Regulars (All)

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 9/6/12

Suicide in the Garden

Here’s how to help your plants avoid self-strangulation

When I visit friends’ homes, being asked to diagnose plant problems is not uncommon. I entered one friend’s front door only to be escorted outside to diagnose the cause of a groundcover juniper’s death. My friend had planted three junipers in 2009; one had died in June. I told him that I would have to dig it up and perform an autopsy. He found it hard to believe that I could not diagnose the problem by simply looking at it. I replied that I could give...

Article - The Dish; by Lisa Edler Knoll - 9/6/12

Bringing in September

Three novelties and one old favorite

Returning to school and work after the Labor Day weekend, you’d think food news would be about lunchboxes and crock-pot recipes. Not so in Chesapeake Country. Food events this week are about novelties plus the return of an old favorite. Fresh Market at Annapolis Harbour Center hosts a Hatch Chili Fest Saturday, Sept. 8, from 10am to 3pm. Hatch chilies, grown in the small town of Hatch, New Mexico, are harvested and for sale only from late August...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 8/30/12

Just How Rare Is a Blue Moon?

Not as rare — or as old — as you might think

Friday morning marks August’s second full moon, a blue moon. While the term blue moon dates back hundreds of years, its meaning of the second full moon in a single month was crafted in the 20th century. Its early usage you might hear in the phrase I’ll believe that when the moon is blue. In 1937, the Maine Farmer’s Almanac refered to a blue moon as the third of four full moons in any three-month season. For the Almanac, the blue moon was a placeholder in...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 8/30/12

Not Planting a Fall Garden?

Save your soil with a cover crop

If you are not planning a fall vegetable garden, it’s worth your while to consider a cover crop of rye or winter wheat. Your corn, beans, tomatoes, lettuce and pepper plants may not have used all of the nutrients in the soil. Even if you did not apply more fertilizer than the plants needed, even if you are an organic grower, there is organic matter in the soil that continues to decompose, releasing nutrients until the ground freezes. Unless these nutrients are absorbed...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 8/30/12

What’s at the End of the Line?

A big, powerful surprise

The rod tip dipped, then dipped again. Reaching out, my longtime friend Sandy Sempliner eased the rod from its holder. His reel spool then began to turn slowly. Thumbing it lightly, he tried to determine if extra tidal current was providing the force or if a crafty fish down below was making off with his bait. The pull on the line increased, and the spool blurred. Sandy was sure now that something big had his chunk of menhaden. Giving it a half dozen or so additional...

Article - The Dish; by Lisa Knoll - 8/30/12

Summer’s Heirloom Tomatoes

ALL NEW!!! The Dish, an original Bay Weekly column dedicated to the food and restaurants of Chesapeake Country.

Welcome to The Dish, a new Bay Weekly column dedicated to the food and restaurants of Chesapeake Country. In this exclusive, we go beyond traditional restaurant reviews to consider the flavors of the Bay along with the unique people, places, spirits and recipes that whet our appetites. Let’s start in season, celebrating the end of summer with a delicacy that will soon be tasted only in memory: heirloom tomatoes. Eastport newcomer Vin 909 has forged a robust reputation...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by - 8/23/12

Way Out There and Out of Sight

Can you track down Neptune?

Thursday and Friday offer the best chance to track down the only planet never visible to the unaided eye: Neptune, the most distant planet in the solar system since Pluto’s demotion to planetoid status several years ago. Neptune comes closest to earth on the 23rd, while the 24th marks the planet’s point of opposition, when it is opposite the sun, as seen from our skies, with earth smack-dab in the middle. That night, Neptune rises in the east at sunset, peaks...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 8/23/12

Fishing for Money

$2.9 million needed for commercial fishing checks and balances

Where’s the money going to come from? Legislation passed this year (House Bill 1372) mandates that Department of Natural Resources’ program management costs for commercial fishing operations be covered by funds generated in that sector. Fishfinder There is no good news on rockfish. When located, stripers are reticent to bite. Trolling is the best method with limits of middling rock possible, plus some bluefish in the 16- to 18-inch range. Croaker...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 8/23/12

Now’s the Time to Improve Your Lawn

Get a soil test, and I’ll write you a free prescription for what to do next

If your lawn is just so-so and you want to make it look like a professional lawn next year, now is the time to take action. A soil test of the existing lawn is of utmost importance. A good lawn requires a pH of 6.2 to 6.8 with medium to optimum levels of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. If the appearance of your current lawn is uniform, then only one sample should be adequate. However, if the front lawn is better than the side or back lawn, submit samples for...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 8/16/12

How to Dry Tomatoes

They’ll taste great come winter

Are you being flooded with tomatoes? My neighbors are willing to take their share but they can take only so many. If you enjoy canning, make catsup, salsa, tomato juice, stewed tomatoes or crushed tomatoes. I have and still have tomatoes to spare. I fry green tomatoes by dredging them through a mixture of corn meal and Old Bay prior to frying in olive oil. Fried red tomatoes are also a favorite for some. If you have a food drier, try drying tomato slices...