New Podcast of 2024” at www.discoverpods.com/2024-podcast-awards/ or through the link at the top of our homepage valleygirlspodcast.com. Be sure to choose the category "Best New Podcast of 2024" from the drop down menu. Thank you so much for your support!!

You can also help support the Valley Girls by following our podcast from our show page and leaving a rating and review. And please spread the word and share our podcast with others! We really appreciate it! 

To stay up to date and for more content you can find us at valleygirlspodcast.com, at instagram.com/ValleyGirlsPodNY, at YouTube.com/@ValleyGirlsPodcast, as well as the newsletter and Facebook group. All links can also be found in our Instagram bio.

Episode music by Robert Burke Warren entitled Painting a Vast Blue Sky can be found at robertburkewarren.bandcamp.com/track/painting-a-vast-blue-sky.

In this episode, we chat with Lara Hope and Jesse Scherer about the O+ Festival, coming up October 11-13 in Kingston, where their mission is to exchange the art of medicine for the medicine of art. Hear all about the origin story of O+ (which also sounds like the beginning of a joke), their unique model to provide healthcare for all, and their incredible initiative to expand services beyond the festival with a year-round clinic. Find out more, get involved, and get details about the festival at www.opositivefestival.org. They can also be found on Instagram and Facebook. 

Our Westchester Valley Girl, Danielle, gives us the lowdown on block party season in the Rivertowns on our 411 of Westchester segment. Check out the Sleepy Hollow Street Fair and the Ferry Festa in Dobbs Ferry, both on Saturday, October 5th, and the Rivertowns Chamber of Commerce Halloween Block Party on Friday, October 18th in Irvington.

Our Capital District Valley Girl, Rebecca, will make your mouth water describing the stick-to-your-ribs and other authentic New York deli fare from Gershon’s Deli & Catering in Schenectady.

Thanks for listening! To help support The Valley Girls, please follow our podcast from our show page, leave a rating and review, and please spread the word and share our podcast with others. We really appreciate your support!

To stay up to date and for more content you can find us at valleygirlspodcast.com, at instagram.com/ValleyGirlsPodNY, at YouTube.com/@ValleyGirlsPodcast, and starting this season check out the Newsletter and Pod Squad tab on our website to sign up for our e-mail newsletter and join our new Facebook Group so you never miss a thing! All links can also be found in our Instagram bio.

Episode music by Robert Burke Warren entitled Painting a Vast Blue Sky can be found at robertburkewarren.bandcamp.com/track/painting-a-vast-blue-sky.