Strawberry Picking

My annual Strawbery Picking Extravaganza was last Saturday, Day One of strawberry picking at Terhune Orchards in Princeton, NJ. I arrived at the farm around 1:30 after a lazy morning at home in anticipation of a long day of picking, cleaning and jamming. It had been so crowded at Terhune that the strawberry field was closed after we left: it was all picked out! But strawberries have a way of regenerating or ripening overnight, so Sunday and Monday's pickers had plenty to keep them busy.



Strawberry jam is the easiest to make, I think, because strawberries have lots of natural pectin in them that helps the jam set. Some of my recipes that combine strawberries with other fruits require a box of store-bought pectin, but my plain strawberry jam recipe from the original Ball Blue Book does not. Ball is one of the leading jar and lid manufacturers, by the way. I make lots of strawberry and blueberry jam every year mostly to give away as gifts at Christmas, and sometimes for a unique hostess or housewarming gift. I guard my latest stock fiercely, but if you hit me up for a jar of last year's product, I can usually set you up. My most popular flavor, at least with the family, is blueberry-lime, so you probably won't see leftovers of that flavor.

This year I made extra strawberry because I'll be traveling in July when blueberries are ripe. After starting the picking at 1:30, I worked straight through until 8:30 making strawberry, strawberry-banana and strawberry-rhubarb. When I was all finished there were 29 jars, mostly half-pints. They cooled on the counter for two days just as the Ball Blue Book directs, and now they are ready to be stored in a cool, dark place.
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Moravian Tile Works

There are tiles and there are tiles! We visited Henry Mercer's Moravian Tile Works in Doylestown, Bucks County, PA, on Sunday. I had passed this strange looking building (built in 1910-1912) many times on Route 313, but never stopped to check it out until now. From the road it looks kind of spooky, but the opposite side is actually the front. the design is based on California missions with a courtyard and covered walks, lots of arches, and a tile roof. The many chimneys are copied from those at San Juan Capistrano. The entire building is made out of concrete with various materials stuck to the walls on the inside: burlap, sheet metal, and other unidentifiable substances.

Back to the tiles: Henry Mercer studied to be a lawyer and switched to archeology, but he's remembered most for his collection of tools and artifacts and the Moravian Tile Works. Originally he was inspired by Pennsylvania German designs, but through his travels he was exposed to other styles that he would use for his tiles: Aztec, Inca, English, European medieval, Native American, folk, nature, and Bible motives. The Arts and Crafts Movement and Spanish-influenced architecture were both popular when the Tile Works was making tiles, and tile fits into both. There was a large market in Pennsylvania and beyond for mercer's tiles. The state capitol in Harrisburg features an original Henry Mercer tile mosaic that tells the history of Pennsylvania.

Tiles are still made at the Moravian Tile Works, and craftspeople were at work Sunday making tiles from the original Mercer molds. The gift shop has an extensive collection of tiles in the various styles and sizes made through the years at the Moravian Tile Works. Although I dream of a new kitchen backsplash made from these beautifully crafted tiles, I settled for a golden cut-out bee and a square relief of The Flying Dutchman ghost ship.

Easter in Cape May

It was a fun Easter: we had brunch at Ballyhoo's in Cape May. Since they are renovating their regular location, brunch (and other meals, too) are being served in the Grand Hotel's Grand Ballroom. It's a pretty place, and the third event I've been to in there in 2009. Before 2009, I had never been inside the Grand Hotel, but had taken pictures of it because it is the hotel built around the World War II fire tower. Since the tower is historic, they couldn't tear it down, so they built the hotel around it and use it for a giant conduit for wiring and stuff. Anyhoo, the Ballyhoo Brunch was good. We ate too much and got our picture taken with the Easter Bunny. the star of the brunch was the delicious strawberry donut.

Afterwards, I took some photos of the tulips and daffodils around town. (Cape May is a little ahead of the Trenton area in bulb flower blooming.

I also took some pictures of Mom's flowers around the yard: daffodils, jonquils, hyacinths, and her favorite, gardenias.

My Amazing 2009 Birthday

Most of my birthdays come and go without a whole lot of hoopla, and that's the way I like it. But this year I was showered with gifts and surprises, and I'll remember it for a long time. It's not a Big One ending in a zero or even a favorite number. It's just plain old 46, divisible by 1,2,23 and 46 itself, and that's about it for whole numbers.

The Language and Literature Department at BCCC has an annual Women Reading and Writing event where women faculty, staff and students read the work of women, their own or someone else's. I haven't read in the past, and I wasn't planning on reading this year especially since the event fell on my actual birthday. It's hard to resist people I like, though, and when a few of the organizers asked me again to read, and then pleaded because they had an empty spot, I relented. I thought that might happen, and had quickly grabbed something of my shelf at home. (Yes, I work in a library but I know my own books best). The chosen passage was a piece of Frances Mayes' A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveler. After "the book that changed my life" as she calls it (Under the Tuscan Sun), Ms. Mayes had the freedom and the funds to spend a year travelling to places she might like to live. Most importantly, she attempted to live as the natives live in each place. This is what she wrote about. This is how I introduced my chosen passage about exploring Madrid, a city I'd actually visited myself. I was concerned about the Spanish words that might trip me up, especially since I am physically unable to trill Rs, but there were no such words in this passage except for maybe churros, but I figured most Americans would know what they are. What I didn't see coming was the word 'penis' as in a wish candle sold in a black magic shop Ms. Mayes visited in Madrid. So there I was in front of colleagues and students, reading this favorite piece of travel writing and knowing that I was soon going to have to say the phrase 'big pink penis' into a microphone. Well maybe if I plowed right through no one would notice, but if I showed any anxiety they surely would. Some students in the front snickered (imagine a librarian saying that), but my colleagues were too busy to notice, I think. I survived, I read something unique, and I got some attention. I don't look too frazzled, either:

That evening was the birthday treat I was waiting for. As part of the Philadelphia Speaker Series that Sue and I have attended for five years now, Jane Goodall would be speaking and, for the first time in Speaker Series history, signing books. I love signed books. I love author talks. As expected, Dame Goodall was fabulous. She talked about the chimps and demonstrated a couple of their calls, talked about her life and how she got involved in this research, and finally told us about her Jane Goodall Institute (www.janegoodall.org) and all the good things they do for the environment and education. I admired her passion and I was in awe of her schedule, on the road 300 days of the year! I joined the line afterwards with my book fully expecting to be there rather late. To my surprise, I was near the front of the line and it went quickly. Not only did we get our book signed, but Dr. Goodall posed for a picture with each and every one of us! Her staff had this down to an efficient operation, and handed out business cards with instructions for downloading our photos in 7-10 days. Here's mine:

What an amazing birthday!

The Philadelphia Flower Show Part Two

By the time I got to the individual plant competition, my feet were screaming from the hard concrete convention center floor. But this part of the show is amazing: the perfect specimens; the blue, red and yellow ribbons; and the photo opps! It's like a fashion show for each kind of plant. I'm especially drawn to the bulb flowers since I grow them at home (in the ground, not in pots), but some of the other categories feature breathtaking specimens. I just love this lady's blurred face behind the African violet!

Orchids were very popular this year:

The Philadelphia Flower Show Part One

A couple of Fridays ago, we headed down to Philadelphia on the train to see the Philadelphia Flower Show. I always plan to go to this event, but something always happens to thwart my plans. This year it was a giant snowstorm on the day I had planned to go, but almost on the spur of the moment and without making my intentions known, I decided we'd go on Friday after work. Of course it was still crowded and you practically have to wait in line to see the displays, but the wait is worth it. The theme this year was Italy, and the displays were grouped by Italian geography. Displays featured a gondola, the lost civilization of Atlantis, Roman statues, and non-Italian topics such as the orchid (water)fall, multi-colored tree, and an Irish cottage. Check out some photos below:

I Want to be a Travel Writer When I Grow Up

I had the most fabulous time this weekend at Dover Downs Hotel and Casino! I was there on a research trip--I have to write an article about gambling on both sides of the Delaware Bay and other interesting things to do in and around the casinos. Atlantic City is easy. I've been there plenty of times and it's about an hour from home. But Delaware would be all new. I chose Dover Downs to explore although there are a couple of other places. Well...

They treated me like a queen! I was able to set up a comp night at the posh hotel and I had a great tour with Lisa from their PR department. she showed me all around the "property" as they call it, including the casino, the grandstand (by the NASCAR and harness racing tracks), the year-'round simulcast area, the dozen or so restaurants and bars, the beautiful new Colonnade with its retail shops, the spa (they gave me some free goodies), and last but not least, the swanky upscale restaurant, Michele's. The whole tour took about ninety minutes, and then...

Bob at Michele's offered to feed me and I had a wonderful dinner. Minestrone soup, warm bread, filet wrapped in bacon with a herb demiglaze and four-cheese sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, and fresh vegetables, and ultimately the ultimate warm chocolate lava cake with a side of raspberry gelato. After that meal, I was ready to crash, but I really wanted to explore the casino late night. I didn't make it, but a surprise was in store : Chef Tara from Michele's sent up to my room a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries and brownies. What a decadent late-night treat!

I finally hit the casino the next morning and signed up for my gold card. Slot machines are a lot different now from the last time I played. Everything is digital. The machine reads your cards and keeps track of your winnings and points towards bonuses. The machine is operated by buttons rather than the arm of "one-arm bandit" fame. Machines have diverse themes from all areas of human existence including Ebay, Tabasco, Mona Lisa, and my favorite, Moolah Rouge. My best winnings came from the Tabasco machine. I had only planned on losing ten dollars at the most (this was research after all), but I walked out of there with TWO THOUSAND cents. Yeah, I won a cool twenty dollars at the Tabasco machine.

What a great time I had at Dover Downs. It's only about an hour from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, so it's within reason to go there for races or shows (Jimmy Dorsey's, Glenn Miller's, and Harry James's bands are all scheduled to appear this summer!!!), or just for dinner and some slots.