Josh Kilmer-Purcell's Blog, page 120

The Meadows in Spring

[image error]

One of the most wonderful and awe-inspiring parts of Beekman 1802 is the number of craftsmen and artists who come into the Mercantile to show us their work.  Of all the people we are fortunate enough to meet, no one inspires us more than an artist.  The way in which they see the world and interpret it through their medium encourages us to re-examine our own viewpoints.

Poets are artists with words

There's no better way to appreciate Spring by looking at it through a poet's eyes.

 

The Meadows In Spring

by Edward Fitzgerald

'Tis a dull sight

To see the year dying,

When winter winds

Set the yellow wood sighing:

Sighing, oh! sighing.

 

When such a time cometh,

I do retire

Into and old room

Beside a bright fire:

Oh, pile a bright fire!

 

And there I sit

Reading old things,

Of knights and lorn damsels,

While the wind sings—

Oh, drearily sings!

 

I never look out

Nor attend to the blast;

For all to be seen

Is the leaves falling fast:

Falling, falling!

 

But close at the hearth,

Like a cricket, sit I,

Reading of summer

And chivalry—

Gallant chivalry!

 

Then with an old friend

I talk of our youth!

How 'twas gladsome, but often

Foolish, forsooth:

But gladsome, gladsome!

 

Or to get merry

We sing some old rhyme,

That made the wood ring again

In summertime—

Sweet summertime!

 

Then go we to smoking,

Silent and snug:

Nought passes between us,

Save a brown jug—

Sometimes!

 

And sometimes a tear

Will rise in each eye,

Seeing the two old friends

So merrily—

So merrily!

 

And ere to bed

Go we, go we,

Down on the ashes

We kneel on the knee,

Praying together!

 

Thus, then, live I,

Till, 'mid all the gloom,

By heaven! the bold sun

Is with me in the room

Shining, shining!

 

Then the clouds part,

Swallow soaring between;

The spring is alive,

And the meadows are green!

 

I jump up, like mad,

Break the old pipe in twain,

And away to the meadows,

The meadows again!

 

Do you have a favorite poem or quote about Spring?  Please share it with the rest of us in the comments section below.

Mary and Spring Snow

[image error]

Mary Beekman is a four-year-old ghost who resides in The Beekman Mansion, and considers Brent and Josh her "imaginary friends." Follow Mary Beekman's Diary each week to learn what it's like to be a young child in early 19th century America

No bright sun today.  Nell and I were going to take a walk and look for bird nests.  The floor boards were cold!!! I tiptoed to the bedroom window and looked out.  The ground was white with SNOW.  SNOW?  Mother's flowers were blooming.  I cut some fresh chives yesterday for Father's eggs.  I wondered if Brent and Josh know. They know many things and sometimes when I think about them………..there they are!!  I must tell them about this SNOW.

Father was drinking his coffee and shaking his head when I entered the kitchen.  He was speaking to Mother about "poor man's fertilizer".   He was assuring her that the flowers and emerging herbs would all fare well.  He told the boys that this late snow was especially good for spring.  Snow and rain and sleet and hail bring nitrogen to the earth through all the thunderclouds and snow. He seemed to think that this nitrogen  helps to make plants big and healthy.  Mother was nodding her head but I am not sure she understood.  Brother spoke up and made mention that Nell's father had read that lightening made the snow carry nitrogen to the soil.

I spied Josh and Brent standing behind Brother.  Josh was eager to go out into the snow.  I could tell because he had his mittens on already.  But Brent was listening very carefully to Father's explanation of this late season snow.  I want to go out and see this snow on all the plants.  I hope I can find my woolen shawl quickly.  I have not worn it in many days.  There, it is snowing again………….just very tiny flakes.  Oh my……………now there is thunder!!!!!  Josh was not paying attention and he jumped.  Because the sky is gray, I could seen a piece of lightning wink at me through the window. Brent said, no one else can hear him, we must hurry out and watch the plants grow higher.  I simply must see.

D.I.Y. Week 5 Recap

[image error]

In the true nature of Beekman 1802, where we believe in doing it yourself and in sharing, we like the fans of the shows to do the recaps.

So many of the viewers follow along with us as we Tweet through each episode  (most people don't realize that we see each episode for the first time when it airs—not before), that we thought we'd see if they do manage a recap in 14o characters or less.

Can you do it?

Leave your recap for this week's episode in the comments section below.

Remember that your goal is not only to fill people in on what happened but also to inspire newcomers to tune in.

We'll tweet out the re-cap that we thought captured the episode the best.

Ready for backyard chickens?

[image error]

As people hear more reports of contaminated food and worry about the ethics of factory farming, they want to take control of their food in whatever way they can. For many this means starting a garden, and for more and more, this means having a small flock of hens in the backyard. However, myths abound! Sadly, this misinformation slows people down or stops them entirely from having their own fresh eggs.

[image error] Myth #1: I can't have chickens because I live in town.

Not so fast! Have you actually checked your city's municipal codes? Many are available online. Cities such as Chicago, New York, Austin, Minneapolis, and Portland, Oregon, allow chickens. And in cities where chickens were not allowed, such as Madison, Wisconsin, citizens have been getting the laws changed.

Myth #2: You need a rooster to have eggs, and roosters are noisy.

Although roosters can be noisy, you do not need one to get fresh eggs. Hens lay eggs, even if a rooster is not present. However, if there is not a rooster present, the eggs will be sterile and won't hatch.

Myth #3: Chickens have diseases.

Chickens are not inherently sick, and if they are kept in clean conditions, they rarely, if ever, become sick. They are the healthiest animals on our homestead. If you're still concerned, buy day-old chicks from a hatchery whose stock is certified free from diseases.

Myth #4: Chickens stink!

This usually comes from someone who lived or worked on a factory farm. You would stink too, if you had half a square foot of living space. Chickens do not stink. Mountains of chicken poo do stink. Three or four chickens do not create mountains of poo like thousands of chickens. In fact, your chickens will provide you with some great fertilizer for your yard or garden, in addition to the great eggs.

Myth #5: Chickens have lice, and they'll give them to my children.

Okay, I admit this one slowed me down for a few years when I heard it. However, there are a few hundred different species of lice in the world, and most are host specific, meaning that chicken lice don't like the taste of humans. And again, chickens don't hatch with lice. So, unless your chickens are mingling with other chickens (at a poultry show, for example), the odds of them getting lice are pretty slim.

[image error]

Quiche made with farm fresh eggs, goat milk, chevre, and garden fresh spinach.

We started our flock of chickens after moving to the country, and they are so easy to care for, that I'll never be without my own fresh eggs again. I'm also incredibly spoiled by the delicious taste. In my next post, I'll tell you how to get started with your own backyard flock.

Deborah Niemann dragged her professor husband and three children to 32 acres on a creek in the middle of nowhere in 2002 to start raising their own food organically. She blogs regularly at Antiquity Oaks, and her book, Homegrown and Handmade, comes out this fall.

Harvest Festival 2011

[image error]

 

Two years ago, we worked with other villagers in Sharon Springs to plan our first Harvest Festival.   Schoharie County was once known as "the breadbasket of the American Revolution" and supposedly has some of the most fertile soil of anywhere in the world.  We wanted to honor that heritage but also try to acknowledge to all of the members of our community how fortunate we are to have some many great farms and farm families surrounding us.  It's easy to overlook the treasures you have in your own backyard.

The first festival drew around 500 people.  For the second festival over 5000 people showed up.

This year's festival will be held on Sept 24 and 25.  For more information as the event draws closer, sign up for our email newsletter by clicking here.

The 2011 Harvest Festival also spawned another tradition–a Garden Party Festival each Spring to celebrate the planting.  If you have nothing else planned for Memorial Day Weekend, come visit us in Sharon Springs and get your hands dirty.

If you would like to be a vendor at either festival please send your contact information and your product or idea to beekman1802@beekman1802.com

 

Week 5 Sipping Game

[image error]

A Very Refined Sipping Game

To enhance your viewing pleasure and to make each and every episode of The Fabulous Beekman Boys as fabulous as possible, we're going to encourage the playing of a nice parlor game.

Each week, we'll post a new Beekman 1802 elixir recipe for you to use and give you a new reason to "raise your glass"—to your mouth that is.

Rosie O'Donnell makes a surprise visit to Sharon Springs on this episode of the show.  She's not known for being at a loss for words, but this spring cocktail might just leave her speechless.

This week the beverage of choice is The Strawberry Speechless (click here for the recipe).   It's like spring sprung in your mouth

During tonight's episode, raise your glass every time you hear us say "Rosie"

The Strawberry Speechless

 

[image error]

 

At the tail-end of winter, one cannot help but dream of Spring.  Even if you've not pulled the first short sleeve shirt out of storage, this delicious cocktail will make you feel like spring has sprung right inside your mouth.  It might even leave you speechless.

The Strawberry Speechless

Instructions

In a mixing glass:

Muddle three ripe medium strawberries.  Not long; just enough to break them up.

Add:

2 ounces bourbon

1/2 ounce creme de cassis

1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

Add ice, shake 20X.

Add 2 ounces good quality ginger beer, such as Barritt's, Fever-Tree, Reed's Extra Spicy

Strain it all into an ice filled collins glass.

The Inside Story

[image error]Or "Lessons Learned"

I have noted that home gardeners learn their "craft" either as an apprentice to a more seasoned gardener or by years of trial and error. I am of the latter camp.

I missed my chanced to be mentored by my grandmother because she fled the Big City (San Diego in the 1950s) before I was born. She lived on a piece of rural land in Arkansas for most of my childhood and my experience of her life then was during too-short summer visits. I never was initiated into her gardening secrets.

[image error]Her only son, my father, is a very poor reporter. He recalls she grew tomatoes and "kitchen things," which I take to mean herbs. I grew up in a neatly landscaped suburb, tended by a hired man, and I don't recall any families I knew well that had vegetable gardens. My first childhood gardening adventure was to plant catnip seeds in a bare spot of a flowerbed. The gardener mistook the seedlings for weeds and routed them out.

When Frank and I bought our home, the half-acre lot was one of the bonuses. I always wanted a garden. We quickly left our imprint on the front yard but the backyard was a different story. With a succession of large dogs, nothing ever seemed to get done that wasn't undone. Add that to full-time careers and other commitments, our successes were slow in coming.

The most famous growing season – it has achieved Family Myth status – is the first year I grew zucchini. I bought a six-pack of seedlings at the garden center and planted them all just like the directions said. I was mightily disappointed when one seedling died of transplant shock. I was mightily surprised by how many pounds five zucchini vines can yield. That was the year of zucchini steamed, zucchini fried, zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, zucchini soup, zucchini everything else. My dear mother, of blessed memory, asked me not to bring any more zucchini, please.

Lesson learned: don't plant more than you and yours can use.

Particularly in the last few years, the selection of vegetables available at my favorite garden center has expanded to include many unusual and heirloom plants. I've dabbled in different varieties depending on what caught my fancy on the days I walked through the inventory. I have almost exclusively begun with four inch potted plants. The logic here is that a packet of seeds has dozens and dozens of seeds that lose their viability after the current season. Remembering the Year of Zucchini, we have always opted for one or two plants of any variety and share what we can.

But this year is exceptional because the Beekman Boys came calling. I'm having to face starting vegetables from seed.

The seeds came at the end of February and the first week of March was a perfect time to start tomato and peppers indoors. I could start beans, cucumbers, and summer and winter squash in the ground come April.

Still I hate for anything to go to waste so I planted enough seeds to provide for us, sharing with our neighbors, and a few plants for my sister's patio. I purchased a seed staring tray with a clear dome to create the right environment for the seeds to sprout. The tray held 18 three-inch peat pots and I filled them with a sterile seed staring medium. I planted the Black Cherry tomatoes and Bullnose peppers and supplemented my selection with Anaheim and Poblano peppers and Brandywine tomatoes. There were a few gourds, too, since my Master Gardeners Association makes birdhouses from them as a fundraiser.

A lot of people start their seedlings in flats and after germination they transplant seedlings to pots. Because I work, my time is limited. I decided not to take this intermediate step.

Just because it is fun, I also started some perennial and gourd seeds in those little peat pellets. You know the kind: they are shaped like coins and expand when wetted. My three-year-old neighbor and I poked little seeds in them in the hopes that she would get to see them sprout and then, eventually, put them in the ground.

Things were going along fine when I starting finding out what I don't know.

It has been a little cool lately and most nights in March were in the 40s. Even daytime temps were in the mild mid-60s so I was cautious about putting my newly sprouted seeds outside even during the day while I was at work. I have a sunny, cheerful laundry room with plenty of natural light so I figured keeping the seedlings there near the window would be enough. And there was no way I was going to talk my husband into some contraption with grow lights on our new washer/dryer.

[image error]I found out soon enough that indoor natural light doesn't even come close to what the seeds need. Very quickly, my tomato seedlings became leggy. I have a plant "light+moisture+pH" meter and took reading in the "sunny" room and found that it barely registered 150 on the scale. I took a reading on our deck under a 50/50 shade cover and got a reading of 1000 and up. In full sun, the needle pegged out at the top of the 2000 unit scale. Nothing came with the meter to help me interpret this information but I did find an off-hand remark on a website about a light measurement called a "mole." I can't confirm what was said there so I hesitate giving the link but the writer said that the seedlings needed at least 500 units.

Lesson learned: indoor natural light may not be enough.

The same website said to chuck the leggy tomato seedlings and start over. I didn't do that, exactly, but I did start a dozen back-up tomatoes. More on that in a minute. So I started moving my seedlings out every morning before I left for work and brought them in before dark.

The pepper seedlings didn't pose the same problem. They germinated more slowly and never got leggy like the tomatoes and they are reaping the full benefit of the new light routine.

But I miscalculated one day. After a full month of temps in the 60s and low seventies, the mercury climbed unexpectedly to a brilliant 85° and I had placed my seedlings in a spot not sufficiently sheltered from direct sunlight. That took care of most of the leggy tomato seedlings. Their tender little stems just wilted.

Lesson learned: full sun may be too much.

[image error]Thank God I had started that second set of seeds. This time I did two things differently. Realizing that the seedlings in three-inch pots wouldn't let me repot them to encourage additional root growth, I found some small natural fiber, biodegradable pots, about 1 1/2 inches across. Even though the seed tray I had purchased was lovely, I wasn't going to buy a second one. I recycled the grocery store rotisserie chicken containers. Yes, that plastic tray with the clear dome that little roast chickens come in. It easily holds six pots and I set one up for the replacement Black Cherry tomatoes and one for the Brandywine. The only downside is that the little pots seem to dry out more quickly and require more frequent watering.

Lesson learned: purchased trays are nice but there are other options.

I'm going to add one more quick little observation about the tomato seeds. In both batches of Black Cherry tomatoes, there was one that was late to the party. A week after all the other seeds sprouted, one final pot presented a seedling.

Lesson learned: germination times are a range.

[image error]You might be wondering what about the pot vs. peat pellet test. I planted gourd seeds (which are enormous compared to tomatoes and peppers) in both the three-inch pots and the little peat pellets. Both sprouted fine but I noticed that the potted plant grew more and more quickly and I have to attribute that to the nutrients in the seed starting mix. (To be honest, the packaging made such hyperbolic claims, I dare not repeat them here.) However, the seedlings in the peat pellets had roots sticking out of the sides. The peat pellets were obviously too small. The potted plants bit the big one when we lost the leggy tomatoes so I can't tell you more about how that would have turned out but I took the smaller plants, "potted 'em up" (which is what seasoned gardeners call it when they move a small seedling to a larger container), and they are doing just fine. I'm planting four gourd vines along the fence next week.

Would I use the peat pellets again? Oh, sure. The size of the seed, compared to the size of the expanded pellet, would factor into it. They make a larger version of the pellet, too, but I don't need it. The small one is an advantage for me because I can start more in less space before I have to pot them up. The pellets we used for starting milkweed for a perennial bed were hugely successful and we have ten viable seedlings. The perennial bed will be a lure for butterflies in our yard and I (and my three-year-old neighbor) couldn't be happier.

Lesson learned: every method has pros and cons.

I'm still struggling with the idea of fertilizing my seedlings. I'm getting conflicting information about what to do. I'm comfortable with the idea that the seedlings can do pretty well on their own until the first "true leaves" appear. I've been following that with "worm tea," the liquid accumulated in my worm farm, diluted with water, or a very weak solution of soluble fertilizer. Still, they are taking forever to get big.

One evening, my husband found me standing over my forty or fifty seedlings. "Are you watching them grow?" Yes.

Lesson learned: I'm not patient.

Despite the setbacks, I will still have healthy plants in the vegetable patch next month and I'll have peppers in May and tomatoes in June if the conditions are right for the flowers to set.

Next, I'll tell you all the lessons I've learned outside…

Laurie Gore is the Zone 9 Deputy Heirloom Gardener. Laurie, a native of San Diego, and Frank, her West Virginian husband, have been transplanted to Bonita, California.

Some Enchanted Evening

[image error]

Recently Gwyneth Paltrow cooked an intimate dinner for 60 people (yes, she ACTUALLY did the cooking).  The guest list included Mario Batali, Ruth Reichl, Blythe Danner (Gwyneth's mom) Michael Stipe, Martha Stewart, Tina White (the editor of Epicurious), Alex Rodriguez, Cameron Diaz, Ed Burns and his wife Christy Turlington, April Bloomfield (the chef from the acclaimed Spotted Pig), Gabrielle Hamilton (the chef from Prune), and…Brent and Josh.

How crazy is that?!?! Yeah, we were shocked too. How on earth did we get invited?

Gwyneth writes a popular blog called GOOP and she has featured The Bucolic Plague as well as the Blaak Onion Jam on the list of her 'finds".   She's also growing the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable as part of our World's Largest 'Community' Garden Project with Williams-Sonoma.  Yes…she is one of the 10,000 gardeners just like you!

This is just another one of those weird things that happens to us that we're really grateful for. Pardon our excitement, but we like to share the strange things that happen to us with you. Hope you don't mind.

Here are some of the (kinda surreal) conversations we had:

the Art of Farming auction with Ruth.

goat milk cheese with Mario.

the merits of the banjo with Michael Stipe.

sheep sheering with Martha.

and gardening with Gwyneth

We really didn't have much to say to Cameran Diaz or A-Rod, but they sure looked pretty.

The menu included  roasted peppers with anchovies (seen in the picture below with Martha), duck ragout, spicy raab, berry sabayon brulee, and Italian wedding cookies (made with pecans, not almonds.)  Because the dinner was served by candlelight, we couldn't get any great shots of the dishes. But trust us, they were delicious.

Here are some photos from the evening.

[image error]









[image error]









[image error]









[image error]









[image error]

We're pretty picky when it comes to cookbooks.  We devote one shelf in the pantry to cookbooks, and adding one means that another must come out.  When we got home and looked through Gwyneth's book, My Father's Daughter, we weren't sure what we would find. But we already have three recipes we're trying out over Easter. The book is a beautiful homage to her father, Bruce.  In the book Paltrow shares her favorite family recipes along with personal stories of growing up with her father.  She discusses how he influenced her in the food she loves, how she involves her kids in cooking, and how she balances healthy food with homemade treats. It's an interesting look into Paltrow's personal life…and it was interesting to discover that she shares a lot of the same communal values that we (and you) do here at Beekman 1802.

There are over 100 recipes and our three favorites, the  lemon pasta, layered potato cake & bitter greens salad alone are worth adding the book to your collection.

We hope she likes our first cook book (Heirloom Recipes from Beekman 1802) just as much when it comes out in October. We're a little shy about inviting her to dinner to celebrate when it launches, though. What do you think? Who should our guest list be?

PolkaSpot Parties Hard

[image error]

My month-llong internship as a Bendell Girll has come to an end.  I was such a good intern that worlld-famous Henri Bendel decided to throw a party to cellebrate ME!  (Llamas don't need to fight for their right to paaaaaaar-tay.

Check out some fabullous photos from the event

[image error]









[image error]









[image error]









[image error]









[image error]









[image error]









[image error]









[image error]









[image error]









[image error]

Check out some of the people and things I've Spotted over the last month.  Click here

Don't worry, dahllings.  I'lll be back periodicalllly.  To enllighten and astound.

Kisses.