Tag: New England foods

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Sleet, Snow, Sapping, and Spring

As I write this, the dog and the kittens threaten to strike if I don’t build the blaze in the wood stove higher. March has proven once again to be traitorous, and sleety snow covers everything, including the bird feeders.
I refused to do more about the bird feeder than creep outside in my slippers and knock off the worst accumulation. I am now facing an insurrection over the stove. I’ll need more than a few sticks shoved into the wood stove to satisfy my small union members. It’s a clear contract violation – if it snows, we get to lie around the stove and watch the flames (Chapter Five/paragraph two/codice 112), end of argument! We want warmth; when do we want it? NOW!!

Later this morning, I’ll plant some seeds for spinach and lettuce—those can go out under the Remay fabric and greenhouse covering very early. Many of my herbs are already up and are good-sized plants. With many herbs, an early start in late February is the only way I can get large enough plants to make growing my own worthwhile. So, the oregano, marjoram, and parsley are all vigorous plants. I use LED grow lights to give seedlings enough light. The greenhouse has been my workshop for many years now.
My cherry tomatoes have sprouted from the seed I planted last week. The timing is about right. It will be about seven to eight weeks before I put them out under cloches. I prefer to plant them deep. This allows the covered plants to develop deep roots. To appearances the plant is small, but it has a sturdy root system.
Years ago, I gave up competing with my Italian and Portuguese friends to see who got the season’s first tomatoes. Those guys either cheat or are much better gardeners than I am, and the second reason is not worth considering.

The change in the weather over this last week stopped the sap flow, so I am not boiling for syrup. This is when I start worrying that there will be a rapid rush into proper spring when the weather warms up again. Then the maples will bud out, the tree frogs will commence singing, and the sapping season will end.

I’ve been through this early spring routine in New England for enough years now that it no longer aggravates me. I see it as a challenge. Cold frames, Remay fabric, LED lights, and persistence mean I often prevail over climate.
Considering how rapidly things are changing, that’s about as good as you can expect.

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Cunners

<p class="has-drop-cap" value="<amp-fit-text layout="fixed-height" min-font-size="6" max-font-size="72" height="80">The cunners lurked below. They swam near the rock recesses and around the pilings of the wharf where we were eating lunch. The Cap'n pointed out a small group. "They don't school, hang around together sometimes. They weren't bad panfish, but were some bony." How do you catch them? He laughed: " They steal bait, they'll catch themselves for you on a piece of bread." " During the Depression, kids would be sent down to catch them for dinner if there was nothing else." "I'd rather take a minnow and fish for pollock, or jig for mackerel."<br>I mentioned that when I went out with my dad, we often went for fluke and flounder. He answered by broadening out his Maine accent: " Theah bottam fish. Garbage cleaners of the sea." But you eat lobster and the tamale; I pointed out. He looked at me, filled his pipe, lit it, puffed it to life, and then ended the discussion by pointing out that – "lobsta is different."The cunners lurked below. They swam near the rock recesses and around the pilings of the wharf where we were eating lunch. The Cap’n pointed out a small group. “They don’t school, hang around together sometimes. They weren’t bad panfish, but were some bony.” How do you catch them? He laughed: ” They steal bait, they’ll catch themselves for you on a piece of bread.” ” During the Depression, kids would be sent down to catch them for dinner if there was nothing else.” “I’d rather take a minnow and fish for pollock, or jig for mackerel.”
I mentioned that when I went out with my dad, we often went for fluke and flounder. He answered by broadening out his Maine accent: ” Theah bottam fish. Garbage cleaners of the sea.” But you eat lobster and the tamale; I pointed out. He looked at me, filled his pipe, lit it, puffed it to life, and then ended the discussion by pointing out that – “lobsta is different.”