When I think spring… I think rhubarb!
April 14, 2008
By James Eddington, Eddington’s of Exeter
519-235-3030
Really, I do!
Rhubarb is a vegetable with a unique taste that makes it a favorite in many pies and desserts. Rhubarb is often commonly mistaken to be a fruit, but rhubarb is actually a close relative of garden sorrel, and that makes it a member of the vegetable family.
Rhubarb is rich in vitamin C and dietary fibre. Rhubarb is a perennial plant with large leaves and has long, thick and tasty stalks, and is available from early winter through early summer. Winter rhubarb is commercially produced in forcing houses in Michigan and Ontario. Rhubarb is common ingredient in any chef’s kitchen during these months.
Rhubarb leaves grow from the ground in early spring. The leaves can grow up to a foot or more in width and length and the plant may grow to a height of several feet. The green leaves of the plant are poisonous. They contain high concentrations of oxalic acid crystals, these crystals can cause swelling of throat and tongue and can restrict breathing.
The edible stalks are up to 18 inches long, 1 to 2 inches in diameter just like celery. These stalks are cut and used in pies, jams, chutney, jellies, sauces and juice.
Ontario’s West Coast rhubarb is always ready for picking just as soon as the strawberries are ready for harvest. It freezes well, as do the berries, so you can enjoy these spring delicacies all year round.
Rhubarb & Strawberry Lemonade
Makes about six servings
3-1/4 cups water
3/4 lb. rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup sugar, or to taste
Two 3-inch strips of lemon zest removed with a vegetable peeler, plus additional for garnish
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup fresh lemon juice
Splash of vodka: optional
Sprig of mint: garnish
In a saucepan stir together the water, the rhubarb, the sugar, 2 strips of the zest and the vanilla, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and simmer it, covered, for 8 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the strawberries and boil the mixture, covered, for 2 minutes.
Let the mixture cool and strain it through a coarse sieve set or china cap over a pitcher, pressing hard on the solids. Stir in the remaining cup of strawberries , vodka (optional) and the lemon juice, divide the lemonade among glasses filled with ice cubes and garnish each glass with some of the additional zest and fresh mint.
Save the tears and back up your data
April 14, 2008
Technically Speaking
By Tamara Nicola
After years working as a software executive in a fast paced, high pressure career, I decided to quit my job, sell the house, and buy a Winnebago… to the shock of everyone close to me. Okay they talked me out of the Winnebago, but they couldn’t talk me out of moving to Grand Bend. I have fallen in love with our village and it’s a privilege to share some of my computer knowledge with the Grand Bend Strip readership. Today I spend my time focusing mainly on web design, e-commerce and the marketing of both. For my first article I want start with a very important topic, and that is Backup and Restore.
A healthy sob
It’s almost time to put down the TV remote, dust the Doritos off your chest and head outside in the evenings. I have to admit that I have become addicted to reality TV over the winter. Is it just me or have you noticed the contestants crying a lot more this season? From Biggest Loser to Survivor they are all having a healthy sob on national TV.
This reminds me of my years working for a Backup & Restore software company.
See where I am going here? Everyday I encountered people sobbing over lost data. Even if they managed to hold themselves together initially, they most certainly lost it when they saw the price tag to manually recover a hard drive.Literally thousands of dollars, and often times it was only partially successful.
Off-site solutions
Businesses have long understood the importance of storing backups off-site. A disaster that wipes out one location won’t destroy the backups, too. Online backup services, which automatically move duplicates of your critical data over the Internet to remote servers, are now available to everyone.
It’s not just businesses that need to plan for disaster recovery; with digital cameras the new norm, important family memories reside on hard drives that will eventually fail.
If you have DSL or a cable modem and are backing up to floppy disk (yikes!), burning files to CD/DVD, or lugging around a zip drive, it may be time for a change.
Online backups are affordable and some are even free. While not designed for a full system backup, they are a great way to protect your critical documents, pictures, email and music.
Security is an important concern. The online service should offer encryption of your data so that any stolen files are unreadable. Restoring should be quick and easy. I recommend that you practice restoring so when a crisis hits, you are calm and ready to go.
✯ Hay Communications in Zurich offers a $9.95/per month plan and they have a free trial offer. Sign up online at www.hay.net
✯ At Mozy.com, you can sign up for 2 GB of free space. They support both the PC and the MAC. PC Magazine rates Mozy as Editors Choice. www.Mozy.com
✯ Windows Live SkyDrive. 5 GB of free storage is available. SkyDrive only backs up individual files, not directories but it has built in file sharing capabilities. http://www.skydrive.live.com
Tamara Nicola is a Grand Bend website designer and Grand Bend Strip’s technology expert. Visit Tamara’s blog at:
www.visitgrandbend.com.
Sure signs of spring; some good, some bad
April 14, 2008
Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton
Robins, cardinals, and red-winged blackbirds are all singing at the tops of their lungs. The high-pitched screech of the killdeer is another sign that spring has sprung.
The killdeer, Charadrius vociferous, a member of the plover family, is named for its piercing call. I recently heard the familiar “killdee!” and noted a female killdeer sprinting away from her nest. In an effort to divert my attention, she went into the usual broken wing act, crying in a pitiful voice. Treading carefully, I finally located the nest; a shallow scrape in the gravel, beautifully camouflaged and endowed with four brown speckled eggs. When I glanced away toward the frantic mother, it was very hard to relocate the nest when I looked back, although I had not moved an inch. I took a quick photo and promptly left the mother in peace.
The killdeer offspring are among the cutest of baby birds. Fluffy replicas of their parents, they come out of the egg running and with eyes open. These ‘precocial’ babies are much closer to independence than most newborn birds. They are incubated longer and so are further developed at birth. Camouflage aids in their survival rate after hatching. One of the first lessons is to teach the chicks to ‘freeze’ on signal from the parents. The fact that the offspring are so cute is often an attraction for curious onlookers, especially children. Parents need to make their own offspring aware of the importance of leaving things in nature as they found them. A curious human intruder can seriously disturb a family of killdeers or other birds, sometimes causing the death of the baby birds.
The killdeer is very helpful to farmers because of the large numbers of insect pests they consume. Unfortunately, they are quite vulnerable to pesticide poisoning. The use of these chemicals has a very negative impact on the entire food chain. I don’t need to see a “pesticide use” sign to know when the stuff has been sprayed. The odour lingers for a couple of days. Any birds which eat insects or worms are affected, along with countless other species. We must dispense with the use of cosmetic pesticides. It is the least we can to do help repair some of the damage toward nature we have caused. As Tom Hayman (the bird man of the London Free Press) says regarding pesticides, “You can’t pick dew worms off a golf course any more…and now you know why.”
Ontario backroads are not a garbage dump!
One cannot help but notice the amount of litter strewn along our roadsides during spring. Not only is it unsightly, but it can cause serious harm to unsuspecting wildlife if they think it is food. Since the recession of the snow, I have been dismayed to see all types of garbage while on my ‘balanced lifestyle’ walks with Fergus the yellow Labrador: glass and plastic bottles, plastic six-pack rings, bleach bottles, liquid detergent bottles, beer bottles, cigarette packages, pop cans, and even a soiled infant diaper. Yecchh! The plastics are unlikely to break down in the next 1000 years. What a dreadful legacy to leave behind for our future generations!
The most frequently occurring litter on our road is Tim Horton coffee cups… you know the ones with the big yellow arrow? Just because you rolled up the rim and got ‘zilch’ doesn’t mean you should roll down the window and pitch it to the shoulder! I have to believe that the bulk of this litter is coming from car windows, not from the people enjoying nature while out for a stroll down the road. That means that it is likely the people in the sixteen and older category are the perpetrators. Perhaps children need to teach their parents to show more respect for the environment!
Jenipher Appleton: nature at grandbendstrip.com
Get ready for golf!
April 14, 2008
Golf Tips
By Cameron Rankin
The season is upon us after a long snowy winter. The local golf courses seem to have wintered well, with no noticeable winter kill or snow mould to speak of. The spring rain we’ve just had should promote a fast turnaround to course conditions and get the grass nice and green once again.
I have three tips for you this week to be properly prepared for the season.
1 - Check those golf clubs and consider replacing your grips. The feel of a new grip makes that club feel like NEW again. If the grips just need cleaning, use Comet or Ajax in the power form to clean them up. Make sure you check the steel shafts for any surface rust, use chrome cleaner to polish up.
2 - Check your shoes. Check those spikes and consider replacing them for better traction. Don’t forget to weatherproof your uppers.
3 - Get your legs into shape. Practice walking; the average golfer walks a minimum of four miles during eighteen holes, so if you want to finish your round strongly remember those legs.
Cameron Rankin is a member of the CPGA and British PGA, and the head pro at Sand Hills Golf Resort (www.sandhillsgolf.ca) in Port Franks.
The crimson majesty of the Northern cardinal
March 12, 2008
Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton
Bird songs tell of spring
We find ourselves in that lovely transition between late winter and early spring, when the sun feels strong yet the nights remain frigid. Stepping outside in the morning yields a diversity of bird songs, whose performers are more actively communicating in response to the imminent spring.
A most noticeable song comes from one of our non-migratory birds – the Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). The sound has changed from ‘what cheer, what cheer,’ to a more compelling ‘birdy birdy.’
Regular visitors to the feeder all year long, the cardinals seem extra hungry in the month of March. The male’s brilliant red plumage with his accentuated crest makes a striking contrast to the verdant boughs of a lofty spruce. He sports a black mask and beard with a triangular reddish bill.
An official appointed by the Pope to his council is also called a cardinal. He adorns his robe with a bright red cummerbund. It is likely that the bird is named for the esteemed official, rather than the reverse. Otherwise very similar to the male, the female has olive beige upper parts and buff brown under parts. Both genders are 19-23 cm long.
On a recent late afternoon walk with Fergus, our yellow lab puppy, I spied a male cardinal high in the branches of a sugar maple. He would call ‘birdy birdy’ or ‘teacher teacher.’ This melodic tirade was followed up with a spring variation; a low trill or purring. I soon detected a well-camouflaged female on a lower branch, coyly facing away from the wooing male. Shortly, another male landed on a higher branch from a tree about 50m away. The two males proceeded to make several calls and flitted about the branches, vying for the affection of the female, who remained patiently on her branch. Suddenly one of the males aborted his effort, leaving the couple to pursue their mating ritual. Fergus sat attentively observing the cycle of nature unfolding before us.
Food, territorial males and good parents
Food choices for cardinals include insects, seeds, grains, fruits and snails. They drink sap from holes drilled by sapsuckers and enjoy cracked corn and sunflower seeds at feeders.
The male cardinal is willing to fight other birds to defend his territory and has been known to attack his own reflection in windows, car mirrors or other shiny surfaces. This behaviour has caused the deaths of many territorial males. More than once I have scooped up the sad remains of a brilliant male cardinal beneath the drive shed window.
Northern cardinals are monogamous and the male feeds the female while she is incubating the eggs. The fledglings are fed by both sexes. The male will continue to feed and tend the original brood while the female begins the incubation of a second clutch. The cardinal is often host to the hatchlings of the cowbird who has the nasty habit of laying its eggs in the nests of other birds (the height of laziness). All members of the cowbird family are classed as ‘brood parasites’ and the female lays between 10 and 36 eggs per year. That’s a lot of giving up for adoption. The cardinal proceeds to diligently raise its own young along with those of the cowbird. Any predictions as to which offspring wins the fledgling beauty contest?
Grand Bend Strip comes to the classroom!
February 14, 2008
Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton
Balanced literacy for Ontario students
The latest and most unremitting thrust from the Ontario Ministry of Education is indeed the ‘balanced literacy’ movement. In a nutshell, balanced literacy in the elementary grades must provide opportunities for daily reading including: independent, guided, and shared reading, along with read-alouds. I won’t even begin to go into the definitions of the foregoing or how they are implemented. Suffice it to say that I have been training and practising balanced literacy over the past several years in my classroom at East Williams, and that as a result, my learning curve has continued to expand and develop along with the children. The reason for balanced literacy as an educational directive is to improve overall literacy skills in our Ontario students and to deepen their levels of reading comprehension. Sound dry? On the contrary, it is really quite exciting.
I’ll get to the point. Shared reading essentially means that everyone is looking at the same piece of text at the same time. It could be a big book, overhead projection, or any other piece of text that has been reproduced for all to see. Recently I have been using my own pieces of writing from the Grand Bend Strip for some of my shared reading experiences with the students. An integral part of the balanced literacy thrust is that teachers should model writing. I feel that the content of my articles, containing information about nature and ecology, is an appropriate model for the ten- and eleven-year-olds in my Grade 5/6 class.
Recent article “Owls – a guide to local hooters”
When my students read the article about owls, many made connections to owls they had encountered in our area. The students showed enough interest in our local species that they were inspired to do further research in our next computer lab. Not only did they find more information about owls, but also they wanted to draw pictures from the images they found on the Internet. The following are some quotes written by students about our local owls:
“I am an Eastern Screech owl. I eat insects, arachnids, small mammals and amphibians. One of my physical characteristics is my small ear tufts.” (By Kylee Arthur)
“I am a saw-whet owl. I eat small rodents, large insects, birds, and bats. I am only 20 cm long. I am named for my call which sounds like a saw being sharpened or whetted.” (By Carly Whitmore)
“I am a Great Horned owl. I eat house cats, skunks, porcupines and other animals bigger than myself. Some of my physical characteristics are my large ear tufts, and my massive length up to 64 cm, my 150 cm wingspan, huge, yellow riveting eyes, and my familiar ‘whoo-whoo!’” (By Jake Gregory)
The drawings included here, by Mackenzie Siddall and Evan Scott, demonstrate the greatest attention to detail and a wonderful sense of appreciation for these animals in their natural habitat.
Media literacy using the Grand Bend Strip
During independent reading, students are allowed to read other articles from the Grand Bend Strip. They show enthusiasm for the human interest stories and articles, but are especially taken with Casey Lessard’s fabulous photographs, candidly capturing community members of all ages taking part in a huge variety of activities. The photos are always informatively captioned, and my students are able to learn from this excellent example of media literacy.
The content of this family newspaper encourages knowledge of current events common to our community and stimulates conversation amongst students about such current events, basic science, and nature. It helps to develop a passion for exploration into different media, communication, and life-long learning. In short, the Grand Bend Strip provides a vehicle for students to be aware of the ‘balance’ between living and learning.
Take a flight this Valentine’s Day
February 14, 2008
By James Eddington, Eddington’s of Exeter (http://www.eddingtons.ca/)
While trying to think of the perfect dessert for Valentines Day, I remember a wine tasting I had attended, where each wine was paired with a taste or flavour on a spoon. While each spoon had its own flavour, an array of taste can be combined into a “flight.” So for all you hopeless romantics this Valentines Day, reserve your table at Eddington’s of Exeter (519) 235-3030 or try a “flight.”
Blindfold your date and spoon-feed them one bite at a time in the order listed above. If you choose your own ingredients, select flavors that pair well together, but vary in temperature, texture, and taste. Enjoy and most of all have fun!
Flights of Fancy
(Each ingredient to be served in a standard tablespoon)
Flight 1
1 3/4 inch cube of pear, sprinkled with pepper and seared in a hot pan for 1
minute per side
1 3/4 inch cube of Stilton cheese
1 roasted pecan
1 tbsp port
Flight 2
1 chocolate truffle
1 mini scoop vanilla ice cream
1 dried apricot
1 tbsp framboise (raspberry liqueur)
Flight 3
“For a good time, STRIP!”
(Editor’s note: I think James is referring to the newspaper.
Take a flight this Valentine’s Day
January 21, 2008
By James Eddington, Eddington’s of Exeter
While trying to think of the perfect dessert for Valentines Day, I remember a wine tasting I had attended, where each wine was paired with a taste or flavour on a spoon. While each spoon had its own flavour, an array of taste can be combined into a “flight.” So for all you hopeless romantics this Valentines Day, reserve your table at Eddington’s of Exeter (519) 235-3030 or try a “flight.”
Blindfold your date and spoon-feed them one bite at a time in the order listed above. If you choose your own ingredients, select flavors that pair well together, but vary in temperature, texture, and taste. Enjoy and most of all have fun!
(Each ingredient to be served in a standard tablespoon)
Flight 1
1 x 3/4 inch cube of pear, sprinkled with pepper and seared in a hot pan for 1 minute per side
1 x 3/4 inch cube of Stilton cheese
1 roasted pecan
1 tbsp port
Flight 2
1 chocolate truffle
1 mini scoop vanilla ice cream
1 dried apricot
1 tbsp framboise (raspberry liqueur)
Flight 3
“For a good time, STRIP” (Editor’s note: I think James is referring to the newspaper).
A fresh approach to beat the winter blues!
January 21, 2008
By James Eddington, Eddington’s of Exeter
As January rolls into February, we look to break from the whirlwind of activities of the past months. We yearn for less indulgent foods that are lower in fat - a change from the heavy sauces and extravagant desserts of December: foods with clean crisp tastes.
As few believe, Ontario still has a substantial supply of locally grown produce, including beets, cabbage, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, potatoes, squash, sprouts, etc.
Beautiful beet soup
This delicious dish brightens any table. Serves 4.
1 tbsp (15 mL) cold-pressed olive oil
1/2 medium onion
1/2 tsp (3 mL) curry powder
4 medium beets, peeled and chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
3 cups (750 mL) vegetable stock, chicken stock or water
1 1/2 tsp (8 mL) honey
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste
2 tbsp (30 mL) yogurt or kefir
2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped green onions
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft. Add curry powder and cook for a minute longer, then the beets, potatoes and stock or water. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender, 30-45 minutes. Purée or mash with a potato masher. Reheat the soup and add the honey. Season to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the sour cream and green onions.
Braised red cabbage and apples
A little sweet, a little sour, this sensational side dish of braised red cabbage and apples is an easy accompaniment to roast turkey that can be made ahead of time and reheated right before dinner.
2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 small head red cabbage, quartered and thinly sliced
2 apples, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) red wine (any kind)
1/4 cup (50 mL) apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar
2 tsp (10 mL) salt
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring for five minutes, until softened. Add cabbage and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes or until cabbage is thoroughly wilted and softened. Now add apples, wine, vinegar, sugar and salt, lower the heat to low and simmer, covered, for one-and-a-half to two hours, stirring once in a while.
Stir in apple jelly, replace the cover on the pot and continue to simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes.
Crispy mushroom strudel with fresh herb cream sauce and cranberries
Ingredients for filling:
2 oz unsalted butter
1 lb sliced mixed fresh mushrooms (oyster, portobello, shiitake, button, cremini)
4 fresh garlic cloves - minced
1 small yellow onion - diced
Salt & pepper to taste
2 oz plain breadcrumbs
2 tbsp fresh chives - chopped
2 oz chardonnay white wine
Ingredients for dough:
2 oz unsalted butter - melted
5 sheets phyllo dough
1 egg
Ingredients for sauce:
8 oz low sodium chicken stock
6 oz Chardonnay white wine
1 shallot onion - sliced
8 oz heavy cream
2 tbsp mixed chopped herbs (parsley, chives, rosemary, basil, thyme)
Garnish:
4 tbsp sliced cranberries
1 tbsp unsalted butter
Preparation:
Heat medium-sized sauté pan, add butter and onions and cook for one minute. Add garlic and mushrooms and sauté for about three minutes. Deglaze pan with white wine and season with salt and pepper. Transfer mushrooms into a mixing bowl and let the mushrooms cool off. Add chives, breadcrumbs and chives and mix everything very well. Lay out a kitchen towel and place first sheet of phyllo dough on it. Brush the sheet with melted butter then place the next layer of phyllo dough and repeat the first step until the last sheet of dough is placed. Spread mushroom mixture along the longer side of the sheet - about two inches wide. Take the towel and start rolling the strudel. Transfer strudel to a greased baking sheet pan, brush with beaten egg and bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes. Put chicken stock, Chardonnay wine and shallot into a saucepot and bring mixture to a boil on high heat. Turn the heat to medium and let the liquid reduce (cool down) to about 5 oz. Add the heavy cream and let the sauce reduce to half. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve.
Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Add the fresh chopped herbs. Heat cranberries with butter in a small sauté pan. To assemble strudel, pour sauce on the center of the plate, sprinkle cranberries across the sauce and place a two-inch slice of Strudel in the middle of the plate. Garnish with fresh thyme. Sautéed baby spinach or root vegetable julienne accompany this appetizer very well.
It’s so easy to be kind
January 21, 2008
Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton
A kind gesture, word or deed can truly make a difference in someone’s day. It takes very little effort to be kind, and in turn, you may be rewarded by how it makes you feel. Positive thoughts and actions are part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
Gesture of goodwill
It is so rare to observe an overt gesture of goodwill that, when it does occur, it really stands out. This is how it was for a pair of my colleagues as they traveled the Nairn Road on their way to work each morning last month. Each day as the women (Julie and Jaclyn) passed a section of road, they would see an older gentleman out for his morning walk. Every vehicle, passing in either direction, received a big, friendly wave along with the peace sign from him. Most drivers, like themselves, would return the wave. It got to the point that they would anticipate the encounter each morning with enthusiasm. Other members of my staff who travel the same route commented several times about the gentleman as well, all with a positive view.
Returning the favour
One morning, running a bit late, the women missed the wave, but were just in time to see the waver entering his house. Now they knew where he lived! Julie decided that something must be done to return the kindness of this gentleman. She bought a small gift (a snowman mug filled with chocolates and biscuits). The package included a note saying “Thanks for brightening our day each morning – Julie and Jaclyn, East Williams School.” On the way home that evening they stopped and left the parcel on his doorstep.
Their reward followed swiftly the next morning when they saw their waver coming down the road wearing a sandwich-board-style sign proclaiming:
“Thank you! Merry Christmas!”
Julie and Jaclyn smiled, waved, and had a tear or two. They were ecstatic when they arrived at the school that morning; however, the story is not over yet.
Shortly after 9 a.m., an older couple arrived in the school and asked for Julie or Jaclyn. It was the waver, whose name turned out to be Richard, and his charming wife, Catherine. They wanted to meet the people who had returned a simple, kind gesture, and to say thank you in person for the Christmas gift. Everyone felt very good and a true sense of Christmas peace was hanging about the halls.
It doesn’t take much to change someone’s day for the better. Smile at someone; hold a door for someone; make a joke with people when there’s trouble at the cashier; but most of all, offer a friendly wave! The peace sign doesn’t hurt either. It might even improve your well-being.
Richard’s Story
As told to Casey Lessard
I usually walk 30 minutes steady every morning. I exercise to try to keep all of my parts functioning. It gives me a break, too. I get a big kick out of it.
I had a triple-bypass, so I’m one of those types. Usually we (Richard and his wife Catherine) go down south, but two years ago I came down with Bell’s palsy, and that hung us up. We were going to go this year and we decided, who needs all that hassle of trying to stay out of the way of the transport trucks?
I usually have a sign (encouraging people to honk). At least half of them will honk. I don’t stop and talk with any of them, and neither do they.
The next day (after the teachers dropped off their gift), another woman comes with a gift. In her note, she calls me her buddy, and says “I can’t wait for spring to see my buddy again.” She signed it with her name, “in the blue Taurus that goes by every morning.”
There’s enough downtrends in the world today, so if someone can get a laugh out of the joker walking down the highway every morning, the more power to them.
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