Here are a few updates on topics that interest me:
Yes, there are three fox kits (Kit, Kat, & Kabboodle). I watched them playing tag, in and out of the den holes. No wonder Rennie was looking kind of puny and run down. These three are a handful but look very healthy.
Wild leeks are nearing the end of their short season. I was able to pick some on Sunday and clean and freeze them today. Still need to make leek cheese spread. For supper we had a wild leek and mushroom/Swiss Cheese tart. That was yummy. For anyone interested in leeks and supporting some good organizations, the Spring Creek Fire Department is hosting their annual Ham and Leek Supper on Saturday, May 3d. Time is 11am - 4pm but they do run out. It's a fixed price for ham, potatoes, leeks, dessert, beverage. Usually the proceeds benefit several churches in the area. It's a fun weekend event, tasty, and casual.
The Weed Harvester has been moved to it's summer dock space. From just an interested by-stander point of view, it would make sense for lake front owners to remove the branches that have fallen into the lake. When the Harvester hits these invisible objects, teeth get broken or the cutting bar jams. Anything that damages the equipment or causes unnecessary time wasted on repairs takes away from the time spent harvesting weeds.
On the topic of the health of Findley Lake, I was appalled to watch a local landscaper blowing leaves INTO the lake. If you use a landscaper to maintain your yard, be sure they know to actually "remove" the leaves from the property. By blowing leaves into the lake, nutrients are being added to the water, which feed the weeds and add debris to the bottom. It's a waste of everyone's money to pay for weed harvesting or weevils, or anything to control the weeds only to have poor lake management practices occurring on individual properties.
Sunday we had an international meal: A French recipe for ground sirloin patties made with ground venison, an Indian spicy sauteed cabbage, and a Japanese grated radish salad. So many recipes, so little time. Now I have my brother trying to get me some purple sweet potatoes to grow this summer.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
This and That
Yesterday I got a good view of my fox family and found out that there are two kits. They were playing tag in and out of the burrows. Glad to see that they are healthy and active. Decided to name them Kit and Kat (and there may even be a Kaboodle hiding in the den). Rennie (the mother) looks scruffy and thin. It's a lot of work taking care of and feeding two active kits. The father (Nyardo) looks great, red, bushy, and clean.
I have successfully rooted a stalk of lemon grass. Erie County Farms has stalks for $1.99/pound. I had read that you could root them so I tried putting one with a good end in water. Sure enough, it rooted nicely. It's now planted in a big pot and I hope to keep it outside all summer, bringing it in during the winter. Now I need to find a lot of recipes using lemon grass.
Today the temperatures were in the 70's and sunny. We spent some quality time outside, doing some yard work and totally pruning our Criterion Apple tree. Tried to water witch our well but don't think we were successful.
I had planned tonight's supper yesterday. It's my own recipe using some homemade Thai green curry I had frozen.
Seafood Green Curry (feeds 2)
3 - 4 TBSP Green Curry (either from canned or homemade (see below))
1 - 14 oz can fat free/low sodium chicken broth
3 TBSP minced lemon grass
7 oz coconut milk (half a can - freeze the rest for later)
8 oz fresh or frozen snow pea pods or sugar snap peas (can substitute frozen green beans)
4 - 6 oz fillet Mahi Mahi or other firm white fish
1 lb. cooked shrimp
8 oz fresh bean sprouts (canned also OK)
3 green onions
1 cup cooked rice
cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)
lime wedges for garnish (optional)
Because I had made Green Curry Base and had portions in the freezer, I used one portion. In a 2 quart pot, heat green curry and chicken broth. Stir to mix, then add coconut milk and bring to simmer. Add snow or sugar snap peas, cook for 3 minutes. Add Mahi Mahi and cook 2 minutes. Add cooked shrimp and bring back to boil. Add bean sprouts. Add chopped green onion tops, bring back to boil, cook 3 minutes stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
Heat rice in microwave if necessary. Divide between two soup bowls. Spoon on curry, add enough of the liquid so you can see it in the bowl. Top with sliced white parts of green onions, cilantro leaves, and lime wedges. Serve with large soup spoons.
Green Curry Base
6-8 small green chiles, Thai, jalapenos, etc your choice
1 onion chopped fine
1 TBSP chopped garlic (out of a jar is fine)
1 TBSP grated ginger (out of a jar is fine)
1 - 2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
2 - 3 tsp ground black pepper
1 TBSP Thai fish sauce
Seed and chop the chiles. Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Take 4 pieces of plastic wrap (6" X 6") and in each one put 3 TBSP of Curry. Depending on size of chiles used, you may need more squares. Place each filled plastic into a cupcake tin and freeze. When frozen, complete wrapping each portion and freeze them together in a ziplock. Each portion seasons one meal for 2 - 4 people.
I have successfully rooted a stalk of lemon grass. Erie County Farms has stalks for $1.99/pound. I had read that you could root them so I tried putting one with a good end in water. Sure enough, it rooted nicely. It's now planted in a big pot and I hope to keep it outside all summer, bringing it in during the winter. Now I need to find a lot of recipes using lemon grass.
Today the temperatures were in the 70's and sunny. We spent some quality time outside, doing some yard work and totally pruning our Criterion Apple tree. Tried to water witch our well but don't think we were successful.
I had planned tonight's supper yesterday. It's my own recipe using some homemade Thai green curry I had frozen.
Seafood Green Curry (feeds 2)
3 - 4 TBSP Green Curry (either from canned or homemade (see below))
1 - 14 oz can fat free/low sodium chicken broth
3 TBSP minced lemon grass
7 oz coconut milk (half a can - freeze the rest for later)
8 oz fresh or frozen snow pea pods or sugar snap peas (can substitute frozen green beans)
4 - 6 oz fillet Mahi Mahi or other firm white fish
1 lb. cooked shrimp
8 oz fresh bean sprouts (canned also OK)
3 green onions
1 cup cooked rice
cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)
lime wedges for garnish (optional)
Because I had made Green Curry Base and had portions in the freezer, I used one portion. In a 2 quart pot, heat green curry and chicken broth. Stir to mix, then add coconut milk and bring to simmer. Add snow or sugar snap peas, cook for 3 minutes. Add Mahi Mahi and cook 2 minutes. Add cooked shrimp and bring back to boil. Add bean sprouts. Add chopped green onion tops, bring back to boil, cook 3 minutes stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
Heat rice in microwave if necessary. Divide between two soup bowls. Spoon on curry, add enough of the liquid so you can see it in the bowl. Top with sliced white parts of green onions, cilantro leaves, and lime wedges. Serve with large soup spoons.
Green Curry Base
6-8 small green chiles, Thai, jalapenos, etc your choice
1 onion chopped fine
1 TBSP chopped garlic (out of a jar is fine)
1 TBSP grated ginger (out of a jar is fine)
1 - 2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
2 - 3 tsp ground black pepper
1 TBSP Thai fish sauce
Seed and chop the chiles. Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Take 4 pieces of plastic wrap (6" X 6") and in each one put 3 TBSP of Curry. Depending on size of chiles used, you may need more squares. Place each filled plastic into a cupcake tin and freeze. When frozen, complete wrapping each portion and freeze them together in a ziplock. Each portion seasons one meal for 2 - 4 people.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Diverse Observations 4/11/08
A ride around the lake today finds lots of items of note:
Rudolph the Red Socked Nose Reindeer has lost his head. It fell off of its neck last weekend.
New carriage lights on the formerly pink house on Shadyside look great. Nice lake decor.
Shadyside skating rink has been drained and packed up for the winter.
Dredging was done at south end of the lake and new dock is being built by the curve. My
opinion is that the entire end of the lake should be dredged to make a channel for the weed
harvester to make a complete circuit. If the dredged up material was put in the middle of the area, it would form an island and provide nice habitat for the birds, turtles and other
reptiles, while allowing weed harvesting in the shallow end.
Beaver are back at the south end of the lake. Hope their human neighbors can find a way to
accommodate them.
A pair of geese are staking out nesting area along the creek on the south side of Shadyside at the very end of the lake. Last year when this happened, it appeared that a predator killed one of the nesting pair. Hopefully this young couple will be more successful.
Rounding the lake and heading up Sunnyside, building continues at the three new houses and one big remodel. One new house, up on the hillside, now sports siding. Color is a light sand or putty. Again, the color choice is in keeping with the new lake decor, away from strong colors and towards softer, more neutral or organic colors.
New Findley Lake Area Chamber of Commerce brochures/maps/directories are available at
the Waterwheel Overlook and at member businesses.
The Lake level is officially being raised. The plan is to start weed harvesting in May.
Saw Rennie out playing with one kit. She looks haggard from nursing it, but seems well.
Redwing Blackbirds are now arriving at the feeder. Now the seed is really disappearing.
Rudolph the Red Socked Nose Reindeer has lost his head. It fell off of its neck last weekend.
New carriage lights on the formerly pink house on Shadyside look great. Nice lake decor.
Shadyside skating rink has been drained and packed up for the winter.
Dredging was done at south end of the lake and new dock is being built by the curve. My
opinion is that the entire end of the lake should be dredged to make a channel for the weed
harvester to make a complete circuit. If the dredged up material was put in the middle of the area, it would form an island and provide nice habitat for the birds, turtles and other
reptiles, while allowing weed harvesting in the shallow end.
Beaver are back at the south end of the lake. Hope their human neighbors can find a way to
accommodate them.
A pair of geese are staking out nesting area along the creek on the south side of Shadyside at the very end of the lake. Last year when this happened, it appeared that a predator killed one of the nesting pair. Hopefully this young couple will be more successful.
Rounding the lake and heading up Sunnyside, building continues at the three new houses and one big remodel. One new house, up on the hillside, now sports siding. Color is a light sand or putty. Again, the color choice is in keeping with the new lake decor, away from strong colors and towards softer, more neutral or organic colors.
New Findley Lake Area Chamber of Commerce brochures/maps/directories are available at
the Waterwheel Overlook and at member businesses.
The Lake level is officially being raised. The plan is to start weed harvesting in May.
Saw Rennie out playing with one kit. She looks haggard from nursing it, but seems well.
Redwing Blackbirds are now arriving at the feeder. Now the seed is really disappearing.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring Tra-La
Thank Gilbert and Sullivan for today's theme song. " The flowers that bloom in the spring Tra- La, bring promise of merry sunshine".
Findley Lake spring flowers come in many forms.
While there are buds forming on the daffodils, they still have a ways to go before blooming.
Probably the first flowers to erupt here in early Spring are the Corvette flowers. Several weeks ago we caught a glimpse of a burgundy Corvette, brought out of it's winter shelter for a quick wash and a little hardening off. Just as quickly it was put back under cover, too delicate to stand the still freezing weather. This week, it was out again, taken for a spin on a nice day. Then today a yellow convertible Corvette was spotted. Like most of these flowers, it spends the winters indoors, pampered, fed and resting. Warm weather finds them visiting the Post Office, waiting for the first Whitney's catalog to arrive.
The second Spring flower, and most confusing for visitors, are the "For Sale" sign flowers. Having observed this phenomena for almost 30 years, I can attest to the seasonal nature of the sudden proliferation of signs in early Spring. Usually there are three or four different varieties. Visitors often conclude that the appearance of these signs signals untenable taxes. In reality, the desire to maximize income is a much more human and understandable reason. Also local realtors are adept at keeping first and second string "stables" of homes that could be sold for the right price. While I've considered trying this very popular lawn "flower", I'm more into vegetables this year.
That brings me back to the real flowers. Probably first visible will be the wild/naturalized crocuses in the lawns on School Street. Next will be the regular crocuses and wild daffodils. The Forget-Me-Not's will follow them later this Spring. The first tree to bloom will be the Service Berry, with it's smooth gray bark. Last tree to bloom will be the Locust.
Findley Lake won't see real flowers for at least two to three weeks after they start blooming in Erie. That's the wonder of the thermal flywheel. As we wait for warmer weather to arrive, we'll take any flower we can get. I'm planning on watching for more Corvettes and counting the "For Sale" signs. It's my usual Spring activity and a welcome change from the Winter doldrums.
Findley Lake spring flowers come in many forms.
While there are buds forming on the daffodils, they still have a ways to go before blooming.
Probably the first flowers to erupt here in early Spring are the Corvette flowers. Several weeks ago we caught a glimpse of a burgundy Corvette, brought out of it's winter shelter for a quick wash and a little hardening off. Just as quickly it was put back under cover, too delicate to stand the still freezing weather. This week, it was out again, taken for a spin on a nice day. Then today a yellow convertible Corvette was spotted. Like most of these flowers, it spends the winters indoors, pampered, fed and resting. Warm weather finds them visiting the Post Office, waiting for the first Whitney's catalog to arrive.
The second Spring flower, and most confusing for visitors, are the "For Sale" sign flowers. Having observed this phenomena for almost 30 years, I can attest to the seasonal nature of the sudden proliferation of signs in early Spring. Usually there are three or four different varieties. Visitors often conclude that the appearance of these signs signals untenable taxes. In reality, the desire to maximize income is a much more human and understandable reason. Also local realtors are adept at keeping first and second string "stables" of homes that could be sold for the right price. While I've considered trying this very popular lawn "flower", I'm more into vegetables this year.
That brings me back to the real flowers. Probably first visible will be the wild/naturalized crocuses in the lawns on School Street. Next will be the regular crocuses and wild daffodils. The Forget-Me-Not's will follow them later this Spring. The first tree to bloom will be the Service Berry, with it's smooth gray bark. Last tree to bloom will be the Locust.
Findley Lake won't see real flowers for at least two to three weeks after they start blooming in Erie. That's the wonder of the thermal flywheel. As we wait for warmer weather to arrive, we'll take any flower we can get. I'm planning on watching for more Corvettes and counting the "For Sale" signs. It's my usual Spring activity and a welcome change from the Winter doldrums.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Bald Eagle Sighting
Saw a bald eagle sitting in a tree off of I-86 in PA, just past the state line. It was sitting just above the nest that has been in the dead trees which stand in the middle of the water impoundment. Dick Miga, our local Chautauqua County birding guru, has asked that people send him information or photos of plants and animals, especially bald eagles. You can reach him by snail mail at 38 Elm St. Fredonia NY 14063 or by e-mail at nbleck@netsync.net
Thursday, April 3, 2008
End of the Easter Ham - Great Soup Recipe
First, it was a nice day with temperatures reaching 52 degrees. The lake had a light skim of ice on the edges in the morning, which would melt off later. Still no sign of the eagle but seagulls were flying around.
I signed up at www.presidentschallenge.com to try and do some exercise for 1/2 hour , five days a week. Today I did my first half hour on the recumbent bike. Took a walk around the property and dug a little in the garden. Pretty good for me.
Now, on to the Easter Ham. It was a particularly meaty, spiral sliced ham from Giant Eagle. We'd reached the end of about a week of ham meals so I decided to finish up cooking and/or freezing it.
HAM, LEEK, AND MUSHROOM SOUP
2 cups diced ham
3 leeks (about 6 inches long) thin sliced, including green
2 Yukon potatoes, cubed small
2 - 14 oz. cans low sodium/low fat chicken broth
1 - 2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup half and half (or milk)
3 TBSP flour
Dice about 2 cups of ham and start it sauteing in a 2 quart sauce pan. Clean and slice three leeks and tossed them in on top of the ham. Keep heat low and add a little water to prevent from scorching. As leeks begin to soften, add the potatoes. Saute a few minutes and then add both cans of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, stir, and continue to simmer until potatoes are tender. Stir flour into the half and half (or milk). Slowly stir into simmering soup. Soup should thicken some but still be liquid. Serve hot with fresh ground pepper.
Between the low sodium chicken broth and the ham, no additional salt is needed.
I have an experiment to run. I think if I take 4 eggs, whip them up, add two cups of the soup and maybe a cup of milk or cream, I can bake it and it will be somewhere between a custard and a quiche. Still sounds good to me. I wonder if Mikey will like it?
Renee and Nyardo were out enjoying the sun. Nice to see a family spending quality time together.
I signed up at www.presidentschallenge.com to try and do some exercise for 1/2 hour , five days a week. Today I did my first half hour on the recumbent bike. Took a walk around the property and dug a little in the garden. Pretty good for me.
Now, on to the Easter Ham. It was a particularly meaty, spiral sliced ham from Giant Eagle. We'd reached the end of about a week of ham meals so I decided to finish up cooking and/or freezing it.
HAM, LEEK, AND MUSHROOM SOUP
2 cups diced ham
3 leeks (about 6 inches long) thin sliced, including green
2 Yukon potatoes, cubed small
2 - 14 oz. cans low sodium/low fat chicken broth
1 - 2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup half and half (or milk)
3 TBSP flour
Dice about 2 cups of ham and start it sauteing in a 2 quart sauce pan. Clean and slice three leeks and tossed them in on top of the ham. Keep heat low and add a little water to prevent from scorching. As leeks begin to soften, add the potatoes. Saute a few minutes and then add both cans of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, stir, and continue to simmer until potatoes are tender. Stir flour into the half and half (or milk). Slowly stir into simmering soup. Soup should thicken some but still be liquid. Serve hot with fresh ground pepper.
Between the low sodium chicken broth and the ham, no additional salt is needed.
I have an experiment to run. I think if I take 4 eggs, whip them up, add two cups of the soup and maybe a cup of milk or cream, I can bake it and it will be somewhere between a custard and a quiche. Still sounds good to me. I wonder if Mikey will like it?
Renee and Nyardo were out enjoying the sun. Nice to see a family spending quality time together.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Spring Break Up
It looks like the ice is definitely breaking up. A quick tour around the lake this morning showed open water along the edges, large cracks widening, and open water in the shallow area off of the Mercyhurst dock. If this was Cicily, Alaska (i.e. the fictitious town in "Northern Exposure"), we'd be working off our pent up energies with the running of the "bulls". Doubt that we will see that here this year. I would have settled for an eagle sighting but that didn't happen either.
I did see my fox today. I've named her Rennie (short for Rene). She's Parisian. Her spouse is named Nyardo. He's a Basque but moved across the mountains to France. (Get the play on the French word for fox - Reynard?). My new bird feeder and woodpecker feeder are getting some use. We already have a nice pair of cardinals coming in, and several types of small woodpeckers. I still have to make up my garden plans, get some seeds planted, and order some Top growing onions. Hopefully, I can do more foraging this summer. There is plenty to eat outside if one has the time to pick and prepare Nature's bounty.
I did see my fox today. I've named her Rennie (short for Rene). She's Parisian. Her spouse is named Nyardo. He's a Basque but moved across the mountains to France. (Get the play on the French word for fox - Reynard?). My new bird feeder and woodpecker feeder are getting some use. We already have a nice pair of cardinals coming in, and several types of small woodpeckers. I still have to make up my garden plans, get some seeds planted, and order some Top growing onions. Hopefully, I can do more foraging this summer. There is plenty to eat outside if one has the time to pick and prepare Nature's bounty.
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