On the Hunt for "Greener" Days

I'm pretty sure in a previous life I must have been a camel trader. Just put me out in the middle of an open air market to savor the aromas and flavors of the fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, and hunt for treasures among the vintage and the craft, and I am in my element, all senses satisfied.

So it's no surprise that I live for Spring, Summer and Fall, when Markets abound. Our successful new West Annapolis 2nd Sunday Neighborhood Green Market had our final Market of the year in November - a terrific Holiday Market with lots of great vendors who had lots to offer to complete your holiday shopping list. We're looking forward to our 2010 season beginning in April - many favorite vendors will be returning and more will be joining us as we head into our second year!

Of course, West Annapolis is still buzzing for the holidays. December 9 brings us Holiday Magic in West Annapolis Old Fashioned Christmas from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. www.westannapolisbusiness.org. Lots of wonderful entertainment, and activities throughout the business district, 20% off at participating merchants, and Annapolis' new Mayor Josh Cohen will escort Santa in by horse drawn carriage at 5:30. There will be Free Carriage Rides from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., a collection of toys & food for dogs and cats (and clean used towels) at the SPCA of Anne Arundel County's Mobile Unit. Donations of non-perishable food items will be accepted for the Light House Shelter. A great way to support both local businesses and local organizations serving our community.

And I just got an email that the Anne Arundel County Farmers Market at Riva Road and Harry Truman Parkway will run through December 19, and will host a special Holiday Festival Saturday, December 5 - hot cocoa, visits with Santa and a performance by the Asbury United Methodist Bell Choir, as well as their 1st Annual Moonlight Madness on Wednesday, December 9 from 7 pm to 11 pm.

In spite of the merriment, for me it's a bittersweet time of year. As we head into Winter, my opportunities to be at open air markets begin to dwindle. Of course, the Chestertown Saturday morning Farmer's Market continues through December, and I can satisfy myself with beef, chicken and eggs from Lew and Marilyn Dodd at Cedar Run Farms www.cedarruncattle.com. The folks from Lockbriar Farms www.lockbriarfarms.com and Colchester Farms www.colchesterfarm.org continue to offer a wonderful selection of winter crops - who can resist those huge stems of brussel sprouts! And our friend Don Biggar at Galena Blooms www.galenablooms.com honored us with his last bouquet of the year a few weeks ago - he'll still be around with his soaps and vinegars. In Annapolis we'll still be able to catch the Westfield Annapolis Winter Farmer's Market, running January through March on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month www.aaedc.org. But nonetheless, I face my annual challenge to fill the void I always feel when the markets close up.

Step 1 is staying true to the principle that underlies the markets - shop local. Not hard to do with the variety offered by our diverse local merchants on both sides of the Bay. I can get great meals produced with local foods at any number of places, but one of my favorites is Carla Lucente & Stacey Jackowski's b.b. bistro in annapolis

www.bbbistroannapolis.com,

one of the first restaurants in Annapolis to receive the Environmental Stewardship Certification. "bb" stands for "best of the best" - local ingredients and products are the basis for their creations. You can see their Herb Garden that grows in front of the restaurant. Wonderful, yummy food in the heart of West Annapolis. Plan a visit to them (and their website) to get the taste (and their story!)

While I was at bb bistro yesterday I picked up a "Take the Pledge! Shift to Buy Local" flyer put out by the Annapolis Sustainable Business Alliance www.buylocalannapolis.com. Encouraging us all to Buy Local, the Pledge asks that we shift $100 of our existing spending to support the local independent businesses we love. It makes a huge difference in the strength of our local economy - over 2/3 of every dollar spent in locally owned businesses stays in our community.

On the other side of the Bay, I'm already looking forward to Chef Robbie Jester's Tasting of Tuscany Wine Dinner, Saturday December 19 at Harbor House Restaurant www.harborhousewcm.com. Take a look at this menu: Cichetti, Zuppa Yukon Gold Potato and Mushroom “Espresso”, Porcini Powder, Roasted Garlic Froth, Primi Meditteranean Mussels, Pancetta, Lemon, Saffron Beurre Blanc, Pasta Roasted Cedar Farms Chicken “Open” Ravioli, Sage, Shallot Sauce, Intermezzo Lemon Basil Sorbetto, Secondi Braised Veal Osso Bucco Tradicionale, Buckwheat Polenta Contorni Roasted Brussel Sprouts Dulce Kahlua Tiramisu, Espresso Chocolate Sauce, Chocolate Covered Coffee Bean. Chef Jester will be working with Sous Chef Tyler Parsons, and Wine Pairings will once again be done by Jason Hopwood.

Speaking of Jason Hopwood, that takes me in two other directions. First, over to Cassinelli Winery www.cassinelliwinery.com, where our friend Al Cassinelli has gift baskets and chocolate dipped wine bottles ready for holiday giving. You can visit the winery, located on Route 213 in Church Hill on the Eastern Shore, on Saturdays and Sundays. You may be lucky enough to be greeted by this fellow on the right, or maybe by his friends the buffalo on the left. Either way, it's a great gift -make sure to pick up a bottle or two for yourself!

Just yesterday I was coming over to Annapolis and I spied a group of skipjacks dredging for oysters in the Chesapeake Bay - all the months ending in "R" are oyster months. And later at Annapolis' Whole Foods Market www.wholefoodsmarket.com sure enough there in the seafood department they were featuring Kent Island oysters. You have to give them credit for really living up to their promise of offering locally grown and produced foods. Every so often I run into Chef Glenn May who formerly ran the Kennedyville Inn with Chef Jason Hopwood (small world, isn't it?) and is now at Whole Foods in the prepared foods section. And Marketing Director Amy Chase has been a great friend to the West Annapolis 2nd Sunday Green Market - providing dog treats for the August "Dog Days of Summer" event.

It's great to see the new things friends are doing - just yesterday I got an email from Andy Goddard of Andy's of Chestertown fame that she has started a practice as a trained Green Irene Eco-Consultant for the Chestertown and Kent County area. helping households and small offices implement proven green solutions to lead a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle www.GreenIrene.com/AndyChestertown. I'm hoping we'll get her on Homegrown and Green on WCTR Radio sometime soon. I'm already looking forward to the December 4 show about Chestertown's 25th Annual Holiday House Tour www.holidayhousetour.org on Saturday, December 12, 2009 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  This tour of notable private residences and public buildings decorated for the holidays benefits the students of H.H. Garnett Elementary School located in downtown Chestertown. Get your tickets now so you won't miss it!

And we're hoping you haven't finished your holiday shopping because I'll be joined on the radio by two secret shoppers who have scoured Kent County to find great gifts you can buy locally for everyone on your list! Maybe I'll add one of Andy's Green Irene Consults to mine!

And when the holidays are over and Winter sets in in earnest, I may just throw a few things in my (recycled) bag and go looking for Green Markets. Stay tuned to see what we find. In the meantime, please join me and

Shop Local, Eat Local, Give Local!

Learning Life's Lessons on the Chesapeake Bay

Today on the radio I had the pleasure of interviewing Andrew McCown, Associate Director of Echo Hill Outdoor School and Founder of their Summer Explore trips. We didn't have time to talk about everything Echo Hill Outdoor School does, but go to their website www.ehos.org - and I'll give you a description here.

Since 1972, Echo Hill Outdoor School (www.ehos.org) has provided students with “hands on” outdoor education experiences in Worton, Maryland, just off of Still Pond Neck Road on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Each year, more than 5,500 students attend Echo Hill Outdoor School’s programs and learn more about the wonders of nature, the value of history, and the diversity of individual qualities.  The school’s teachers are dedicated to creating a safe and supportive environment for students to feel challenged and successful with the freedom to think, question, and express themselves.

A number of Echo Hill’s classes take place on the various waters of the Chesapeake Bay region. Classes vary from a half day bay studies class to a week long excursion on the school’s skipjack, the Elsworth or the buy boat, the Annie D, which are the foundation of the School’s Chesapeake Heritage Initiative and Summer Explore Trips programs.

And on September 19, Echo Hill Outdoor School is having a Community Paddle on the Chester River. BYO kayak, canoe or rowboat, or rent one of theirs. This fun day includes guided nature tours, races, challenge courses - an opportunity for paddlers of varying skill levels to experience exploring a particularly picturesque stretch of the Chester River in the company of the teachers and naturalists of Echo Hill Outdoor School. Plus you get a T-shirt and an after-paddle BBQ, and the opportunity to support the tuition fund for the public school residential outdoor education programs which have experienced significant budget cuts. More information is on the website www.ehos.org, along with registration forms.

If you miss the paddle, you'll still have a chance to meet the staff of Echo Hill Outdoor School, and see and tour the Elsworth and Annie D. during the Chestertown Wildlife Exhibition & Sale on Saturday, October 17. The boats will be docked at the foot of High Street, and the staff will be happy to chat with you about all their programs.

Built in 1901, the 40-foot skipjack, the Elsworth, is one of a handful of skipjacks remaining on the Chesapeake Bay.  The Elsworth is listed among 21 skipjacks built prior to 1912 on the National Register of Historic Places.  Skipjacks are the last fleet of sail-powered work boats in the United States.  They were designed to dredge for oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.  The Elsworth dredged for oysters commercially between 1901 and 1996; the last seven of these were with Echo Hill Outdoor School, which acquired the Elsworth in 1988.  The Outdoor School began rebuilding the Elsworth in 1996 and the boat is now used solely by the School for educational programs, helping students connect with the ecology and history of the Chesapeake Bay.

The oyster buy boat, Annie D. (left), was built in 1957 on Tangier Island, Virginia.  With a wide beam and roomy cabin, the Annie D. was built to buy and transport oysters.  The working mast and boom were designed as a crane to load and unload oysters rather than for sailing purposes.  Oyster buy boats played an important role in the economy of the Eastern Shore before the building of the first Bay bridge in 1952.  During the oyster season, buy boats would travel up and down the Bay purchasing oysters from watermen and carrying them to the great shucking houses of the Eastern Shore.  During the months when oysters were not in season, the boats transported produce and lumber across the Bay.  The construction of the Bay bridges and the decline of oyster harvests gradually eliminated the need for oyster buy boats.  The Annie D. was donated to Echo Hill Outdoor School in 1983 and, after being restored, began its service with the Outdoor School in the summer of 1985.

Echo Hill provides a general outdoor education program to students from grades three through eight on a weekly basis. Additional programming is offered to younger children, high school and college students, and adult groups. Residential outdoor education programs, Adventure programs, and Day programs are offered to school groups, private groups, clubs, and other organizations from March through mid-December.

In order to keep tuition affordable, Echo Hill Outdoor School depends on the generosity of individuals, corporations, foundations, local, state and federal governments for donations and grants. Support from these sources is vital to helping Echo Hill Outdoor School continue to make a difference in students' lives. Representatives will be on hand at the Exhibition to answer questions about programs and how you can support Echo Hill Outdoor School, located at 13655 Bloomingneck Road Worton, Maryland 21678; 410-348-5880, www.ehos.org.