AnnieRie Unplugged

Wine in the Garden

Posted on May 17, 2012 by AnnieRie

With all the talk about Wine in the Woods, don’t forget that next Thursday is one of the highlights of the Howard County Conservancy annual events, Wine in the Garden.

Reduced price for tickets ends on May 20th. $40 until then, $50 after that. It is well worth the price of admission to spend the evening wandering the paths of the Honors Garden, while sampling excellent food and tasting the wines provided by the event sponsors.

All proceeds from this event go to fund the preservation and education programs at the Conservancy. This is the big event of the year, where the Conservancy’s generous sponsors donate the food, drink, and silent auction items.

As you stroll around, you will see the descriptions or the items displayed. There are some really nice additions this year to what is being offered. I am looking at the BSO tickets, or maybe the weekend at the B&B in Shepherdstown WV. Last year we won a fold up reclining chair donated by REI. Every day new items are being added as they are delivered to the Conservancy.

The caterers and wine contributors include:
Absolutely Perfect Catering ~ Atlantic Caterers ~ Biddle Street Catering and Events ~ Catering by Uptown ~ Constellation Wines US ~ Far Eastern Shore Winery ~ Gourmet Express Catering ~ Hunt Valley Catering ~ My Thyme, Inc ~ Putting on the Ritz ~ Reliable Churchill ~ The Savory Spoon ~ Simply Elegant Catering ~ The Spice Rack ~Stanford Grill ~ Your Wine & Spirit Shoppe

I wanted to highlight this list of local and nearby companies who annually contribute incredibly beautiful foods and complimenting wines that allow the guests to wander and savor the experience at their leisure. With three acres of gardens, and numerous pathways, every time you turn a corner someone is offering you treats or pouring you a couple of ounces of interesting wines.

The fruit based wines from Far Eastern Winery are really interesting, and something I would not ordinarily drink, but they paired so well with some of the spicy offerings of a couple of the caterers. Dry wines can overpower or fight with those satays, or those tasty little bites that include Indian spices.

This is what is so much fun about Wine in the Garden. The variety. The thought process to find good wines to match what you are tasting. The relative peace and quiet and the view. Beautiful al fresco setting.

And, the water lilies may be blooming by then. Last year they bloomed the beginning of June, but this year they may be a week early and looking like this.

Come join us. We are setting up auction items earlier in the day, then returning to enjoy the event with friends. Cheers!

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The Miller Library and Market after a Morning at the Conservancy

Posted on May 16, 2012 by AnnieRie

Wow! Today was the first time I went to Miller Library. I went for the farmer’s market after having fun leading first graders around looking for nature, like strawberries and frogs. First graders learn “I Spy Nature” in places like the herb garden, honors garden, farm house front yard, and the apple orchard at the Howard County Conservancy, my favorite place to be on a lovely spring morning.

Wild berries to be found in the clover.

Can you find the two frogs in the picture? The children were looking for colors, shapes, sights, sounds, smells, textures but not tasting. We focus on the senses and use them to discover the natural world around them.

As for the Conservancy, we will be doing Wine in the Garden next Thursday the 24th, and the garden is really lovely right now. The peonies are blooming. I believe these are aurora sunrise. They line the paths down to the Honors Garden where caterers will be feeding us, while volunteers pour wines from local vendors and distributors. A great evening, one I look forward to attending.

After leaving the children behind, for them to enjoy lunch at the picnic tables, I headed off to grab a snowball at the Woodstock Snowball Stand. Today’s flavor of the day was Red Wine Cooler (non alcoholic of course).

It was time to drive down to hit the market and find strawberries to put in the wine cooler I will be making when we grill this weekend. I had never been to the new library. I like Glenwood, my local library, but now I have library envy. Miller is just stunning. I went in to check out the Historical Society, then came out for the start of the market.

The first thing I saw was the new pull behind display trailer that our favorite bakery bought to use at the markets. Stone House Bakery has been at Glenwood a long time, and at the other markets as well. Love the display case.

I picked up some dinner rolls to have with leftover black bean soup, and with the chicken I will be grilling to go with that wine cooler this weekend.

I got the chicken from TLV Tree Farm, they were doing a brisk business in strawberries and asparagus. I also got a dozen eggs from them, and half a chicken. The chicken is fresh, “processed” just yesterday. No frozen birds anymore, we can get fresh free range chickens and know that they don’t have all those antibiotics or hormones.

Talked to John Dove, from Love Dove Farms, to find out garlic scapes will be here next week. I wasn’t the first to ask either, so we may be competing for one of the coolest veggies to use to make pesto. We did pick up some spring onions and some turnips, since I won’t be getting turnips in the CSA box tomorrow.

In order to support more of the farmers there, I did pick up my strawberries from Lewis Orchards, as I had bought chicken, eggs and asparagus from TLV. We always buy fruit from Lewis in the summer at Glenwood. I love getting her bruised peach specials and bringing them home to slice and freeze. Ugly fruit tastes better!

I was pleased to see all the people there at 2 pm. It was a bustling site in the middle of the afternoon.

Great Harvest and the Breadery are both there as well as The Cosmic Bean, and Penn Farm. It was not the week for Bowling Green Farms to bring cheese. They come every other week.

Check out the local markets. They are reasonable in price for the quality you receive, and you can’t get much fresher.

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Posted in Community, Farmer's Markets, Food, Gardening, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, Nature, Real Food, Volunteering, Wine and tagged community, cooking, farmer's markets, Food, foodie, gardening, grilling, hoco loco, Howard County, howard county conservancy, local businesses, Locavore, nature, volunteering, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Summer is Coming! Think Pink!

Posted on May 16, 2012 by AnnieRie

Summer is Rosé season around here. This is one of the best around, only surpassed by Linden. This one is very much in the style of a good Provence Rosé.

Monday night I poured out a couple of glasses to have with a frittata made with local ingredients, and realized just how often we turn to the local wineries to find a crisp refreshing dry Rosé to serve in the hotter months. I even found a new term for me to use to describe what we drink often. We are locapours, drinking locally crafted beers, wines, ciders, and ales.

The frittata, by the way, is one of my locavore specialties, made with whatever I found locally in the markets. It was made with the last of the winter CSA eggs, smoked salmon from the Catonsville market, pesto stuffed tomatoes (the tomatoes were from David’s and not local), greens from the spring CSA box. Almost all locally sourced. The pesto was big, with some cress and with the last of my black walnuts. Started on the stovetop and finished under the broiler.

Easy dinner. Good, too.

Today it’s off to the Miller Library farmer’s market to get eggs and some berries, if they have berries. Otherwise Larriland this weekend, I believe is ready.

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The West County ICC

Posted on May 14, 2012 by AnnieRie

Getting around in west county is confusing for some, easy for those who live here. This postcard that came today

reminded me that to get from east to west or vice versa, many of us use this relatively direct routing that the bike races use.

The Homewood/Folly Quarter/Triadelphia route is our ICC. People believe that these rural roads have little traffic and are good for serene quiet bike rides. Believe me, other than the Sunday morning of the races, these roads are anything but serene.

Bike race days don’t bother those of us who live out here (at least, most of us), but the pre-race training gets a little crazy. Packs of cyclists vying with trash trucks, Eyre buses, school buses and commuters using these roads as a way to avoid Rte. 32 can be a little daunting.

I have witnessed accidents because of low visibility around the trash trucks, and a number of times we have had tire tracks swerving up to our lawn and back down to the street.

Those of us who live out here go through this circle (downtown Glenelg meets the end of Dayton) countless times a week. The gas wars between Royal Farms and Shell means we have some of the best prices around. This pic in April was when gas in Columbia was almost $4.

Lots of residents come here to gas up and get coffee, so it is a busy place even on weekends. The run to Columbia from West County along this route takes you past St. Anthony’s, where the Monk’s Bread that HowChow blogged about is sold.

This site is lovely, with grounds that are just incredible to visit.

The University of Maryland has some of their research farms along the route also.

So many times, people say to get to Glenwood or Glenelg to just take Rte. 32. It is not the most direct way to travel, and certainly isn’t as scenic. The back roads that connect east and west, and north and south get you past some interesting sites, like this one.

This is on the north south shortcut and Rte. 32 avoidance route. Where else can you find a post office like this one?

Take the back roads. Avoid 32, and the traffic. Stop and enjoy the scenery, and eat al fresco at the Crossroads. The $29.95 all you can eat crab special is active. We saw the sign on our way north on the Ten Oaks/Linthicum route the other day.

At least their picnic tables have a fence to keep you from getting that parking lot view.

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Posted in Community, Food, Howard County, Restaurants, West HoCo and tagged commentary, community, Food, hoco loco, Howard County, local businesses, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

The Garden Is In!

Posted on May 13, 2012 by AnnieRie

Done. Finished. Well almost. I still have to mulch tomorrow. But all the plants are in. In Howard County, the rule of thumb is don’t plant tomatoes until Mother’s Day. No frosts in the county and hopefully temps that will stay above fifty degrees.

I am experimenting this year. Part will be heavily mulched, and part has black fabric with light mulch. Mulch tomorrow and a light input of food, and I am done. The rain the next few days should establish the plants.

As for my herb garden, it is going gangbusters. The sage is huge and is flowering.

The English thyme that overwintered came back with a vengeance.

All the other plants are doing well. I put in 32 tomato plants today. I may be selling tomatoes on street corners in August, but who cares. If they all don’t make it, at least what does, will keep me happy through the summer, fall and winter. I will be freezing and canning.

As for current goodies, tonight we had plum tomatoes from David’s stuffed with homemade pesto. A hearty, killer pesto made with greens from the CSA, walnuts, parmesan and olive oil. Not that pretty, but so tasty.

I low temp roasted some wild ahi and served it with the tomatoes and some cremini stuffed with this pesto. The greens in the pesto included Persian cress, turnip greens and curly parsley from my CSA delivery.

We opened an old local wine.

Breaux is about an hour away, just south of Harper’s Ferry. This 1999 Cabernet was still doing very well for its age. It had the berry taste that the back label described, even after 13 years. The smoky oak was still there. DH swore he picked up the anise that the label described, but I didn’t. All in all, a softer version of a young cab, perfect to compliment big, tomatoey tuna with a pesto that stood up and said, look at me.

Walnuts in pesto will do that.

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Posted in CSA, Food, Gardening, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, Weather, Wine and tagged cooking, CSA, Food, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, hoco loco, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, tomatoes, weather, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

I Am My Mother’s Daughter

Posted on May 13, 2012 by AnnieRie

Looking through old photos, I came across this one of my mom gardening at my grandparent’s home in Baltimore. Now, I know where I got the gardening bug.

Whenever I see pics of my mom when she was young, the resemblance to me at her age is uncanny. I know I inherited lots of her genetic traits, but seeing her in a place she loved, brings back memories.

My grandparents’ home was in the city, but it was a large property. Lots of room in the house and yard. Even a garage. I assume that the garden was a victory garden as my mom was a teenager during WW II, and it seems like everyone was gardening if they had any space to do so.

When I was a child and my grandfather passed away, we lived there a short time until my parents bought their home just a few miles down the road. I remember good times as a toddler and pre-schooler playing in that yard. A luxury in the city, and probably the reason why I always wanted to buy a place with enough land to garden.

On Mother’s Day, this connection to my mom is even more important for me. I remember all those carefree times as a family and cherish the time we have together and the phone conversations that go all over the place. The memories, the plans, the family, what is happening in her neighborhood. Little things that keep that connection alive.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there, in my family and yours!

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Posted in Family, Gardening, People, Remember When and tagged family, holidays, traditions. Bookmark the permalink.

Make a Bouquet and Card for Mom Tomorrow

Posted on May 11, 2012 by AnnieRie

The Saturday morning wonder walk at the Howard County Conservancy at 10 AM is a crafty fun day for families. Just in time for Mom’s Big Day, take a short walk to collect fresh flowers to make bouquets, and be crafty making homemade cards with pressed, dried flowers the volunteers collected in advance of the walk. The fields and trails are full of wildflowers right now.

Master Gardener Lisa Baum will be leading this event. Volunteer naturalists will be on hand to assist the little ones in putting dried flowers on cards, and in arranging their bouquets. After setting up their “vases” and putting pebbles in them for stability, they will go off to gather flowers. The little ones may catch a glimpse of the Conservancy animals like Lily and Holly, the goats while gathering flowers.

Or, if they go down the hill to the creek, they will pass by Ranger the owl, and may find Hodge Podge Lodge.

All materials are being provided by the volunteers and the Conservancy. There is no cost to do the wonder walks at the Conservancy. Take a hike and enjoy a lovely day with the family, or leave mom some quiet time as a special present by bringing the little ones so they can surprise her.

They may spy something special enjoying the flowers with them. Maybe a butterfly.

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What’s In The Box?

Posted on May 10, 2012 by AnnieRie

I now love Thursdays because they are CSA delivery days, my weekly Christmas on Thursday. We got our first box today for the Sandy Spring CSA. My new pickup point is an outparcel of Columbia off Cedar Lane. The list at the site had the confirmed contents of what was harvested and packed for the 40 or so members of this drop off point. We get to go to the web site and see in advance what they hope to pick and box.

CSA contents Week One

The collards were the only thing not included in the final tally. That’s OK because eleven items, mostly greens, is more than enough. I barely fit them all in a picture.

The hubby and I did a quick calculation of what we would pay at farmers’ markets and Roots for organic veggies like this. Since I had to stop at Roots to get organic chicken and shiitake mushrooms and ginger to make chicken chow mein with the bok choy, I got some of their prices. The tally here:

We got a pound of lettuce mix. At Silver Spring Market, for organic lettuce mix, it is $14 a pound. At Roots,$9.

We got a large bok choy weighing 12 ounces. At Roots, $3.69 a pound. Cost approximately $3.

Leaf lettuce, $2.49 each. We got two. So, $5.

Scallions, two bunches. Ours were a bit bigger than Roots. They were $1.69 a bunch. So, $3.50.

Parsley. $1.69.

Cress. $1.69, but ours was Persian cress and way more of it than the bunch at Roots. We had 10 ounces of cress. Estimate around $3 for ours.

Spinach $2.49 a bunch. Our 5 small bunches were about the equivalent of twice the size of their bunch. So, $5.

French breakfast radishes. No real comparison, but their radishes were $2.49 a bunch. Say our specialty radishes, like those we find only at Dupont Circle and cost $4 a bunch.

Baby Hakurei turnips. Last time I bought them at Dupont they cost me $4.

Total:

Conservatively — $38. If I got fresh organic lettuce mix instead of Roots in a plastic container, add $5.

The $29.72 a week we pay for this CSA is well worth the price, considering I don’t have to run to organic markets and far away farmer’s markets to get some amazingly fresh veggies. We like the surprises, and the exotic items are interesting to experiment.

It takes about 30-40 minutes to clean and put away the veggies.

I have already been menu planning, and chow mein is a big item. So is a colcannon with turnips, potatoes from Boarman’s, the turnip greens, radish greens and some of the cress and spinach.

A pesto or two is also in the running.

Salads for lunch with some tuna or chicken.

I love opening that box and seeing what goodness is within it.

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Foraging, Cultivating, Harvesting and Shopping

Posted on May 9, 2012 by AnnieRie

Busy series of days. Don’t forget the Howard County Farmer’s Markets are open this week. Wednesday through Sunday.

I don’t know which one(s) I will get to visit, as I have to see what is in the CSA Box tomorrow. We got our tentative list. Twelve items!! At least, unless there is a typo and we aren’t getting scallions twice. We have gotten duplicates in the past, when items are plentiful from multiple sources. Since there are more than sixty farms in our CSA coop, we get similar items from individual sources.

As for the foraging, slowly I am finding single spears of asparagus out under the crepe myrtle. I now have four. By the weekend, two more and then maybe asparagus risotto will find its way on the menu.

The pole beans are in. The cukes go in later today, as they were all getting really leggy hanging around inside with the tomato plants. The tomatoes I will plant Saturday or Sunday. We may get one or two cool evenings and I want them to wait a few more days.

As for harvesting, the lettuces and greens are still going nuts. Dinner tonight will include arugula and microgreens from the boxes I have outside in a bunny resistant arrangement.

Arugula – spicy, peppery and so good in salads.

Greens by the back door, protected from strong sun will go all summer this way.

As for the markets, pick up some herbs and put in a pot or two. Great to snip fresh herbs on your grilled dinners.

Going full bore, and so good to use. Notice the cover in the background protecting the basil overnight. It is doing well, even though planted a little early. Sage, rosemary, lavender, tarragon, marjoram, thyme and mint. Really easy to grow.

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The Garden After the Rain

Posted on May 8, 2012 by AnnieRie

Besides the rhododendron, this is the time the trees and shrubs are the best present springtime brings us here in this area. We are graced with some mature, immensely beautiful specimens throughout our yard and garden. We spend the time to prune, feed and protect these lovely gifts of nature, and after today’s rain they are awesome.

The mock orange shrub out by the well is gearing up to blaze us with white and yellow flowers.

Mock Orange

The kousa dogwoods are blooming earlier than they usually do.

Kousa Blossoms

Although they make me nervous at the weight of the branches from the rain. We carefully prune them every year but they are growing like crazy because of all the rain the past year.