june home, eastern edition - hersam acorn newspapers

8/6/2019 June Home, Eastern Edition - Hersam Acorn Newspapers

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JUNE 2011 HERSAM ACORN NEWSPAPERS

HOMESpecial Section to: The Valley Gazette I The Stratford Star I The Milford Mirror I The Amity Observer I The Trumbull Times I Fairfield Sun I The Huntington Herald I The Monroe Courier I The Easton Courier

by Karen Dydzuhn

I dont know anyone who enjoys spending

time indoors cooking a big, heavy meal in

the summertime. After this winters severe

weather conditions, which kept many

Fairfield County families homebound for

days at a time, most folks are eager to take

advantage of this seasons sunshine.

However, since we still have to eat, I sug-

gest firing up the grills and cooking and

eating al fresco, as often as possible. Jeff

Arciola, owner of JRs Hot Dog Stand and

a mobile JRs Weeniemobile, said, Use a

nice ground chuck [for burgers], somethingthats very lean but still has fat because that

makes it flavorful. I also like to butterfly

my hot dogs. When you cut them in half,

down the middle, they cook more evenly.

This reminds me of being a kid because my

father used to do this.

Jeff also strongly urged the familys grill

master to resist turning the burgers too

soon. Dont touch them until you see the

top of the meat sweat, he said. If the

juice isnt coming out of the burgers, its not

time. You want to wait until theyre halfway

cooked before flipping them.

For those who prefer more surf than turf,

Cathy Szabo, owner of Szabos Seafood

in Shelton, recommends throwing some

swordfish, salmon and tuna on the grille.

Marinated shrimp, which could be served

as a kabob with grilled veggies mush-

rooms, red and yellow bell peppers, vidalia

onions is a healthy and delicious meal.

However, Cathy also cautions against over-cooking. The best way to grill any of the

most popular grilling fish is to marinate it in

your favorite sauce, she said. Get the grill

nice and hot and basically sear the fish; it

keeps in the great flavor.

Also, fish is a healthy meal to serve the

SummertimeAnd the eating is easy

Summertime continued on page 8

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2 HOME Hersam Acorn Newspapers June 9, 2011

by Lois Alcosser

Because almost every meal required them,Sal Gilberties mother specialized in toma-

toes and basil. She dried the tomato seeds

and picked out the best looking ones to

plant. Year after year, she had huge crops of

big, sweet slicing tomatoes. They were so

good, shes had a variety named after her:

Nanas Plum Tomatoes.

Sal Gilbertie is just about the best person

to talk about tomatoes. Hes been eating

them in one form or another his whole life;

theyre in his blood. The Gilbertie Nursery

in Westport, started by his grandfather in

1922, overflows with plants, trees, shrubs,

flowers, seedlings, sap-

lings and herbs, plus

the pots to put themin and the fertilizer

to feed them. Sals

staff can answer

most any gardening

question.

His farm in Easton sup-

plies the nursery with

much of its stock, which

is grown in pesticide-free

soil. Saturday afternoons spring,

summer and fall there are seminars on

gardening. Grow Tomatoes Like A Pro was

one of them.

Sal started by saying,

Todays tomatoes

are very differentfrom the kind my

mother grew. The

tomatoes you

buy in super-

markets are bred

with harder skins

for safer ship-

ping, bruise resis-

tance, longer shelf

life. Theyre even trying

to breed square tomatoes so

theyll fit into boxes. All this means theres

less taste. Its actually the same with roses.

The new hybrid roses, bred for longer shelf

life, size and color have no fragrance.

There are two kinds of tomatoes inde-terminant and determinant. The first kind

just keep on growing. In fact, the plant may

grow so high youll have to cut it down.

Determinant plants are smaller, shorter,

more compact, the kind that do well in less

space small gardens and containers.

Lots of sun is the most important ingredi-

ent for good tomato production. You cant

rush their growth. Beefmaster, the meati-

est of all the big tomatoes, takes 80 days.

Sweet One Million cherry tomatoes take 60

days. Nanas Plum, the tomato named after

Theresa Gilbertie, takes 75 days to produce.

IF A TOMATO COULD TALK ...

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June 9, 2011 HOME Hersam Acorn Newspapers 3

And, according to Sal, Its hands down

the best bruschetta tomato. As soon as

the nights are at least 60 degrees, toma-

toes grow quickly.

Next most important is the spacing

of the plants. They need air and light

so they shouldnt be planted too close

together. Its better to have a few plants,

properly placed, than more plants too

crowded. The determinants should be

30 inches apart; the indeterminants,

36 inches apart. Soil should be well-

worked and loose. If you hold it in your

palm, it should almost fall apart. The

best fertilizer is not loaded with chemi-

cals. Dehydrated manure (chicken, rab-

bit, cow) can be bought in pellet form.

Compost adds to the tilth of the soil.

Some manure can be added as they

bloom. The important thing is: dont

shovel a big pile of manure into the hole

you dig for the plant. It will burn the

roots.

When gardeners come to me wonder-

ing why they arent getting tomatoes

when theyve been taking such goodcare of them, nine times out of 10

the problem is over-watering. The roots

wont develop if theyre too wet and they

cant stretch. You should never use a

sprinkler on tomatoes. If its hot and dry

in the middle of the summer, you can

water once every other day, but not after

5 p.m. The best time to water is in the

morning. Container gardening requires

more water, especially if the container

is plastic.

As the plant grows, therell be some yel-

low bottom leaves. Break them off. Also

break off the sucker shoots, the small

branches that grow on the stalk but

never really develop into anything. Keep

the one sucker shoot that grows right

under the flowers.

Theres a big trend to heirloom tomatoes

because they have a true Old World taste.

They make delicious sauce. They may

not look as beautiful as other tomatoes,

but they taste good. As the plants grow,

theyll need staking. Sal recalls that his

dad used to cut down saplings and use

them as stakes and his mother used to

tie the branches to the stakes with old

nylon stockings. Tomatoes need to be

watched on a regular basis. Pick them

when they need picking. Mulch if neces-

sary. Salt hay is best because it doesnt

take nitrogen from the soil.

If you need pesticides, investigate the

range of beneficial insects. Not just

ladybugs, but the kind of insects that

eat harmful insects. They may eat 50

aphids for breakfast! Sal says. We buy

them from The Netherlands. They come

in egg form and they keep our tomatoplants clean.

Having a great crop of tomatoes may

sound complicated, but its really com-

mon sense. Tomatoes need space, sun,

air, not too much watering, some fertil-

izer, but not too much. Youll never want

store-bought tomatoes again.

by Robin E. Glowa

Picnicking is one of lifes perfect plea-

sures. A portable feast in the fresh air,

picnics are delightful events that have

been enjoyed throughout history. From

sheepherders breaking bread in ancient

times to kings and queens, who would

command lavish royal spreads complete

with ornate candelabras, to Victorian

ladies who would organize dainty tea

parties held en plein air, picnics are a

beloved pastime.

Picnics are a perfect hiatus from the hec-

tic pace of life. Suddenly there is time to

PACKING THE

PERFECT PICNIC

Picnic continued on page 6

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by Lois Alcosser

How about a bottle cap ceiling, a

wine cork floor and a license-plate

roof? Dan Phillips (The Phoenix

Commotion) designs and builds low-

income housing using salvaged, re-

cycled or free and found materials

75% to 85% of his building

materials are being re-used. The

houses look good, theyre sturdy and

theyre comfortable. Dan showed

dozens of pictures of these homes

at the DECON11 conference at Yale,

sponsored by the Building MaterialsRe-use Association (BMRA.)

Weve learned to put cans, bottles,

plastic containers and newspapers

in a re-cycle bin, but what happens

when a building is demolished or a

house is renovated? Each year, there

are millions of tons of used but still

serviceable materials generated in

the demolition and remodeling of

buildings. Instead of hauling all this

to a landfill, most of these decon-

structed materials can be reclaimed

and re-used. It seems surreal, but

some day, we might have a trash-

less society. Trash means good-for-

nothing, rubbish. Re-cycling building

materials demonstrates that they are

good-for-something and certainly

not rubbish.

Wood is the single largest contribu-

tor to construction and demolition

waste. Next comes roofing, drywall,

concrete, metals and plastics. All

these materials can be re-used.

Salvaging and re-using wood saves

forests. Re-using drywall decreasesthe volume of landfills. This decreas-

es pollution.

Re-use helps conserve natural

resources. Many different occupa-

tions are involved: architects, con-

tractors, builders, town planners,

waste managers, environmental spe-

cialists and homeowners. With the

knowledge of DECON 11, you look

at trash with new eyes.

If re-use makes you think of splin-

tery, broken wood, lumps of con-

DECONN 11

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A big, round loaf layered with Italian meats

and cheeses and topped with an audacious

olive salad, muffaletta serves a crowd, who

will be begging for more.

Your local grocery store or specialty food

market will have all the ingredients for your

perfect picnic meal. But also consider fish

markets for thick slabs of wild salmon for

poaching or giant shrimp, which can be

brushed with herbed olive oil, pre-grilled

and packed with a scintillating horserad-

ish sauce. Cheese shops such as the Villa

Gourmet in Milford offer superb picnic

cheeses and mouthwatering olives, and

when served with a lovely loaf of bread are

the very essence of a flawless picnic.

Grab a bottle of chilled champagne from

your favorite wine shop and add take-out

sushi for an effortless, yet sumptuous, sun-

set picnic. Bring the one you love to a place

you love and the perfect picnic will be pure

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family. Fish is a great protein for any low-

fat diet and can be served over fresh tossed

salad, or grilled veggies, Cathy said.

Susan Muro, owner of Perfectly

Natural and market master

for the Monroe Farmers

Market, said that its

crucial to incorporate

as much raw food as

possible into our diets.

Moreover, theres no bet-

ter time to start doing this

than in the summer when

fresh, organic produce is

plentiful.

Not only does raw food in the summer

give us great energy, it also saves us time so

we can enjoy being outside rather than the

kitchen, Susan said. Most vegetables can

be eaten raw even corn on the cob as

long as its organic.

Whenever she visits Guys Eco Garden in

Shelton, Susan said that she loves watching

children eat the organic corn. The corn is

so sweet and tender, there is no need for

butter or salt just husk and enjoy.

Susan encourages her clients, family and

friends to eat an abundance of salads in

the summertime. She said that one of her

all-time favorites is a raw kale and avocado

salad. Once they try it, theyre hooked,

she said, smiling. You can actually substi-

tute the kale with any dark-green leafy veg-

etable, such as spinach or Swiss chard, but

go for the kale you wont be sorry.

Living in New England, Susan said, its

easy to take advantage of the bounty of

fresh produce. We are fortunate to have

so many wonderful farmers markets to

choose from, on any day of the week, she

said. The farmers markets typically offer

a much wider variety than you can find

in the store, and the freshness and taste

of just-picked food cannot be beat. At the

Monroe market, you can buy vegetables

and fruits picked that morning, as well as

grass-fed hamburgers, homemade buns,

and a pie made from whatever fruit is in

season that week everything you need

for dinner.

However, if youre not in the mood to do

any work at all and simply want to pick up

some yummy food to cart to the beach or

the pool, stop by Szabos Seafood for some

prepared meals. Szabos Seafood (615 Howe

Avenue in Shelton) and JRs Hot Dog Truck

are also available to cater outdoor parties.

Jeff said hed launched the Weeniemobile

this year because he kept getting telephone

calls asking if a mobile hot-dog truck was

available. Its great because people love

being able to come up to the truck and

order the kind of specialty hot dog they

want, prepared their favorite way, and then

go back to the party, he said.

A trained chef at the prestigious Johnson

and Wales institute, Jeff also offers barbe-

cue fare, homemade pasta, potato salads

and other delicious side dishes to accom-

pany your hot dog and hamburger.

For more information: jrshotdogs.com;

Szabos Seafood, 203-922-1191; Perfectly

RAW KALE SALAD

1 head of kale, shredded (I prefer the curly

kale for this one)

1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 avocado

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Sea salt to taste

1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

In mixing bowl, toss all ingredients. Mush

everything together (with hands) to create

wilted effect on kale.

Summertimecontinued from page 1

Milford, CT1546 Boston Post Road

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9/10


by Jackie Perry

By the editors, con-

tributors and readers

of Fine Cooking, this

fascinating book offers

1,023 kitchen tips, food

fixes and handy tech-

niques. Its like a dictionary

in that while youre look-

ing up one thing, along the

way you happen by other

entries that you just cant

resist skimming through, as

well. Chapter titles tell the tale:

Equipment, Produce, Meat, Fish and Poultry,

Pantry Techniques, Wine & Beer and When

Things Go Wrong.

Emergency substitutions are all inclusive

from pantry items, meat and dairy, fruits,

vegetables and fresh herbs to baking pans,

measurement, oven temperature and

ingredient equivalents.

Each chapter has lots of ideas to

improve your cooking skills, sim-

plify the process and delight you

with the results. Do you like your

brownies chewy or fudgy? Whats

the secret to tender kale? How to

achieve perfectly cooked pasta?

How to spot the freshest egg?

What makes this book especial-

ly fun to read are the ingenious

solutions from the readers. One uses a shoe-

horn to extract all-of-a-piece muffins. Another

uses a cocktail shaker to mix a slurry of flour

and water. For equally sized strawberry slices,

try an egg slicer.

How to Squeeze a Lemon was printed in 2010 by

Taunton Press.

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How to Squeeze a Lemon

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