Tag Archives: community

One of Those Cooking Days & Getting Ready for the HoCo Markets to Open

Posted on April 24, 2012 by AnnieRie

Since I got the CSA delivery yesterday, I realized I needed to do something with all the goodies, from this week and last. The freezer is bare of stocks. I used the last one for soup a week ago using chicken thighs I bought at Roots. I also had eggs galore and beets from this week.

I dry roast my beets. Washed and placed on a bed of salt. Ninety minutes in the oven for beets this size, at 350 degrees.

They will be used for something like this, using the CSA oranges and spring onion.

The eggs will go into an egg salad for lunches. Doing these leaves me with 20 eggs until the farmer’s market opens.

As for making beef stock, I chopped up the ugliest carrots, used up the celery and last week’s leeks, and the end of last week’s spring onions to make the base.

Added my herbs and plopped in the frozen beef bones bought at Wagner’s in Mt. Airy a while back. Using these bones frees up quite a bit of space in the freezer. Put water in the crock pot and crank up to high for six hours. Then, I will be working at reducing and straining all the goodness out of this stock.

I will be the first to admit that having a CSA and getting fresh veggies means more work up front. Cleaning greens, prepping veggies, roasting, and cooking takes much longer than opening a box or container and nuking it. We used to do that years ago. I am glad I have the time to do this now. Much of it can be done on weekends, and we eat lots of defrosted soups and stews from crock pot cooking.

Once all this goodness is done, the dinners and lunches will show up in posts in the next week or so. Maybe another satisfying soup like this one from a few weeks back.

If you want good organic food at a fraction of the cost of pre-packaged, you should consider one of the CSAs that deliver to Howard County. There are a number of them out there, and I find that I spend less for good fresh organic foods by subscribing to a CSA year round. From May 2011 until May 2012, I only have one week without a CSA delivery (and that will be next week).

My summer CSA starts up on May 10th, just in time to use fresh veggies for lunches and dinners. I will be picking up in Columbia this year. Just off Cedar Lane. Thursday delivery so I can still hit the farmer’s markets on Friday and Saturday to get my meats, eggs, dairy and breads. Looks like a summer with minimal grocery store visits because Howard County has a great variety of sources for fresh foods. They are updating the web page daily and adding the vendors. Check it often to see if your market day is covered yet.

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Earth Day Here and There

Posted on April 21, 2012 by AnnieRie

Tomorrow is Earth Day, but today the Conservancy was hosting dozens of volunteers and visitors for service projects, a plant sale by the Master Gardeners, a birding hike, and crafts projects for the little ones.

The wheel barrows were loaded and ready to go out for tree planting.

The parking lot was full of cars, on a lovely morning that cleared up to make it easy to work. Thankfully, it didn’t rain on the projects.

WR Grace brought out a group of volunteers to put in plants and mulch the entrance area, right on Old Frederick Rd. Everybody was hard at work. The Conservancy greatly appreciates their dedicated volunteers that come out to help.

I bought a few more tomato plants from the Master Gardeners. I couldn’t resist. I got two red fig and two pineapple plants. Yes, these are tomatoes. Interesting rare varieties. The red fig dates back to the 1700s, and is a pear shaped tomato. The pineapple tomato is one of my favorites. In talking to the gardeners, they said many of their heirloom seeds come from Baker Creek, which is the source for this picture.

After I left there, I ran over to TLV Tree Farms to pick up herbs for my garden. At Greenfest last week, I told them I would come out during their Saturday hours (10am – 2PM) and pick up what I needed to fill in my herb garden with new annuals and a few perennials that are getting ragged.

While there, I did pick up a couple of New York Strip Steaks to grill if the weather holds. MD steaks marinating in MD wine. What could be better?

I put the three varieties of thyme in the ground this afternoon, and left the lavender sitting in the pots until I position the basil, tarragon and marjoram that isn’t hearty enough to plant yet.

English, creeping and silver queen thyme

Lavender waiting to be planted, keeping the mint company

I also wandered around to document the blooming of my bank of azaleas along the north side of the house. They are almost the last to bloom. One more area in the northeast corner still isn’t ready. These that bloomed today are brilliant red, and some of my favorites.

What a beautiful spring day in the county. One more pic of the azaleas, because they are so brilliant. Go out and plant something!

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Nothing to Do? Interesting Discussions.

Posted on April 19, 2012 by AnnieRie

Around the hocosphere these past few days has floated a discussion about the lack of activities out here in the hinterlands, far from the big cities.

I have to agree with Barbara Kellner in her comments to Matt, at Lost in Columbia.

I moved here in 1975, when there really wasn’t much to do. I was 22, fresh out of college, with a low paying job, and two roommates. We did lots of free things, mostly picnicing or hiking in the parks, like Patapsco State Park. Ellicott City is where we went for a treat. Or, Laurel. Until we got Roy’s Place Too and JK’s to hang at.

The reason I bring up Laurel was triggered the other night as I flipped the TV on early to catch the news. This did it. Lionel Richie singing a song from my youth.

Why? The Adult Catholic Singles. A club started at the Interfaith Center, where my roomie dragged me to a brunch in 1979. The club went the following Friday for an evening out at Randy’s California Inn (now this really dates me here). At the Sunday brunch I first met a young man who was the host. He was also at Randy’s. He got enough courage to ask me to dance to Three Times A Lady that evening. A year later, we danced to that same song at our wedding.

We did lots of local things that dating year, and during the 1980’s as a young married couple. Lots of inexpensive things, too, while living in Columbia. Racquetball, tennis, swimming pool Sundays. Jogged Lake Elkhorn almost every day. Discovered Centennial Park.

Lots of outdoor things. We eventually found Les Amis du Vin, and learned about wine, although we could only afford the occasional tasting on our budget back then. We did discover more in Ellicott City those days, where tastings were held.

We bought our first place together in 1982, during the 14-16% interest days. Yep, we did get lucky and sold our Howard Homes camp out home (who remembers those days?) for a decent profit to get us the down payment for our new town home.

Yes, we could have bought in Montgomery County where we worked, for lots more money, less space and more traffic. More to do, close to DC, it was a tradeoff.

We had great fun in our town home. Lots of young couples just starting out. We did pot luck dinners, including an annual crab feast, New Year’s Eve Party (great idea, all you had to do was weave your way across the cul de sac), and various other themes. The town houses held a spring and fall clean up day. And, a picnic.

We got into the Howard County Rec and Park hiking programs and walked the length of the Appalachian Trail in Maryland. All 42 miles of it, from High Rock to Harper’s Ferry. We did parts of the C&O Canal, too. And, various other hikes. We started these in 1989. They still do many of the same events.

Now, we spend just as much time outdoors, doing the bird walks, volunteering, gardening, walking, star gazing, and visiting the numerous wineries in the area. Friday nights at Black Ankle, for example, are a great evening out, to picnic, listen to music, as is Wine in the Woods and Wine in the Garden. I’ll be at both this year.

What could be better? Lovely locations. Good wine. Friendly people.

What other things can you think of, locally, that you do or did, in and around Howard County?

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Twenty Minute Clean Up Day

Posted on April 19, 2012 by AnnieRie

Check out Live Green Howard. Today is Twenty Minute Clean Up Day. This is the third year.

Spend twenty minutes doing something, anything that benefits you and your community by cleaning up your little influential circle in Howard County.

I can’t do much with lifting restrictions but I am spending my twenty minutes picking up trash along the guardrail on our road,

and all the paper and stuff that blows around on recycling day and ends up in our bushes. There are cans, bottles and paper all along there, and you can still reach enough of it to make a small difference. The old barbed wire fence that surrounded the horse pasture on the late 19th century farm that preceded our home being built here, is quite the trash catcher.

I also think I will wander across the road from the mailboxes and clean up the stuff people throw out of their cars there. Every little bit of cleaning helps, as we lost our Adopt A Road sponsor years ago.

If you get a chance, take a small bag and pick up the easy stuff around you. You know, the Choose Community thing is a good start.

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Art Reception This Week, and Earth Day

Posted on April 18, 2012 by AnnieRie

Two events this week at the Howard County Conservancy. The art reception and auction is tomorrow evening starting at 6 pm. I will be working the event, and who knows if I will get something to finish off the foyer. Lots of good stuff to bid on, particularly these pieces done on reclaimed wood by SOGH.

I keep hearing there is nothing to do in HoCO. For $12, come drink wine, hear entertaining judges, have some My Thyme appetizers, and maybe go home with interesting art for your place. If you have never heard Rebecca Hoffberger, you are in for a real treat. What is showing here is similar to what they are showcasing at the American Visionary Art Museum, or AVAM. All Things Round.

Then, for more to do, this weekend is Earth Day. The Conservancy has a full day planned. For singles, couples, families, retirees, whatever category that fits, there is something to do. Winter is hard on the trees and streams. Sprucing up the property in spring time means lots of little things to do. Easy to hard. Pick your pleasure. Stream cleanup, for example.

Some of us are going birding at 8 am. We may be out for two to three hours, depending on what we hear and see. We have recorded sightings of rare birds, and we have two very talented leaders. Even if you are just getting interested in what is singing in your yard, they are great to walk with. They bring the high powered scopes and generously share the sightings. We have seen eagles on the property, lots of raptors, rare sparrows, and it is spring. Can you say Orioles? We see them often. Baltimore and Orchard orioles. Here is a link to the bird club page with photos of Mt. Pleasant, the farm where the Conservancy is located.

After the bird walk, there are lots of activities that the staff are organizing. Clean up tasks, crafts for children. Check the web site if it rains. Come spend some time outdoors.

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Brighton Dam Azalea Gardens

Posted on April 15, 2012 by AnnieRie

The perfect place to spend Sunday afternoon. The azaleas are peaking early this year. There may not be much left in May.

We headed out to grab some food at Boarman’s including a couple of pulled pork sandwiches and iced tea to have a picnic and walk the gardens. Took along the cooler to put the rest of the groceries in, so we were consolidating shopping, dining and exercising.

The gardens were established when I was a very little girl. My parents brought us out here countless times to walk the five acres of gardens.

They are located on the Montgomery County side of the reservoir, and besides the gardens there is a rec area with picnic tables. On the rec area side is the only place you can have food, drink and pets. Most were just strolling, enjoying, taking pics like me, and just taking in the beauty of a spring day.

We found a few of our pollinating friends enjoying it too.

There are some very lovely specimens in colors other than the normal ones you see in azaleas, like this one, almost an apricot.

A few side paths were squeezed by the sheer size of the bushes, some of which are more than 50 years old.

We wandered for about an hour before returning to the car, just as things were beginning to get crowded. Go early or go during the week to avoid crowds.

This is one of our area’s best spring traditions and a fun day you can spend without paying anything. Take a picnic, wear your sneakers, bring your camera, and enjoy the flowers.

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An Exhausting But Fun Day at Greenfest

Posted on April 14, 2012 by AnnieRie

Every year, it seems to get bigger and better. Greenfest at HCC was the place to have fun for young and old alike, with indoor and outdoor activities, booths, classes and with live animals in one of the areas. The Conservancy was out in the main corridor this year, since we left the owl home. Crowds and other animals aren’t Ranger’s favorites.

But, we did bring some interesting things for the kids to touch, like a coyote pelt and a black snake’s discarded skin.

The children were fascinated with the snake skin and loved to touch the softness of the coyote pelt. It did seem to escape the notice of the County Executive who we saw stopping at booth after booth and conversing with the exhibitors.

Just kidding. It was nice to meet Ken Ulman, and we are glad that the county sponsors events like this one. After my volunteering time at the Conservancy booth, we spent time wandering, learning and just having fun, so I couldn’t believe how quickly the day went.

We purchased some cheese from Bowling Green Farms, and brisket from TLV Tree Farms. Thanks to both Howard County Farms for providing the mini farmer’s market. Their web sites are linked on my local resources page.

I will be stopping out at TLV since they are open on Saturdays to add some new herbs to my garden. They had a wonderful array of plants and herbs there today. They will be at the Wednesday, Friday and Sunday markets, I believe.

The list on the farmer’s market web site of vendors is slated to come out this week. Kathy Zimmerman of the HCEDA office confirmed that. The Howard County Farmer’s Markets open three weeks from Wednesday, the first market at the new Miller Library in Ellicott City. I think it is great we have so many young farmers here. Supporting them and helping them succeed makes the county a better place.

My husband did the circuit of the vendors, took a few classes and thankfully restrained himself from bringing home dozens of samples and giveaways. After all, we are retired and trying to rightsize. I do like the notepad with a cover from recycled cardboard.

We were very proud to see that HoLLIE and Ann Strozyk received Robinson Foundation awards. I worked with Ann on curriculum ideas as part of my HoLLIE internship last year.

What I love most about Robinson and the Conservancy? Anne Robinson donated to start the Foundation, and the Nature Center is a tribute to a Howard County woman who believed in giving something that our children and their children will enjoy. Just like Ruth and Frances Brown donated their land to the Conservancy to connect people with nature. The children seemed to have fun today, too.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I love living here. I think Money Magazine had it close but not quite correct. Maybe to them we were number two in the best places to live, but to me, the whole county is special and we are the best place to live. Call me Pollyanna, but being here for 38 years is a testament to how much this county means to me.

Not that I didn’t come home today and collapse for a nap, after all day out and running around. At least, being retired, I can excuse the two hour nap before dinner.

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Too Much To Do This Weekend

Posted on April 13, 2012 by AnnieRie

Like everyone else around here in the Howard County area, I am seeing lots of things to do every weekend now that spring has arrived.

It is funny how all the big events start clustering together in April and May and cluttering our calendars.

What to do? What to do?

Greenfest is where I will be, since I volunteered to spend three hours manning a booth for the Conservancy. The hike to the river is where I’d like to be, but can’t navigate treacherous hills until I have more mobility in my neck.

The Housing Fair is happening, but since we aren’t in that market, it didn’t make my short list.

HoCoConnect did a really good summary of what is going on at Greenfest, and I will add what I want to see. He also highlights two other events I missed.

Well & Wise has a list of upcoming events, too. They include the announcements of the Conservancy events this week and next.

At Greenfest, I will be attending at least two workshops, one on stormwater management in your yard, and one on backyard composting. We do compost some, but I can always use more tips and tricks. I wish I could do the watershed walks, but they conflict. Hubby is going to hear Cathy Hudson talk about raising chickens in the morning at 11am, while I am working at our table. And, just walking around talking to vendors is interesting. I applied last year for the lottery for a free energy audit, and won. We now know what we need to do to finish the weather proofing of our house, making it more energy efficient. As I said above, what to do, what to do?

Don’t forget, there will be a mini farmer’s market there too.

Sunday morning I may make the trek into Baltimore to check out the market for some herbs from Knopps Farm, one of my old favorite vendors when I went to visit family in Severn. If you have never taken a Sunday morning drive to this market, you are missing one of the largest and craziest markets around here. Worth the drive up I-95. There are 45 vendors registered for this year, some with crafts, some with food products, others with produce, meat and dairy, and we love the excitement.

Go early if you do want to find things. It is just an amazing array of food, people and good times. South Mountain Creamery and Zahradka Farms are there. My source of dairy most of the time, and my winter CSA. Both of these vendors will be at Glenwood in four weeks, but until then Baltimore is a good place to get their products, particularly for Elkridge and East Columbia Hoco residents. The market is set up under the Jones Falls Expressway.

And, then of course, I get to come home and file income tax. Not letting MD get those few dimes of mine until the very last minute. At least we broke even and get a few bucks back from the Feds. Hmm, I didn’t check, do we get an extra day or two? Yes, google my friend, says we have until Tuesday, so if the weather is nice, we can spend more time downtown.

I love spring!

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Choosing Community in Howard County

Posted on April 12, 2012 by AnnieRie

Last night’s bloggers party in Second Chance Saloon in Columbia reminded me of why I love living here, and wouldn’t change it without serious thoughts on what could possibly be better. I moved out here in 1975 to find a sense of community. In those early days, it was really small here, and felt like a small town with that sense of community. I mean, I still have my original ADC map from 1976, back when there were just a fraction of the number of people in Howard Couny than today. In 1975, less people lived in the entire county than there are now in the city of Columbia.

The Choose Civility bumper stickers miss the point, I believe. Civility isn’t enough. Community is.

The bloggers here are incredibly welcoming, friendly, willing to assist new bloggers, welcome readers and bloggers equally, and so much more. If you read hocoblogs, you can see that. Until you attend your first get together and are welcomed as if “Everybody knows your name”, you won’t understand the power of that community.

My hubby came with me last night. He was a bit worried that he would be bored by all of us talking blog stuff. He didn’t need to be. He came home and told me he had a great time. Everyone was friendly. Talkative. Mixed and mingled. No cliques. No awkward silences or sense of exclusion anywhere.

Ask Nicole of HoCo Loco, our newest blogger, who has been welcomed just like I was at my first party in February.

When I first contacted HowChow and got linked into his blog roll, the welcome was amazing. We exchange emails, and do pingbacks to each other’s blog. He told me he was helped immensely in the beginning by bloggers like Jessie Newburn who is behind the curtain at hocoblogs. Jessie helps all of us by keeping us out there, keeping us motivated. And for organizing the bloggers parties over how many years now?

So, last night I met Marshmallow Man, Sarah and Julia, who cohosted this party, Duane of HoCo Connect, Matt of the newly restored Lost in Columbia blog, Anne from Annethologie, Jeff from Green Floss, Frank from FrankHecker, and others whose names escape me at the moment. Ginger Breadgirl was there as well. Love the pic tweeted last night.

I missed talking to LisaBMrsS, I think I saw Dennis of To2C fame pop in but never got to say Hi, and I was surprised at how many people I remembered from February. As you can see, there are dozens of active bloggers in Howard County who turned out for this event.

One by one, we are losing papers and magazines around here. More and more, we turn to social media to stay in touch, but we don’t always connect. I think this community of bloggers here, connects. In a good way.

Hoping to attend many more get togethers and keep Howard County as great as I personally think it is today.

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Some History of Mt. Pleasant

Posted on April 11, 2012 by AnnieRie

We recently took a guided walk around the Howard County Conservancy property looking at the buildings through the eyes of the historians. Much of the property is being preserved, in order to keep examples of agricultural heritage so important to Howard County. The farm was named Mt. Pleasant by the Brown family members who lived there. The family owned the land from 1692 until they donated it to the Conservancy almost 20 years ago. Parcel names and boundaries changed over the years either by marriages, or bequeathing of properties to the various children, and the 232 acres are what remained that Ruth and Frances Brown donated. Together the sisters taught school in Howard County for a combined total of 97 years.

Head up the driveway towards the top of the hill where many of the buildings still stand.

The farmhouse is the centerpiece of the property, and you can’t see it until you get far into the grounds. It sits high on the property with vistas in many directions. I can only imagine how peaceful and quiet it was before Waverly Woods and I-70 were added. You can hear the interstate traffic faintly these days.

It was built in stages, with the front of it, seen from the parking lot, a newer addition. New, being relative, that is. The original log cabin is still under the siding covered walls near the rear of the house, the logs were covered over as the family grew and expanded the house. Inside there are three separate staircases, and connections between the different parts of the home.

The front of the farmhouse is used for offices now, and the rear is the home of the caretaker’s family, so it is not open to the public. This view from the rear shows where one of the “front” entrances is located, which faced west-northwest.

There are numerous outbuildings as well. Many of these are in stages of preservation. Some are used for demos. Besides the ones I picture, there is a carriage house, a corn crib, a bank barn, and wagon shed. One of the two coops now holds the resident chickens.

The smokehouse and second coop, once used to house guinea fowl. No one knows why those cut outs are there.

When can you see much of the property used as it may have been used years ago?

At the annual Fallfest in October is one time. Including demonstrations in the blacksmith shop. Also this year, there will be a wonder walk in July that showcases what it was like to live and farm on the land.

The Montjoy barn, which is always a draw for people visiting, was moved to the Conservancy from Ellicott City and reassembled. It would have been torn down to make way for development in its former location.

There is also a three acre honors garden on the grounds, where you can find examples of plants native to this area.

Finally, stop in and get the arboretum guide, and you will find trees on site that are beautiful specimens like this American Elm behind the farmhouse, and while back there look carefully and find the outhouse and the foundation for the ice house. Lots of history on the property. So much to discover on your own, or on one of the Conservancy wonder walks. I volunteer here and never get tired of exploring the trails, walking the pathways, visiting the chickens and goats, looking for birds, or just chilling out.

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