The catbird sings….

I heard him early one morning last week before I saw him. The male gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), hidden in the tall white pines, sang a symphony of beautiful sounds. Related to the mockingbird, a bird that artfully mimics the sounds of other birds, the catbird’s vocal ability is even more melodic and varied, a gift that we enjoy from dawn to dusk.

Known to prefer thickets and shrubs, our pair announce their arrival with their familiar cat-like ‘mews,’ hopping through vegetation and arriving at our back yard where the sunflower seed feeder is their destination.

The birds are gray overall with a splash of bright rufous feathers beneath the tail. They sport a black cap atop their heads. They often fluff their feathers, droop their wings and cock their tails high from the railing of the deck.

Although there is no difference in appearance, the more cautious catbird may be the female who waits patiently as her mate boldly claims the bird feeder.

Knowing that they are mainly insect eaters, the sunflower seeds may be temporary nourishment until insects are plentiful. But I do hope they are nesting nearby and will continue to visit and shower us with mews and territorial melodies.

I’m not his mother, but…

…when mister gardener offered to treat me to an early Mother’s Day lunch today, I was all for it. On Mother’s Day tomorrow, we dine with family so on this breezy and wet Saturday, we made our way into town to sample yet another local restaurant.

Blue Moon Evolution has been recommended to us since we moved to New Hampshire over a year ago. The restaurant has a fine reputation for serving fresh, organic, and local foods with superior service. Once a small natural foods market and café, the evolution into a restaurant in 2010 seemed only natural.

The restaurant has garnered numerous awards since opening and is designated a certified local restaurant, one of only four New Hampshire restaurants to receive the award for living the local food movement using local and organic as much as possible. We’re also learning more about the speaker series and classes offered to educate the community about food supply and healthy living.

We were greeted and seated in a cozy table for two adorned with crab apple blossoms, freshly picked.

And on the windowsill were a variety of small rocks and pebbles that tempted us to design our own miniature cairns.

When we saw that the restaurant had won the 2013 New Hampshire Magazine readership poll for best soups, we decided the hot soup and half Nantucket Sandwich would be the perfect choice on this cool spring day.

Mr. Gardener ordered the Cream of Broccoli and Asparagus and I thought the Roasted Pepper and Tomato Purée sounded delicious. Both soups were divine.

Our server explained that the restaurant is transformed into a fine-dining atmosphere for the evening meal complete with white tablecloths, fresh flowers and candlelight. On the menu are local meats and seafood with local brews at the bar. You can bet we’ll be back for that!

Don’t Eat the Fuzzy Ones….

“Don’t eat the fuzzy ones!”  As I pointed my camera toward the fronds of spring ferns, I heard a passerby call that warning. ‘Tis the season for ferns and they are unfurling all over moist wooded areas here. As I prowled the woods, I was keeping my eye open for the sought after ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) fiddlehead, a fairly elusive delicacy that is available for about 3 weeks each spring. Their fiddleheads, the young, tender coiled tips that resemble the end of a fiddle, are about an inch across on a smooth stem, but not fuzzy… as I was warned.

I’m not sure what I’d do if I found the ostrich fern. Would I harvest them or photograph them? We bought some ostrich fern fiddleheads at the grocery last spring and we thought those tasted a little like…. uh…. grass. Maybe we prepared them incorrectly but I think I’d rather photograph them than eat them.

It’s the time of year for ferns to emerge. The fuzzy fiddlehead of the bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum), perhaps the most widespread fern in the word, is said to look like eagles’ claws. It is one I would avoid eating since it contains contains high levels of carcinogens. Cooking reduces the carcinogens but some remain.  These fiddleheads are widely eaten across Japan.

Another common fern populating the woods around us is the cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea). These wooly fiddleheads are edible but I read that few people actually dine on them. Deer eat them raw without problems, but folks should cook them remove mild toxins that could cause indigestion.

Ferns and other natives are beginning to put on a show in the woodland landscape around us and we are enjoying the performance.

It’s Snow Wonder I like New Hampshire…

As long as I have a nice fire in the fireplace, a good book and a hot drink, I love a snowy day. I love it if I don’t have to clear the driveway, take the trash to the street through deep drifts, traipse out the mailbox, trudge out to get the morning newspaper, or drive on slippery streets. mister gardener did a lot of that today.

In an all-day-winter-storm like we had today, my favorite pastime is putting my feet up in front of a roaring fire, glancing up every now and then to check snow accumulation. However, lest I sound a bit too inert, I do journey outside for walks in the yard with the dog, refill the bird feeders, sweep the steps of snow or take a few photos of snow laden branches. And here are some photos of the fluffy stuff today. Click on them if you want to see the snow falling. It was an especially beautiful snowfall.

As evening approached, our driveway was finally cleared as the storm began to wane. Perfect timing. Snug again by the fire, one final glance out the window at dusk gave me the last hazy view of the meadow and the house lights of our neighbors, just minutes before the curtain of darkness fell over the field.

I love a snowy day!

Holiday Traditions

Some years I’m just not ready for the hustle and bustle of Christmas when December 1 rolls around but, honestly… today was different. As if on cue, we awoke to snow this morning…  lovely large flakes of an early season storm that continued for the entire day. Watching the snow fall across the meadow and pond, a cup of coffee in hand, songs of the season on the radio, triggered a festive feeling in me. Greens I left outdoors overnight were embellished by lovely white trimmings.

We decided then and there to put on our coats and visit University of New Hampshire’s Seventh Annual Poinsettia Trials Open House. The event is held to display the school’s research and breeding information for breeders, growers, and the public. We were greeted by a massive poinsettia Christmas tree and over a hundred varieties of poinsettia plants in such all colors, shapes, size, and variegation, lining the halls and the greenhouses.

We were encouraged to vote for our favorites among the new varieties in different color groups or the novelty category. We had fun doing this along with lots of other visitors!

We then visited the greenhouse full of poinsettias for sale, all with splendid names. Can you guess what color we bought….?

 

Well, if you guessed we bought a red poinsettia, you’re right. Sometimes long standing traditions cannot be changed.

It’s Christmas Eve in Bedford Falls on television tonight. George Bailey, with help from his guardian angel, Clarence, will learn for the 66th year in a row that his life of sadness and regret is in fact, a life of prosperity, good fortune and love. I will watch (tissues in hand) the 1946 classic It’s A Wonderful Life  tonight and maybe one or two other times throughout the holiday. It’s another long standing tradition to ready me for the festivities and the reason for the season.

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food….

We’ve been waiting for the Wentworth Greenhouses to kick off the Winter Farmers’ Market because we were in the market for fresh cut Brussels sprouts for our Thanksgiving table. The Thanksgiving menu has been planned. We’ve pre-ordered our turkey, our Edwards Virginia ham is on the way, and now we need our vegetables. We’ve come to the right place……

I was startled by the first person I encountered as I crossed the parking lot. He was a jolly old fella who laughed when I asked for his photo. The Christmas Season was definitely not on my mind today…. but, hey, St. Nick must celebrate Thanksgiving, too.  He had a big bag of produce that he carefully loaded into his sleigh…. errr….trunk.

Farmers’ Markets are still somewhat new to me. At the entrance, I surveyed the marketplace. The scene reminded me a little of the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The area was packed with hustle, bustle, buying and selling, but there was a big difference here. There were no agitated, impatient, loud folks in this room. Shoppers of all ages, adults and children, sampled wares, stood patiently in line, mingled, laughed and chatted with the growers. Sights, earthy aromas, and textures permeated the throughout. Everyone was having fun.

No, I did not sample the raw goat milk but I couldn’t pass up the goat milk soap!

The sign with the pastas listed such amazing flavors as herb pappardelle, spinach fettuccine, garlic scapes linguine, lemon basil linguine, potato chives casarecci, squid ink spaghettini and more. I would like to sample them all.

So after mingling, sampling, buying, connecting with the growers and admiring their wares for over an hour, we purchased our fresh Brussels sprouts and made our way to the car.  Thank you to Wentworth Greenhouses and Seacoast Eat Local for providing fresh from the farms for local folks and a day’s entertainment…. of foods, crafts and rooms full of festive Christmas plants and adornments. I swooned over the glorious winterberry (Ilex verticillata), my favorite holiday trimming.

Sandy ain’t so dandy….

I walked the dog tonight in the light of an almost full moon. No breezes were stirring. Stars twinkled in the skies and the temperature hovered in the high 50′s…. sweater weather. It’s hard to imagine that astronomical high tides due to this beautiful full moon will align with Hurricane Sandy, a wintry weather system from the west, plus a frigid jet stream from Canada to send tropical force winds great distances inland, with significant rainfall and tidal storm surges along the east coast. We are thinking about our friends in Virginia and we are bracing ourselves for what may come to New Hampshire.

Local lobstermen are moving their traps to deeper waters where they fare better in rough seas and others are taking traps out of the waters. Communities have moved Trick or Treat night and schools will be soon closed. Today I jostled grocery carts with other shoppers stocking up on batteries, water, and some non-perishable goods. We will batten down the hatches, fill the bathtubs and pots with water and download a few iBooks to read in case we lose power. We’ve been through enough of these to know what to do. This will a serious storm but weather forecasting is not a perfect science. Perhaps Sandy’s ferocity will wane. We can keep our fingers crossed. Stay safe, friends….

If you build it, they will come…

This weekend we joined our son and thousands of people in Keene, New Hampshire, for their 21st annual Pumpkin Festival. It was our first time at the festival and we came bearing our own artfully hand-carved pumpkins. This year brother Drew Scott of HGTV’s “Property Brothers” and camera crews were in attendance to spur on friendly “Pumpkin Wars” with the town of Highwood, Illinois where Jonathan Scott stirred up those residents and visitors. Each community competed to see which town could set a new Guinness world record for the most lit pumpkins. The official pumpkin count from Keene is publicized at 29,381, falling short of the 32,000 goal…. but, hey, the day was awesome and a success for Keene!

Can you visualize what 29,381 glowing jack-o-lanterns lining streets, curbs, grass, in trees, in store windows and thousands of festival-goers look like in a quaint New England downtown? Add live music, costumes, the aroma of hot dogs, hamburgers, pulled pork, deep-fried pickles, cotton candy, laughter, excited children, a ferris wheel, a climbing wall, crafts, pumpkin bowling, and you’re going to have a party.

On the square at the end of Main Street was the impressive Tower of Pumpkins that reached to the sky and atop the tower sat the Pumpkin King who presided over his 29,381 pumpkin subjects and thousands of visitors. Who ever knew pumpkins could be this much fun?!

Baby, it’s (almost) cold outside

Around these parts, there have been hints that locals are preparing for the wintry weather they know is around the corner. Trucks delivering firewood regularly pass us on the highway, a visit to LLBean two days ago had mister gardener and a number of other customers converging on the down outerwear, and our farmers’ markets have all moved indoors. Around the house, we’ve tested the furnace, stored umbrellas, and discarded annuals in pots. We’ve also dusted off the bird feeders as bears are now thinking more about their winter den than raiding birdseed.

Another sure sign of the approaching season is the colorful scene I photographed from our front door on a warmer day last week. These young people were roller skiing using long inline skates with wheels and ski poles fitted with special tips. Although they had skied past the house, they somehow spotted me and waved. The motion in this activity is similar to cross-country skiing in snow and it’s a terrific way to train for the upcoming season.

Even though my daughter kept her cross-country skills intact just like this for her Vermont school ski team years ago, it’s still a novelty for me to see such a sight. And from the expressions on their faces, you can tell it’s a good way to get in shape and have fun doing it.

I’m learning a lot about zone 5… but my thoughts always return to my family and friends in Virginia. I wonder whether any preparations are underway for cold weather in zone 7. Somehow I imagine them still enjoying a bountiful garden and colorful blooms in the borders…

A Fine Balance

October can be an exciting month for birdwatching. We’ve watched wave after wave of migrating songbirds and shore/water birds pass through this area of southern New Hampshire. Many birdwatchers travel to migratory hot spots to watch the action but we believe we have a good seat right here on the 50-yard line to watch all the birding action we desire.

We’ve followed ducks, geese, vireos, sparrows, warblers, bluebirds, cedar waxwings, hawks and more, stop to rest and dine for a few days before taking off again. One new visitor I’ve especially enjoyed watching this week is the Northern Flicker, the Yellow-shafted Flicker (Colaptes auratus), a larger bird related to the woodpeckers and sapsuckers. Not an uncommon bird, but it’s fun to watch. It stands out on the horizon as it swoops and dips in flight, its large white rump visible only in the air. I admired his distinctive spotted plumage as it fed on ants and other insects on the ground beneath the white pines .

October is also great time to observe migrating hawks that land in the pines, perch on tree limbs, or circle the salt marsh looking for food. As in Virginia, a hawk we often see is the the Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii.) that scans the horizon from its favorite perch in nearby trees. What is the Cooper’s Hawk looking for? Birds. And what did the last Cooper’s Hawk find? Yep, that’s right. Our Northern Flicker nourished the hunter so it could continue its journey south.

It’s always a bit unsettling for me when I discover a fluff of a bird that was. But understanding nature in its fullest is understanding the delicate cycle and balance of the natural world.

Windy weather in New Hampshire yesterday ushers in a cold front today, perfect weather for spurring on bird migration. We’ll have our binoculars (and warm coats) ready.