Category Archives: West HoCo

Seventies and Sunny

Posted on September 27, 2013 by AnnieRie

About four days ago, it was the forecast from Bob Turk, my favorite local weatherman. For days on end, it was to be in the seventies and sunny or partly sunny. Every day. It looks like this weather pattern will go on for almost the entire week ahead of us also.

It does mean I have to water the remaining plants in the garden, but that’s OK. It means lots of nights grilling. Lots of dining on the patio, watching the deer.

It means, because of the continued lack of rain, that our trees are starting to turn color early.

It also means I will be heading out to Larriland this weekend to get a few things. Like some crisp fall apples. Some tiny greenish tomatoes, to make my “famous” green tomato pesto pasta (recipe courtesy of Mario Batali). I don’t have any small tomatoes left. Just a handful of large slicing tomatoes out there.

This was my recipe post for that pasta. I love it, early in the fall with the last of the tomatoes.

I found a great recipe for green tomato chili, thanks to Kirsten. My leftover tomatoes will go into that chili (well, once the weather cools down). It doesn’t seem like chili weather yet.

By the way, pumpkin picking is all over the county. Larriland acquired a new farm just for picking pumpkins. They also have tons of activities on the weekend for the little ones.

So, tomorrow morning, visit to Breezy Willow to get a few dairy items, and some ground beef for the chili, followed by a trip out to Larriland for apples and green(ish) tomatoes. Need to remember to pack the cooler, or to go to Larriland first, followed by Breezy Willow. Their farm store is open, 10-2 on Saturdays.

The weather will be lovely, that’s for sure.

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Posted in Farms, Food, Foraging, Gardening, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food, Weather, West HoCo and tagged cooking, farms, Food, foodie, gardening, grilling, heirloom tomatoes, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, real food, tomatoes, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Garden Transitions

Posted on September 21, 2013 by AnnieRie

The garden is moving into its fall mode. My lone Thelma Sanders squash is getting bigger, but it hasn’t been joined by any others.

There are blossoms all around it, but no other squash. Could be a real bust.

I have a few dozen green tomatoes left out there.

Since it will still be warm for a while, I am hoping they ripen. Otherwise, green tomato pesto pasta, or maybe that green tomato bacon jam.

The basil has continued to flourish, even as I keep cutting it.

The African blue basil is putting out new growth.

The fall greens have started to spread in their boxes. I have chard and arugula out there.

This is the ruby chard. I may mix it with the French sorrel from the CSA box and make a quiche. It may be getting close to October but there is quite a bit left to harvest, on these lovely crisp days. We do need rain, though. I have been watering things again.

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Weather, West HoCo and tagged cooking, Food, foodie, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Football Weather

Posted on September 15, 2013 by AnnieRie

Clear, sunny, perfect day for the Ravens to open in Baltimore. Good to see that they won.

We did lots of things outdoors today before and after the game. Some wire maintenance for my husband.

Me, checking out the lone squash in the garden, and bringing in almost all the remaining tomatoes. This year, they seem to be slowing down a bit early.

I only have about eight green tomatoes left on the vine.

The freezer is almost full. Today, between games, I cut up the habaneros and the jalapenos for the jelly. Found all the material to do the canning. Tomorrow will be canning day. I have to decide how hot I want this jelly to be. I got about 10 habaneros from the CSA. The recipe calls for 6-15 depending on what level of heat you want.

I also roasted the remaining paste tomatoes and put them away in the freezer. Took all the pesto out of the ice cube trays and divided the cubes up into small containers to keep.

Roasted three more heads of garlic, resulting in a full jar of soft tasty garlic to use in recipes.

Tomorrow there may be showers. That will be good as we are crossing our fingers that there will be no restrictions for the Equinox Twilight Hikes at the Conservancy, next Sunday night, the 22nd.

They should be fun, if the weather stays this lovely. Family hiking ending at the campfire for stories and s’mores. Followed at twilight by the adult hike.

It’s a “bring your own” hike. Musical instruments to play. A few snacks to supplement the s’mores for the adult crowd.

Check out the details on the Conservancy web page. If you want to enjoy the changing of the seasons.

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Howard County, Nature, Volunteering, Weather, West HoCo and tagged community, Food, foodie, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, Howard County, howard county conservancy, nature, tomatoes, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

A Picture Perfect Fall Day

Posted on September 14, 2013 by AnnieRie

That’s what about 70-80 people decided who came out to the Conservancy to join our family hikes.

We had four hike leaders and each one of us had 15-35 people. The largest group was with our preschool leader. She had at least 35 people on the short tour around the farmhouse and down to the play areas.

I took about 15-20 people on a couple of loops to show them all the cool things we teach the children on the field trips. Almost 90 minutes out there.

Then, we found dozens of families down in the nature center checking out Maize, our corn snake, or reading books, or looking at all the exhibits. Into the midst of the chaos, a family showed up to tour the facilities for a possible wedding in 2014. I got to take them for a tour and show them the grounds, as Alison was out and about with all the visitors and handling the snake. We didn’t think the mother of the bride was into snakes.

I finally left there at 1:00. Too late to hit Breezy Willow or Larriland so I ran over to Harris Teeter to get pectin, pineapple juice, sugar and a few boxes of cereal for my better half. I missed my chance to pick up my favorite yogurt at Breezy Willow so it will have to wait until next week.

Turf Valley is coming along quickly. The outdoor seating at Facci is there. Looks like they are very close to opening, and you could smell wood smoke (maybe the pizza ovens?) and someone in a chef’s cap was out in back, taking a break, talking on his phone. They look to be the first to open.

Petite Cellars and Grille 620 are hiring, if anyone is looking for a job.

Mimi’s was being worked too. The cleaners have opened.

We may finally have another fully occupied shopping center in northwest HocCo, with new restaurants. Woo Hoo!

Tomorrow is pineapple habanero jelly making day. Stand by for the report on how well it goes. If I don’t seriously hurt myself handling the habaneros I will have 6 jars of jelly to use for appetizers, glazing, and I think, to make some killer chicken wings.

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Posted in Community, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Nature, Volunteering, Weather, West HoCo and tagged community, Food, hoco loco, Howard County, howard county conservancy, local businesses, Locavore, nature, volunteering, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Update on the Farms

Posted on September 13, 2013 by AnnieRie

Just in case you want to get out and stock up for winter, there were a few emails lately with what is happening at local farms.

England Acres announced a new batch of fresh chickens for this weekend. The market is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10-6. If you have never made fresh chicken, using these lovely birds, you are in for a real treat if you head out and buy one or two of them. They can’t keep them in stock for long. They just fly out of the refrigerator at the farm store.

As for other goodies available, Breezy Willow still has their 25 pounds of tomatoes for $25 special. If you are inclined to make tomato sauce to freeze, this is the way to get good organic tomatoes for a great price. The farm store is open tomorrow from 10-2. I may be stopping there to pick up some yogurt and cheese, as they have some of my favorite vendors in their store.

Last, Larriland.

All sorts of specials, like tomatoes in the field by the barn. Otherwise, here is the latest chart.

Opening Saturday, September 14, 2013
1. Jonagold apples: picking is good. Jonagolds are sweet/tart, large, greenish with a red cheek, all purpose apples. Jonagolds are a cross between Jonathan, a tart apple, and Golden Delicious, a sweet apple.

2. Spinach and Swiss chard. picking is excellent. This year we planted “Rhubarb Chard” which has red stems and looks just like beets but no bottoms.

3. Tomatoes: this is a new tomato field with garden tomatoes, roma/paste tomatoes, grape tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.

4. Blackberries: picking will be fair. The blackberry season is almost over.

Ripening Soon:
1. Apples: there are 14 more apple varieties to ripen throughout September and October. Click on the Fruit Harvest Calender below for varieties and ripening times.

2. Broccoli will be ready in late September.

3. Beets will be ready to pick in October.

4. Pumpkins will be ready to pick in October.

5. Cauliflower and cabbage will be ready to pick in late October.

I love heading out to Larriland. I may be stopping there tomorrow also, as I need pectin and apple cider to make my habanero jelly. More on that later.

Fall is coming, that’s for sure. Today was just a lovely day. Cooler, breezy, sunny after the rain headed out. Can’t wait for pumpkin season.

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Posted in Farms, Food, Local Businesses, Locavore, Weather, West HoCo and tagged cooking, farms, Food, foodie, local businesses, Locavore, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Take A Hike

Posted on September 11, 2013 by AnnieRie

Not just any hike. A hike that has one of the volunteer naturalists at the Howard County Conservancy leading it. A family hike.

Or maybe, a hike with friends. Or your little ones, like the grandchildren.

This Saturday at 10 am, we are putting on one of our semi annual family hikes. It is leader’s choice. We take age appropriate groups out on the various trails.

If you have little ones, the hike leader for that age group, a retired preschool teacher, enthralls them with stories, games, visits to the chickens and goats, on a hike that won’t tire out short legs.

Other hike leaders may wander off down to the streams, and look for wildflowers, birds, black walnuts, maybe take you to see our chestnut trees. Maybe identify trees or flowers, who knows.

Black Walnuts

This is one of our popular free second Saturday programs at the conservancy grounds, a farm just up the road from the Snowball Stand (a great place to recover from all this walking).

You don’t need to preregister for the free events on the web page, if you don’t want to, but it does let us know roughly how many volunteers we need.

This farm is my favorite place to volunteer. It gives me so much pleasure to hike the trails, look for birds and other little critters. Feed the goats. Visit the barred owl.

There are over four miles of trails on the property. They are open from dawn to dusk every day. These guided hikes give you insight into what is hidden in the fields, or the woods. Or the theme gardens.

The weather forecast is looking wonderful. A high of 70 degrees. Clear, sunny. The introduction to those lovely fall days.

Come join us.

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Posted in Birds, Howard County, Nature, Volunteering, West HoCo and tagged birds, community, hoco loco, Howard County, howard county conservancy, nature, volunteering, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Picking Fruits and Veggies

Posted on September 6, 2013 by AnnieRie

The end of the peach season is upon us. Soon, the rest of the 15 varieties of apples will be ripening at Larriland. We need to get back out there and pick some white peaches for the freezer. You can’t beat a day with this view.

I have also never picked grapes out there. Or, quite a few other veggies. This lovely weather makes me want to hit the farm and get a few more good items to put away.

The web site also tells us that the tomatoes will be good through October. I may go there and get a large quantity of romas, just to finish the sauce processing.

This year, my romas and paste were way down from previous years. Even with more plants. I know it is time to move the garden out to the field even if it means twice the length of hose to irrigate it. We are now down to seven hours of sun a day, maximum, on the current garden site.

I do have quite a harvest of heirlooms still ripening. Most get picked before I get stink bug or something chewing on them. I think it’s the squirrels. I need to get a dog. Seriously.

Not only are the squirrels getting into my plants, they are chewing on the cedar siding around our doors.

All in all, though, I did get, and I am still getting quite a haul of heirlooms. Finally, pineapple tomatoes, hillbilly tomatoes, and Amana orange, all producing fruit almost every day. Another full windowsill.

I do love this mild, low humidity weather that we are experiencing. I could get used to working outside without that heat and humidity.

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Fall Sneaking Up on Us

Posted on September 3, 2013 by AnnieRie

Signs that we are heading towards that change of season.

My first Thelma Sanders squash, hidden under the leaves in a corner of the garden.

Berries on the crab apples. A bumper crop of berries. Here’s hoping we get the cedar waxwings who love to feast on the berries.

Rhododendron buds are really plentiful this year as well. Last year there was lots of growth but not that many blooms. This year, all the rain was good to them and they put out huge amounts of buds, which means lots of flowers next May.

Morning glories completely out of control. I didn’t prune them back this year. A friend who grows grapes told us in rainy seasons to let the flowers and weeds get close to your garden. In the case of a very wet summer, their competition for the moisture will be beneficial to keeping your veggies and fruit from diseases caused by too much water.

A basil plant that decided to rise from the ruins of the bunny devastation of last spring. I have no idea how it came back from its puny little nub left after the rabbits got to it.

Newly mowed meadow. Ready to be baled. Driving my sinuses nuts, but it really looks forlorn, where once there was all this tall lovely grass.

Lots of green tomatoes still out there, hiding and in plain sight. I figure we have about four or five more weeks before the weather changes for good, and I have to bring them in if they don’t ripen. Right now I am still getting lots of slicing tomatoes, but all the paste tomatoes are about finished for the year.

Weather is lovely, isn’t it? Temps in the low eighties and high seventies. Cool nights.

The blue basil is going to seed. Time to do the last big harvest and make another boatload of pesto.

Enjoy this weather while we can!

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Hobbies, Howard County, Nature, Weather, West HoCo and tagged Food, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, hobbies, Howard County, tomatoes, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Holiday Weekends

Posted on August 31, 2013 by AnnieRie

Sometimes I forget how hectic they can be. As an old retired person, I don’t always think about when the holidays occur. I am still on August time. Forgetting Monday is Labor Day.

We hit the highs and lows of holiday traffic today. Lows at Harris Teeter. Not much happening there. I do hope they get more traffic once the restaurants open and more housing comes in. We had most of the store to ourselves this morning. I was getting the Asian elements to make my bitter melon soup. Bean thread noodles. Mushrooms. Fish sauce.

We then headed out to Mt. Airy for three stops. The Tractor Supply Store. England Acres. Wagner’s Meats. Let’s just say the farm and the butcher were both out of control with people. We have never encountered lines at either location.

I got the 1/2 pound of fresh pork I needed for the soup from Wagner’s. While there, was tempted and bought some really nice looking boneless spare ribs.

I got some red peppers to make a new batch of ajvar with the CSA eggplant. Got milk, eggs and my husband’s favorite snacks, “WAY BETTER” tortilla chips made from sweet potatoes, or black beans, or blue corn, all at England Acres. There was no room to park and a back up in the driveway.

Came home to the usual. The sound of mowers and tractors. It may be a holiday but the people around here still keep working on the land. My neighbor was out whacking down his meadow with a serious piece of equipment. He wants to replant it with grasses suitable for mowing into bales of horse feed, aka hay.

He asked if we wanted our far out there untouched area cut down a bit. And made short work of it.

I made some old favorites tonight. Kofta. Watermelon, feta and mint salad. Cole slaw.

Yep, it’s a holiday. We just have to pay attention to the calendar.

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Lake Woebegone

Posted on August 27, 2013 by AnnieRie

If you remember the news from Lake Woebegone, where all the women are strong, the men are good looking and the children are above average, you have to chuckle at the latest list of the “wealthiest zip codes in the Baltimore area”.

Patch Report from the Baltimore Business Journal shows nine of the ten in Howard County. But, what does it really mean? All this data. Statistics. Lies, damn lies and statistics, as they say.

We live at the boundary of number one and three in their list. I still have to stop and remember that median and mean are two very different measures.

So, number one is Dayton, 21036 with a median household income of $166,007, an average net worth of $1.85 million, and median home value of $732,222.

Number three, which is Glenelg, 21737 has a median income of $159,570, average net worth of $1.86 million, and median home value of $720,833.

Number two on their list is West Friendship, number four is Cooksville and number five is Fulton (including Maple Lawn). All of them surround us. Lower down the list were Glenwood, Highland, Clarksville and Ellicott City.

OK, I look at these lists and think of the Lake Woebegone quote, and say to myself, wow, we are so below average in our house.

And, then I remember the McMansions, which drive that median number way up. There are dozens of McMansions being built here. Where it used to be a three acre minimum for building, and land prices used to be cheap, now they are cramming huge houses on an acre. I can’t figure how they get wells, septic fields, driveways, massive homes and roads all squished together without interference in the newer neighborhoods. These homes start at $700,000 and keep going into the stratosphere. They line Triadelphia, and Ten Oaks, and Howard Roads.

We don’t feel like this is the wealthiest part of the world. My neighbors are teachers, firemen, bus drivers, people who bought here decades ago when land was cheap, relative to Columbia. But then, we don’t live in those new expensive developments either.

Every time I see references to the “rich rural west”, I cringe. It’s only the influx of the mansions that is driving these numbers higher. Back 15 or so years ago, there were less than 1000 homes in the entire zip code of Dayton. Still some small farms, too.

Hundreds of new homes have been built during the boom years, and even now three new developments are adding more and more large homes on relatively small lots.

It is weird to see the changes that have occurred just in the nine years we have been here.

Oh well, being below average has its benefits. Less taxes, but still the “distinction” of living in one of the richest zip codes out there.

Here’s to those “damn lies”.

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