Homemade Microwaveable Meals
“Go forage and nuke!” I used to tell my kids when they were young, hungry, and I was trying to meet a deadline. I could say that insensitive thing to them with some impunity – as well as the usual guilt — because there was almost always nourishing stuff in the frig just waiting to be microwaved. (They have plenty to talk over with their analysts, but at least they can’t charge me with depriving them nutritionally.).
Having homemade microwaveable options on hand takes a little thought and planning — anathema in our age of immediacy — but it’s a great way to have economical, delicious, and nourishing meals and snacks available at almost a moment’s notice. It also helps stave off snacking on high-calorie, high-fat, nutritionally empty things. It’s what we used to call, Home Economics. Stew, spaghetti bolognaise with the cooked pasta and sauce already mixed together, zucchini and bean casserole, vegetable soup, cole slaw, a pot roast that, sliced and mixed with quickly sautéed peppers, onions and Mexican seasonings can be turned into beef fajitas in about five minutes. (Wrap the meat and veggies along with some sliced or shredded cheddar in a tortilla and nuke for about a minute and a half.). Two easy-to-make things for quick microwaving are country captain chicken and baked rice pudding, both of which are also economical.
Country captain chicken with canned tomatoes, peppers, curry and raisins is quick and absolutely delicious. Brown the chicken, put it on top of a bed of cooked rice in a baking dish. Then mix the rest of the ingredients – veggies, seasonings, currants and all. Pour over top and mix a little in with the rice so it doesn’t dry out. Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes or until juices in the chicken run clear. The recipe in Joy of Cooking calls for chicken thighs. Rachel Ray’s recipe at the website below calls for thighs and breasts. If you make a double batch of rice while you’re cooking, you can also shove a casserole dish of rice pudding in alongside it. Rice pudding is so nourishing – eggs, milk, rice, raisins, a scant few tablespoons of sugar – it really is a meal if you pair it with something green. (Does anyone remember that old A.A. Milne poem ‘Rice Pudding’ in which Mary Jane objects to having rice pudding for dinner AGAIN!?). It’s the kind of sweet you can feel good about serving and eating.
If you have good stuff in the frig waiting to be nuked when you’re finished with work but haven’t the energy to cook, you’ve still got a meal that nourishes both physically and emotionally. Well worth a little thought and planning.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/lee-bros-country-captain-recipe/index.html
Rice Pudding: the poem
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/rice-pudding/
Rice Pudding: the dish
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1942,157172-228197,00.html
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1842,157175-227196,00.html
Boston Museum of Fine Arts Curator to Speak on Larrabee Photography
The Department of Art and Art History, Kohl Gallery, the Black Studies Program and the Gender Studies Program present, “The Photographer’s Eye: Constance Stuart Larrabee’s Images of the Ndebele Peoples (South Africa)”, a lecture by Christraud Geary, Teel Senior Curator of African and Oceanic Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, to be held on Thursday, March 25th, 5:30 p.m., in the Casey Academic Forum. The event is free, and the public is invited to attend. There will be a reception immediately following the Dr. Geary’s presentation, sponsored by Phi Beta Kappa, Theta of Maryland.
The lecture follows the exhibition in the Kohl Gallery of Larrabee’s early photos, including images of the Ndebele peoples, curated by Washington College Senior Riley Carbonneau (art and art history/sociology), which fell during both Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
A leading scholar of African art, Geary received a DPhil in cultural anthropology and African studies from the University of Frankfurt, Germany, and has done extensive fieldwork in Africa–in Mali, Cameroon, Senegal and South Africa. Her trip to Ghana involved her inviting the King of the Asante to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Geary has lectured widely, and has published numerous, highly acclaimed books and exhibition catalogues, including Material Journeys: Collecting African and Oceanic Art, 1945-2000, In and Out of Focus: Images from Central Africa 1885-1960, and The Voyage of King Njaya’s Gift: A Beaded Sculpture from the Bamum Kingdom, Cameroon, in the National Museum of African Art
Geary’s two trips to South Africa were made in connection with her research on Constance Stuart Larrabee, specifically the numerous photos the latter took of the Ndebele peoples, while living in nearby Pretoria. During Geary’s tenure as Curator of the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art, she accepted the gift of over 3000 photographs that Larrabee left to the archive; travelled to Chestertown on several occasions; and curated the exhibition “South African 1936-1949: Photography of Constance Stuart Larrabee.”
Author Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Sniket) Kicks Off 2010 Sophie Kerr Weekend
Daniel Handler, author of the bestselling children’s book collection A Series of Unfortunate Events (under the pen name of Lemony Snicket), kicks off this year’s Sophie Kerr Weekend with a talk entitled “Why does Lemony Snicket Keep Following Me?” in Decker Theater on Friday, March 26, at 4 p.m. A book signing will follow.
Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events have sold more than 60 million copies and were the basis for the feature film Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) starring Jim Carrey. The 13-book series follows the grim adventures of the three clever Baudelaire orphans: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. In each book, the siblings face increasing misfortune as they are pursued by their distant relative, the evil Count Olaf, who schemes to swindle the Baudelaire inheritance. Handler’s Snicket books are known for their witty, dark humor and appeal to all ages.
Handler is also the author of three works for adults: The Basic Eight (St. Martin’s Press/HarperCollins, 1998), Watch Your Mouth (St. Martin’s Press/HarperCollins, 2000), and most recently Adverbs (St. Martin’s Press/HarperCollins, 2006), a series of short stories about love. His work has led author Michael Chabon to label him “One of our most dazzling literary conjurers.” Handler’s musical collaborations include work with composer Nathaniel Stookey on a piece commissioned and recorded by the San Francisco Symphony, entitled “The Composer Is Dead,” which is now a book with CD. He is also an adjunct accordionist for the music group The Magnetic Fields.
Other books written as Snicket include Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, The Beatrice Letters, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can’t Avoid, and two books for the holidays, The Lump of Coal and The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming: a Christmas Story. Handler has written for The New York Times, Newsday, San Francisco Chronicle, The Believer, Chickfactor, and various anthologies, and he was chair of the judging panel for the National Book Awards in Young People’s Literature, 2008. His current and upcoming projects include a fourth novel for adults, a children’s picture book titled 13 Words, in collaboration with Maira Kalman, and the script for the much-anticipated second Snicket movie. He is also at work on a top-secret new Snicket series.
Held every March at Washington College, Sophie Kerr Weekend gives a group of high school-age writers a chance to experience the College’s renowned creative writing program hands-on through readings, seminars, and small workshops with visiting authors and faculty members. Previous Sophie Kerr Weekend readers include Ted Kooser, Jane Smiley, and Mary Karr.
Sophie Kerr Weekend also honors the legacy of the late Sophie Kerr, a writer from Denton, Md., whose generosity has enriched Washington College’s literary culture. When she died in 1965, Kerr left the bulk of her estate to Washington College, specifying that one half of the income from her bequest be awarded every year to the senior showing the most “ability and promise for future fulfillment in the field of literary endeavor”—the famed Sophie Kerr Prize—and the other half be used to bring visiting writers to campus, to fund scholarships, and to help defray the costs of student publications.
Admission to Daniel Handler’s March 26 talk is free and open to the public. Decker Theatre is located in Washington College’s new Daniel Z. Gibson Center for the Arts. For more information, call 410/778-7899 or visit lithouse.washcoll.edu.
Director of National Gallery to Lecture on April 5
The Washington College Department of Art and Art History and Kohl Gallery present the Janson-La Palme Annual Distinguished Lecture in European Art History, “The National Gallery in the New Century,” a talk by Earl A. Powell III, Director of the National Gallery of Art, to be held Monday, April 5, 5:30 p.m., in the Hotchkiss Recital Hall, Daniel Z. Gibson Center for the Arts. The event is free, and the public is invited to attend.
In 1992, Earl A. Powell III, known as “Rusty,” became only the fourth director of the National Gallery of Art, which opened to the public in 1941. This world-renowned collection has more than 107,000 European and American paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, books, and decorative arts dating from the 13th century to the present. Five to six million people a year view the Gallery’s masterpieces of Western art, including one of the world’s finest collections of French impressionism and the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Western Hemisphere.
Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art, Washington
Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Powell graduated with honors from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and received an A.M. and a Ph.D. from the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, where he specialized in 19th- and 20th-century European and American art. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1969 and in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1976 to 1980 as a commander.
Powell served as curator of the Michener Collection and assistant professor of art history at the University of Texas at Austin from 1974 to 1976. During the next four years, while he held curatorial posts at the National Gallery of Art, he was deeply involved in the installation and opening of the East Building. From 1980 to 1992, Powell was director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which he transformed, according to Art in America magazine, “from a local institution to a museum of international stature.”
Powell’s book on the American landscape painter Thomas Cole was published in 1990. Under Powell’s leadership, the National Gallery of Art, which represents a partnership of federal and private resources, has added more than 12,000 works of art to its collection, established an award-winning web site and a visitor-friendly interactive Micro Gallery, created innovative programs for children and families, opened a 6.1-acre sculpture garden and a 25,000-square-foot suite of sculpture galleries featuring 900 works of art, and presented some 150 exhibitions, including international blockbusters such as Johannes Vermeer, Van Gogh’s Van Goghs, and The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt. The Gallery is constantly exploring new ways of utilizing technology to further its mission of making the collection accessible to the citizens of the United States. According to Powell, “Technology offers phenomenal potential for the Gallery to be helpful in the area of public education and cultural awareness for all ages.”
The Janson-La Palme Annual Distinguished Lecture in European Art History was established by Washington College Professor Emeritus Robert J. H. Janson-La Palme and his wife, Bayly, to bring internationally known scholars on European art to campus for public lectures and presentations.
Best Bets
Thursday, March 18
County Government Seminar
Location: Book Plate, 112 S. Cross St.
Time: 7 p.m.
A free non-partisan monthly seminar on Kent County government operations. Topics will include, general governance, water and waste water management, law enforcement, emergency operations, public school system, county parks and recreation, state relationships, budgeting and more.
Wise Latinas, Black Raconteurs and White Umpires
Location: Litrenta Lecture Hall, Toll Science Center, Washington College
Time: 7:30 p.m.
The C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience Presents Sherrilyn Ifill, professor at the University of Maryland School of Law.
Since 1955, when John Marshall Harlan was nominated to the Supreme Court just after the Brown v. Board of Education decision, questions about race have played a central part in Supreme Court confirmation hearings. This was never truer than in the contentious confirmation hearings of the first Latina Supreme Court justice, Sonia Sotomayor. Ifill explores this history and examines whether race matters in judicial decision-making.
Saturday, March 20
Spring Festival
Location: Worton Park
Time: 1 to 4 p.m. Rain date March 21
Enjoy an afternoon of Easter egg hunts, egg decorating, pony rides, crafts and more! Special guest–THE EASTER BUNNY! All games and pictures with the Easter Bunny are included in the $9 admission. Age 12 and under.
Lenten Love Feast
Location: Christ United Methodist Church
Time: 7 p.m.
Christ United Methodist Church will host its second annual Lenten Love Feast – a celebration of word, song, and symbol centered around traditional Biblical Lenten lessons. Inspired by and adapted from early Moravian celebrations, the Love Feast originated among believers who met and broke bread together, thus, signifying their union and equality. The Feast is primarily a service of song and thanksgiving.
Kent County Friends of Chamber Music – Eclatante
Location: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Chestertown
Time: 7 p.m.
Tickets are $15 at the door; $60 for a season pass. Call 410-369-7810 or visit www.kentchambermusic.com for information.
Toby Walker Concert
Location: The Mainstay, Rock Hall
Time: 8 p.m.
Toby Walker is an accomplished fingerstyle guitar virtuoso adept at blues, rags, country picking, a skilled singer, a songwriter and a master storyteller. His passion for the blues and other traditional American music led him to the Mississippi Delta, Virginia and the Carolinas where he tracked down some of the more obscure – but immensely talented – music makers of an earlier era. Whether it is telling the humorous and heartwarming tales of these and other masters, talking about his inspirations and his travels, or astounding listeners with his work on the National steel guitar, his performances are a rich banquet of the blues. Call 410-639-9133 for reservations. Tickets are $15.
Sunday, March 21
62nd Annual Open Juried Art Show
Location” Galleries of Heron Point
Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This popular art exhibit includes works in all fine arts media submitted by artists from throughout the region. The show is open to the public daily, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Opening reception is Sunday, March 21, 2 – 4 p.m.; awards presentation at 3 p.m. For more information call the Chestertown Arts League, 410-778-5789. The show runs through April 11.
Camp Tockwogh Open House
Location: Camp Tockwogh, 24370 Still Pond Neck Rd., Worton
Time: 1 p.m.
Come find out what Camp Tockwogh’s overnight Summer Camp Program is all about! Meet the staff and enjoy a tour of the property, located on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. Call 410-348-6000 or e-mail awhite@ymcade.org.
Soulful Sunday Series featuring Andre Sisco
Location: The Prince Theatre, 210 High St.
Time: 3 p.m.
A musician who is full of soul himself, Andre Sisco engages audiences of all ages. The Cabaret style event will include Gospel selections as well as soulful renditions of songs by Bob Dylan and James Taylor, and many more. Sponsored by the Kent County Arts Council. Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under. Call 410-810-2060 for reservations.
The Conductor: Tom McHugh and his Mainstay
Tom McHugh took his time becoming the director of a non-profit music hall in Rock Hall. After more than 30 years as a leading academic and professor of education at Vassar and Washington College, he fulfilled a lifelong goal of building a second career in music, his first love. To that end, he created a venue that would bring to the Eastern Shore some of the best musicians in jazz, blues, folk and contemporary music performing today.
For decades, Tom has been a force in the region’s music scene, from helping to form the original Kent County Marching Band, encouraging Karen Somerville to perform Lady Sings the Blues, or arranging concerts for Sue Matthews in Ireland. He is indeed our great conductor.
DW
Irish Supper for St Patrick
While I think tinted green beer is revolting, I’ve always loved St Patrick’s Day. Mostly because, like my other favorite holidays, it’s celebrated with Food! Glorious food! Corned beef and cabbage with onions and potatoes and carrots enjoyed with a good microbrew, creamy potato-leek soup, Irish soda bread, Irish stew, meat pasties, beef and Guinness pie, colcannon (smashed potatoes and cabbage), Irish coffee. Yum. Yum. Yum.
One year, I corned my own beef. Julia Child talked me into it on one of her shows. It’s not hard; like a lot of things, it just takes time. You mix spices and saltpeter into water, then brine the beef for about three weeks, turning it periodically to be sure it’s all covered in brine. I only did it once. Turns out I actually prefer store-bought, so just close my eyes once a year to the chemicals listed on the package. The meal itself takes time too, though there’s not much prep; most of the time is unsupervised simmering.
Basically, corned beef and cabbage is a boiled dinner. Put the corned beef into a Dutch oven or large pot on the stove. Cover it with water (not the water you brined it in, just in case you do your own; use fresh), bring it to the boil and simmer for about 50 minutes per pound of meat or until tender but definitely not falling apart. Toward the end, add peeled whole potatoes, peeled whole carrots, peeled whole onions to the pot – amounts have to do with how many are there for dinner and how many leftovers you want to have — and simmer until they’re tender. If you’ve underestimated how done the meat is, take it out before the veggies are done so it doesn’t fall apart completely. You want to be able to slice it, though it should be very tender. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. The ‘traditional’ way to serve this meal is with hot English mustard. I love it that way, but find suspect the use of ‘English’ anything for what purports to be a traditional Irish meal.
Be sure to save some of the beef and potatoes for corned beef hash with poached eggs for the following night’s supper (or breakfast). Just sauté a chopped onion in butter, add chopped leftover meat and potatoes and cook in a heavy skillet until there are lovely crusty bits throughout. Top each serving with a poached or fried runny egg or two. Serve with salad and an Irish beer.
The Prince’s Evening of Reconciliation
The Prince Theatre, known as the Lyceum during much of the 20th Century, has had a painful history of racial segregation. It is remembered — first-hand by many older residents in local black communities, and in accounts passed on to younger ones – for requiring them to sit only in the upper balcony and for banning them from seats on the first floor, for most of its existence.
The Old Lyceum
No more. The Prince is, as it has been now for decades, open for everyone of every hue. And yet, as any regular patron of events there could and did observe, it has not become a place where very many people of color are comfortable. Some reaching out seemed in order.
On Saturday night, The Reverend Robert Brown Jr, pastor of Bethel A.M.E. Church, and Philip Dutton, president of the board of the Prince Theatre Foundation, kicked off an evening of acknowledgment and healing at the Prince.
As the Reverend Brown noted in his opening remarks, “This building is still here as a theater, and for many people it remains a symbol, a painful reminder, of times when they were treated unjustly and unfairly, when segregation existed right here in our community.
“We know that one event, although conducted with the very best intentions and no matter how carefully planned, will not instantly erase all the painful memories of those times for the people who were harmed. We do hope, however, that tonight we will begin a process.”
Mr. Dutton, in his role as president of the Prince, began the process on behalf of the board by saying, “The Prince Theatre Foundation hereby acknowledges that in this building in years past African American citizens were required to use a separate entrance and to take a separate staircase leading to a segregated seating area in the upper balcony.
“This was wrong. For this injustice, we express our profound regret and apologize for the hurt done to you and to your ancestors, to those who felt inferior or unequal by these acts. May we all be prepared to commit ourselves to putting the past behind us, and work together for a new future unified in our humanity and in our spirits.”
Other presenters included African American Heritage Council leader Karen Somerville, County Commisioner William Pickrum, Chestertown Mayor Margo Bailey, and Acting Prince Theatre Director Lucia Foster.
Those participating with performances during the second part of the program included Karen Somerville, Lester Barrett, Jerome McKinney, Bob Ortiz, Pam Ortiz, Mary Ashley, Debbie Campbell, Philip Dutton, Dannette Boyer, Irene Moore, William Pickrum, Alina Thomas, Lamontte Henry, Sunny Fassett, Bonita Harris, Peter Heck, Hope Clark, Joe Holt and The New Gospelites.
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Photography by Leslie Raimond
Best Bets
Wednesday, March 10
Women Helping Women Concert: By Women, For Women
Location: The Prince Theater, 210 High St.
Time: 7 p.m.
For more than 45 years, Dr.Maria Boria has served the medical needs of women and children. She founded a hospital for women in India, worked as an obstetrician/gynecologist in hospitals throughout the U.S. and established a private practice in Chestertown in 1981. For the last five years, she has volunteered her expertise and medical services in a clinic she founded for migrant workers in Marydel. Ninety-five percent of all funds raised by this event will be used by Dr. Boria to offset expenses at the clinic. (The other five percent will go toward expenses for the event itself.). Tickets are $25. For reservations, please call the Prince Theatre, 410-810-2060 (Last year, we had a sold out performance. Please reserve your tickets as soon as possible!)
Friday, March 12
The Alison Brown Quartet
Location: The Mainstay, Rock Hall
Time: 8 p.m.
Alison Brown is a brilliant genre-bending player who takes the banjo and guitar far beyond their Appalachian roots with a rich, exquisite blend of bluegrass, jazz, Celtic and Latin influences that has been described as simply jaw-dropping. She has been nominated for and won several Grammy awards, and has been nominated this year for Best Country Instrumental Performance. The Quartet also includes Garry West on bass, John R. Burr on piano and Larry Atamanuik on drums. Call 410-639-9133 for reservations. Tickets are $20
Saturday, March 13
Touch-A-Truck
Location: Chestertown Middle School
Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Free admission! Fun for the entire family and educational too! Come look at, sit in, and touch trucks of all sizes and shapes. Lunch served at minimal cost.
15th Annual Soroptimist International of Kent Co. Auction
Location: Chestertown Fire Hall
Time: noon
Doors open at noon. Auction begins 1 p.m. There will be a cake wheel and refreshments. Proceeds benefit women and girls throughout the community and worldwide. For more information call Ruth Clark, 410-639-7300.
Vietnam Mailbag: Voices from the War 1968-1972
Location: Kent County Library, Main Meeting Room
Time: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
‘Vietnam Mailbag’, named best regional book, is based on the nearly 900 letters written to Nancy Lynch by servicemen from, in and near Delaware during the five years she wrote her column, Nancy’s Vietnam Mailbag in the Wilmington (Delaware) Morning News. The first part of the book chronicles year by year the hopes and fears, joys and tears expressed by the servicemen as they heeded Lynch’s request to “tell it like it is” about life in the combat zone. The second part consists of a dozen “where are they now?” profiles of servicemen who frequently wrote to Lynch during the war. Refreshments served. For more information call Karin Cowperthwait, 410-778-3636.
‘Glory’
Location: Norman James Auditorium
Time: 7 to 10 p.m.
Public showing of the film ‘Glory’ with discussion of G.A.R. meeting hall history. The film spotlights the courageous efforts of the 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. This black regiment, led by the son of an abolitionist, suffered numerous hardships and privation even before taking the field of battle. Starring Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, and Matthew Broderick, this film provides insight into the lives of the men who built the G.A.R. Grand Army Hall in Chestertown; in fact, research indicates that at least one of the members of Post #25 served with the 54th Massachusetts. This film is rated (R). A short presentation will accompany the film, introducing the audience to the history of Post #25, the stabilization of the meeting hall by Preservation Inc., and plans for restoring it to its former important place in the fabric of Chestertown and Kent County. This event is free and open to the public.
Sunday, March 14
Eastern Shore Wind Ensemble Concert
Location: Christ United Methodist Church
Time: 4 p.m.
This is the third in the series of four free concerts in the Eastern Shore Wind Ensemble’s 2009–2010 season. Directed by Keith Wharton, the community concert band offers area wind and percussion musicians the opportunity to continue or resume playing high-quality music in a large ensemble. The band, based in Chestertown, welcomes new members at any time, without fee or audition. For information about joining call 410-778-2829 or 410-810-1834.
SpyCam: John Andrew McCown 1st Neilsen Award Winner
John Andrew McCown (photo by Trams Hollingsworth)
The Chester River Association celebrated the life of Pat Nielsen last Friday night by awarding its first annual award for poetry in her honor. Nielsen, a beloved community leader and Emmy Award-winning writer, director and producer, was also a passionate lover of poetry. CRA Trustee Marcy Dunn Ramsey announced the awards (judged by Washington College’s Literary House director Mark Nowak) at the Book Plate Bookstore in Chestertown. The winner of the annual poetry award was John Andrew McCown for December. Joanne Scott received the second place award for Distant Thunder, and an honorable mention was given to Mary Wood for Elegy. John Andrew’s father Andy McCown accepted the award on his son’s behalf since the poet is attending the University of Vermont and was unable to be at the event.
Before the poets began reading, the legendary Lester Barrett played tribute to Nielsen with a breathtaking version of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. The SpyCam was there to capture it.
Editor’s note. Please be patient when viewing on YouTube since the video may require time to begin streaming. The Spy would like to thank Tyler Campbell for the cameo appearance of his right elbow in this production.
Field Guide: The Dead of Winter
March is here. A co-worker told me he spotted an osprey the other day. A few optimistic buds have emerged. Spring isn’t quite here yet, but these signs tell us that warmer days will be here soon.
For the deadrise workboat, Twilight, this spring will mark her 100th year on the water. In her current incarnation, she serves as a floating laboratory for Echo Hill Outdoor School, taking students into the waters of the Chester River, Chesapeake Bay, and Still Pond Creek as they explore estuarine ecosystems.
Deadrise workboats, unique to the Chesapeake Bay, were designed to navigate shallow waters in order to harvest crabs, oysters, and fish. As those organisms saw their populations decrease, the deadrise workboat has become a less common sight on the water. Most of the workboats on the water today are made of fiberglass, which is both easier to come by and maintain. As both economic and ecological pressures combined to drive many watermen out of business, wooden boats were sold, neglected, or altogether abandoned. Quite a few marshes in Kent County have become the final resting place for rotting deadrises.
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This winter I got a taste of just how much work it takes to keep a wooden boat in the water for 100 years. I joined captains Andrew McCown and Tom Briggs in the boatshed of the Chestertown Marina working to make the Twilight look (as best we could) like that day she first left port in the Potomac River in 1911.
Surrounded by fiberglass boats silently shrink-wrapped and awaiting warmer weather, the Twilight could afford no such respite. As Captain Andy put it, “Winter work is the lifeblood that keeps these boats afloat.”
Before entering the shed the boat was scraped of barnacles and thoroughly sanded. This allowed the wood to be thoroughly inspected for areas of concern, first by the Outdoor School’s captains and later by U.S. Coast Guard inspectors. Finding new wood to replace trouble spots can sometimes take weeks or months. Coming from as far away as British Columbia, the cuts of wood needed to maintain these boats can’t be found at the local lumberyard.
Shipwrights John Swain and Nick Biles assist in the more technical repairs. After helping on a recent project, John Swain surveyed the Twilight and remarked to captains Briggs and McCown, “You guys are the reason this boat’s still here.”
Echo Hill acquired the Twilight in the early 80’s. Reaching its centennial was only possible through a series of events that Capt. Andy describes as a “formula” for preserving wooden workboats. First, the boat must be built by a good builder using good materials (which wasn’t always the case). Next it must have the fortune of good ownership throughout its life. Finally, as in the case of the Twilight, its life as a non-working boat should mimic its working life.
“There’s nothing that’s a bigger enemy to these boats than inactivity,” says McCown. What he’s referring to is the fact that Echo Hill Outdoor School’s wooden workboats are used almost every day, which means they demand proper maintenance to ensure that they continue to perform properly.
Science has also helped the Twilight in the battle against time. Advanced paint means that the wood is better protected from the corrosive effects of fungus, salt water, and air. In fact, in the last few years the boat has come in to the shed in better shape than any other winter.
Capt. McCown estimates that the Twilight receives about 800-1,000 hours of maintenance every year. This includes the major work that takes place each winter, but just as important is the weekly and daily maintenance.
“If you go down to Workboat Alley at Kent Narrows and walk the pier at the end of a workday, you can tell which boats are taken care of,” said McCown. “Whether they’re fiberglass or wooden, the ones that are properly cared for are the ones that are going to last.”
And so, once again the Twilight has been lowered into the water; ready for another year of navigating the local waterways. Ready for the squeals of children touching fish, eels, and crabs; often for the first time. Ready, as always, to work.
Riding a Gift Horse
The other day I received an anonymous gift in the mail, a beautiful hardcover book. It was a book I would buy for myself, so at first I wondered if I had actually ordered it and then forgotten all about it. (Okay, to be completely honest, I wondered if I had suddenly gone Sybil, and had an extra personality who went online ordering books for me while I showered or slept.)
All I had to go on was the return address. I emailed the bookseller asking for information about the order (just in case I had gone multiple-personality) but their replies were cryptic and frustrating (did you order something else, do you want to place an order?)
Then I decided that it was totally ungracious of me to try and identify the mysterious gifter. The only appropriate response was to say “thank you kind & thoughtful friend” to . . . the air.
That evening I sat down in my favorite reading chair and started the book. I had been struggling a bit with a certain subject (NOT multiple personalities) and what I was reading directly addressed my problem. It was uncanny. I read for an hour or so, and when I put the book down, I realized that I had undergone a shift in thinking and was ready to proceed full steam ahead. The book had given me a clarification that led to a clearing and finally to a feeling of relief.
And happiness.
And then I remembered many years ago when I had sent, anonymously, a money order to a proud friend who was going through a hard time financially. How happy I had felt! I was sure the person who sent me the book felt the same way, just so happy to know they had given me something that would improve my life.
This person didn’t want thanks, or a return gift, or even acknowledgement. This person just wanted to do something nice for me.
If you want to make someone happy, and in the process make yourself even happier, send an anonymous gift. Not to your best friend, or even a good friend, but to someone who might never suspect it came from you. And then don’t tell anyone about it. Make it your secret.
I’m going to continue this chain of happiness and send a gift today. And now I can’t stop smiling about it. My recipient is going to love it, and best of all, he or she (I do know which but my lips are zipped) will never know it came from me.
Early Greens
Most of the yard has reemerged, and I can walk instead of slog to the greenhouse. In a ‘normal’ year – evidently a theoretical concept – I’d have already started a few seeds for the cool-weather stuff. Kale, collards, spinach, chard, mustard greens, lettuces, bok choy. Some, like radish and peas, I’d even be considering putting into the ground now. Instead, it looks to be months before that can happen since the garden is still under a foot of snow. Fasten your seat belts, folks. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
For the next few weeks, we’ll have to count on our food transport system and the grocery stores for the boon of early greens. Packed with vitamins and minerals, the first spring greens –mustards, spinach, and more — are a natural way to unclog the arteries and jumpstart the immune system, which this winter is on overload. For millenniums they’ve been known as a spring tonic (read: cleanse) after a winter of stodgy meals.
In mild years, there would be some wild varieties coming up right now — mustards, chickweed, lamb’s quarters, dandelion, violet, and peppergrass – all free for the clipping. I’ve seen whole communities of Koreans in early March gleaning wild plantain from the grassy spots along the Potomac bike trail. (Be careful where you collect wild greens in case they’ve been sprayed or have taken up road toxins. Watercress are particularly susceptible.).
One of the lovely things about greens is they cook in minutes, so you can fling off your coat after work, chop some with some onions, scallions or shallot, stir them around in a skillet with a little hot olive oil for a few minutes, then eat. Wild mustards are a great peppery addition to salads and clear soups or stir-fries. Or throw wads of chopped spinach and scallion into boiling chicken broth for about 2 minutes until the spinach is just wilted. Add a beaten raw egg for egg-drop soup or Italian seasonings and a beaten egg for stracciatella. Instead of composting those beet tops, steam them and drizzle a little blood orange vinegar and walnut oil on them before serving, or use them as a basis for a warm salad with toasted pine nuts and roasted beets and goat cheese drizzled with balsamic/mustard dressing. Heap quick-sautéed mustard greens or chard onto garlic toast, sprinkle with salt and pepper and a drizzle of hot pepper oil. Throw chard, sweet peppers, and leftover rice into rich, herbed-flavored beef broth for a lovely soup.
Years ago, early greens were only available at specialty stores, and you couldn’t find seeds for them unless you ordered internationally. Now, we can get them at supermarkets and you can find seed in garden centers and through catalogues. If your garden, like mine, is still blanketed, you can in this winter of our discontent, start them in a sunny window and will most likely be clipping them before the snows melt.
Excursions: Ford’s Open Mic at the Prince
Whether it’s a Woody Guthrie-esque folk singer with a bushy beard or an 81-year old saxophone player giving it his all, open mic night at the Prince Theatre is sure to bring performances with heart.
“I try to bring in musicians who don’t want to come. I want to encourage them,” says Ford Schumann, host and house band. “Most of these people don’t have aspirations to fame.”
There’s a warmth and honesty to the evening that you rarely feel from paid performers. These musicians perform for the love of their art or just because they have something important to say.
Schumann hosted Open Mic at Andy’s for five years until last summer, when Andy was ousted from Andy’s.
“I asked the Prince Theatre about the possibility of moving Open Mic there, and they welcomed us. The Prince offers nice features, such as being a community venue and being available to young people, and while still offering beer & wine, it doesn’t compete with a bar crowd. Fresh pizza is available for $2 a slice. More people attend, especially more listeners,” says Schumann.
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It’s a win-win for all. For the audience it’s a night of free entertainment (complimentary bowls of peanuts and popcorn adorn the tables), and for the performers it’s a chance to try out new material.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and goes until 11:00 pm. Participants are allotted three songs or 15 minutes. But Open Mic is not limited to musicians; poetry readings, story telling, magic, acrobats, pet tricks, and comedy are also welcome for 5-minute performances. There is no age limit. Assigned times are scheduled until 10 p.m., after which the hour-long jam session, open to everyone, gets underway. If all the slots aren’t filled, the jam just starts earlier.
“I declare ‘the jam’s on’ and everybody gets onstage and we play. It’s the most fun part,” says Schumann. “There’s are usually one or two songs where the magic happens.”
On a recent Wednesday night, Schumann was checking his clipboard. He had filled every 15-minute slot except the first. “Nobody ever wants to go first, so I will,” he said with an easygoing smile. “I’m also the house band. I’m happy to accompany anyone.”
Sitting in a chair onstage, Schumann adjusted his mike for a sound check. Then he strummed a few bars and started singing. At times he sounded eerily like Neil Young.
Next up was Greg from Delaware. He said he had worked for twenty years with the homeless in Baltimore City. He wants to communicate with his music. He finished his three songs, but everybody seemed to want one more.
“You want to do another?” asked Schumann.
The audience clapped encouragingly.
“Go for it. You’re out-of-state,” said Schumann.
The next performer was Ed, all the way from St. Michael’s.
Ed peered into the crowd. “I write my own songs about the watermen, or something like that.”
Most of these people write songs about what they see happening in life.
“The Big Hats” took the stage and sang a hilarious song with the chorus, Hey mister, your wife’s been cheating on US. The audience howled.
Then came Keith: “These are a few songs I’m gonna try out tonight. It’s kind of a bluesy thing. This one I wrote last night, so bear with me. But it requires audience participation. On cue you shout. You’re screwed! Okay, try it now.
Audience: “You’re screwed!”
Dropping his head, Keith nodded knowingly. Then he sang a song about a mail order bride who found herself a richer husband.
The room filled with the spicy aroma of pizza. Theatre Manager of the Prince Theatre, Ann Hedgepeth, had just walked in carrying a stack of large pizza boxes. A number of people drifted to the pizza table, and then to the bar. There was a feeling that everyone, performers and audience alike, had settled in comfortably, and that the evening was just beginning.
“The switch from Andy’s has been very interesting,” says Schumann. “The first thing is that there is a real stage, instead of Andy’s less intimidating floor level. But getting up there is the essence of an Open Mic experience. So the stepping up has to be encountered, and it’s made easy by such a supportive room of fellow musicians.
Hedgepeth tended the bar and then set about refilling the popcorn and peanut bowls. In the meantime, Schumann headed for the stage, where a trio seemed to be struggling with technical difficulties.
Unperturbed, Schumann started sorting through a tangle of plugs and cords.
“For me music is an improvisation. It’s temporal. All life is an improvisation; you can prepare for it, but you’ve got to be ready to let it happen.”
Open Mic at the Prince Theatre is FREE and happens on the last Wednesday of the month (except in July & December). To participate or to set up a rehearsal, email Ford Schumann, fordo1@aol.com, or call the Prince. Sign-ups are also accepted during Open Mic if space is available.
And Around We Go, Faster
Maybe you’ve noticed how days here have gotten shorter. And not just in Chestertown and Kent County which are used to getting the short end of things.
Incredibly, it’s that way everywhere.
Yes, daylight this time of year is supposed to last longer, what with the vernal equinox approaching. But suddenly, it seems, there’s less of it.
Scientists at NASA say the massive earthquake in Chile may have shifted the Earth’s axis. That would create shorter days.
According to a computer model at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as reported by CNN, geophysicists determined that the 8.8 magnitude quake that struck Chile on Feb. 17 moved the Earth’s axis about three inches. That shift means every day should be 1.26 microseconds shorter. It’s measurable, and brace yourself, it’s permanent.
Good news is, you’ll get to knock off work that much earlier.
Best of Chestertown: Dr. Maria Boria
Almost every Thursday evening, Dr. Maria Boria, who turns 80 this year, drives herself to and from a Marydel clinic to provide essential health care to women in the growing Latino community, most of whom have no health insurance. While she took this particular project on only five years ago, Dr. Boria has spent a lifetime working with women in need. After her medical training in England, she moved to India in 1958, and started a hospital that now has 2,000 employees. From there, she started training programs in Latin America and Africa, while also marrying her husband Jim Berna, raising two children, and building her ob/gyn practice in Chestertown.
While Maria is not alone in the area of good deeds, her lifetime commitment to women’s health in some of the most challenging places in the world should make us all the more humble that she calls our community home.
Maria Boria’s 80th Birthday will be celebrated at the Prince as part of the Women Helping Women annual concert on March 10, 2010 at 7:00 PM. For more information go to the Prince Theatre website by clicking here.Benchworks: Chestertown’s Surprise Success
While many Chestertown businesses struggle to stay afloat in the stormy economy, one young local concern is building up staff, expanding space and emerging as a major player nationwide in marketing, advertising and public relations.
Benchworks, which moved its operations to Kent County in 2003 – into owner Thad Bench’s barn at Worth’s Folly Farm at Worton, with a staff of four – has rapidly grown to 25 fulltime employees with an additional 75 contract workers.
Its latest expansion in early February saw it taking over Seed House at the Radcliffe Mill complex, to be the site of its creative services headquarters.
Bench reckons Benchworks could be Chestertown’s 15th largest employer today in terms of payroll and staff. He says negotiations with new clients could see the business doubling in size over the next year.
“Benchworks is now in the top one percent nationally of marketing services firms in revenue,” says Bench. He notes that a company such as his doesn’t like to talk specifically about dollars and cents, but he puts revenue in excess of $10 million annually.
“Most of our clients are Fortune 500,” says Bench. They include Coca-Cola, Pfizer, Ryland Homes, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Honest Tea and Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
At present Benchworks is helping Coca-Cola with the launching of new brands, VEB and FUZE. And
all the work, ad copy, designs, sets and filming are being done right here in Kent County.
Why is a company like this thriving in Kent County? Why not Madison Avenue? Or Baltimore, Chicago, LA or DC?
“Kent County has been an absolute Godsend to us,” says Bench. “The people we’ve found here are very capable, very qualified. And clients love coming to Kent County, they think it’s a special place.
“It’s great to get work done here. We have an old granary building out on the farm and I’ve converted it into a guest house and meeting facility. We do brand strategy there. It’s really a special place and people recognize it for what it is.”
But what about reaching out to new clients? How is that done when the closest major airports are Philadelphia and Baltimore?
“We like to say we are equally inconvenient to everything,” says Bench. “But that was the Faustian deal made in coming here. I knew I’d have to travel and the bulk of clients are not found locally. I will say that after a week of travel and I get to the airport, and home is still an hour and a half away, it’s a little dispiriting.
“But as soon as I go over the Bay Bridge my bloodpressure goes down 30 points.”
In addition to Seed House, Benchworks is keeping its 44,000-square-foot warehouse and offices on Talbot Boulevard for daily operations, production and distribution.
Bench says his company works closely with other creative services, like Mullen-Ashley, and has found other exceptional local talents such as filmmaker and videographer Kurt Kolaja and artist Marcie Ramsey for illustrations.
Benchworks is in late stage negotiations with new clients in the pharmaceutical industry, and Bench says if those go favorably the company could easily double revenue in the coming year. “Then we’ll need to add staff.”
“Our hope is we can encourage this type of growth and maybe make Kent County a nexus for creative services talent.”
Best Bets
Friday, March 5
Ralph E. Eshelman and Scott S. Sheads, “The War of 1812 in the Chesapeake”
Location: Miller Library, Washington College
Time: 4 to 5 p.m.
Authors of the new book “The War of 1812 in the Chesapeake: A Reference Guide to
Historic Sites in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia” will convene to discuss The War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain, fought from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean to the vast frontier between the U.S. and Canada. The Chesapeake Bay region was the site of 11 battles, 63 skirmishes, and 86 raids during this second great war for independence. Book signing to follow.
Chestertown’s First Friday
Location: Downtown Chestertown
Time: 5 to 8 p.m.
Meander the red-brick, tree-lined sidewalks of Historic Chestertown, while enjoying extended shop hours and arts and entertainment throughout Downtown. For a list of activities, please visit www.kentcounty.com/artsentertainment.
Prince Theatre’s Reconciliation Celebration
Location: Prince Theatre, 210 High St.
Time: 7 p.m.
The Prince Theatre Foundation and the African American Heritage Council invite you to take part in a Reconciliation Celebration to acknowledge past social inequities as they were experienced at the Prince Theatre and to honor the talents of our diverse community. During years of segregation, African American citizens were made to use a separate entrance and seating to watch movies at the theatre. Through the reconciliation of these injustices and the celebration of our unity, this event will provide impetus for us to join together to create a stronger community. During the celebration portion of the event, community members will be invited to take the stage to share talents to help commemorate the evening. For information and reservations call 410-810-2060 or visit www.princetheatre.org.
Holly Hofmann and Mike Wofford
Location: The Mainstay, Rock Hall
Time: 8 p.m.
Holly Hofmann’s secure sense of swing and broad emotional range have earned her recognition amongst jazz lovers around the world as “The first lady of the flute.” Her husband, renowned pianist Mike Wofford, was pianist and music director for Ella Fitzgerald. He has had a long career as a soloist, as an arranger for Sergio Mendes, as staff pianist working with Quincy Jones on “The Cosby Show,” and as a sideman on more than 200 recordings. This is an irresistible pairing of two incomparable musicians. Call 410-639-9133 for reservations. Tickets are $15.
Spy Profile: Constance Larrabee’s War
While Constance Stuart Larrabee’s photographs have been on display at the Museum of Modern Art, the Yale Center for British Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Santa Fe Centre for Photography, as well as galleries from New York to South Africa, not one of her photographs ever hung on the walls of her own home in Chestertown. She insisted that while her photos were sometimes “all right,” they certainly were not important enough to be displayed in her living room.
It was this form of modesty that prevented Larrabee’s work to be shown until very late in her life. Responding to pressure from friends and curators, she slowly began to go through her negatives in the early 1980’s. What emerged over the next few years would place Larrabee’s work, in the minds of many, along side such other great photographers as Frank Capra, Lee Miller, and Henri Cartier-Bresson.
In the summer of 1998, Larrabee sat down with NPR’s Linda Wertheimer to describe her WW II experiences and her simple approach to photography. The Chestertown Spy, in collaboration with Washington College, has created a slide show of that interview to correspond with the Kohl Gallery’s exhibition opening February 19.
“Looking Back: Perspectives on the Early Photography of Constance Stuart Larrabee” opens at Washington College’s Kohl Gallery on February 19th and will be on view until March 18th. The exhibition features 36 photos selected from the Gallery’s collection, donated by the photographer herself in 2000.
Rib-Sticking Chowder
Since we’re still locked into winter, I’m still cooking those bolster-a-body soups known as chowders. According to whatscookingamerican.net, the word ‘chowder’ is purported to come from the Latin ‘calderia’ = caldron = the French chaudiere + the word ‘ jowter,’ an old English word for a fish peddler. Or something like that.
For now we’ll ignore chowders that are dieters’ delights, the varieties that start with a clear broth. I’m not talking about those. I’m talking about those thick, creamy, potato-and-fish and, sometimes corn or winter squash jobs that are substantial enough to send you out into the snow or back to work hauling in trawling lines.
Clam chowder, a New England specialty whose first incarnation I knew as quahog chowdah, is probably the most well known of these. Most clam chowders start with chopped bacon sautéed in a heavy pot, which adds tons of flavor (and cholesterol and calories, sadly). Then you add onions, chopped clams, flour to make a roux, some broth or clam liquor, chopped potatoes and finally cream. Heaven.
The variations on that theme can be elegant enough for company. Salmon chowder is made with salmon stock* to which is added a sautéed chopped onion and a little chopped celery, white wine, garlic, pepper, lemon juice, parsley and dill and maybe a little hot sauce. Thicken it the old-fashioned way with a knob of butter mashed together with a tablespoon or two of flour stirred into the bubbling soup. Add either raw or cooked salmon toward the end, but either way be sure not to overcook the fish or you’ll end up with mush instead of definable chunks of fish. Just before serving, stir in a generous dollop of heavy cream.
Rob Etgen, Director of the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, makes a lovely rockfish chowder. He bakes the fish whole, slathered in mayo to keep it moist, until JUST flakey. Depending on his time and energy, he’ll either make his own white sauce base or use a can of cream of mushroom soup. Then he adds chopped onions that have been sautéed in a little butter, potatoes half-steamed and cubed, sweet corn, generous lashings of Old Bay, and finally, just before serving, the cooled chunks of fish. “I like to leave skin on so you can tell what kind of fish you’re eating,” he says.
http://www.chowderrecipes.net/
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Soups-Stews-and-Chili/Chowders/Main.aspx
http://www.hungrymonster.com/recipe/recipe-search.cfm?Course_vch=Chowder&ttl=16
*Salmon stock is easy to make if you get a whole fresh salmon. Fillet it or have the fish department do that and take home both fillets and the frame with the head. (I fillet my own, broil some with homemade curry mustard that evening and freeze the rest for later). Dump frame and head into a stockpot with a quartered onion, some celery tops, a carrot, some white wine, half a lemon, salt and pepper and simmer for about an hour. Strain. You can freeze this in quarts for use in shrimp or lobster bisques as well as fish chowders.
