Regulars (All)

Article - The Dish; by Lisa Knoll - 1/10/13

Recipe for a Healthier 2013

Resolved to lose weight this year? To eat healthier? Tackle the topic this Friday, January 11, when the Annapolis Community Health Initiative hosts a tasting, movie and discussion on healthful eating at the Pip Moyer Recreation Center in Annapolis. Start the evening by tasting local chefs’ presentations of food that’s good and good for health. You’ll sample and judge dishes by three local chefs. Azure at the Westin chef James Barrett...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 1/10/13

The World’s Best Saltwater Fly

And a few tips on tying it

Look up the word ubiquitous in any saltwater fly-fishing dictionary and you’ll see a picture of a Clouser Deep Minnow streamer fly. Look up the word quintessential and pictured will be that fly in a chartreuse-over-white pattern. The Clouser is the world’s most popular saltwater fly. It has caught every species of saltwater fish that can be caught on a fly and arguably does it better than any streamer ever invented. The chartreuse-over-white pattern is its most...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 1/10/13

Rose Season Isn’t Over Yet

Some varieties want winter pruning

If your roses have grown tall and have been in the ground for less than a year, pruning them back to within 18 inches of the ground will minimize wind whipping, which loosens the roots in the soil. Grafted roses also need pruning to avoid damage to the graft union. You can identify grafted roses by the enlarged stem near the ground where the hybrid rose was joined to rootstock. Prune those tall stems back to about 18 inches from the ground. Aluminum vs Ammonium Q ...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 1/10/13

A Modern Mythos for the Stars

Can you recognize the Quarterback, the Running Back, the Wide Receiver and the Linebacker?

As the sun sets, now after 5pm, the familiar figure or Orion straddles the east horizon. Named after the mighty Greek hunter of mythology, this figure bears an uncanny resemblance to a hero of our own modern mythos: the Quarterback. There he is, the Raven’s Joe Flacco, leaning back, his weight planted on his rear foot, his right arm cocked for a pass, his left arm extended against the onslaught of rushing defenders. Where Orion is trailed by two hounds, a pair of...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 1/3/13

Rounding Winter’s Bend

We’re speeding past our closest point to the sun

It’s counter-intuitive during these long, cold nights of winter, but early January brings the earth its closest to the sun in its annual orbit. Wednesday the second marked the actual point of perihelion, when we were two percent closer to the sun than usual. Earth’s orbit is not quite circular but rather egg-shaped, which creates a difference of a little more than 3 million miles from perihelion to aphelion — our farthest point from the sun — in July. That difference,...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 1/3/13

Looking Ahead to 2013 Fishing

You don’t have to wait until summer for the fun to start

The coming year will be filled with many outdoor opportunities on the Tidewater, particularly if you’re an angler. The best part is your adventures could start very soon, mid-January, in fact. Yellow perch continue their remarkable comeback around the Chesapeake. The bite traditionally begins this month on the Susquehanna Flats at a large staging area near the mouth of the Elk River. Lots of big neds school there from surrounding waters and hold in...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 1/3/13

Warm Up Your New Year

If you’ve grown horseradish, it’s time to harvest and prepare it

Did you remember to plant horseradish? If so, you’re in for a treat. Horseradish is a hardy herbaceous perennial plant that produces fleshy roots. Now that the tops of horseradish plants have died back to the ground, it is time to dig up the roots and make next year’s supply of ground horseradish. Some of the roots are carrot-like but most are smooth and slender, averaging one-half to three-quarters-inch in diameter and growing horizontally in...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 12/20/12

A Victory for the Bay

Menhaden gain recognition and protection

Friday, December 14, 2012, is a day that makes a difference. On that day, menhaden — a fish virtually inedible to humans and once numerous but now endangered — gained recognition and protection as a vital component of our complex marine ecosystem. Meeting in Baltimore, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission declared its intent to protect Atlantic menhaden from continued commercial over-fishing, which has reduced the species to eight percent of its...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 12/20/12

Maryland’s Winterberry Beauty

This bright flowering holly was first found in a nearby bog

Winterberry shows at its best this season, inviting you to cut it for Christmas decorating. The native deciduous forms of holly grow as shrubs six to eight feet tall. At this time of year, the ends of the branches are filled with clusters of bright red berries. Maryland has two native species, Ilex verticillata and Ilex serrata. It is not uncommon to see them planted along highways. They are increasingly being used because they can tolerate growing in boggy wet soil as well...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 12/20/12

The Mayan Calendar Mystery

If the world doesn’t end, winter begins

With any luck, Friday, December 21 will not mark the end of the world, but rather the usual beginning of winter for the Northern Hemisphere. The Mayans and their vanished civilization are a true mystery, made all the more poignant by their accomplishments, building great pyramids and devising an elaborate calendar. That calendar, like those of other civilizations throughout history and around the globe, recognizes December 21 as the end of the year — and the beginning of the new. ...