Too much rhubarb? Make rhubarb curry

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.

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

2 cups fresh or frozen fiddleheads

1 cup snow peas
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

Wash and prepare the fiddleheads by removing the fuzzy fronds and cutting off any dry ends. Prepare other vegetables and ginger. Preheat butter or oil in wok or sautee pan, medium heat. Stir-fry the fiddleheads for 10-12 minutes (longer for frozen) until the fiddleheads take on a vibrant green shade and are soft (fully cooked, not crunchy!).

Cook longer if the fiddleheads are at all crunchy. Add carrots, peas, mushrooms, cashews, ginger garlic and soy sauce. Add beansprouts last. Cook another 1-2 minutes until all veggies are cooked but not too soft. Serve with rice or fine rice stick noodles. Enjoy while listening to classical violin music

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!

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!)

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

100g/4oz onion, peeled & finely chopped 15ml/1tbsp sunflower oil 50g/2oz carrots, very finely chopped 35g/11/2 oz mushrooms, finely chopped 50g/2oz red lentils 600ml/1pint vegetable stock 25g/1oz mashed, tinned red kidney beans 35g/11/2 oz ground peanuts 25g/1oz ground hazelnuts 30ml/2tbsp shoyu ( soy sauce) 15ml/1tbsp lemon juice 7.5ml/11/2tsp dried thyme 5ml/1tsp dried rosemary generous pinch cayenne pepper 7.5ml/11/2 tsp mixed spice 200g/8oz fine oatmeal Freshly ground black pepper

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. Cook everything, well mixed together, for a further 10 to 15 minutes. 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.

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!

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.

Take this roll cloud, for example, captured by Nova Scotia Webcams in the pretty hamlet of Halls Harbour. Roll clouds are low, horizontal, tube-shaped and somewhat rare clouds. They often appear to be rolling about a horizontal access and are not attached to any other cloud formations. Sea breezes combined with humidity often near peninsulas to create this effect. Quite intriguing to see and no, they're not a sign of impending disaster or space aliens...beam me up!

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.

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.

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!)

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.

In our family it's an easy choice between turkey and lobster for Christmas dinner...the red guy looks so jolly and always wins!

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.

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.

Despite repeated warnings that it's intense, smelly, dangerous, strenuous work I'm still fascinated...which recently lead me to pester my colleague Shelley for a snapshot of what life is really like at sea for a Bay of Fundy chick.

In summer and early fall Shelley works for Brier Island Whale & Seabird cruises on Brier Island, Nova Scotia, where she's been manager and dedicated whale researcher for 21 years. In lobster season (November to May) for the past few years she's taken up lobster fishing!

Typical of most whale watch companies in our bay, the vessel she uses for whale watching is the same one used for lobster fishing: it undergoes an extreme makeover between seasons. To prepare for lobstering all the passenger seating, decorative railings, etc. are removed as is the boat's stern. Lobster gear is added, including an anchor rank to assist with hauling the traps. The smell, as Shelley says, is 'added gradually'. Shelley's fisher/fisherman/fisherwoman (she's not fussed about what you call her) days are 12 to 18 hours long, depending on the weather and the proximity of the traps.

When I asked what surprised her most about the reality lobster fishing it wasn't the long days or the heavy work, she actually said she was amused by how fiercely competitive the industry is - everyone has their own special spot in the bay that delivers 'the best' Bay of Fundy lobster!

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.

I'm quite sure ginger & molasses aren't traditional Italian biscotti ingredients so I had to make up this biscotti recipe on my own. Took awhile to perfect because I insisted on adding molasses to what is normally a fairly dry cookie recipe. The result is a gingerbread biscotti true in taste, if not in form, to Fundy's traditional sweet treats.

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.

Growing up on a Bay of Fundy farm in the 1940s my father remembers receiving only a single orange per year: the one in the toe of his Christmas stocking. Now, of course, oranges are available year round courtesy of cross-border imports from the U.S.A.

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.

Shubie Canal celebrates 150 yrs!

Even my generation of Fundy folk are well aware that, historically, travel in our region was more likely to occur via waterway than land. Many of us will also recall the importance of the Shubenacadie Canal.


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.

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!

Rare caviar turns up in Bay of Fundy?

Even if you're not inclined to eat some of the weird culinary offerings from our bay, you've got to admit, if you're a caviar eater, you'd be tempted by this: Breviro Caviar. It's one of the world's rarest caviars, recently revived and sustainably crafted here in the Bay of Fundy. My mouth waters at this description from their website...

Caviar from Acipenser Brevirostrum, one of the rarest of the 26 species of sturgeon left worldwide, isn’t available anywhere else. At last, through smart, sustainable methods and a patient, artisanal approach, our company has developed this delectably unique caviar with its distinctive explosion of flavour.

Our hand-reared, mature sturgeon produce a rich, golden brown roe, which we harvest at the peak of perfection. Preparation involves fresh, icy Canadian water and a hint of natural sea salt from the world famous Bay of Fundy: that’s all. We personally inspect the eggs, and apply stringent standards to grade our caviar on an absolute scale, so only the very finest caviar receives our highest grades.

Our hand-rearing, exclusive stock and attention to detail make the availability of Breviro caviar extremely limited. The natural, rich intensity of our caviar will be unlike anything you have ever tasted.

What a tidal wave we made!

Special message for Bay of Fundy fans:

Four years ago, we began a exciting journey together – a campaign to make the Bay of Fundy one of the New7Wonders of Nature. It has been an amazing adventure competing with some of the world’s most prestigious destinations on the international stage. 

Now that the votes have been counted, we know that the Bay of Fundy has not been selected as one of the official top seven. But our journey is not over. If anything, it is just beginning. By coming together to express our love for this  unique and beautiful place, we have created unprecedented global interest in the Bay of Fundy as a world-class destination.

Frommer’s Travel Guides recently selected the Bay of Fundy as one of the top 10 places in the world to visit for 2012 as a direct result of our campaign. In all, we have generated more than $8 million in media exposure for our region, and we know that the name recognition and awareness that the Bay of Fundy has received from this campaign will bring an increase of visitors to the region. These are significant achievements that we can build on. 

As we begin the next steps on our journey, we’d like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank those who have helped us along the way. We have received tremendous support from people throughout New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and the Atlantic region. By voting, and inventing creative ways to promote the vote, you have energized and inspired us with your boundless enthusiasm. We want to thank all Canadians for embracing the Bay of Fundy and helping us let the world know that it is a true Canadian icon.

A major effort such as this requires government support and we were fortunate to have strong federal and provincial partnerships. We thank New Brunswick Tourism & Parks; Nova Scotia Economic and Rural Development and Tourism; the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency; and the Canadian Tourism Commission. Your guidance and passion helped maximize the scope and impact of our campaign to seize the benefits of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

Now, as we look to the future, let us continue to be champions for the Bay of Fundy. Let us welcome every visitor eager to explore this incredible region as we would a new friend. We have one of the world’s most amazing natural wonders right here in our own backyard. Let us continue to cherish it, and show people around the globe why our beautiful Bay means the world to us.

Final voting boost!

A few photos from our wild voting spree in Saint John on the final day of the campaign. Go Fundy!