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My host, who has a delightful house in Clinton Corners,\nhad intended us to go to an air show at the Rhinebeck Aerodrome, complete with\nplanes from before WWI; also a Jaguar (as in automobile, not the big cat)\nexhibit. When we arrived, the faces on a\nBoy Scout troop who marching out said \u2018no dice\u2019; too much wind to fly those\ntiny, hard-to-manage planes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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At cocktail hour as my host\u2019s bar was minus vodka, we\ndropped into Harker House, a Clinton Corners liquor store. Harker sells wines\nfrom all over but the hard stuff is particularly interesting as they sell only\nspirits made in New York State. Their newest offering is an agave spirit from\nBrooklyn; I\u2019ve always equated agave (think tequila) with Mexico. Harker, closed\nMondays and Tuesdays, has nice, very helpful owners. The vodka, Pick Six, has a label depicting horse\nracing at Saratoga Springs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Sunday we went to the grandly-named Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, highly regarded for its science, education and outreach, which occupies a huge tract of land. Walking on a few of the trails, my host, a wildflower expert, pointed out various flora including birdsfoot trefoil, (Ms. Nature here would have said it was a buttercup but no), American ginger and a bluebird, apparently a rarity as swallows have taken over the bluebird houses and evicted the original\u2014and intended– tenants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWe then pushed onto Poughkeepsie for a late lunch at Brasserie 292, very French with black and white tiles and music in French on the sound system. My tartine with smoked salmon and field salad on a baguette was wonderful and the burger my companion ate also looked great. If you\u2019re in that \u2018hood, check it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
By coincidence, we ate carrots with ginger as part of our\ndinner the night before. That involved ginger syrup from a bottle but this\nrecipe uses a piece of fresh ginger that probably adds a little more zing.\nRegardless, it\u2019s easy, quick and a nice twist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/glazed-carrots.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nGinger Honey-Glazed Carrots <\/strong>(courtesy Food Network)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2\ntablespoons butter<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1\ntablespoon finely chopped ginger<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2\ntablespoons honey<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4\ncarrots, peeled and thinly sliced<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1\/4\ncup water<\/p>\n\n\n\n Salt\nand pepper<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a small saucepan, melt butter and stir in ginger. Add\nhoney and stir to dissolve. Stir in carrots and toss to coat. Pour in water and\ncover to steam. Stir occasionally and cook 8 minutes or until tender. Season to\ntaste with salt and pepper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beverage selection may depend on the main dish but red,\nwhite or a good summer rose would go along well. So would iced tea. Toast native plants and do your bit to deal\nwith climate change. Would love to hear what that bit is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now that it\u2019s officially summer, good old MetroNorth has reduced service to many destinations. The train I took to Poughkeepsie only runs once every two hours. As a result, trains are packed, almost replicating the charms of the NYC subway … Continue reading