The Bay of Fundy rhubarb harvest is bounteous again this year - seems we've always got the right conditions for these stalks to 'go crazy'. Good time to drag out my recipe for ...
Rhubarb Curry
1 Tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground fennel
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Mix all spices.
2 Tbsp ghee or unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp chopped peeled fresh ginger
Sea salt or kosher slat
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 c coarsely chopped green cabbage
2 cups diced (½ inch) potatoes
1½ cups thinly sliced rhubarb
1 cup French lentils, soaked 4-6 hours and drained
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1 c fresh or thawed frozen peas
1. In a large saucepan, melt the ghee or butter over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, shallots, ginger, and a large pinch of salt, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover, stir in the garlic and the spice blend, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
3. Add the cabbage, potatoes, rhubarb, lentils, brown sugar, and bay leaf, along with enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes (cooking time may vary depending on the age of the lentils). Stir occasionally and add more water as necessary to kept the dish fairly soupy.
4. When the lentils are tender, season with salt to taste, stir in the peas, and simmer until the peas are just tender, about 4 minutes. Serve.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Too much rhubarb? Make rhubarb curry
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Fiddlehead cashew stir-fry
Here's a great tasting fiddlehead recipe I came across recently on a fun website: fiddleheads.ca. These folks (located on the west coast of Canada) sell fiddles, bows, books about fiddling, violin lessons, etc., and they've posted a few great fiddlehead recipes. This one is quick & easy!
Fiddlehead cashew stir-fry
1 cup diced carrots (coins)
1 cup fresh beansprouts
1/2 cup chopped brown mushrooms
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 Tbsp butter or oil (butter is richer)
1 tsp fresh ground ginger root
Garlic & tamari soy sauce to taste
Saturday, March 17, 2012
It's maple season on Bay of Fundy
Well, so much for winter! The last couple weeks of warm winds and melting snow have heralded the arrival of "Sugar Season" on the Bay of Fundy....maple sugar season! Many families like ours have been tapping sugar maples for generations.
Our family has been making maple products here in the upper part of the Bay of Fundy for over 100 years. We only tap about 4000 trees (fairly small amount compared with other farms) but that's enought to keep our family, our town, our visitors and quite a few restaurants elsewhere in the province supplied with real maple syrup.
By the way, we jokingly call imitation table syrup telephone pole syrup since it compares that unfavourably with the real stuff!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Exploring Fundy "icefalls" - don't try this at home!
It's a matter of some debate as to whether Fundyites are more or less inclined to be cautious around our tidal coasts than visitors. Really, with all the experience we've had with close calls and, sadly, sometimes misses, you'd think....
But sometimes familiarity breeds excess confidence - such as a few years ago when a Fundy high school teacher & students ended up making a 'human chain' through chest-high tidal waters. Seems they got trapped by the incoming tides in a cove after taking a badly perceived short-cut along the beach from a coastal cliff hike!
I got goofing around this weekend at low tide beach with the enchanting 'icefalls' spurting off the cliffs...so, in this instance, with 1000s of lbs of ice over my head, I may fairly be voted as one of the 'not so bright' locals. Still, I lived to tell the tale but I wouldn't suggest trying this!!
(and drinking from the melting ice? not so swift!)
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Veggie Haggis for Rabbie Burns day!
Time to dig out my kilted skirt and haggis recipe in preparation for one of the many Burn's night celebrations around the Bay of Fundy. As you may have figured out by now, I'm pretty much a pescetarian (a vegetarian who eats fish) so the prospect of partaking in the "chieftan o' the puddin' race" at our annual event is challenging. Luckily, the Vegetarian Society of Scotland offers this fine organ-free alternative:
Vegetarian Haggis Recipe
| 1. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C, 375°F or Gas Mark 5 2. Sauté the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, then add the carrot and mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes. 3. Now add the lentils and three quarters of the stock. 4. Blend the mashed red kidney beans in the remaining stock, add these to the pan with the nuts, shoyu, lemon juice and seasonings. 5. Then add the oatmeal, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, adding a little extra liquid if necessary. 6. Turn the mixture into a lightly oiled 1lb loaf tin and bake for 30 minutes. 7. Serve with mashed neeps and tatties. |
If you plan to celebrate this Scottish poet's birthday on January 25 but don't feel up to making haggis from scratch you can always order it canned (both original & veg) from MacSween's in the U.K. For last year's musings on Burn's Night, see my post Time and Tide.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Oat Cakes & Ice Cakes
Ice cakes in the harbour make me think of oat cakes in the cupboard, so I thought this was the perfect time to share my grandmother's secret Scottish Oat Cake recipe from the 'old country'. If you live down here by the Bay you'll automatically know that oat cakes are not actually 'cakes' but rather a type of cookie.
Scottish Oat Cakes
3 c. unbleached white flour or whole wheat flour
3 c. rolled oats
1 c. sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 c. cold butter
about 3/4 c. cold water
Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter to fine crumbs. Add enough water to moisten. Roll to the depth of a woolen blanket. Cut in traditional diamond shapes. Bake at 350 degrees F for 7 to 10 minutes. Longer time = crisper cookie. Enjoy a chunk of cheddar cheese with this heritage recipe. Makes lots so share some with a friend!
Sunday, January 08, 2012
Strange weather phenoms in Fundy Bay
If you're a weather watcher you'd probably get a kick out of living on the Bay of Fundy. If you're not a weather watcher, you'd probably become a keen one if you did live here. The daily sloshing of 100 billion tonnes of seawater as well as our topography and edge-of-the-ocean perch here on the east coast of Canada makes for some quirky climatological effects.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Church bells sound around the bay on Christmas eve
A quick trip into Bay of Fundy's architecture archives reveals an interesting fact: many of our heritage churches were designed and built by shipbuilders
These churches were intended to be both prominent and permanent fixtures in communities, and, unlike their tall ship counterparts have weathered the test of time.
On Sundays (and on Christmas eve, for sure) church bells still ring from church towers in my town and in many other communities around the Bay...a tradition that warms the hearts of all who hear them.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Do-it-yourself-Christmas tree?
If you happen to have 40 or 50 spare lobster traps kicking around this season why not construct one of these charming Christmas trees...guaranteed to make you a very popular neighbour around our bay.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Chicken bones for Christmas?
Since mentioning our lobster-eating Christmas tradition in my last post, I feel compelled to reveal another Bay of Fundy food tradition oft witnessed at this time of year: eating chicken bones. And no, it's not random leftover body parts of real chickens that creep their way into our poultry-free season - it's the famous Ganong chicken bones candy.
In case you're not from the Bay of Fundy, I should explain: "chicken bones" are a pink, tubular, cinnamon candy with a row of semi-sweet chocolate lengthwise inside. Chicken bones were invented by our Ganong Bros. chocolate company and are still available throughout the region (and the country!).
Based in St Stephen, New Brunswick, Ganong is actually Canada's oldest candy company (founded in 1873). It's still thriving; employing about 400 people and shipping throughout the world. Chicken bones are readily available here year-round but, somehow, they always remind of Christmas! (p.s. real 'chicken bone' connoisseurs are careful to avoid the 'knock offs' - not nearly as tasty the real thing!)
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Turkey vs. Lobster: the great debate!
It's not unusual for Bay of Fundy folk to celebrate family occasions with a lobster boil. Here in upper Fundy the lobster season comes to a close at the end of December so it's a great chance to have a final feed before next spring when the season opens again.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Elf shoe makers in Bay of Fundy
Yes, this tale is for real...there is a small company of cobblers in the village of Granville Ferry, near Annapolis Royal, on the Nova Scotia side of Bay of Fundy. These folk have been making specialty shoes for film and theatre for about 20 years. Think: faerie shoes, Shrek boots, elf slippers....
The shoemakers work out of a historic building in the community ('though come to think of it, all the houses in pretty Granville Ferry are historic!) equipped with fairytale-like workbenches, cutting tables, heavy-duty sewing machines and floor-to-ceiling bolts of leather.
Previous clients for Handmade Shoes include Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, Canadian Opera Company, as well as many Broadway productions (including Shrek) and theatre festivals. They are currently designing and producing fancy footwear (picture here) for Wicked, a touring show based on Gregory Maguire's book The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
And, in case this post gave you a hankering for the original Christmas elf story, here's link to a version of the original Brothers Grimm tale.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Aye, she fishes, that she does
Although there are many enticing job prospects for those of us who live around the Bay of Fundy, such as dulse picker, flounder boat T-shirt designer, mudshrimp biologist, seagull watcher, elf shoe maker, rug hooker, intertidal zone moon walker, salmon smoker and seagull researcher, I've never quite gotten over the appeal of becoming a lobster fisher.
Posted by Terri at 5:09 a.m. 1 comments
Labels: Boats on the bay, Musings, Nature, Whales - fish -other creatures
Friday, December 02, 2011
Gingerbread Biscotti
Folks around the Bay of Fundy still use both molasses and ginger in ginger cakes, molasses cookies and ginger snaps. Ginger arrived here during the golden Age of Sail and good ole molasses (from the West Indies) arrived along with it.
Gingerbread Biscotti
3 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
3 tsp ground (powdered) ginger
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
1/3 cup chopped crystalized ginger
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and spices.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter, and molasses.
3. Stir wet into dry until a soft, sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to lightly floured surface. Form into smooth ball (adding a bit more flour if necessary to reduce stickiness).
4. Divide dough in half. Roll each into logs, approximately 12 inches long. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet.
4. Brush logs with egg white; bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
5. Remove, let cool for 15 minutes. Transfer logs to cutting board. Using a sharp unserated knive, cut diagonally into 3/4 inch thick slices. (To make biscotti longer, cut slices at sharper angle).
6. Stand cookies upright on a baking sheet, leaving space between them. Return to oven for 2nd baking for 20 minutes at reduced heat of 325 degrees F.
7. Cool biscotti on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely. Biscotti will keep for a month in an airtight container in the fridge.
Cranberry Orange Biscotti recipe
Just starting to dig out Christmas cookie recipes and thought I'd share this one for cranberry-orange biscotti. Certainly cranberries are well known for their connection to Christmas but in our house oranges also have a place of honour.
Cranberry Orange Biscotti
(makes 2 dozen)
3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup whole almonds
1 cup dried sweentened cranberries
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup white sugar
2/3 cup melted butter
4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
4 tsp finely grated orange rind
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, almonds and cranberries
2. In a seperate bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract and orange rind.
3. Stir wet into dry until a soft, sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to lightly floured surface. Form into smooth ball. Divide dough in thirds. Roll each into logs, approximately 12 inches long. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet.
4. Brush logs with egg white; bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
5. Remove, let cool for 15 minutes. Transfer logs to cutting board. Using a sharp unserated knive, cut diagonally into 3/4 inch thick slices. (To make biscotti longer cut slices at sharper angle).
6. Stand cookies upright on a baking sheet, leaving space between them. Return to oven for 2nd baking for 20 minutes at reduced heat of 325 degrees F.
7. Cool biscotti on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely. Biscotti will keep for a month in an airtight container in the fridge.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Shubie Canal celebrates 150 yrs!
Today is the 150th anniversary of the first complete commercial voyage on the completed canal. To celebrate, two local fellows paddled their canoe over the past couple of days through the original 100 km from the Customs Wharf in Halifax to the wharf in Maitland on the Bay of Fundy. Although the first full large boat trip on the canal was by the 60-foot long barge, the MV Avery these two paddlers chose to make this celebratory trip by canoe in honour of the Mi'kmaq who originally traveled this waterway by canoe.
Canals were common transportation routes in North America in the 1800s but this was the only canal ever developed in Atlantic Canada. Although used by First Nations for thousands of years prior, it developed and connected as a commercial shipping route by Sir John Wentworth. It was completed in 1856 but its effectiveness in bringing all manner of industrial goods into Halifax ultimately contributed to its demise as a commercial route. One of the biggest sources of revenue for the canal was the transport of iron for the new Nova Scotia railway. Only 14 years after the canal opened the railway replaced the canal's draw bridges with solid bridges that prevented commercial boats from passing beneath.
The Shubenacadie Canal, although long since lost to commercial transport, is still an extraordinary network of rivers and lakes that are greatly enjoyed by recreational canoeists and kayakers.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Wazzup with the glowing blueberry fields?
Late autumn winds may have sent our bright fall leaves aloft then crunching underfoot but there are still two lingering blasts of colour to enjoy here around Bay of Fundy: blueberry fields and Tamarack trees!
I've been out 'in the field' this week with my attention grabbed by these bright red fields and glowing trees.
I'll try to get a photo of the golden Tamaracks to post too but, in the meantime, check out these glow-in-the-dark-days-of-November blueberry fields. No photoshopping, no special lens, no nothing: just plain old extraordinary nature here on the big-tide bay!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Rare caviar turns up in Bay of Fundy?
Friday, November 11, 2011
What a tidal wave we made!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Whale of a time in the Fundy city!
And we welcomed one special guest: this fabulous North Atlantic Right whale. It's an exact size replica of a baby Right whale...such a cutie! On loan from Irving, who has been instrumental in the re-routing of shipping lanes to protect Right whales in our Bay.
Whales are among my favourite Fundy critters. The members of our Bay of Fundy facebook fan page are having fun adding a caption for this photo...add yours!
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Dare to be deep?
While there might not be enough time to get a full network of MPAs in place before next year there is a groundswell of support surging across the country. CPAWS (Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society) is engaging Canadians from coast to coast in its Dare to be Deep initiative. Its quest involves getting 12,000 Canadians to endorse a message to the federal government requesting 12 marine protected areas by the end of 2012.
Our Bay of Fundy, due to its 'wonderful' ecological significance, is one of the areas under consideration so I'm pledging, are you?
Monday, October 31, 2011
Whoooo we've got celebrities everywhere...
See more videos from David Myles, 22 Minutes crew, etc. on our website.
And now YOU can submit your own 30 sec video supporting the Bay of Fundy's quest to become one of the New7Wonders of Nature. C'mon you know you want to....click here for info.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Rick & Measha go whale watching!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Rick Mercer loves Bay of Fundy!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Parliament Hill: Mission Accomplished!
We started our day with a presentation to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage then hosted a press conference outside the main chamber where we presented our Messages in a Bottle to MPs. I hafta say I don't think I've seen a group of grownups more excited about anything as these heartfelt messages from kids!
If you're a keen Parliament Hill watcher, check out these couple of clips from the press conference and from our message presentation to MP Peter MacKay.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Fundy kids love our Bay!
Humphrey the Fundy whale car and I are on a very special mission this weekend: to boldly go where no whale car has gone before...to Ottawa! We're taking a very special parcel to our nation's capital - 107 messages in one giant bottle.
This week Bay of Fundy schools wrote messages to Members of Parliament which we are delivering on Tuesday to the House of Commons.
Humphrey is quite excited about his first trip outside the region and will be posting on his facebook page for the next few days if you'd like to follow along!
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Pumpkin Regatta this weekend!
This Pumpkin Regatta takes place every Thanksgiving Sunday (that's the 2nd weekend in October - earlier than U.S. Thanksgiving). I'll be joining about 10,000 people in downtown Windsor this weekend to watch up to 100 giant pumpkins parade through town then enthusiastically compete against each other in a paddle across the lake. Check out this episode of our Bay of Fundy Travel Show that we filmed at the race last year.
When you visit Windsor any time of year drop by Howard Dill's Pumpkin Farm: Howard is the world winning pumpkin grower who really put Windsor on the map and the family farm (source of all the giant pumpkin boats) is a delight to visit.
Posted by Terri at 8:17 a.m. 2 comments
Labels: Boats on the bay, Cool stuff to do, Seasons, Strange but True
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Fundy rocks!
No doubt it has a formal name but to locals it's known as the Old Wife.
Turn your head to the left to see the lady herself wearing a fine, peaked bonnet and a hooped dress.
I snapped this photo yesterday from the ocean floor at low tide: at high tide, of course, the old gal is surrounding by a Bay of Fundy cleansing spa!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Hooray for sardines!
It's great to see a previously unsung Bay of Fundy food product finally getting it's due: sardines! Now that Omega-3s and foods with essential fatty acids are popular, sardines are becoming the trendy new health food.
Here around the Bay of Fundy we've been eating canned sardines for over 100 years - thanks to really good producers like Brunswick sardines. The Connors brothers in Black's Harbour, New Brunswick, have been canning seafood since 1889.
The company still thrives: stocking not only the shelves of all Canadian grocery stores but supplying sardines and other fishy stuff to over 40 countries.
A love of sardines has become the unofficial way of screening compatibility for a new staff in our office. We were worried about the new chick from Alberta last year but, no fear, she arrived on Day 2 with mustard sardines in her lunch!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Autumn sunsets ~ Fundy style!
Year-round, there are 2 things I never leave home without: my scissors and my camera. Scissors for wildflowers or goose tongue greens from Bay of Fundy's prolific marshes and ditches, and camera for capturing such this lucky shots as this in Five Islands, Nova Scotia.
And to think, I was just 'minding my own business' on the way to a meeting! whoa....
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Wow the Bay of Fundy looks great on TV!
Missed it on TV? take a look online at CTV's website It's a great way to get the word out to the rest of the country to support its only finalist in the global New7Wonders of Nature campaign. Here's a photo of local folk on the ocean floor at low tide greeting Jeff and promoting the vote.
Go to VoteMyFundy.com to vote using your email address, or text FUNDY to 77077 on any Canadian cell phone ($0.25 per text)
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Guess who's coming to breakfast!
The first half of the show will be filmed live at Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick from about 6:30 to 8:15, the second half from the Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, harbour starting at 8:00 'til about 9:30. (Jeff traverses the bay speedy-speedy 'as the seagull flies' by helicopter)
If you're not in the 'hood to join us for a morning coffee then please tune in anywhere across the country to see glimpses of our pretty bay on Canada's most watched morning show.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Bay of Fundy Mud'icure...all in a day's work!
Alright decide for yourself if you'd take on this week's challenge...the mission: to choreograph and host a day's worth of zany adventures on the Nova Scotia side of Bay of Fundy for Jeff & Chris Eager, hosts of the Great Canadian Adventure Tour.
Oh the day started off ordinarily enough...just speeding out at dawn for whale watching with Ocean Explorations, then opening lobster with bare hands on the beach at Halls Harbour, but got decidedly more interesting after a tromp & tasting through the vinyard at Domaine de Grand Pre winery when the three of us had an up-close-and-personal look at mud ecology at Evangeline Beach....heh heh heh...all in a day's work here on the bay.
The day was captured on film as part of their Great Canadian Adventure Tour series (will be posted on their website in a few days). In the meantime, follow these crazy fellas as they head out across Canada to capture the essence of our great country, coast to coast, 41 days, check 'em out on facebook or on twitter @CanadaAdventure.
Posted by Terri at 8:21 a.m. 2 comments
Labels: Beachscapes, Cool stuff to do, Environment, Fav posts, High-low tide pics, Nature, Strange but True
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Teen fun in Fundy? brrrrrr
It's a fairly common sight to see kids of all ages 'wharf jumping' on a hot summer's day. Since the water temperature is only about 10 degrees you can imagine that it's quite a refreshing dip. Needless to say, they don't linger but use the tidal wharf ladders to scoot back up and do it repeatedly.
Oddly, you never see adults doing this...brrrrrrrr!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Great white shark appreciation day!
Hey! Did you know it's Great White Shark Appreciation Day in the Bay of Fundy today?
Further to my last post, I've decided to declare the Great White Shark our official fish mascot for the Bay of Fundy in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign!
Posted by Terri at 12:24 p.m. 4 comments
Labels: Environment, Musings, Nature, Strange but True, Whales - fish -other creatures
Dangerous critters lurk in our bay! haha
There've been a few sightings of great white sharks in our bay in the past few weeks (yes, they are the JAWS movie sharks).
Posted by Terri at 11:35 a.m. 0 comments
Labels: Musings, Strange but True, Whales - fish -other creatures
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Recipe for sun-dried starfish
Take two (or more) starfish washed up on a Bay of Fundy beach after a wild & windy tide.
Lay out starfish "sunny side up" on your patio table or deck.
Place on newsprint initially if they are gooey.
Lightly brush to remove seaweed or loose rocks.
To lighten, leave in sun an extra couple days.
Once dry, bring inside for decoration.
P.S. Do not eat - bleck!!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Bay of Fundy starfish tide
If you're lucky on a Bay of Fundy beach after a particularly turbulant tide you can catch a rare deposit of starfish high & dry. Such was my luck this weekend on West Advocate Beach, Nova Scotia. I discovered several 10-in starfish caught up in the wrack line after the tide receded. They are dry, if a bit briny-smelling. Being the beachcomber that I am, I scooped this one up with the intention of giving it a new home on my bookshelf!
If you think I'm being insensitive to the plight of the starfish you need to know that life is tough for our marine creatures in the intertidal zone. At high tide, cold water smothers plants and sea creatures at high tide; sun cooks them at low tide in summer & ice encases them in winter. So, yes, we do get some casualties - it's just part of life around the world's biggest tide bay...