Category Archives: Howard County

Shop ‘Til You Drop

Posted on December 4, 2014 by AnnieRie

In our area this weekend. Without ever entering a big box store. How?

Midnight Madness in Ellicott City Friday night.

Plus, two holiday markets. One at the Howard County Conservancy. Vendors such as the Howard County Beekeepers. Greenbridge Pottery. Breezy Willow Farms. Those I know will be in attendance at the Conservancy. Lots more, too. Artists. Photographers. Jewelry makers.

Another at the Glenwood Community Center. I hear my friend Ned Tillman will be selling and signing his new book “Saving the Places We Love”.

Sunday the holiday market out at Olney.They even have an online shopping site to help you decide the great gifts you can purchase.

Get all sorts of gifts and support local artisans. Local businesses. Local authors.

As for those great stores in Ellicott City. My favorites. Like the Wine Bin and the Forget Me Not Factory.

We will be at the Conservancy helping out Saturday morning. Feeding the vendors and volunteers.

Mini pumpkin muffins for the treats table.

Maybe we will get to Ellicott City tomorrow night.

Seriously. You could do all your shopping by supporting small businesses in the area.

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Giving Tuesdays

Posted on December 2, 2014 by AnnieRie

Today isn’t the only day we consider giving to the community where we live. These One Day “opportunities” may raise awareness, but the need for giving back is year round.

From my little corner of the world, a few suggestions for today, and for the rest of the year.

Howard County Community Action Council has many ways to make a difference. Beyond the Food Bank. There is the One Months Rent program. The Prepare for Success. Many other smaller ways to help.

For those of us who have a community plot at Howard County Conservancy, our “Giving Tuesdays” span six months of the year. May until November.

Even after our giving of fresh produce along with other sources like local farms and other community gardeners has ended, the food bank still collects non perishables, and also non food items like infant care or personal care items. Helping them outside of the holiday giving season is greatly appreciated.

And, of course, in my circle of giving, the non profit (non county-affiliated) Howard County Conservancy has many ways to donate. My current favorite “Critter Champions”.

You can donate to feed the critters for a week or a month. You even get your picture on the turtle tank if you wish.

I mean, who can resist keeping Ranger fed with his daily ration of mice?

Along with the goats, chickens, turtle, snake, and tree fox (did I miss any of the critters?), Ranger gets fed by volunteers who give their time, and donations for the assorted food items necessary to keep them healthy and happy.

One more suggestion that is easy to do. And will benefit a local charity, just a few miles down the road in Baltimore. Check through your closets. Look for unused scarves, gloves, sweaters, mittens, and other clothing. Take them to Boarman’s or Kendall’s. Both sites have St. Vincent de Paul collection bins. Here, your contribution will stay in the area and help those in need.

Lots of ways to help Howard County’s nonprofits. These are just a small sample. Check out The Volunteer Center guide to Holiday Giving on their web page.

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Posted in Commentary, Community, Howard County, Volunteering and tagged commentary, community, hoco loco, Howard County, howard county conservancy, volunteering. Bookmark the permalink.

The Eagle Has Landed

Posted on November 29, 2014 by AnnieRie

Literally.

In the back yard. Less than 100 yards from the kitchen window where I took this really awful picture, but I rushed it hoping he wouldn’t fly away. Which he did, about 10 seconds after the picture. The crows went nuts and he flew down the side of the property and hung around for a few minutes high in my neighbor’s tree. Then, tired of the crows circling and yammering at him, he headed off back towards Triadelphia Reservoir.

What brought him here? The dead deer out there. Probably a car-deer casualty. Which is now mostly hide, hoofs, head and chest cavity. The third one we know of, in our almost ten years here. Usually, we only know about them because of the turkey vultures.

But this morning at 7 am, my husband yelled up the stairs. EAGLE!!! In the back yard.

I’ll have to get up early tomorrow and see if he’s returned.

Just another Saturday in the rural western part of our little Central Maryland county.

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Posted in Birds, Howard County, Nature, West HoCo and tagged birds, community, eagles, Howard County, nature, photography, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Small Business Christmas Trees

Posted on November 23, 2014 by AnnieRie

All this week and next, I will be focusing on small business shopping for Christmas. After all, the locavore in me spills over into other aspects of my shopping habits.

Let’s start with Christmas trees. To support your local farmers, you can get a tree at many sites in or close to Howard County. Some are “U-Cut”. Others like Gorman Farms work with farmers to bring in fresh trees for sale.

The U-Cut sites include Greenway in Woodbine and Cooksville, Pine Valley in Carroll County just north of I-70 off Rte. 97, TLV Tree Farm in Glenelg, Gaver Farm west of Mt. Airy, Feezers in Marriottsville, and Browning Farms on Penn Shop Rd near Mt. Airy (no web site).

For those in other parts of Maryland, here is the Maryland Christmas Tree Association’s list of U-Cut farms.

We have cut trees at Greenway, TLV and Pine Valley. Where you go depends on what kind of tree you want. What size. We now tend to look for smaller trees so will pick a site that has graduated prices depending on tree size.

All of these sites will be open next weekend, and what better way to commemorate small business Saturday than to buy a local tree. Most of the sites also have pre-cut trees, wreaths, roping, and my personal favorite for my house, poinsettias are sold in the greenhouses at Greenway.

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Posted in Community, Farms, Howard County, Local Businesses, West HoCo and tagged community, farms, holidays, Howard County, local businesses, traditions, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Lunch at Ananda

Posted on November 22, 2014 by AnnieRie

My husband loves Indian food. So do I, but he is more into it. For years, he and his coworkers in DC went out for Indian lunches at least once a month.

So, for his birthday I suggested the newest Indian restaurant in Howard County. Ananda. Down there in Maple Lawn. With no way to know it’s a restaurant.

Seriously. A lovely building. With no signs. Right across from the Columbia Academy (in Maple Lawn?), and Suntrust Bank. I wish it had been summer and we could have eaten outside, but the fireplace laden room serving lunch was very cozy and inviting.

Guess what. I didn’t whip out the cell phone and photograph the food. Although I should have.

We really enjoyed the chicken tikka masala and the crab Malabar. And, my husband had TWO of the mango lassi drinks. Finished with cardamom tea.

We will definitely go back for dinner. Indian food, which is a little beyond my capabilities, is one of our favorite indulgences. This place delivers. If you don’t believe me, check out the HowChow posts.

Just south of APL. And it was doing a good business for lunch on a Wednesday. Check it out.

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Posted in Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Real Food, Restaurants and tagged Food, foodie, hoco loco, Howard County, Indian food. Bookmark the permalink.

Autumn in West County

Posted on November 9, 2014 by AnnieRie

Sure signs that autumn has arrived in western Howard County.

Boarman’s changes their signs from beer specials to ordering meats for the holidays. I was there today to order my Maple Lawn turkey, some of their homemade pork sausage for stuffing, and oysters to make an oyster stew. To be picked up for Thanksgiving weekend. Also to get a BotaBox to use for cooking. One stop shopping, including wine, beer and spirits. Gotta love the place.

WSSC has their signs up, telling us when deer management hunts will take place at Pigtail and Big Branch (on our side of the reservoir). The water level is low. Not sure how easy it is right now to get canoes or kayaks in at either of these sites.

Further up the road, TLV has their tree sign next to their pumpkin bale.

As for hay bales, it looks like many of the farms have their hay cut and baled for collection.

And then there are the last of the leaves coming down, and the sound of leaf blowers and vacuums. Like here at home.

Over 100 bags already done this season, with our rake and take partners picking them up regularly to use in their compost piles. We have a small one behind the shed, but trees this big and this old put out one heck of a mountain of leaves.

It is pretty, though, isn’t it?

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Posted in Community, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Nature, Weather, West HoCo and tagged community, Food, Howard County, local businesses, nature, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Maple Lawn Turkeys

Posted on November 6, 2014 by AnnieRie

Now available for pick up at Whole Foods Columbia.

I have blogged many times about the locally raised turkeys that we order every year for Thanksgiving. From Maple Lawn Farm in Fulton MD.

Last night we had a tasting menu event at the new Whole Foods in Columbia. They announced that they have arranged to sell for in store pick up the same local turkeys we can get at the farm. This adds Whole Foods to the list that includes Boarmans and Roots in our local area.

In fact, Whole Foods has all sorts of options from uncooked to oven ready to fully prepared feasts.

Let’s just say we didn’t have to cook dinner last night.

I think my favorite of the evening though, was the dessert. I will probably be getting one of these to take to my family’s Thanksgiving. Pumpkin pie on the bottom. Pumpkin mousse on top.

From soup to nuts, and including some packages that are already cooked. For those who are pressed for time, or cooking area, or are wary of roasting a whole turkey themselves, Whole Foods joins other area restaurants and food stores in offering a complete meal, ready for reheating and serving.

This was our first time attending one of the Whole Foods tastings. I liked quite a few of the dishes, particularly the cream of mushroom soup, the cranberry orange relish, and of course, that pie.

For those living in the area, a new option to make Thanksgiving a little easier.

But, for those who know me, I will be cooking that Maple Lawn farm turkey with my favorite sausage dressing (thanks to Boarmans for their sausage). I will be using Whole Foods for their stuffing cubes, brining kit and nuts from their bulk selections.

Thanks to Mia, Katie and Chef Patrick for hosting the Howard County Food Bloggers yesterday.

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Posted in Farms, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses and tagged farms, Food, hocoblogging, Howard County, local businesses, Whole Foods. Bookmark the permalink.

Three Years Old

Posted on November 2, 2014 by AnnieRie

My blogaversary is today. Three years ago, I started it to record my retirement journey. I took a few CSA pictures and started posting, inspired by a couple of local bloggers who recorded what they got from their Breezy Willow CSAs. I added my fall CSA bounty into that mix.

Kitchen Scribble and Allura. Kat at Kitchen Scribble still blogs, but Allura is no longer active.

Between howchow, the biggest local food blog, and the hocoblogs pages, I pretty much learned what was interesting to others, to get them to read my blog, and to find topics to keep it going.

And, somewhere between the Old “Dark Days” challenge, where I began that locavore journey in earnest, and today, I turned my focus from unconscious consumer of whatever was on sale or looked good, to a proponent of small businesses/farms/local purveyors and much more. I honestly think I became that advocate because of the blogging. I didn’t start out to write a food blog. More like a “here is what interests me where I live” blog.

What interests me the most these days is my community. Which includes most of Central Maryland. Still a pretty decent place to live. Even when the weather is awful. I haven’t tired of exploring it. Or of writing about it.

Stay tuned for a winter of exploration. Going to places brand new to us, rediscovering some old haunts that we haven’t visited in a long time. Winter isn’t a time for hibernation.

It’s also a time to really enjoy the outdoors. Want to join us for a hike this coming Saturday? A family hike out at the Mt. Pleasant site of the Howard County Conservancy. Groups of different ages, and paces, who will explore the grasslands and woodlands with volunteer naturalists leading the way. Free. 10am, November 8. The long term weather forecast looks good.

The pot people are waiting to greet us.

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Posted in Adventures, Commentary, Community, Day Trips, Farms, Hobbies, Howard County, Locavore, Retirement, Volunteering, Weather, West HoCo and tagged commentary, community, day trips, fall foliage, farms, hobbies, hoco loco, hocoblogging, Howard County, howard county conservancy, Locavore, retirement, volunteering, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Customer Appreciation

Posted on October 28, 2014 by AnnieRie

How many of us have our food suppliers throw us a party. With craft beers, burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, and bratwurst. All served using The Breadery’s rolls. And, give us pumpkins to carve while socializing.

Friends and Farms did that Monday night. With grilling. Corn hole. Pumpkin carving. A chance to meet new people who love regional foods. A chance to see what is behind that warehouse door. And, to break bread with the owners. Phil and Tim.

Phil manned the grill. Tim made sure everything else was running smoothly.

How many of you can say you know the owners of your food sources? You know, those Royal Ahold people who run Giant Food.

We met lots of friendly Howard Countians. Had a good time. Took a salad as the pot luck side dish. Using my arugula. Larriland beets. Firefly farms chevre.

It’s times like these that make me happy I live here. Where there are committed people who provide us with awesome baskets of food every week.

Like last week’s basket.

That individual basket. Perfect for an active retired couple. Acorn squash. Carrots. Kale. Sweet potatoes. Garlic. Bay leaves. Jalapenos. Asian pears.

Plus,the perishables.

Yogurt and eggs this week for us. With an extra request. Those amazing ravioli, from La Pasta.

Proteins were pork butt and chicken wings. Want a picture of a perfect dinner?

Chicken legs. Ravioli. My garlic scape pesto. Fresh. Tasty. Easy.

Change who supplies your food. To one of the best local suppliers.

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Posted in Commentary, Farms, Food, Friends and Farms, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food and tagged cooking, CSA, farms, Food, foodie, hoco loco, Howard County, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

ABC’s

Posted on October 24, 2014 by AnnieRie

As in apples, beets and cider. What I did today at Larriland.

I have not been to Larriland since strawberry season this year. We just had too much in the garden and too many berries in our CSA fruit share.

But, I can’t resist picking apples.

Or at least trying to pick apples. I think there were more on the ground than in the trees. People obviously don’t read the instructions. Unfortunately, in no time at all, little critters chomp on the ground fruit, or people step on them.

And, don’t let me get started about beet etiquette.

Ever try walking in the rows, where people just dump beets they don’t want. Or, trying to step through all the greens that were cut off, in order to make a lower weight. People do amaze me with how they waste good food.

I harvested eight pounds of beets. About five were beets. Two were greens, and one pound of waste. Yep, I paid for a pound of things I culled out while cleaning the beets. Does it bother me? NO!

I also picked 25 pounds of apples.

Four different varieties. Mostly enterprise. A few pounds each of Braeburn, Fuji, and Suncrisp. There will be crockpot spiced apples made this weekend. This time, though, I will be putting it in ice cube trays to freeze. I like this method of making yogurt ready sizes.

I also picked up a few gourds and baby pumpkins to decorate our dining room table.

One more week to go. I may be out there buying more apple cider. I like their version of it, and they say we can freeze it. I may be freezing ice cube sized cider cubes to use in cooking. It works wonders with cabbage, or in soups, or with chicken or sausage. Or, as a dressing base.

A lovely weekend ahead. If you get a chance, visit the farm. It’s a beautiful location.

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