Improvising and Foraging

I have been in a back-to-nature mood with food this week. We have a forest of spearmint that has popped up outside our door with the intention of laying claim to the entire garden space if we permit it. 

Last summer, the mint meandered, too - as it does - and I looked up recipes but didn't find any that sounded terribly interesting. My favorite way to utilize our abundance of mint is simply to make minted water. I bought a great thermos last year that keeps ice water icy for nearly the whole day (and keeps it cold into the next day), and I'd take a thermos of minted ice water in the kayak for a refreshing drink on hot days. For me, minted water is the taste of summer.

Until the weather became warmer recently, I was in the habit of starting the day with hot lemon water. I'd squeeze the juice of half an organic lemon into a cup or more of hot water and finish it with a drop of agave nectar or honey. It felt like a wholesome way to start the day.

I like both lemon water and minted water and came up with a new idea last night to make minted lemon water to sip throughout the day. This is always a busy time of year for teachers, but this year our workload seems to have tripled. Bringing a lovely mason jar of minted lemon water is a healthful way to pamper myself during the final, very hectic, month of the school year. It's simple: I either fill a mason jar about a quarter of the way with water the night beforehand and stick it in the freezer, or add several ice cubes in the morning. Then I put a few organic lemon slices in the jar along with a few sprigs of spearmint. Then add local spring water. Simple as that! I could just as easily put it in my super efficient thermos, but it looks so beautiful in a mason jar! I keep it in my mini refrigerator during the work day and take a refreshing sip when I feel thirsty or want to elevate my senses.

Last year, my husband discovered the culinary virtues of lamb's quarters (also called pigweed), an edible plant that grows wild. I let him enjoy his pigweed all by himself last year (I think I was turned off by the name) but decided to give it a try this year. It tastes similar to spinach but apparently is even more nutritious as long as it's harvested from good soil. 

It was tasty steamed without anything on it. (We did not eat the roots.)

Sunday was a rainy day, and I was in the mood to make spinach lasagna with some of our canned tomatoes. However, I didn't have enough spinach or any ricotta cheese on hand. So I decided to improvise, substituting a creamy vegan white sauce (from a Cauliflower and Corn au Gratin recipe I posted previously) for the ricotta and lamb's quarters for the spinach. It was delicious! My husband commented that it was probably the best lasagna I've ever made.

While my husband was harvesting pigweed last year, I turned my attention to chive blossoms. 

It must have begun with me photographing bees pollinating an abundant garden patch of chives and scallions that had bloomed with purple flowers, and then doing some online research. 

In the process, I learned the flowers are edible. I've added them to mini frittatas, cream cheese, and - most recently - hummus. 

Here is a hummus recipe I created. You can stir chive blossoms into the hummus or sprinkle them on top for a garnish - or both!

Quick and Easy Hummus (food processor required)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup bean liquid or water
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional)
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1 chive or scallion blossom, stem removed and cut so the tiny flowers separate (optional)

Procedure:

1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender, and blend until it's a creamy purée. Add more water if needed to achieve the desired consistency. Stir in chive blossoms, or sprinkle on top. Let stand for about 30 minutes to give the flavors a chance to develop. You can serve it as a dip with crackers, pita bread, vegetables, etc. or use to stuff cucumber logs (my son's favorite).
2. To make cucumber logs, peel cucumbers, and cut into 1-inch cross sections. Scoop out most of the seeds with a spoon, creating a little cup inside the cucumber log. (Be careful not to scoop all the way through because the hummus would not stay in place.) Fill to overflowing with a spoonful of hummus. Dust with paprika, and perhaps garnish each filled cucumber log with a tiny chive blossom or two. 

Speaking of chives, have you ever tried garlic chives (also called garlic greens)? They look similar to regular chives but have flatter, broader blades and a subtle garlic taste. They are available at farmers markets in my area around this time of year and make the best pesto! The twirly, tougher garlic scapes also can be used for pesto.

Garlic Greens Pesto

• 1 bunch (2 cups) garlic greens (or 1 cup garlic scapes), chopped, packed
• 1/4 cup olive oil (or more if you like it oilier)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Combine ingredients in a food processor, and blend until smooth.

Day lilies are the next wild edible I'd like to try. My husband and father-in-law insist they are delicious. Nearly the entire perimeter of our yard is lined thickly with day lilies when it's their time of year. I'll let you know how that goes!

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© Susan Meyer and River Bliss, 2012-2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, including all photos, without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Susan Meyer and River Bliss (www.riverblissed.blogspot.com) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

A Tree Stump Map

This morning, I was sitting on our porch looking at the river, and I noticed that it was uncharacteristically quiet on the water. Then all of a sudden it struck me: Today is Sunday! And if I'm not mistaken, that means no dredging! The sky was overcast, but the water was calm, and I jumped in the kayak. 

It felt so good to be back on the water!

After a couple minutes of paddling, I noticed several tree stumps on the opposite shore and decided that today was the day to survey the aftermath of the tree cutting. Here is what I found:

Tree stumps all along the shore.

Yes, the tree cutters have been busy. All of the trees under which we found shade and privacy are gone. It's a whole new landscape. I can't remember which tree stumps are the remains of willows, maples, or countless other trees that were so familiar along my route. I just know that they're all gone.

Patrick Cottonwood still stands tall on the shore, and I'm grateful that he's still there even though I can no longer photograph the sunlight passing through the leaves of his low-lying branches.

Patrick Cottonwood

One of our river neighbors seems to have made use of the trees taken down in front of his house. A nice supply of firewood!

Before today's outing, I never knew the exact locations of the PCB hot spots awaiting dredging. However, now the tree stumps provide a map of them. The hot spots run the entire length of my kayaking route on the opposite shore and a short stretch on our side of the river.

When I returned home (right before it started raining for the rest of the day), I looked at the map of our section of the river in a publication I received from the Environmental Protection Agency, and sure enough, the tree stump "map" matched the EPA's map perfectly.

I realize that this is not a feel-good post, but I felt it necessary to illustrate the stories of the trees along the river. The stumps left behind will tell the tale of dredging for many years to come.

My next post will be more upbeat, I promise. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

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© Susan Meyer and River Bliss, 2012-2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, including all photos, without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Susan Meyer and River Bliss (www.riverblissed.blogspot.com) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

An Up Close and Personal View of Dredging

It has been an eventful week on our stretch of the Upper Hudson. Monday evening, there seemed to be more barge and boat traffic than usual, and it continued through the night. It was like a parade of large, lit up vessels passing by our house. My son and I went out for a drive to see what we could see. The tree cutting barge was lit up on the other side of the river, which surprised me because I'd been told by a project rep that the tree cutters only worked during the daytime. (There was activity on it that night, but it's been uninhabited every night since - although they keep a nightlight on.)

Then we drove south along the river. The locks were closed at night, and I expected to find a flotilla of barges approaching Lock 5, given all the traffic on the river. However, we couldn't see anything in the darkness. Obviously, large equipment had mobilized, like tanks moving in during the night. In the morning, we would wake up and see where everything was placed.

On Wednesday, I went to a local park to walk the labyrinth, and as I got out of my car, I saw an older man - obviously a local - who appeared perturbed as he walked toward his car. As I got closer to him, I heard him exclaim to a female companion, "It's disgusting!" I heard a motor sound beyond the labyrinth and knew immediately where all of Monday evening's commotion had ended up: at the north entrance to Lock 5 just beyond the labyrinth. I talked with the couple for a few minutes. The man was dismayed to see how sloppy the excavator looked coming out of the water. He was not convinced that it was containing the PCBs and was worried about resuspension. (This is a widely held fear amongst locals.) He mused about how the wildlife had returned to the river in recent years and was thriving. Why bring up all this stuff after it had settled?

As I photographed the dredging barge in action, a woman and her dog stopped, and we talked for quite some time. Like me, she was an avid kayaker, and I could tell she appreciated the river as I do.

Swing set adjacent to the dredging barge

Air quality monitor at Lock 5

When I got home from work this afternoon, the tree cutters were working across the river, and I went to the dock to capture some images.

At one point, another huge barge went by.

Then I drove to Lock 5 to get some pictures of the dredging. I arrived in time to see the barge that had passed me on the dock replacing a presumably filled barge at the dredging site. Powerful little tugboats push the barges to and fro up and down the river.

Dredging wasn't taking place at this time, so I sat and watched the barges being moved. A man approached me and asked if I was familiar with the dredging project. We started talking, and I learned that he was organizing an upcoming triathlon that would take place near the dredging. Like me, this man - upon learning that dredging would take place during this year's event - made it his mission to become educated. Like me, he learned a good deal about PCBs, and the more he learned, his fears subsided. Although I have always drawn the line with regard to swimming in our section of the river, there is a big difference between buying into the PR propaganda - whether for or against the dredging - and educating oneself by talking to the right people and doing steadfast research.

I arrive at the dredging site as a person who is going to have dredging barges in front of my house and wants to experience the process up close in order to know what to expect, and also as a writer and photographer bearing witness. As I sat at the picnic table about as close to the dredging activity as is possible, I found myself fascinated by the process and wondering how the project will go down in history. Will it be a net positive? Something in my heart believes it will. But it will take some time. Our generation will not be the final judge. Perhaps it will get worse for a time before it gets better.

I took a walk and returned a little later to the same spot. By then the dredging had resumed, so I began to shoot some video. "Take One" was ruined by a woman sitting close by who received a phone call and exclaimed loudly, "I am PISSED!" She went on to talk about how she and her husband brought a picnic and had no idea dredging was going on right there. I noticed that they also had at least one fishing pole, for catch-and-release angling.

The video below shows a mechanical dredge removing sediment from the river bottom with an environmental clamshell bucket. Although it looks sloppy, the Environmental Protection Agency website explains that the clamshell bucket "closes tightly and seals the sediments inside before bringing them to the surface." There is much more to the technology than meets the eye.


Email followers: Click HERE to see the brief video of the dredging.


While I was shooting the video, another woman approached and asked what's going on. Someone replied, "Dredging," and the woman's jaw dropped. She identified herself as a swimmer in the upcoming triathlon.

I certainly can understand the woman's reaction. Swimming in our stretch of the Hudson has always been outside of my personal comfort zone. General advice from the NYS Department of Health website includes not swallowing any water and showering after having physical contact with the water, to protect from potential exposure to harmful bacteria and microorganisms. This year, our area falls within a No Swim Area, although the triathlon course must certainly fall outside of it. Within the No Swim Area, there are additional safety concerns due to increased boat traffic, undercurrents, and potentially elevated levels of PCBs. How close is too close for comfort is a personal decision. It is my understanding that the primary risks of PCB exposure for humans come from eating contaminated fish and having contact with the sediment. Breathing contaminated dust is of particular concern. Despite being an avid kayaker on affected areas of the Upper Hudson, I have adopted a very conservative attitude with regard to having physical contact with the water.

Another interesting side topic concerns the kinds of cultural resources and historical artifacts and features that are being discovered as a result of the dredging. An archaeologist friend of mine commented that he would love to see what is being pulled up out of the muck and that prehistoric dugout canoes have been found in similar environments. Years ago, this friend excavated a preserved ox bow and beaver dam 10,000 to 13,000 years old not too far upstream.

It is so interesting to hear people's stories as we gather at the dredging site. Everyone I have run into lately has some kind of connection to the river, and the different perspectives paint such a rich story of the different roles the river plays in people's lives. 

And the lives of wildlife, too.

Sharing our stories is also a little like group therapy. Most of our lives will be inconvenienced in some way, and I find it interesting to experience different people's reactions. Pretty much the only thing I can be in control of with regard to the dredging is my attitude. Initially, my husband and I were shocked to learn that this is the year we'll have dredging in our stretch of the river; we weren't expecting it so soon. That was followed by a stage of information gathering. And now I'm trying to make the most of it by writing, photographing, and being interested and fascinated. This is not going to be much of a kayaking year (unless we want to hoist our boats on top of the car and drive somewhere), but it's only one year. Even two or three years would be but a drop in the bucket.

No pun intended. :-)

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© Susan Meyer and River Bliss, 2012-2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, including all photos, without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Susan Meyer and River Bliss (www.riverblissed.blogspot.com) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Dandelions: Underappreciated Perennials

I just don't get it. Why is the humble dandelion so maligned? I remember picking dandelions as a child and feeling delighted that there was a flower I was allowed to pick and could offer as a bouquet to my parents as a token of my love. I felt proud to see a Dixie cup of dandelions I picked sitting on the windowsill. 

As a parent, I adored the sight of one of my children offering a fistful of dandelions, beaming with such pride and love - perhaps because it reawakened in me the feelings from when I was a child. And what is sweeter than tiny cheeks puffed up to blow wishes and seed fairies from a freshly plucked dandelion puff ball into the wind? Inspired by a photo of my son doing this, I named my first collection of parenting poetry The Dandelion Years. That title summed up for me the sweetness and wonder of that chapter of life.

The Dandelion Years cover photo

So you see, I am a fan of dandelions. I appreciate the sight of a lawn dotted with small yellow flowers and "wishing ball" puffs on a stem. 

A friend of mine noted recently that dandelions are a valuable, early source of pollen and nectar for honeybees at this time of year when their winter stores have been used up. I have read widely that honeybee colonies are dying off and that declines in honeybee populations could result in widespread agricultural and environmental disaster. Our food supply is dependent on honeybees and other pollinators, and letting dandelions grow in our yards is a way of caring for honeybees and our planet.

And that's good enough for me!

In addition, they have been valued around the world for certain medicinal and culinary properties.

When I talk about dandelions with my kindergarten students, I always point out that - while dandelion greens and even the flowers are edible (especially when young and tender) - you can't pick and eat them at whim due to the danger of pesticides and other lawn care chemicals. 

Each year without fail, a number of students announce that their parents "hate dandelions...because they are weeds!" (Personally, I prefer to think of them as wildflowers. To each his own!) However, picking dandelions for our classroom nature table is a favorite, spontaneous pastime during recess. And this year, one of my students talked about eating - and liking - dandelion pancakes. Well, I guess he one-upped me!

I'm sure I've mentioned in a previous post my favorite children's picture book about dandelions, The Dandelion Seed by Joseph Anthony. It is a lovely story about a dandelion seed that doesn't want to let go. When it finally does, it takes a long journey in the wind and sees how big, frightening, lonely, and beautiful the world is until it finally lands in its own special place. Then the story describes wondrously (and with gorgeous illustrations) the life cycle of the new dandelion that grows from the seed. And then it goes full circle. The story provides a beautiful metaphor well suited to families who are sending a child to school for the first time.

 Here is my advice on how to appreciate dandelions in three simple steps:

1. Slow down and take a closer look.
2. Stop thinking.
3. Be fascinated.

Number two is critical. You need to connect with a dandelion without labeling it with a word like weed because it carries such a negative connotation. You have to step out of the thinking mind, beyond all words and concepts, into pure sensory awareness in order to see how geometric and beautiful a dandelion really is. I especially love the puff balls.

However, the flowers also have a subtle charm. When I looked closely at one, I noticed a tiny star at the center.

And sometimes when I walk through the yard, I notice dandelions in formations that suggest human-like relationships. For example, in this photo, it looks like an elder or teacher of some sort is sharing his/her wisdom with younger dandelions.

And these two look like older dandelions in love.

Even though many people don't appreciate a yard dotted with dandelions, if you take a closer look through a different lens, you may discover (if you need convincing) that they are indeed beautiful and of great value. 

And I want to try dandelion pancakes sometime!

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© Susan Meyer and River Bliss, 2012-2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, including all photos, without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Susan Meyer and River Bliss (www.riverblissed.blogspot.com) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

It's Lilac Time!

Is there anything quite like lilacs in early May? They bring to mind so many happy memories and associations from my childhood. I remember having lilac bushes in the yard of my childhood home and vases of lilacs beautifying the air inside our home and my grandmother's home as well. The gift of lilacs were given and received gladly. They were important.

The lilac tree in our front yard it is quiet, dormant, and largely unnoticed for more than 10 months each year. In early spring, I begin inspecting it for signs of new life. What joy to discover the first miniature, dark buds! Such hope and anticipation.

In the midst of being fascinated with the daffodils, I pause to check in with the lilacs every few days to see the changes.

Last weekend was when it really started to get exciting.

And on Sunday, the first blossom!

I actually clapped my hands and cheered when I saw the first blossoms six days ago. I also put my nose close and inhaled the year's first intoxicating whiff of lilac. The bees and I were psyched. 

The day when the first daring lilac flowers open is highly symbolic to me. It represents the flowering of human consciousness, beginning with the first awakened one, the one who shows the others the way - how to open up fearlessly and authentically and give the world the gift of your highest, most fully expressed self. In the two photos above, it almost looks as though the surrounding buds are curious and intrigued, looking to the one that has blossomed and inspires them by example to do the same. What have they got to lose? 

These two decided to bloom together and made me smile. It certainly is a blessing to have someone to bloom with. 

By the next day, more flowers had opened.

The day after that, the air was perfumed with the floral scent of lilac. A critical mass of buds had opened and was pervading the air. The honeybees were ecstatic.

The following morning, the rain-kissed lilacs were a sight to behold.

At peak and smelling heavenly...

In full bloom this morning:

It all reminds me to be here now and savor these fleeting moments when the intoxicating fragrance of lilacs drifts through the air - because lilacs don't last long. But the memories invoked by the sight and smell of them each year linger for a lifetime.

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© Susan Meyer and River Bliss, 2012-2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, including all photos, without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Susan Meyer and River Bliss (www.riverblissed.blogspot.com) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.