Green

Posted on May 5, 2012 by marigold

The new NYC livery cabs are appropriately named Apple Green. Mayor Bloomberg says he likes the color which is “easy to spot”– I concur but the livery drivers whose cabs these will be are not happy. “My cab is my personal car,” said one driver (whom I’m paraphrasing) and I don’t want to drive a minty green car.”  He has a point.

Green is the color of spring which is reluctantly arriving, probably to be followed instantaneously by blazing summer.  Driving to Woodstock, NY last weekend, it was wonderful to see the trees in leaf with that distinctive, tender, early green.

Oak in early leaf

As to Woodstock itself, it’s a bit too popular. Given the crowds on the narrow sidewalks and in the restaurants, if it’s like this in mid-April, it must be fierce in mid-summer.

 

When you need to bring a present to a baby shower  and the mother doesn’t know the baby’s gender, green is often the default choice. Thumbs up on not electing to know–one of life’s good surprises.

 

Green is also the color of kale, currently  topping the veggie trend list.  Kale is a very good source of Vitamin K, vitamin C, iron and calcium and popular world over. Until writing this entry, I never realized that ornamental kales can also be eaten. I’ve been serving kale as a vegetable for years by chopping it roughly, sautéing a little garlic in oil and then sautéing the kale until tender, finishing it with balsamic vinegar to taste. I ate a kale salad  in a Woodstock restaurant which shall go unnamed. The salad was delicious–other things, not so much.

Kale Salad

2 tablespoons dried currants

7 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, divided (regular balsamic works fine)

1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 bunches Tuscan kale (about 1 pound), center ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise

2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted

Parmesan cheese shavings

Put currants in small bowl; add 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and let soak overnight. Drain currants. (If, like me, you’re more of a spur of the moment cook, let currants sit in vinegar a few minutes.)

Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, honey, oil, and salt in large bowl. Add kale, currants, and pine nuts; toss to coat. (Let marinate 20 minutes at room temperature, tossing occasionally. MG’s note: I never did this feeling it would wilt kale too much. Your call.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese shavings over salad and serve.

 

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Grandma

Posted on April 21, 2012 by marigold

No, not either of mine, (neither of whom was known as Grandma—both disliked it), but Moses.

Anna Mary Robertson Moses was born in 1860 in upstate New York, grew up, married, had ten children (five of whom died in infancy) and began to paint in her seventies. Her work became immensely popular, so much so that she made it onto a commemorative stamp in 1969, had her picture on the covers of both LIFE and Time Magazines and has a work on view at the White House. The largest public collection of Moses’ primitive-style works is housed in The Bennington Museum. Bennington, VT. The museum also has a large collection of Bennington Pottery, permanent exhibitions including a hands-on schoolhouse and changing exhibitions –currently one called “Revealed: A Century of Women’s Underclothing” that made me very glad corsets are no longer in to say nothing of hoopskirts.

That's how you got a seventeen inch waist

Grandma Moses is credited with saying “If I hadn’t started painting, I’d have raised chickens” and “a primitive artist is one whose work sells.” Not bad, especially about the chickens.

Digressing to chickens, the trend to urban agriculture is inspiring more and more New Yorkers to raise them. Roosters are illegal because of their early morning wake-up call, (although the far more intrusive noise from garbage trucks is apparently perfectly all right), but hens are OK. Currently, Brooklyn is chicken central but the movement is on the rise. I don’t see a lot of co-op and condo boards giving a thumbs-up to hen coops but meanwhile, go urban cluckers! 

 

 

 

 

A chicken recipe seems in order. Try this:

BASQUE CHICKEN WITH PEAS
(originally from The New York Times)

Serves 4

3 T olive oil
3 ½ lb chicken, cut into pieces (if you hate dark meat you can substitute breasts but dish will be dryer)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 large green peppers cored and sliced into ¼ inch pieces.
1 large onion, sliced thin
4 oz slab bacon (OR ½ lb thick bacon). Cook bacon first, get rid of the grease and chop)
2-3 sprigs parsley
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Lbs. sweet peas (fresh or frozen).

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, brown chicken and season well with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from pan. Reduce heat, add peppers, onion, bacon, parsley and garlic to pan. Cook stirring constantly until garlic and onion become transparent, about ten minutes. Return chicken to pan, cover and cook over medium heat until chicken is nearly done and veggies are tender, about 30 minutes. Add peas, stir gently, cover and cook until they are cooked about 7 minutes. Check seasonings. If there is a lot of grease, get rid of as much as possible. Transfer contents of pan to a warmed serving platter and pour cooking juices over it.

(Note: I have no idea what makes this “Basque” but it’s delicious.)

 

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Up a Lazy River

Posted on April 6, 2012 by marigold

Beach Bar, Robert's Grove, Placencia, Belize

Southern Belize isn’t all about what’s under the water –there is a lot to see and do on land.

Our visit to the jungle near Monkey River was enlivened by our guide Evar, a guy  on a first name basis with every tree, bird and drop of water in the area.

Evar

En route to tiny Monkey River Village, Evar spotted a manatee as well as ospreys, blue herons, brown pelicans, and several crocodiles including one very large specimen. Who knew kingfishers nest in holes they dig in earth banks on the sides of rivers? (Evar.)

 

In the jungle, we carefully avoided trails of stinging ants to get up close and personal with termite nests (the termites, which are tiny and not at all like the northern ones that eat houses, taste like a cross between pepper and cinnamon), iguanas of various types, gumbo-limbo trees (how can you not love that name?) and the poke- and- dough boy plant, so called because tongs for cooking or removing coals were made from the fire-resistant wood of its trunk.  It must have been an R &R day for the famous Howler Monkeys but Evar managed to scare one up so we could hear it yowl.

He's howling

Another day, we dropped in at Francis Ford Coppola’s Turtle Inn, a very manicured, pricey resort. The Maya Beach Hotel and Bistro struck me as a lot more fun—only five beach- basic rooms but easily the best restaurant in the area and one that could hold up its head in any company judging from my Belizean version of bouillabaisse, the appetizer of tiny yellowfin tuna tacos on a bed of wasabi guacamole and the excellent wine list.  In Placencia itself, The Secret Garden restaurant is also very good, run by an American couple. Rumfish y Vino is said to be a top dining spot but we didn’t have time for it. We did, however, sample the terrific gelato at Tutti Frutti and have a drink at the Barefoot Bar, a place everyone drops into.

 

The area also has Mayan ruins although the more impressive ones are further north and we ran out of time. Life is indeed a beach.

 

 

Caramelized Bananas (ours were served as a garnish on a great grilled shrimp dish but they would be terrific with yogurt, ice cream, or on their own)

2 medium firm bananas, peeled

1/2 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/4 cup dark rum or orange juice

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

Cut bananas in half lengthwise. Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar and lay the banana slices on top, cut side up. Cook undisturbed for 20 seconds, then add rum (or orange juice) and cinnamon. Cook for 10 seconds, then turn bananas carefully and cook for 45 to 60 seconds more, basting with the pan sauce. Divide the bananas between 2 dessert plates, drizzling the sauce on top. Serve with ice cream or frozen yogurt.

A little hammock time for Carolyn

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Turn Left at the Turtle

Posted on March 29, 2012 by marigold

For the first day, my daughter and I used a ceramic turtle as a landmark to locate our room at our hotel in Placencia, Belize. The world’s second largest coral reef lies just off Placencia (the largest is off Australia) so the area is a haven for divers, snorkelers and jungle adventurers.

Our snorkel expedition was run through Splash, an incredibly efficient, helpful organization operated by Patricia Ramirez.

 

Splash picked us up at our hotel and took us to their HQ where we were outfitted with fins and masks.  A hour’s boat ride brought us to an island where you might expect to run into Crusoe’s man Friday, it’s that away from it all. Brian, a  patient, helpful Splash guide, took charge of five of us while five more experienced snorkelers bubbled after another guide.

Full disclosure: the warm and lovely Caribbean wasn’t particularly so that day and before we were fully out there, I realized that fifty minutes was going to be far too long.  I made do happily snorkeling in the shallower, warmer water. When Carolyn returned, she relayed tales of hundreds of brilliant colored fish, a nurse shark, a sea urchin and the thrill of swimming over coral.  We’d been told to be wary of the coral because hitting it could hurt us and damage it as “less than an inch represents ten years growth.

Coral at the Barrier Reef, Belize

The boat took the divers further out along the reef to do whatever it is scuba divers do, a delight that’s always eluded me. Splash puts both groups together so families can be together at lunch and on the boat, an idea that seems to work well as everyone gets what they came for.

Lunch was corn chips and salsa, watermelon, grilled BBQ chicken, baked beans, scalloped potatoes and cole slaw, courtesy of the Splash cooks whom we brought along.  An afternoon snorkel/dive took place before we headed back to Placencia.  Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea!

Ceviche

                                Ceviche

Note: use the freshest, best-quality fish possible and make this the day you buy the fish. In Belize you can be almost one hundred percent sure the fish just left the sea.  This makes enough for about 8 servings.

2 lbs of firm, fresh red snapper fillets (or other firm-fleshed fish), cut into 1/2 inch pieces, completely deboned

1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice

1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 cup of chopped fresh seeded tomatoes

1 Serrano (or Habanera) chili, seeded and finely diced (wear rubber gloves)

2 teaspoons of salt

Dash of ground oregano

Dash of the hot sauce of your choice.

In a Pyrex or ceramic casserole dish, place the fish, onion, tomatoes, chili, salt, Tabasco, and oregano. Cover with lime and lemon juice. Let sit covered in the refrigerator for an hour, then stir, making sure more of the fish gets exposed to the acidic lime and lemon juices. Leave it for about three hours before serving.

 

 

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Around the World (on West 34th Street)

Posted on March 5, 2012 by marigold

That pretty much sums up the New York Travel Show, an annual event at NYC’s Javits Center.  I went with a friend who had helpfully printed the bar codes from our online tickets.  Far faster and a lot less of a pain than going through airport security, we scanned them, stepped over to the designated printer and got our entrance badges.

First up, the exotic locale of…New Jersey. It wasn’t the state that intrigued us but the presentation, a sand sculpture of a lighthouse, waterfront and boat, created by Sandman Matt (Long) a professional sand sculptor whose website, www.canyoudigit.com  sells great looking tools to make elaborate structures for when you’re next on a beach.

A Sandman Matt work

 

Onto Ecuador where kids were climbing a wall in the appropriate harnesses.  Next to Alaska (cruises, whales, Inuit art) and then a stop in the African area to collect literature on various places on my bucket list and await what I fear is a deluge of email.  We dropped by Morocco and the Northern Canada booth to find out how to get to Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island, an area that has fascinated me since I read Anne of Green Gables.

 

I’ve worked trade shows and know how exhausting it is to be ‘on’ for long periods, acting delighted to see each person who passes by, many with inane questions.  Everyone we spoke to was charming and gets high marks for helpful.

Despite no particular interest in Jamaica, I found this woman wearing a table as a skirt worth photographing and thought the seminar on getting and claiming travel reward points by Brian Kelly interesting although I doubt if I’ll sign up for multiple credit cards for the sake of bonus sign-on points.  Brian had some good tips that you can view at www.thepointsguy.com

Towards the end of the day, we got coffee to revive us as we heard Melissa Clark who writes on food for the New York Times. She spoke about bringing home food as a travel souvenir and passed out samples of Parmesan cheese topped with top quality balsamic vinegar and

Parmesan with balsamic vinegar and roasted broccoli

 

pieces of shortbread flavored with a particular kind of honey bought on a vacation while explaining how to bring meat home from far away (have it vacuum packed) and the benefits of buying (preferably bottled or canned) food items to recreate the taste of  your trip. “If one picture is worth a thousand words, one taste is worth a thousand pictures.” Melissa, I couldn’t agree more.

Here is Melissa Clark’s recipe for Rosemary Shortbread

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon plus 1 pinch kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted cold butter, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 to 2 teaspoons rosemary, chestnut or other dark, full-flavored honey (optional).

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, rosemary and salt. Add butter, and honey if desired, and pulse to fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some crumbs start to come together, but don’t overprocess. Dough should not be smooth.
2. Press dough into an ungreased 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan or 9-inch pie pan. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes for 9-inch pan, 45 to 50 minutes for 8-inch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares, bars or wedges while still warm.

Yield: One 8- or 9-inch shortbread.

 

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Sausage

Posted on February 28, 2012 by marigold

 

Otto von Bismarck

“Laws are like sausages in that you should never see them being made.” This quote has long been attributed to Otto Von Bismarck but was actually said by one John Godfrey Saxe in 1869. (What did we ever do before the Internet?)

Regardless of who said what, sausages are one of my favorite foods. We recently went to Burdick’s, a great restaurant in Walpole, NH (said, a tad snidely by some, to be the only good restaurant in the entire state), where my husband had an entrée of pancetta and rabbit sausage that was a ten.

L.A. Burdkci's Restaurant-- next door to its equally wonderful chocolate shop

 

Vaguely French, it was both soothing and slightly spicy and entirely delicious. However you slice it, sausage involves taking bits and pieces, grinding them together, adding spices and stuffing the whole thing into some form of casing, originally the cleaned intestines of an animal. Homer mentions a kind of sausage so we know the dish has  been around for a long time. Sausage can be cooked, smoked, dried or fresh and there are types particular to almost every country in the world. Slim Jims, beef jerky and hot dogs all count in the sausage lineup.

Sausage can be made from game, poultry, beef, pork, lamb or just vegetables, usually by combining several ingredients. Haggis, a traditional Scottish dish, is  basically a sausage and always served at a Robert Burns’ supper in homage to Burns’ poem, ‘Address to a Haggis.’  that he wrote in 1787.

Robert Burns

Haggis contains various sheep’s organs chopped very fine and mixed with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and stock, classically encased in the animal’s stomach and simmered for hours. It’s traditionally served with ‘neaps and tatties’, i.e., mashed turnips and potatoes, as well as a ‘dram’ of Scotch whiskey. If anyone out there knows where I could taste it, please let me know.  I bet the idea of haggis makes many people gag but I’d like to sample it.

Making sausage is a task I leave to the professionals but cooking and serving it is quite a different thing. This recipe is courtesy of a Vermont neighbor who got it from Bon Appetit.

Bon Appetit featuring the smokey shrimp-and-sausage combo

Smokey Grilled Shrimp and Sausage Skewers

Serves 6

¾ cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 Tbls chopped fresh thyme

5 tsp smoked paprika (don’t substitute regular paprika-this makes a big difference)

4 tsp Sherry wine vinegar

Salt

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp dried, crushed red pepper (use flakes)

12 raw shrimp peeled and deveined

12 ½ inch pieces andouille or other cooked, smoked sausage

12 cherry tomatoes

12  2 inch sections of red onion wedges

Vegetable oil spray

 

Whisk oil, garlic, thyme, paprika, vinegar, salt, black and red pepper in med. Bowl. Transfer half of this “glaze” to another small bowl.

Alternately thread skewers with shrimp, sausage, tomato, onion in that order. (You can do everything up to this point well ahead. Cover and chill in the fridge until you are ready to move forward.)

Coat the grill rack with non-stick spray. Use medum high heat. Brush skewers with glaze. Grill until shrimp are opaque in the center, about 6-8 minutes brushing often with glaze.

Cook’s note: this can be made in the broiler as well. If cooking on an outdoor grill, it’s a good idea to use a small mesh grid underneath as the onions tend to slip off the skewers and the grid will catch them.

Bon Appetit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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911 Turtle

Posted on February 15, 2012 by marigold

 

Sea Turtle

When a sea turtle in southern Florida is reported sick, the call usually goes to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon Key. Some ailing turtles are so enormous that the turtle ambulance is summoned along with hospital staff to hoist and transport the critter. The Marathon hospital, officially, the Hidden Harbor Maritime Environmental Project, Inc., is staffed largely by volunteers with pro-bono help from veterinarians.  Most of the turtles cared for here for are loggerheads or green sea turtles with an occasional Kemp’s or Olive Ridley checking in.   

 

The ninety-minute tour includes a walk through the very impressive hospital that includes an operating room complete with a system to anesthetize turtles, IV lines (put into the neck) and “recovery rooms” i.e., small, water-filled pens for post-op turtles.

Guide showing a turle X-ray

Sea turtles suffer serious shell damage from boats as well as intestinal impactions caused by ingesting plastic bags, balloons, fishing lines and hooks. Some turtles need flipper amputations because they became entangled on a rope or line and many undergo surgery to remove viral tumors that affect more than half of all sea turtles.Turtle meds are carefully stored. (Fridge picture below.)

Fridge with turtle meds instructions--this means you

Fully recovered turtles are released back into the wild amid much cheering, tagged with a microchip and metal tag for further study. Those who will never be well enough to  make it on their own stay permanently, swimming in the pool of the motel adjacent to and now part of the hospital (when we visited, there were thirteen permanent residents.)  Each turtle tank has a card with the occupant’s name, date of admission, medical problem, diet and other notations. According to our guide,  there are usually  twenty to forty turtles in some stage of rehab as well as a hatching or two that ‘works’ by visiting schools and participating in educational  outreach. The tour includes a look at a glass case of items confiscated by U.S. Customs of items made of tortoiseshell (now illegal as these turtles are a protected species), and cans of turtle meat (also illegal.)

No turtles for breakfast but a great local restaurant, Harriet’s, that’s deservedly been in business for thirty-five years. Harriette’s biscuits are as big as a large man’s hand–incredibly fluffy and addictive.

Harriet's in Key Largo

Instead of a biscuit recipe (or one for mock-turtle soup),  here’s one for grilled shrimp that can be eaten as is or served over pasta like linguine.

 

 

 

 

 

Grilled Marinated Shrimp

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails attached

skewers (Note: you can easily use metal skewers and do this in the broiler–result will be very similar.)

In a mixing bowl, mix together olive oil, parsley, lemon juice, hot sauce, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Reserve a small amount for basting later. Pour remaining marinade into a large resealable plastic bag with shrimp. Seal, and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat grill for medium-low heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.

Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp for 5 minutes per side, or until opaque, basting frequently with reserved marinade.

 

 

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Papa and the Polydacts

Posted on February 4, 2012 by marigold

Ernest Hemingway in the 30s, pre-beard

In 1931, Ernest Hemingway and wife #2, Pauline Pfeiffer, bought a large house in then- out- of- the way Key West and lived there for about ten years. During this period, Hemingway wrote many of his most famous works including. A Farewell to Arms, The Snows of Kilimanjaroand others. According to the possibly apocryphal story, Pfeiffer and Hemingway’s two sons were given a six-toed cat by a ship’s captain—a photo in the house shows the boys with Snowball, the cat. As cats will, the original had kittens, many displaying the dominant polydactyl gene. Today, there are roughly forty-four cats roaming the house and grounds, sleeping on the master bed, lounging on tables, sofas and in houses set about the grounds. In each litter, some kitties have six toes per foot and others don’t. Not a single cat is shy although visitors are asked not to pick them up (patting is OK.)

A polydact paw--the extra toe looks like a mitten

A large calico but can't see the toes

 

The cats are terrific but so is the house that has very high ceilings, framed letters and pictures and some of the original furniture. We were told that Pauline thought the existing ceiling fans tacky and had them removed and replaced by glass chandeliers made in Murano, Italy. (I thought some of the chandeliers beyond tacky.) The large bathroom adjoining the master bedroom is said to have been the first second-floor bath in Key West with running water, obtained from a large roof-top cistern. Hemingway’s writing studio is adjacent to the house, originally accessed by “bridge” although now it’s entered via a flight of stairs. Through a metal grill, you can see the great man’s typewriter, some stuffed animal heads, books and his desk. Outside is a pool, very large for the nineteen thirties, with a penny embedded in cement next to it. Hemingway is said to have given Pauline the penny, remarking that the pool had cost him his last cent. Well, maybe not.

Hemingway’s study

There is also a cat drinking fountain, originally a urinal at Sloppy Joe’s, a local bar Hemingway frequented. The  based is  covered in Italian tiles and topped by an old olive oil jar thanks to Pauline’s taste or sensibilities—your pick.

Conch

There are a lot of restaurants in Key West, several that just miss getting a 10. Flaming Buoys is sleek and produced a fabulous tuna and grapefruit cerviche, 905 serves an appetizer ‘tuna dome’ that surmounts a lot of very fresh crabmeat and a whole Thai yellowtail that was wonderful;  Latitudes (read Attitudes), reached by a private ferry, is stylish with fine food, marred by less than good service.

The people of Key West refers to themselves as “Conch’s” (‘konk’, not consh) because the original settlers practically lived on conch meat, now illegal to harvest and brought in from the Caribbean. To make this recipe, substitute clams for the conch:

Conch Chowder

 

Ingredients:

4 large diced tomatoes

1 medium diced onion

6 small minced green onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks diced celery

2 large diced carrots

1 chopped red bell pepper

1 medium diced potato

6-8 sprigs chopped parsley

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1/4-1/2 t ground allspice

3 bay leaves

1 16-ounce can clam juice

2 T. fresh lemon juice

2 cups cold water

1 pound cleaned and chopped conch meat (use clams)

3 slices bacon, cooked crisp and drained

1/4 cup of white wine

Juice of 1 fresh lime

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot or stock pot, cook bacon over medium heat until browned, approximately 5 minutes.

Remove bacon, leave the grease.

Wrap allspice, bay leaves, and thyme in small piece of cheesecloth (a bouquet garni) and tie cheesecloth closed with string.

To the bacon grease, add onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, parsley, and bell peppers and cook over medium-high heat until soft, 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally)

Add hot pepper and garlic and cook for about a minute.

Add diced tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.

Add clam juice, water, potatoes and bring to a boil.

Add the cheesecloth with spices. Reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 to 30 minutes.

Add the conch/clams and cook until the meat is tender (conch is very tough- clams should be done in under fifteen minutes.)  Remove pot from the heat and discard the cheesecloth with spices.

Add the lime juice and parsley, stir to combine, and adjust the seasoning to taste. and serve hot.  While you’re at it, give your cat a cat treat.

 

 

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Later, ‘gator

Posted on January 30, 2012 by marigold

 

Turner Lake, Big Cypress Park, Florida Everglades at 8 AM

Kayaking in the Florida Everglades taught me two interesting lessons: 1. I would not win a kayaking competition and 2. There are a lot of alligators around these parts.

Staying in Everglades City, I joined a group of nine others who assembled at 7:30 AM under the leadership of our guide/naturalist John, a very patient guy. We got into John’s  van, our kayaks already loaded on racks, and drove about fifteen minutes to a launching spot on the Turner River in Big Cypress Park. Two couples were in tandem kayaks; the rest of us paddled solo.

John giving some instruction/information

 

Paddling isn’t hard once you realize that a gentle stroke is better than a hard pull but later, when we ventured into a twisty passage among mangroves growing right down into the water, it was a lot more challenging. I got hung up in the roots a number of times—not hard to get out but a little embarrassing.  During the three hour paddle, (taken at a very leisurely pace), we stopped often so that John could point out birds or tell us about the foliage. We passed at least seven alligators including one known as “Mrs. Smith,” because she just sits there watching the world go by (not that we tried to get in her face) and another mama ‘gator with a baby on her head, one on her back and another two close by. John told us that as long as we didn’t approach the critters head on, they would leave us entirely alone –we didn’t and they did.

Gator mom and kids--look very closely

During the trip, we saw egrets, Bald Eagles, moor hens, a limpkin (great name!), a Great Blue Heron, ospreys and two anhingas (another great name) and there were probably lots of other birds. One woman in our group is a serious birder, able to spot birds far away while many of us (me among them) often needed them pointed out. The anhinga, sometimes called the ‘water turkey’ has a big wingspan and, when wet, has to hold its wings outstretched to dry them before it can fly again.

 

Anhinga with outspread wings

Once through the mangrove swamp slalom, we stopped in a pool at the other end for a snack of cookies and then retraced our way through the mangroves. I did a worse job going back but my fellow paddlers were very tolerant and some of them got hung up now and then as well.

Looking up at the mangrove thicket from my kayak

We did not camp out but ate at a very decent, very campy restaurant that night enjoying Margaritas and incredibly fresh fish. However, should you be actually camping, it couldn’t get simpler than this:

 

Campers’ Breakfast

1 knife

1 orange

1 egg

1 fork
Step 1: Cut the orange in half and eat it with a spoon.
Step 2: Pull out all the membranes to form a perfect orange-rind coddling cup.
Step 3: Crack the egg into the orange peel cup.
Step 4: Use sticks to place the cup into the fire and cook for about 5 minutes.
Step 5: Eat the egg right from the cup.

Try to keep the cup balanced while cooking. Mixing oranges, eggs and coals won’t taste good. The bonus is almost no clean-up.

 

 

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Art 105 in Vermont

Posted on January 21, 2012 by marigold

In the course of gathering material for a magazine article, I drove around Vermont’s Northshire, talking to owners and managers of art galleries about their summer plans.  Meeting the gallery representatives who are as different as can be was fascinating —some were very welcoming and understand the value of publicity while others almost had to have details pried out of them. Looking at the works currently on exhibit with almost no one else in the gallery (not enough snow to entice many visitors), was a treat as each gallery has its own particular look and feel.

Work by Frederick Faviano at The Gander Gallery, Manchester, VT

Inside The welcoming space of the Village Green Gallery, Weston, VT

The last time I “studied” art and artists was at college where a redoubtable professor gave a course based on slide lectures in a darkened auditorium each week. No one nodded off as the professor was a bit of a tiger (and we were nineteen.) Does anyone remember Miss Barbor?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blodgett Hall at Vassar where (I think) Art 105 took place

For many years, my husband owned a gallery devoted to Asian art.

Indian bronze of the kind Art Asia carried

 

Part of the job involved coping when business was slow and customers or even browsers, few and far between. (As a classic Type A, I knew this work was not for me!) Some of the gallery people I talked with confessed that off times can be dull but others are either artists themselves with works in process or have interesting ways of using spare time to deal with paper work or re-hanging displays.

Does one go into the gallery business because he or she loves art but either can’t or doesn’t want to make it? The owner of Gander Gallery in Manchester began because her father is an artist and she grew up in a world of painters and sculptors. The woman at the Village Green Gallery in Weston  is married to Nobushi Fuji’i, an accomplished photographer, and runs her gallery as a place both to exhibit his work and as a local community resource where meetings are held, films screened and computers are available to the public.

My response to all the art and artists was to go home and make my own work of art, in this case, a soup that was warming and delicious.

 

White Bean, Greens and Sausage Soup

WHITE BEAN SOUP WITH SAUSAGE AND COLLARDS

 1 package frozen bulk sausage, thawed

1 medium onion, chopped

2 packages frozen chopped collard greens (or substitute frozen chopped spinach or kale)—do not thaw

2 cans cannelloni beans, drained, rinsed and slightly mashed

Salt and pepper

1 T red wine vinegar

Cook sausage and onion in a large pan over medium heat until sausage is all cooked through to brown and crumbled into bits.  Try not to let bottom of pan burn.

Addd collard greens or spinach, beans and 4 cups water, season with salt and pepper. (About 1 T salt). Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until soup thickens a little, about 8 minutes. Stir in red-wine vinegar.

Serve with bread and cheese if you like. Stay warm!

 

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