Posted by Chuck Grimmett. Learn more on his About page.
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White Bean Chili
It is getting chilly here, so that means more soups and stews! Continuting with my year of bean dishes, today I made some white bean chicken chili to take to a pumpkin carving party. I used Alubia Blanca beans: I stayed pretty true to the recipe this time, though I used ground chicken, a time…
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Garage storage
I finally admitted to myself that I’ll never get a vehicle in our one-car garage again, so I might as well build shelving to make better use of the space. Weekends from the end of July to last week have been busy. This weekend was free, so I gave it a shot despite the rains…
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Peekskill Meteorite
I love local interest at museums. Today Charlie and I found the Peekskill Meteorite at the American Museum of Natural History. It hit a car just a few blocks down the hill from where we live. More info:
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Penny Blanks
Charlie and I visited the American Museum of Natural History today and went to a counter to change a dollar into some quarters for the smashed penny machine. The clerk asked, “Oh, do you want some blank pennies?” I didn’t know want to say and must have looked confused because he added, “Because they are…
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What’s in Dickey Brook?
Living next to Blue Mountain Reservation, we regularly walk by and play in Dickey Brook. Beyond the crayfish and dace we see, I’ve been curious what else lives in there. The Big Apple Brook Trout project uses environmental DNA testing kits from Jonah Ventures, so I decided to buy my own kit and test out…
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Perfect Ending to Summer
I was up and out before dawn on Labor Day. The temperature on my dash read 57F. Now that water temps are back in the fishable range around here and we’ve had enough rain to keep the streams flowing, I was eager to get out. As I pulled up to a spot I know well,…
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Tomatillo Poblano White Beans
Second use for the pot of alubia blanca beans I made Sunday night. We have a lot of tomatillos ripening now, so I was eager to use some. I went searching and landed on this recipe: I don’t have good photos of my own to share of this one, but is was dead simple to…
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Three late summer product recommendations
Mosquitos seem worse this year. Everyone in our house is getting bitten like crazy, and the wet spring and summer mean that the swampy areas around us haven’t dried out at all, extending their use as mosquito breeding grounds. Two things are helping us get through it: OFF! Fragrance Free Clean Feel It works, has…
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White Bean and Tomato Panzanella
Trying out a different approach to working beans into our meals during the week: Sunday afternoon I cooked a pound of alubia blanca beans on the stove and stuck them in the fridge so I can quickly use them in side dishes throughout the week. First up: White bean and tomato panzanella from The Bean…
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Midday Pocket Picking
I had a couple hours of unexpected free time early this afternoon and made it over to my favorite local wild trout stream. Even in the hottest part of the summer this small, shaded tailwater runs cold. While the other tailwaters here have warm water spilling over the dam after thunderstorms, this one never seems…
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Ghost Pipes being pollinated
Ghost Pipes popped up after the recent rains. This is my first time seeing one being pollinated! Since they are white and pop up after rain, I assumed they were a fungus, but apparently they are a plant! It is striking in appearance because it is completely white in appearance, although individuals can have pink…
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Brookies in Putnam County
Today I fished the small headwaters of a stream I drive by daily that eventually empties into the Hudson River. When I say small, I mean small. The average depth of the section I fished on state land is probably 6in, with an average width of 5ft. I saw lots of eastern blacknose dace in…
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Sampling Bin BWO Hatch
Today during our Trout in the Classroom macroinvertebrate sampling we had something very cool happen: Dozens of tiny BWOs (blue-winged olives) emerged right in our sample bins! Afterward we could see the shucks in the bin. It was great to be able to show the students this happening in realtime. Also, here is a nice…
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Brook Trout Conservation on Earth Day
Charlie’s school had an Earth Day event today and I set up a table on conserving brook trout, New York’s state fish, and the only trout native to the eastern US. I put together some stuff for all age groups: The stickers were a big hit. I ordered them from AssetArtist on Etsy. The younger…
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Spring Ramp Pasta
Yesterday I foraged some nice ramps out in the woods. I decided I’d make a spring pasta with them: I drove over to Tuscana Pasta, a local pasta maker here in Peekskill, and picked up some fresh cavatelli. I didn’t follow a recipe and I won’t try to write one here. I added: In each…
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Wild Westchester Brook Trout
Today I caught a beautiful wild brook trout today in Westchester County, just five miles from my house. I’d heard whispers that this small stream contained brook trout, and I was delighted to catch one on my first outing there. I’ve caught brook trout in Cross River, but since so much stocking goes in there,…
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Frijoles Charros y Frijoles Puercos
For this week’s bean adventure, I made Charro Beans, or Frijoles Charros. I looked at multiple recipes and cobbled together my own, which I’ll attempt to put down in words here: Notes: Since I made a full pound of beans, I had plenty of leftovers. What do you do with leftover charro beans? According to…