The warm days of summer may have waned – but that does not mean like bees we have to sip our last sweet taste of the season.
Jersey Fresh produce can be enjoyed year round.
“Eat seasonally for the best tasting food and savings,” says Louis Aucott, midwife, gardener and avid proponent of all things natural from Pennington. She’s given seminars on seasonal produce, canning and preserving for Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey - NOFA (www.nofa.org.) “Every year I make jars of tomato sauce, salsas, jams and pickled vegetables. This year, I made more than 60 jars of sauce.”
If we do the math with organic tomato sauce around $4 per jar – that’s a savings of some $240 – and we’re not even factoring in Louise’s chickens!
Preserving your harvest, or your bounty from the local farm and farmer’s market, is not only better for you and your budget but also helps the environment by cutting down on the amount of time produce travels. We found out from the Food Shed Alliance (www.foodshedalliance.org) that food in supermarkets can travel as much as 1,300 miles before getting to your plate.
Check out suggestions for preserving from canning to freezing to drying to even creating a simply root cellar in your own basement from Tara Bowers of Foodshed Alliance here at http://njskylands.com/fmpreserve.htm.
“Sun drying costs nothing, just time. And your fresh carrots and potatoes underground can be enjoyed even in the winter,” Louise told us. “Just be sure to cover them and mark where they are so you can find them in the snow.”
“Freeze herbs in ice cubes to add great flavor to stews and soup,” explains Pam Mount, co-owner with her husband Gary of Terhune Orchards in Princeton (www.terhuneorchards.com.) Her site has great suggestions like making your pie filling now and freezing it in a pie tin. “Pop it into your crust, bake, and presto – fresh pie for the holidays.”
Pam also gave us some tips on putting your garden to bed for the winter. “Clean the garden beds and simply cut back the plants. Make compost out of the dead pieces. Slightly turn the soil, but not too much to agitate the natural balance of worms who will work their organic magic. Place a cover of ground up leaves and the compost on top.”
One more tip – learned this one from living in farm country – if you are outnumbered by your fall harvest of tomatoes, zucchini, herbs and apples – you can leave a brown bag at your neighbor’s door or host a Produce Exchange Party. Enjoy fresh foods, great company, recipes, and the cost – priceless.
Contributor Pamela J. Principe-Golgolab of PNA Associates authored this article.
In Red Bank this week, they are celebrating the renovation and re-opening of the historic Count Basie Theatre (www.countbasietheatre.org).
It’s the “realization of a dream,” says Rusty Young, CEO of the Theatre Foundation, of the community – and star powered effort that led to this week’s series of parties and concert.
Young—born in Neptune, attended movies in the theatre, then called the Carlton. It was the pride of downtown Red Bank, and hosted everything from Vaudeville, to theatrical performances, outlasting all the other theatres in town until it finally went bust in 1970.
But, with friends like Patti Scialfa Springsteen as honorary co-chair of the campaign, donors raised millions of dollars to spruce up the theatre’s auditorium, lobby, lighting, bar, and added a new VIP area as well. The famous sunburst on the ceiling is restored.
Bruce Springsteen and band helped by performing a much heralded benefit at the Basie last spring. “It wasn’t just fundraising, it was funraising,”says Young.
The renovation covered some of the “ugly stuff” as well, notes Young. Work was completed behind the walls, piping and ductwork, improving the mechanical and electrical systems, lighting and sound. The time lapse video on You Tube (www.youtube.com/user/countbasietheatre) shows how extensive the repairs were.
Thursday night, when the doors re-open to the public, Southside Johnny guitarist Bob Bandiera (www.bobbandiera.com/) leads the Jersey Shore Rock-N-Soul Revue. There were still a few seats left. And take it from us, there are bound to be some surprise guests when the lights go up again.
Thanks to Brian Stratton for the still photos that accompany this article.
Made by hand at a factory in Randolph, the plates, bowls, serving platters, even tables, are featured in hundreds of specialty gift stores across the nation. Karr has more than thirty employees, who cut glass, painstakingly pour colored powders (made of ground glass and ceramic pigment) through stencils, and create the multi-layer design. The images are sealed between two pieces of glass and superheated, so the product is practically indestructible.
Karr started the business twenty years ago, in her Morristown home, after she fell in love with the process of creating enameled glass. The business is now the largest of its kind in the world.
With all this success, Karr has not supplied her glassware to large department stores, or other mass goods retailers. Nor has she given in to pressure to move the manufacturing process overseas. “I feel strongly about the people who work here, the jobs we’ve created.”
The glassware is not unreasonably expensive, the average price around $75-$100. But in the Randolph factory, there is an outlet store where you can save big on samples and products with slight imperfections. Mention NJ My Way, and you’ll save an additional 20%-- it’s a great way to fill your holiday gift list without busting your budget.
Plus, you are supporting a home-grown business. In these economic times, every job created at home is special. Just like Karr’s creations.
“I feel like the glass has a soul and heart, “ she says, “There’s a lot of love that goes into it.“
What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. www.shakespearenj.org.
Arise, fair bargain hunters to a Prop and Costume Sale
That art far more fair than any in the land
On Saturday, October 25, 2008
The Main Stage – F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre
Drew University in Madison.
Doors open 10 a.m. prompt.
Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t -
Just in time for Halloween!
Leave not a rack behind. There is such stuff
As dreams are made on.
Custom designed period style dresses,
Masks, decorative home items,
Benches, chairs, vases and frames,
Give us a robe, put on a crown.
All are handcrafted, worn by stars and now
Handed down – perfect for schools and theatre groups
Dress up time and unique decorating.
Why then, can one desire too much of a good thing?
Every item is recycled and reused.
And all proceeds raised
support The Theatre’s educational and artistic programs.
This above all: to thine own self be true.
There is sure to be something for everyone.
So, good shopping unto you all.
Give us your hands, if we be friends,
And the Shakespeare Theatre shall restore amends.
Guest bard: Pamela J. Principe-Golgolab of PNA Associates Inc.
What’s new from the world beyond? Just in time for Halloween, ghosts, ghouls, and celebs will be populating the Parsippany Hilton all weekend for the cool Chiller Theatre Convention (www.chillertheatre.com). Stars include Burt Reynolds and Angie Dickenson, for the kids there’s a Batmobile, and a costume contest.
It’s Make It Spooky Family Project Day on Sunday at the Jersey City Museum. (www.jerseycitymuseum.org). Craft costume-making projects and storytelling, all celebrating the creepiness of the season.
In Atlantic City, lots of laughs. Regis is playing Harrahs, with special guest Nikki Blonsky… (www.harrahsresort.com). Robin Williams is at The Borgata (www.theborgata.com).
If you’ve got a dollar to spare, or some non-perishable foods … stop by the London FoodCompany (www.londonfoodco.com/) at 416 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, and make a donation. The food drive will benefit the United Way of Bloomfield (www.unitedwaybloomfield.org).
Also in Montclair tomorrow night, the town arts council is sponsoring a Gallery Walk. (www.gallery51.org/workshops.php?workshop_id=9). You can ride on shuttle buses between ten galleries, and you’ll be eligible for a special prize drawing and freebies at local restaurants.
The Mt.Tabor Historical Society (www.mounttabornj.org/) is getting some buzz for this exhibit; celebrating the life and work of Antonio Petruccelli – one of the nation’s foremost illustrators, and a resident of the town. He drew covers for The New Yorker, Fortune, and Collier’s Magazines.
And on Sunday in Bernardsville, our friend author Julie Maloney speaks from the heart about writing as a life tool—how it played an especially important role in her battle against breast cancer. You can sign up at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org.
Elephant expert Cynthia Moss—she spent four decades in Africa studying them—is at the Birchwood Manor in Whippany (www.birchwoodmanor.com) tomorrow night, to discuss the complex social lives of our favorite pachyderms.It’s all for a great cause- St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center (www.sthuberts.org) and the Amboseli Trust For Elephants (www.elephanttrust.org).
The dinner, book signing and presentation will cost you $100.
You’ll never forget this evening – have a great weekend!
Ask Chef James Laird of Chatham's Restaurant Serenade what he likes most about Fall, and he'll tell you it's using fragrant spices.
"The foods of summer are generally too light to support intense flavorings like ginger, cinnamon, and masala," he says. Which is why—when October rolls around—he adds Roasted Rack of Lamb to his menu.
The dish—one of his favorites—is served with roasted Autumn vegetables, fresh pomegranate and masala, which is an Indian spice blend with as few as two or as many as ten spices.
Wife and partner, Nancy Sheridan Laird, suggests pairing the lamb with a John Anthony 2005 Syrah, since peppery Syrahs work well with both lamb and complex spices.
At Liberty House Restaurant in Jersey City, Chef Phil Campanella is obsessed with duck; specifically, the Cedar Duck Breast with Sweet Potato Hash that just premiered on his menu.
The wine selection? A Barolo from Italy, preferably a 2003 Damilano. "This is my favorite dish off our new menu," he relays, "because of the aroma it creates in the dining room. Guests tell us the scent reminds them of a roaring fireplace." The pairing of duck with the Barolo works due to its dry, fruity essence.
It's all about Short Ribs for Greg Spinelli at Church Street Kitchen in Montclair. "With cooler Autumn weather upon us," he reports, "now is a great time to enjoy heartier flavors." Spinelli’s chef braises the ribs in Malbec and serves them with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
Though Church Street is BYO, Greg would pair the dish with a Catena Zapata Malbec from Argentina. "The velvety robustness of the ribs bursts in your mouth, and paired with the deep black cherries and blackberries of the Malbec ... heaven."
If you go to any of these restaurants make sure you mention NJ My Way, and they’ll provide you with a special treat.
*This NJ My Way was written by Karen Schloss and Frank Diaz of Diaz/Schloss Communications.
