Ohio Leisure

There aren’t many outdoorsmen who wouldn’t like their youngsters to become steady fishing partners, and follow in often muddy footsteps.  So, when they hear the words “Can I go fishing, too?” they’re eager to take them along.  Often, it’s a good experience. one that gets better as the years roll along.  Sometimes, it’s a bad […]

Continue reading about Seven Steps to Fishing With Kids – And Making Them Fishermen for Life!

outdoorswithmartin on January 8th, 2010

Remember the good old days? When it was an annual tradition for family and friends to gather together for the autumn apple butter making. The mix of apples and cider was cooked in a big copper kettle over a wood fire, and the contents stirred with a big wooden paddle. The result was tasty, especially […]

Continue reading about Old Time Applebutter and Jelly Still Exist in Bucyrus, Ohio

outdoorswithmartin on October 25th, 2009

History lives at Buck Creek State Park which surrounds C.J. Brown Reservoir in east-central Ohio. George Rogers Clark fought there in 1780, leading 1,000 Kentuckians in a raid against a Shawnee camp, and defeating them at the Battle of Piqua. One Indian who fled the attack was a young Shawnee called Tecumseh. Much later the […]

Continue reading about C.J. Brown Reservoir Prime Boater Destination

outdoorswithmartin on October 12th, 2009

Autumn has arrived almost unnoticed, but it seems that every day the leaves turn a little more and gradually begin to assume their gorgeous autumn hues. A few days ago on a country drive I passed a red maple that was nearly at peak color, and lots more maples that were showing tinges or yellow […]

Continue reading about Why Do Leaves Turn Color? (And Autumn Tips for Tree Planting in Ohio)

Wouldn’t it be nice during this soon-to-come prettiest season of the year to do some near wilderness fishing?  To roam where almost no one else goes, cast for fish who seldom or never see a hook, to wade where deer come to drink and wild  turkeys slip through shoreside brush?  You can do it, and […]

Continue reading about Enjoy (Nearly) Wilderness Bass Fishing by Floating and Wading Ohio's Rivers and Streams

outdoorswithmartin on October 2nd, 2009

Back when I was a kid in the hills of southern Ohio, there were lots of  poisonous snakes, and since we ran those hills like little savages we had to quickly learn to avoid the fairly common timber rattlesnakes and even more common copperheads.  We learned to take care around rockpiles which both species favored […]

Continue reading about Help Save Ohio's Tiny Population of Poisonous Snakes

outdoorswithmartin on September 30th, 2009

 “English” folk like you and me love to visit Mennonite and Amish businesses whether they be selling home bakes or produce. But few indeed get into the nursery and greenhouse market, and fewer yet succeed well enough to grow like Topsy.  Elvin Burkholder is one that’s thriving. Elvin owns the Lakeside Greenhouse & Produce on […]

Continue reading about Ohio Mennonite Knows How to Make A Nursery Grow

As many Ohio readers know, there are farm markets and farm markets.  The former are usually roadside affairs selling tomatoes, sweet corn, squash, and other good things from their garden.  The latter, few indeed, are something special, offering unusual items as well as ordinary produce, items interesting enough to be worth a modest or even […]

Continue reading about Northcentral Ohio Fresh Food and Wines: There are Farm Markets – And Farm Markets

outdoorswithmartin on September 30th, 2009

Lots of Northcentral Ohio readers like to make an annual trip or two to Amish Country, but gas prices are high and these days a visit can be costly. How would you like to see some “Amish country” close to home, a little jewel of a market that is off the beaten track in untrammeled farm country, […]

Continue reading about Planktown Market Little Jewel: Amish and Mennonite Deli in Shiloh, Ohio

outdoorswithmartin on September 23rd, 2009

Right now is a good time for landowners and city folk alike.  The weather is finally cooling, there’s been plenty of rain, and soybeans and corn are just beginning to yellow.  It’s a small pocket of calm before fall crops come off, and you might be looking for a nice, but low key to visit, […]

Continue reading about Mansfield Ohio's Kingwood Center Gardens Great In Fall

outdoorswithmartin on September 21st, 2009

Once upon a time when I was attending Ohio State University (OSU) at Stone Lab on South Bass Island, I took a few hours off and went smallmouth bass fishing along Peach Point at Put-In-Bay.  I caught nothing.  It’s a prime spot and I was curious, so I put on a face mask and snorkel I’d […]

Continue reading about Scuba Diving in Ohio Lakes: Fisherman Seeing the World Through Fish Eyes

outdoorswithmartin on September 3rd, 2009

There are plenty of man-made lakes in Ohio, but very few natural ones, and most of those few are small, gouged out when the last glacier receded about 10,000 years ago.  But there’s one large one, 90 acre Punderson Lake, a clear, sparkling body of water that’s deep and cold and offers some interesting activities […]

Continue reading about Punderson Lake, Ohio: Worth a Visit for Outdoor Sports and Family Fun

outdoorswithmartin on September 2nd, 2009

Every farm and rural dweller should have a dog, and many do.  The bigger ones are often useful for controlling groundhogs, for letting owners know when visitors arrive, for keeping an eye on expensive equipment and farm machinery at night, and of course, as pets and animals well loved by family members.  But picking the […]

Continue reading about Picking the Perfect (Almost) Farm Dog

outdoorswithmartin on July 24th, 2009

How do you like your weekends or vacations?  Rugged and rustic?  Ultra-modern with all of the amenities?  You can find either at Lake Hope, a 120 acre lake that waits in Vinton County not far from McArthur in southeastern Ohio.  This pretty woodland lake is a fish-hook shaped body of water surrounded by 2,983 acre […]

Continue reading about Boating, Fishing and Camping at Lake Hope, Ohio

outdoorswithmartin on July 22nd, 2009

Published February 2005 Most readers are fully aware of the significance of Easter.  They know it’s history, what should happen on each day, and the climax of the important event.  But did you ever wonder where the Easter Bunny fits into this religious scenario?  Not surprisingly, the Easter Bunny is one of the most beloved […]

Continue reading about The Easter Bunny Throughout History

outdoorswithmartin on July 22nd, 2009

Published February 2005 When it’s been a bad winter, with too much snow, too much rain, too much ice, too much everything, and when according to the Pennsylvania groundhog, we’ve got more long weeks of the above coming, what are your options?  Area outdoorsmen have a simple choice.  They can hole up like that proverbial […]

Continue reading about Winter Fun for Families at Ohio's State Parks

outdoorswithmartin on July 18th, 2009

Published December 2004 One of the nicest things about living in a forested part of America (as opposed to prairie or desert) is that we have lots of trees.  And trees are great for many a reason.  We like to plant them for fruit or to provide food for birds and squirrels.  They gladden our […]

Continue reading about Great Tips for Cutting Your Own Firewood

outdoorswithmartin on July 18th, 2009

Most, if not all, outdoorsmen love nature and like to see wild creatures at their daily business.  Which is why many a time I’ve bagged my requisite two squirrels for dinner, then lingered to watch others frisk among the leaves.  Or sat quietly while a small herd of deer foraged for acorns.  I like to […]

Continue reading about Ohio Birdwatching in December: The Birds Are Waiting