Food For Thought - Butter
Butter'em Up
The other day I was in line in a supermarket's seafood department endeavoring to buy shrimp, when the guy after me cut in line and ordered king crab legs. As the clerk was bagging the legs the guy asked him "How do I make the butter for these?" I'm sure he was referring to the classic drawn butter commonly served with shellfish. The clerk retorted: "Just melt the butter." And with that tidbit of erroneous information he was on his way and I proceeded to purchase my shrimp. Had his adherence to proper line etiquette been more commendable, I would have intervened and informed him of the proper method of preparing the butter for his Alaskan delicacy.
Drawn butter is clarified butter. But before we can define clarified butter, we must first understand regular butter. Butter is the semisolid material that results from churning cream. In the US it must be at least 80% milk fat. The remaining 20% is water and milk solids, (proteins and salts). It may be salted or unsalted. The salt, which acts as a preservative, allows for salted butter to last up to a month in your fridge as opposed to two weeks for unsalted butter.
Clarified butter is unsalted butter that has been heated to the point that its water evaporates and the milk solids separate out. The resulting golden fluid is the clarified butter, i.e., pure butter fat. One pound of butter will yield about 12 ounces of clarified butter. To clarify your butter, heat it on low. Some of the proteins will coagulate and produce a foam on the surface which must be skimmed off. Continue to cook until the butter becomes clear and the remaining milk solids congregate on the bottom. Then either ladle or pour out the butter being careful not to include the milk solids. If you "just melt the butter" and fail to remove the milk solids, you will have just that: melted butter, not drawn or clarified butter.
Clarified butter is often preferred to regular butter for sautéing because it has a higher smoke point. This means it can be heated to a higher temperature than regular butter before burning. Those pesky milk solids are miniature kamikaze pilots, diving right to the bottom of your pan and burning themselves up. Without them, clarified butter will store longer as well. But they are not totally evil. They also provide flavor and thus, clarified butter is not as tasty as regular butter.
But this is only one chapter in the butter story. Butter can do so much more than lubricate your crustaceans. Butter is often used to make roux, a cooked mixture of equal parts butter and flour. Roux is used to thicken sauces and soups. No cook worth his salt, (pardon the pun), could make gumbo without roux. (Ok yes, you can use okra but classic gumbo always contains roux). In classic French cuisine, roux was the thickener of choice for a multitude of sauces. Modern sauces are congealed via evaporation from extended heating or by adding in a starch-based thickener such as arrowroot or cornstarch. But if you wish to laugh in the face of fat, favor a more hearty sauce, or simply wish to honor tradition, roux is the way to go.
A delicious preparation employing butter is compound butter. This is simply butter that has been combined with herbs, garlic, shallots, or other flavorings. Simply take a stick or two of butter and allow it to soften to room temperature. Chop up whatever combination of herbs suits your taste, such as rosemary, thyme, and parsley for example. Then mix them into the butter. Take a sheet of plastic wrap and spoon out the butter into a rough shaped log. Then roll the plastic around it. Finally, hold each end of the plastic and twist in opposite directions until the plastic tightens around the butter and forces it into a neat cylindrical shape. Refrigerate it and then slice it to top off your finished steak, pork, lamb, fowl, or fish. You'll never get that garnish with your dinner on the cardiac ward of your local hospital.
And where would fettuccine Alfredo be without butter? An Alfredo sauce is basically a combination of butter, cream and Parmesan cheese. How much of each? I was afraid you'd ask. I did a search on the Internet and got tired of counting all the permutations. I'd go with four oz., (one stick) of butter, two cups heavy cream, and two cups of Parmesan cheese. Melt the butter in the cream and bring it to a simmer. Incorporate the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Cook your pasta until it is just a minute or two from being done and then finish it in the sauce.
Mark’s website is foodforthoughtonline.net
Ten Wines to Get You Through a Recession
There are plenty of bottles that can get you past rough times in style
Napoleon used to say that he drank Champagne to celebrate his victories and also drank Champagne to console himself in defeat. In the past you might have ordered a great wine to keep the good times, but these days you're going to need some wine to get you through this recession. You can always get back later to those $50 Cabs from California.
The best countries to seek out wine values are in the Southern Hemisphere: Argentina, Chile, South Africa, and Australia. Don't give up wine until the economy turns around. You need it now more than ever. Prices vary, but here are ten wines you should be able to find for $10 or less.
1. Charles Shaw Chardonnay. Better known as Two-Buck Chuck, this California wine will cost you $2.99 and comes in a variety of grapes. You can only buy it at a Trader Joe's store, but there's one in Westfield. My favorite is the Chardonnay, although the Cabernet Sauvignon is also fine.
2. Freixenet Extra Dry Sparkling wine. It's not Champagne, but it also costs a lot less. This is a perfectly good bubbly to open when you have something special to celebrate like the sunrise or the sunset.
3. Mouton Cadet Bordeaux Rouge. This is the mass production wine from Bordeaux from the maker of Château Mouton Rothschild. The U.S. is no longer angry at France, so it's okay to get back to drinking French.
4. Yellow Tail Shiraz. This wine also comes in lots of different grape varieties, but I think the best is Shiraz, which does very well in Australia. This is particularly good in the long, cold months of winter.
5. Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Sauvignon Blanc. This wine from Chile is not quite as good as the much more expensive Sauv Blanc from New Zealand, but is a fine substitute in tough times.
6. Indaba Chenin Blanc. This grape is grown primarily in France's Loire Valley, but the South African version is also delightfully refreshing.
7. Catena Malbec. Argentina has made this its own grape, although it originally came from Bordeaux. This is a full-bodied red that also drinks well in the winter.
8. Banfi Col Di Sasso. This Italian wine from Tuscany is a good entry level Super Tuscan that combines Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon.
9. Grão Vasco Dão. A lively red from Portugal that can go with either fish or meat. Nice level of acidity.
10. Veramonte Chardonnay. This wine comes from the cool Casablanca Valley of Chile and defies all those who say only red wines come from that country.
George M. Taber is the author of Judgment of Paris-California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine; and To Cork or Not to Cork-Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle.
Learning Express Collecting Food Items
Learning Express is partnering with the Food Bank Network of Somerset County to collect non-perishable food items for the holidays.
Non Perishable items (canned goods, pasta, dry goods) may be dropped off at the Branchburg store at 3150 Route 22 West or the Hillsborough store at 315 Route 206 North until November 18.
Learning Express will deliver the items to the Food Bank on November 19.
During the holiday season, local food banks experience a high demand for resources. In addition to collections, the food bank is also accepting monetary donations. Donations can be made out to the Food Bank Network of Somerset County and mailed to PO Box 149, Bound Brook NJ 08805.
For more information call (908) 725-7869
UMCP Named 2008 Top Hospital in Patient Safety
PRINCETON (November 10, 2008) – University Medical Center at Princeton (UMCP) has been designated a Top Hospital— one of only 26 in the country — based on results of the latest Leapfrog Hospital Survey. The survey is the nation’s leading hospital patient safety evaluation tool, and provides consumers and healthcare purchasers with accurate assessments of 1,220 participating hospitals’ quality of service related to patient safety.
The Leapfrog survey provides the most complete picture of hospital quality and safety available in the U.S., and focuses on each hospital’s performance in four crucial areas:
· Whether prescriptions and other physician orders are entered into computers linked to medication error prevention software and whether those systems are properly tested.
· How well the hospital performs high-risk deliveries and seven complex high-risk procedures, including coronary artery bypass graft, percutaneous coronary intervention, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve replacement, pancreatic resection, esophagectomy, and bariatric surgery.
· The qualifications of specialists in the hospitals’ intensive care units.
· Whether the hospital implements safety practices and policies established by the National Quality Forum to reduce harm and errors.
“Top Hospitals demonstrate an exceptional level of performance and serve as a model for other hospitals,” noted The Leapfrog Group CEO Leah Binder, who pointed out that the survey continually adds new measures that fairly demonstrate a hospital’s capacity to provide safe, high-quality care.
“Patient safety and quality of care are our highest priorities, so we are extremely pleased that University Medical Center at Princeton has been recognized as a Top Hospital by Leapfrog,” said Barry S. Rabner, President and CEO, Princeton HealthCare System.
In addition to recognition as a Top Hospital by Leapfrog, UMCP has received five-star ratings from HealthGrades® for overall joint replacement and knee replacement surgery three years in a row and has ranked in the top five percent of hospitals nationwide for maternity care three years in a row, recently receiving HealthGrades’ 2008/2009 Maternity Care Excellence Award™.
UMCP, a 308-bed acute care hospital, is a unit of Princeton HealthCare System. A University Hospital Affiliate of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a Clinical Research Affiliate of The Cancer Center Institute of New Jersey, UMCP has been a leading teaching hospital for over 30 years. UMCP is also a state-recognized Primary Stroke Center.
Have A Happy Green Holiday Season
Or 7 Quick Ways To Green Your Holidays
During the holiday season, everyone likes to go green. Green, as in holly bushes and pine branch swags, but now we can go green as in environmentally friendly. More people are doing it than ever. It's not hard to do. With a little planning ahead, you can too. Below are 7 quick ways to green your holidays:
Buy fresh and local: There are more opportunities to buy local than you might think. The Whole Earth Center in Princeton is a great place for one-stop shopping of NJ's offerings. Look in Bon Appetit and Nassau St. Seafood also. Here are some names to look for:
- Griggstown Quail Farm (Princeton): many kinds of poultry, pot pies, fruit pies
- Cherry Grove Farm (Lawrenceville): organic beef, pork, and chicken, cheese and eggs
- Lucy's Kitchen: ravioli made on-premises with cheese from local farms
- Terhune Orchards: apples, kale, squash, brussel sprouts, applesauce and lettuce. Cider and pies from their own apples
- Valley Shepherd (Long Valley): cheese
- Cream-O-Land: milk
- Amwell Valley Vineyard and Unionville wineries: stop by for a tasting and buy wine as gifts or for holiday events.
Reduce & Reuse:
- Cook as much as you need. Leftovers are great, but how many times can you reprise the holiday feast before the family mutinies? Eat more veggies and less meat. Mom was right: it's better for you... and the environment.
- Send leftovers home in food containers. Group containers that were brought to an event in a corner, and use them as to-go containers.
- Enjoy your best plates, silverware & cloth napkins, rather than disposable . Catch up on each others' lives while washing and drying dishes.
- If disposable items are necessary, use products made from recycled materials like Marcal/Sunrise napkins and paper towels, and Cornet plates
- Imported from Canada are logs made from used coffee grounds. Java logs are sure to set the stage for stimulating conversation. (Sold at Wegman's).
Recycle: Put your recycling bin in an easy to access place, rinse recyclables and drop them in! New this year! Save your plastics #1 & #2 (not #1 or #2 bottles; they are collected by the county), #4, & #5 for MontgomeryGreen's alternate plastics recycling drive to be held shortly after Christmas. Look for announcements.
Consider alternative gifts: Make a positive impression and do good at the same time with a gift to charity, like Oxfam or visit www.heifer.org and buy a goat, trio of rabbits or Llama for a family in need, and they send a card to the giftee. Or perhaps a share at Honey Brook Organic Farm in Pennington for a supply of delicious seasonal produce. Show your loved ones they are special with personalized coupons (vacuuming a car, movie coupons with you as a date, a yoga class or personal trainer). Romantic beeswax candles are all natural and beautiful. Go to www.treehugger.com/gift-guide/ for more ideas. (Psst! Great for hard-to-buy-for relatives who have everything they need.)
Replacing Christmas lights? Choose energy-efficient LED lights, now available at Kmart, Brookstone, or Target. This is the technology now being used in traffic lights to reduce energy costs.
Green your gift wrap: Buy gift wrap made from post-consumer waste (sold in Green Design,Witherspoon Street, Princeton), paper bags make a great background for a pretty bow or ribbon, or be creative and use a sleeve from an old flannel shirt for a bottle of wine or pages from an old book. Block out the logo on a nice shopping bag with and old xmas card or Christmas wrap cut in the shape of a Christmas ball. There are beautifully decorated cardboard boxes that you can reuse year after year by just wrapping with a bow. You just won't be able to deter the very determined who will peek!
Recycle your Christmas tree: put it out on the curb on Monday, January 5 where Public Works will collect them throughout January,or take it to Public Works on Harlingen Road or Colonial Park on Amwell Road, Somerset(Parking Lot F) until January 31.
It's that easy. Each step to living greener, together with your neighbor's and friend's, adds up and makes a difference. Do it now and do it often!
Obituary - Susan LiCausi Strawderman
Susan LiCausi Strawderman, 63, died at home in Belle Mead on Tuesday, November 11, 2008. Born in Allentown, PA she was a resident of Belle Mead for over 40 years. Susan graduated Valedictorian from Raritan Valley College, class of 1983, and received her Bachelors degree from Moravian College in Bethlehem PA, class of 1985. She was truly devoted to her family.
Daughter of the later Russell C. and Kathryn (Wilvert) Grube, mother of the late Peter LiCausi, she is survived by her husband of 23 years, William E. Strawderman, her daughter Kay Elizabeth LiCausi, two step-sons Rob and Bill Strawderman, a step-daughter Heather Marx, a brother Russell C. Grube Jr., sisters Connie Marsh and Kay Sikanowicz, and five wonderful grandchildren (Will, Tommy, Evan, Emma, and Andrew).
A memorial service will be held at 4 pm on Friday, November 14, 2008 at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, in Princeton. Friends may call on Friday at the funeral home from 2 pm to 4 pm, until the time of the service. A private burial will be held at the Rocky Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her memory to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, either online (http://ww5.komen.org/) or by mail (P. O. Box 650309 Dallas, TX 75265-0309).
“Honoring Avalon Veterans”
Veterans at the Avalon at Hillsborough enjoyed a special luncheon in recognition of their service to our country. The presentation included the patriotic story telling of historic fables and moral tales by Kathryn Weidener. The intimate gathering brought the retelling of past experiences through the seven decades of service in all four branches that were represented. The heart of the afternoon was captured by a toast presented by resident veteran Flora Connelly, to all men, woman and their families past and present serving the United States. Emotions fill the air but the respect and pride of honoring fellow veterans brought happiness to all on their special day.
Food For Thought - Holiday Party Hors d’oeuvres IV
Welcome to the 4th edition of Holiday Party Hors d’oeuvres. Hors d’oeuvres are an indisputable mainstay of holiday get-togethers. But hors d’oeuvres are also loved year round. What’s not to love? A smorgasbord of scrumptious, bite-sized morsels to be consumed with glee and your favorite beverage. Below are some recipes for you to try at your holiday party. May you all have a healthy, safe, and delicious holiday season.
Blue Cheese Ball
This recipe comes from culinary companion.com
8 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
8 oz. pineapple, finely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup fresh parsley, minced
Combine all of the ingredients except the parsley in a bowl and mix well. Form into a ball shape and roll in minced parsley. Chill for 1 hour. Serve with crackers.
Crab Wontons
This recipe comes from momsmenu.com
8 oz. crabmeat
1 pound cream cheese
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Pinch of hot pepper (optional)
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces wonton wrappers
Vegetable oil for frying, as needed
Preheat a pot of vegetable oil or deep fryer to 350 degrees. Mix crabmeat, cream cheese, cilantro and hot pepper in a mixing bowl. Season mixture with Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Fill each wonton wrapper with 1 tsp of the crab mixture. Moisten one edge of each wonton wrapper with a little water or egg wash. Fold and seal each wonton. Fry them in oil until browned. Do not fry too many at one time. Drain on paper towels. Serve with dipping sauces such as plum or mustard.
TEXAS SIRLOIN QUESADILLAS
This recipe comes from thatsmyhome.com
1 lb. sirloin
½ cup red wine
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra as needed for cooking
3 large poblano peppers, julienned
1 large onion, julienned
8 large flour tortillas
3 ½ cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 cup cilantro, chopped
Slice the steak across the grain into thin slices. In a large sealable plastic bag combine the wine, garlic, cumin, chili powder and olive oil. Add the meat to the bag, seal, and marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
Sauté the poblano peppers and onion in olive oil until soft. Remove peppers and onions from the pan and set aside. Drain the beef and sauté in the same pan, adding more oil if necessary. Return the peppers and onions to the pan and sauté one more minute.
Place a tortilla on a griddle. Sprinkle with some of the melted cheese, beef mixture, cilantro and top with more cheese. Cover with another tortilla. Grill first side until browned, flip and brown other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Cut into wedges and serve.
Sweet Potato Crunchies
This recipe comes from foodreference.com
3 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed or 2 (15-oz.) can sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large egg
3 cups crushed corn flakes
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Add the butter, brown sugar, pecans, vanilla, flour, and cinnamon; mix well. Beat in the egg. Form the mixture into bite size balls and roll in crushed corn flakes. Place the sweet potato balls on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray and bake for about 20 minutes. Serve with toothpicks. Makes 3 ½ -4 dozen.
Readers can get in touch with Mark at Epicure1@optonline.net.
A Taste of Wine -Something Special for the Holidays
Four recommendations for good wines that will go well with food and people
The six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's are the peak season for celebration, and wine often goes with those special events. You may also be going to someone else's festive occasion and will want to take along a bottle as a gift. So here are a few wines to get you through the holidays without breaking your budget in these tough economic times. All these can be found for less than $25.
First a white wine. Pewsey Vale Riesling. I hesitate to mention this brand because only a little makes its way to the U.S. from Australia, and I hope people will leave some for me. But there, it's done. Don't let anyone tell you that they don't like Riesling because it is sweet. That's not true. This one is deliciously dry. At less than $15, it's a good wine at a great deal.
Next a red. Beaulieu Vineyard Napa Zinfandel. This is an ancient California grape variety, if anything in California can really be called ancient, from one of the oldest American producers. There is less expensive Beaulieu Coastal for about $10, but spring for the Napa one for about $17. A little spicy and goes well with all red meats.
Don't forget a little sweet wine to go with dessert. A new discovery for me this year that I picked up in Italy is Vin Santo. It's light brown in color and not sickly sweet. It goes very well with an Italian biscotti. There are many Vin Santos that you can find for less than my maximum price, but this is a case where I'd spring a little to get a great one. Badia a Coltibuono, an excellent winery in Tuscany, makes a delicious Vin Santo that sells for $27.99 in Hamilton. It's worth the trip and the price. This also makes a great house gift, and I promise no one else will bring it.
Finally, you must have a bottle of bubbly around to celebrate New Year's Eve or to open when someone unexpected pops in. One of the great things about Champagne or a sparkling wine is that you can never go wrong. It stands up on its own or goes with any meal. You will never make a mistake opening this wine. To stay within my price limit, you can't go to France for true Champagne. But you can do very well with either a Prosecco from Italy or a sparkling wine from California. I'd go for California. My choice would be either Domaine Chandon or Domaine Carneros. Both have French parents, Moët and Taittinger. If pushed, I'd vote for the Carneros.
Happy Holidays.
George M. Taber is the author of Judgment of Paris-California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine; and To Cork or Not to Cork-Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle.
The Dance Factory Holiday Tour Team visits NYC
On Sunday November 9, 2008 members of the Dance Factory Holiday Tour Team, and family members traveled to New York City to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. This year the team enjoyed brunch at the American Girl Café, toured the city, and then enjoyed the Rockettes from center orchestra. It was fantastic!
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular showcases the world famous Radio City Rockettes performing famous routines like the legendary "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers", and "New York at Christmas," an incredible holiday celebration. After 75 years, the show still amazes and inspires all who see it while creating memories that last a lifetime.
This trip kicks off the Dance Factory Tour Team's holiday season. The team will soon begin rehearsals for their December Tour. On December 12 and December 13 they will perform at nursing homes and assisted living centers all over Somerset County as well as the Princeton Elks in Blawenberg. It is a wonderful way for the girls to brighten the days of others by giving the gift of dance, holiday music, and joy to so many during the holiday season!
To learn more about us, visit our website at www.DanceFactory1.com.
Princeton Skating Club Celebrate 75 Years With An Ice Show Dec 6
The Princeton Skating Club is hosting an Ice Skating Show to celebrate their 75th Anniversary. The theme of the show is skating then and now. It will be show casing figure skating talents from areas of Montgomery, Princeton, Hamilton, South Brunswick, West Windsor and many more areas. Some of these skaters have competed in National, Jr. National & Regional Level Skating Competitions.
The skaters will be skating to the music from the eras from 1933 when the club first formed to now. The show will take place December 6 at the Lisa McGraw Rink which is located at the Princeton Day School on the Great Road in Princeton. There will be two performances: 2 pm and 6 pm.
Tickets are $15.00 and can be purchased in advance by contacting Martha Sword at 609-921-3649 or at srdblade@netzero.com . They will also be available at the door
Kingston Reformed Church
Kingston Presbyterian Church is one of the oldest churches in this area. Our congregation is celebrating 285 years this year and our current sanctuary is 156 years old. Given this heritage, we have been entrusted with two historical treasures that are of great interest to the community.
The first treasure is our cemetery which dates back to the early 1700's and was the site of our first church building. During the Revolutionary War General George Washington held his famous "Conference on Horseback"on that corner. His decision to avoid the British Troops was one of the turning points of the war. In addition to its historical background, our cemetery is one of the most beautiful spots in Kingston enjoyed by townspeople and visitors alike. We are committed to preserving this site by establishing an endowment fund that can adequately provide for all future needs.
The second treasure is our church steeple which is over 112 feet tall from the ground and can be seen a mile away. It was added to the current building in 1855 with a 33 inch bell which was used to call churchgoers to services. We still ring the bell on some mornings before worship and on other occasions. We just completed an engineering study of the steeple to certify its structural soundness. Some minor repairs were completed and the upper part was painted. We are looking for ways to reduce the maintenance costs and to ensure funding for the long term. Because the top cone part of the steeple is so tall, it makes painting the steeple very expensive. A fiber glass replacement for the cone is being looked at as a possibility for the future. Fortunately the steeple was well built and if properly maintained should not need any major structural work.
We have been part of a program entitled Preserving Sacred Places which has helped us clarify our needs and concerns regarding our own sacred and historical places. As part of that effort we have planned several community events to help people become familiar with our building and ministry. On November 2 we held a very successful Victorian Fashion Show and Tea. On December 6, The South Brunswick High School Concert Choir will present a Holiday Concert starting at 4:00. The public is invited and encouraged to attend. In the future we will be planning other events for the general public so that we can highlight the two community treasures and communicate their status.
Besides preserving our historical heritage, KPC is also a congregation that is seeking to be relevant to today's culture . We offer what most mainline churches have including Church School for all ages at 9:30 and a blended worship service at 11:00. We offer the Bethel Bible Series, the Alpha program as well as several adult studies. We have been host to several ethnic congregations over the years including Taiwanese, Hispanic, Japanese and Korean. We are active in a variety of missions locally and around the world. Our newest project involves establishing a hospital clinic in Jeremie, Haiti and we have sent work teams to get this project off the ground.
As we approach the Christmas season, we are sponsoring a new venture this year called A Longest Night Service which will be held on December 21 at 4:30. December 21 is not only the shortest day of the year but it comes during the peak of the holiday rush which for some people is a very difficult time. Those who have lost a loved one or who suffer from seasonal affected disorder will find this a time to acknowledge their pain and receive support and encouragement from being with others. The service is open to all.
To Our Readers
Our paper is mailed for free into every home in Montgomery Township and the Borough of Rocky Hill. If you have not been getting a copy, please let us know by calling 908-874-0020, or sending an email to editor@montynews.com., and don’t forget to include your address!
Extra copies are available for free at boxes scattered around the Township, including at the Village Shopper Shopping Center, the Montgomery Shopping Center, and the Princeton North Shopping Center, as well as at the Mary Jacobs Library, Orpha’s Cofee Shop, Buy the Cup Coffee Shop, and from our office at 2106 Rte 206 (across from the red barn).
Many of you have come to rely on our advertiser-supported website, www.montynews.com, where
we post late breaking news and calendar events. We have been getting about 2,700 hits per day, many of them from readers who come back for more. Advertisers can post a display ad with a link to their site for as little as $45 a month.
The Old Gardener -I Despair
There is only one spruce left standing. Fifteen or twenty years ago a home owner had several dark green spruces planted on the southern corner of his property. Some things favored their survival, some things did not and some were the luck of the draw.
Predictably, the steep hillside and its good drainage favored evergreens. Since they were set away from the road they were able to escape the utility company’s pruners but their attractive grouping doomed them.
After more than a decade of struggle for water and nourishment, the scales were tipped by some little underground feature or trick of the weather - one tree had the advantage and the others declined.
What to do? Ordinary people can’t afford to replace a twenty-five foot tree….and the survival of a transplant that large is pretty doubtful.
The ailing trees can be taken out and replaced with more hopeful candidates tucked around the survivor, or all the spruces might be r
emoved and replanted more wisely, or .. the same mistakes can be made all over again.
I despair of convincing people to think before they plant. I despair when I see a tree that could comfortably reach the century mark decline after two decades because someone was in a hurry. What a waste!
I despair of ever getting others to notice the actual world instead of following an image of the “perfect yard”. Wake up! Think! Learn something!
If you go through your mind you can find images of the shore or New England, even photo calendars. Page through those memories to find shapely well grown trees like those in parks. These trees haven’t had to fight for water or their share of sunlight and, barring an underground misfortune, they grew into a wonderful example of themselves. These are specimen trees, an ornament to the land where they grew. Given these conditions an evergreen will reach for a century and an oak will hit two centuries, no problem, increasing in value each year.
These giants deserve room, at least twenty-five feet apart, but the smaller, companion dogwoods, redbuds and viburnums can tuck themselves within fifteen feet of a big tree (when they are all young) and grow happily together.
Don’t try muscling in on the territory of an established tree though, they don’t like it and you will have to fight for years to get enough water to the intruder. This is not to say that the same rules apply if you are recreating a patch of woodland. There the struggle for water and root room is ferocious and the outcome is not sure. That bit of woods will require quite a lot of thoughtful work on the part of the gardener to prevent the opportunistic poison ivy and garlic mustard from taking over.
I despair of convincing others of the long term value of a well planted tree. I despair when I see the yards planted with quick growing junk trees that will be major headaches in ten years. Sounds like the stock market - another lesson learned.
Part of not living in the city means learning new things. Plumbing, house maintenance, squirrels, skunks and the difference between maples and oaks. Plumbing is a knuckle banger, wildlife doesn’t behave like movie extras and trees are not like cutouts decorating the yard.
despair of convincing people that the world around us does not follow our rules, and it’s OK. We can learn.
RESOLUTION RUN 5K,
Registration is now open for the RESOLUTION RUN 5K, a New Year’s Day tradition in the area. The 3.1 mile race, open to both runners and walkers, starts at 11 am on Thursday, January 1, 2009 at the Hillsborough Municipal Building. The event benefits Hillsborough High School’s Project Graduation 2009 and several local nonprofit pet rescue groups. As in the past, special hooded sweatshirts (hoody’s) will be given to all participants.
Go to www.resolutionrun.org for details and registration. Online registration will close December 25, or earlier, if it fills up. Last year registration closed December 20. There is no Raceday registration. Call 908-285-0383 for information or email the race at info@resolutionrun.org
The 2009 Run With Rotary.
The 2009 RUN WITH ROTARY a community event in the thirteenth year (third year as Run with Rotary). It is an early spring charity race, which has grown immensely in popularity from its relatively humble beginnings. Previously known as the RUN WITH AIMEE, The Rotary Club of Montgomery Rocky Hill began promoting the event in 2007. Primarily local in scope when it first started, the RUN WITH ROTARY Committee strives to continue the tradition of the race which has become a Central New Jersey event that keeps its hometown appeal.
The RUN WITH ROTARY 5K course has been certified in length and is officially sanctioned by the USATF-NJ under identification "NJ97001GAN." This certification also means that the Race results can be registered for state and national 5K records, should there be any set. The 5K follows a loop route, mostly flat, with one small hill in the first mile. The last mile is gradually downhill with a flat finish. Water is available at the start/finish and along the route. The 5K route is "walker-friendly," meaning that race-walkers and all types of walkers are welcomed.
The Ramble/Fun walk is for all ages and all abilities. It provides an excellent opportunity to enjoy the event and to get some exercise. The organizers expect serious runners, not-so-serious runners, walkers, and all types of "ramblers" to enjoy the flat course while participating in a community event for a good cause. The Ramble starts one-half hour prior to the 5K Race. This enables various members of the same family to cheer for each other even if they are participating in a different event.
The Run with Rotary 2009 is the principal fund raising event for the Montgomery Rocky Hill Rotary Club. Sponsorships, Runners, and Friends of Rotary contributions enable the Rotary Club to support many local, national and international relief programs including Scholarships to Montgomery High School seniors; the Montgomery Township Food Pantry; Career Development Award Scholarships; ShelterBox International emergency and disaster relief; the Samaritan Homeless Interim Program; Interact Clubs at Montgomery High, Upper Middle, and Lower Middle schools; Central American water improvement projects; and the Eradication of Polio.
Montgomery Rocky Hill Rotary Club welcomes your support for the Run this year. For more information please see our website at www.runwithrotary.org or call 609-588-4502.
The Lewis School Adds a New Addition to its Annual Tree of Light Tradition
Everyone who drives to and from Princeton during the holiday season is greeted with a radiant light that shines so brightly against the nighttime sky; the word of its presence and message has spread both near and far, even all the way to the White House. The tradition, which began as a simple strand of a few hundred lights wrapped around a small Colorado spruce tree, has now developed into several thousands of lights intricately wound around the branches of a Blue Norwegian spruce tree that stands nearly 30 feet tall in the schoolyard at 53 Bayard Lane.
The true meaning of The Lewis School’s Tree of Light has inspired people all over the world. Students are proud to explain to anyone who asks about the Tree that each light shines as symbols of hope and encouragement for learning different persons like themselves. They point out that the Tree is not a Christmas tree; it has no star or decorations. It only has lights that shine for the more than 30 million Americans who are struggling with learning and literacy—those whose “Gifts and Great Promise” have never been recognized; those who have been left behind.
The Lewis School’s beloved Annual Tree of Light event has become so popular with families, friends, alumni, and, of course, the Greater Princeton area community, that our school can no longer comfortably accommodate the large crowd. In response to many suggestions, we have elected to move this year’s 35th Annual Tree of Light to a new location, The Nassau Club of Princeton located at 6 Mercer Street. The celebration is slated for Friday, December 12th, from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Attendees can still expect the same traditions offered every year—delicious gourmet foods and beverages, holiday concert, Silent Auction and our newly added Live Auction. The Lewis School Choir, The Princeton University Nassoons and Tigerlilies, and the A-capella chorus Koleinu will provide the live musical entertainment. Tickets to the celebration are set at $30 per person and are available for purchase at www.lewisschool.org.
The Tree Lighting, which is still free and open to the public, will immediately follow the event at The Nassau Club. We will light the Tree at approximately 9:30 p.m. at The Lewis School. Warm drinks and tasty desserts will be served, but please dress warmly as we will not be going inside of the school. Princeton native, Matthew Pizzi, a 1995 Lewis alumnus and now Vice President of a $13 billion multi-strategy investment management firm in New York, NY, will be our honored speaker.
Each year, our Lewis School students, faculty and parents strive to raise greater awareness of those students who have not yet found the educational opportunity they need to realize their potential and fulfill their dreams. The Tree of Light is a celebration to be shared by all who care enough to want to affect change for the better in our world—especially in the lives of children who are our future.
We look forward to seeing you all again this year!
Free Rabies Vaccination Clinic For Dogs & Cats
Sponsored by Montgomery Township Health Department/Animal Control
Protect your pet and your community! Free rabies vaccinations on Saturday, January 24 at the Public Works Garage located on Harlingen Road in Belle Mead.
Dogs from 9:00 am - 10:30 am; cats from 10:30 am - 12:00 noon.
Dog licenses will also be available for purchase that day, $12 for a neutered dog, $15 for non-neutered dog, cash or check please.
For more information, call the Montgomery Township Animal Control office at 908-359-4308.
Hunting Reminder
Deer bow hunting season started September 13th and is now
in progress on various open space tracts and some large private
properties in the township. Hunting will continue through
February 21st. Please take precautions when hiking in posted areas.
There is no hunting on Sundays or Christmas Day; hunting may
take place Monday through Saturday, from one half-hour before
sunrise to one half-hour after sunset.
Now is the time of year to be mindful of preventing deer-related
damage to your property. The first two weeks of November is
the height of rutting season and deer are on the move. Please be
especially careful driving at this time. If a deer crosses your vehicle’s
path and is unavoidable, it is often safest to steer straight and brake
as hard as possible. The deer may be confused in its attempts to
escape if you swerve erratically. Use good judgment. Any time
after Labor Day is the time for property owners to protect smaller
tree trunks. Use plastic wrapping found in nursery stores or erect
small wire fences around trees. Male deer prefer trees that are a few
years old because the trunks are still very thin and flexible; they
use the trunk like dental floss to get the fuzz off of their antlers.
While scraping the trees with their antlers, they cause damage to
the young trees, often killing them.
For dates of the various types of hunting allowed in Montgomery
(Zone 12) by State law, such as bow, muzzleloader, firearm, permit
shotgun, etc. go to http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/2008/
regsets08-09.pdf
DISCARDED HOLIDAY TREE PICK-UP OR DROP -OFF
The Montgomery Township Department of Public Works will
be starting curbside Holiday Tree collection on Monday, January
5, 2009. This collection may take several days so please be patient,
it depends on which sections of town are collected first. However, if
your section of town happens to be collected first, it is possible that
trees placed to the curb after January 5th may not be picked up. So
please do not wait to put them out. As an alternative, an area at the
DPW site, located off Harlingen Road, will be set up to receive the
Holiday Trees if you would prefer to drop them off. This site will be
available for drop off at any hour, or day, starting December 29, 2008
until January 31, 2009. All trees either to be pickup up or dropped
off must be free of tinsel and ornaments. If you have any questions
contact the Department of Public Works at (908) 874-3144.
Montgomery Friends of Open Space Fall Gethering
MFOS members and guests of all ages gathered at Hoebler Park on Sunday, Oct. 12 for a beautiful afternoon in a beautiful and diverse environment! Clem Fiori, Montgomery Friends of Open Space Advisor and Open Space Committee Chairman, lead a nature walk through the grasslands and woodlands offering a wealth of information about the native plants and wildlife along the way.
Afterwards, Pete Rayner, Board President, welcomed all those who were present, thanked them for the support they have given MFOS and directed their attention towards future projects and goals. Then, together, everyone enjoyed refreshments and apple cider.
Click on the link below to see a map of Hoebler Park. It is a great place for getting out in nature if you don't have a lot of time. It is also stroller friendly!
http://www.montgomery.nj.us/Hobler.pdf
MFOS is a nonprofit all-volunteer organization formed in March 2002. Working closely with Montgomery Township and their Conservation Plan MFOS helps implement open space goals of preserve remaining open land in Montgomery Township. MFOS also act as stewards for the properties already preserved; and run a farmers' market to support local agriculture.
December~ 225th Anniversary of the End of the American Revolution
1783
225th Anniversary of the End of the American Revolution
The Commander in Chief Retires
Jeanette K. Muser, Rocky Hill Heritage Project
General George Washington left New York City on December 4, 1783 to begin is journey to the new nation’s temporary capital at Annapolis, Maryland. He was accompanied by his von Heer dragoon guards and by General von Steuben, who wanted to go as far as Philadelphia. During the four days of travel through New Jersey, people lined the roads to greet and cheer their national hero.
New Jersey Governor William Livingston had presided during the difficult war years when the state was ravaged by battles, troop movements, plundering, looting and other atrocities. Families and communities were divided on the issue of loyalty or rebellion. Livingston was New Jersey’s first elected governor and served until his death in 1790. His daughter married John Jay, a signer of the Treaty of Paris. At the end of the war, resident loyalists suffered staggering losses. Livingston led the effort to promote tolerance and reconciliation among the state’s residents. His home, Liberty Hall, in Union NJ is a national historic landmark and one of the many sites listed in the new 2008 booklet: “Crossroads of the American Revolution: A Guide to New Jersey’s American Revolutionary War Sites.” www.revolutionarynj.org or (609) 633 – 2060.
Proceeding further southwards from New Jersey, General Washington then arrived in Philadelphia, where he stayed with Robert Morris. After a few more days of celebrations, Washington dismissed his dragoons and retained only the two aides-de-camp, Benjamin Walker and David Humphreys. They reached Annapolis on
December 19, 1783. Thomas Mifflin was the new president of the Confederation Congress. He arranged Washington’s audience with Congress for the 23rd of December and appointed Thomas Jefferson to manage the details.
To those assembled on December 23, 1783 in the Maryland assembly chamber, General George Washington read his final words as Commander in Chief: “Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theater of action and bidding farewell to this august body under whom I have long acted, I here offer my commission and take leave of all the employments of public life.” Washington left Annapolis that day and arrived at Mount Vernon on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1783.
Final sequel of “General George Washington’s Departure from Military Service.
Jeanette K. Muser has written a booklet with this title as part of the Rocky Hill Heritage Project. The booklet is available for purchase. Questions: RHHeritage1701@aol.com.
Ms. Muser will also be presenting an informal lecture,“One Patriotic Band of Brothers,” at the Mary Jacobs Library on December 4, 2008 at 7:30PM.
Rockingham’s 225th - Events Come to a Close
For years the Rockingham Historic Site, The Rockingham Association and the MHS Live Historians have been looking forward to November 8-9, the final event celebrating George Washington’s stay in 1783 at the 300 year old house. The theme of the weekend, “The Curtain of Separation Will Soon be Drawn: The General Takes His Leave,” Rockingham 1783 will commemorate General Washington’s writing the Farewell Orders to the Armies of the United States and his departure from the area.
On the grounds of the mansion Von Heer's Provost, re-enactors of Washington’s military police, will be encamped once more, guarding General Washington in his final days at Rockingham. “Von Heer’s Military Guard”, on site for the arrival of the General on horseback in August, presented an impeccable interpretation of 18th century military life and delighted attendees with stories and reenactment. Washington’s servant was even reprimanded for not keeping the General’s tankard full, while His Excellency discussed military tactics.
The site will be open both days with the encampment including tents and horses. The first floor of the mansion will be open for shortened tours as well as the study where “Gen. Washington” will visit with guests, answer questions, and never step out of the 18th century.
On Sunday, November 9, at 2 pm, Dr. John Murrin, Professor of History at Princeton University, briefly will discuss Washington’s stay at Rockingham before the Gene ral will takes his leave of those assembled with his own remarks and a brief reading of parts of the Farewell Orders. From 11 a.m. to 3 pm, there will be various activities planned including demonstrations by the re-enactors.
Rockingham is located on Route 603 (Laurel Ave.) outside Kingston. The Museum Store with a new array of gifts and toys will be open both days. A $5 donation per group is appreciated for the events. Visit www. Rockingham.net or call 609-683-7132 or email Rockingham1783@yahoo.com for more information.
George Washington - Our Nation’s First Mad Scientist?
Demonstration on Nov 5 at D&R Canal
Most Americans think of George Washington as one of our founding fathers. Those who have heard of him think of pamphleteer Thomas Paine as one of our first spin-doctors. But who thinks of the two of them as performing the first scientific experiment in the new nation of America?
Following the Revolutionary War, Washington was staying at Rockingham. Rockingham was then located on the banks of the Millstone River in Rocky Hill, very near where the bridge crosses it today. Confirmation of the Treaty of Paris ending the war had arrived on October 31, and there had been numerous celebratory parties and events. Congress had finished its business at Princeton on November 4 and was homeward bound. Washington was busy preparing his “Farewell Orders to the Armies of the United States,” which he would deliver in New York in a few days time.
The General had invited Thomas Paine to visit him at Rockingham while Congress was in session, and thought highly enough of him for his books Common Sense and The Rights of Man, that he wanted Congress to grant him a pension for those books published in the days before copyrights and royalties. There was no luck with Congress on that project. Indeed, the troops hadn’t been paid either.
Washington, always open to new ideas, had required his troops to be vaccinated against smallpox, used invisible ink for military dispatches, and as a gentleman farmer, practiced crop rotation and grew alternative crops at home in Virginia. He also ran one of the biggest whisky distilleries in the nation.
We have to imagine what it must have been like before electric lights, radio, television, telephone, telegraph, Morse code and the internet; before the D&R Canal, for that matter. On the evening of November 5, 1783 as Washington, Thomas Paine, General Lincoln, and Colonels Humphreys and Cobb sat around the fire, possibly sampling some of the General’s own product, talk gravitated to the nature of “Will-o-the-wisps,” a ghostly phenomena still occasionally seen around marshes.
Some thought it might be natural turpentine floating up from dissolved and rotting evergreen trees. Others thought it might be some kind of flammable gas. One supposes that they weren’t entirely sober at the time, but someone suggest they go out to the river and check it out.
No sunshine scientists, they all (except for Colonel Humphreys, said to be sick – hmmm!) tumbled into a barge in the middle of the night, and accompanied by a troop of Dragoons, they rowed into the river and poled around until bubbles of “swamp gas” erupted. It must have resembled the famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware, the one showing only one oar in the water, minus the ice, daylight and canon. General Washington lit the bubbles of gas with a torch he held in his own hand, as reported by Thomas Paine, proving that swamp gas was flammable. How they got back without drowning is another story.
We know today that what they found was natural gas, methane, a byproduct of decomposition, burned in many homes today for heat and cooking. The proper discovery of methane goes to Count Alessandro Volta, who performed a similar experiment on Nov. 3, 1776, at Lake Como, Italy, but who knew? Volta later invented the electric battery and gave his name to a unit of energy.
Anyway, Rocky Hill resident Douglas Eveleigh, a professor of applied microbiology at Rutgers, will be demonstrating that long-ago first experiment on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008 at 4:30 pm, at the north side of the Rt. 518 Bridge, where it crosses the Millstone River. Afterwards there will be a reception at the Delaware & Raritan Canal Park Headquarters, 142 Mapleton Rd, Kingston, from 5:30 to 6:30. All are invited.
Who's Up For A Toy Drive?
Cadette Girl Scout Troops 970 and 1104 are looking for you to help us with our Toy Drive being organized to support the Children's Home Society of New Jersey. Children's Home Society of New Jersey provides foster care for newborn infants and children, and counseling for their parents.
Although a number of their babies are born healthy, there are more that are born medically fragile. Many of the infants and toddlers with specialized needs are waiting in hospitals for families to care for them. Our troops met two of the babies and were physically moved, touched, and astonished by them. We know that giving them toys will make them feel appreciated, happy and loved and we are reaching out to you, Montgomery residents, to help with our endeavor.
Donation boxes will be located in the Upper and Lower Middle Schools, Orchard Hill Elementary School, Harlingen Reformed Church, The Otto Kaufman Center, 492 Belle Mead-Griggstown Road, Belle Mead, and 7 Augusta Court, Skillman.
We are looking for all types of unwrapped and new developmental toys for infants and children up to five years old.
The drive will be held between November 3 and November 21. Questions should be directed to Robin McKenna, 908-359-1261.
Learning Express Collecting Food Items
Learning Express is partnering with the Food Bank Network of Somerset County to collect non-perishable food items for the holidays.
Non Perishable items (canned goods, pasta, dry goods) may be dropped off at the Branchburg store at 3150 Route 22 West or the Hillsborough store at 315 Route 206 North until November 18.
Learning Express will deliver the items to the Food Bank on November 19.
During the holiday season, local food banks experience a high demand for resources. In addition to collections, the food bank is also accepting monetary donations. Donations can be made out to the Food Bank Network of Somerset County and mailed to PO Box 149, Bound Brook NJ 08805.
For more information call (908) 725-7869.
A Taste of Wine - A Talented Maker of Unusual Wines
Jed Steele buys most of his grapes, but the results are great wines and good values
Two talents have to come together to make really good wine. One is the ability to grow outstanding grapes; the second is the expertise to turn the grapes into wonderful wine. Some wineries are strong in the first area, but not necessarily the second. And some are better in the second, but not the first.
When California wine was first coming into its own in the 1960s and 1970s, many wineries bought their grapes from farmers in the Napa or Sonoma Valleys. In more recent times, wineries have taken the profits from their wines and plowed the money into buying land, so they could control production from the vine to the bottle.
There remains, however, a collection of wineries that still buy all or most of their grapes. Jed Steele, who has been in the wine business for 40 years and used to work for Kendall-Jackson, followed the bought-grapes model and now turns out an outstanding line of wines that carry attractive prices. Steele scouts out good grapes and buys them in some of the less glamorous locations such as the Clear Lake Appellation. When he finds a grower he likes, Steele signs him up for a long-term contract.
Kendall-Jackson turns out millions of cases of its Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay, but Steele specializes in productions of less than 1,000 cases. If you are a wine drinker tired of the same old Cabernet and the same old Chardonnay, here is a brand you might want to check out. I looked on the Internet at wine-searcher.com and found that Steele wines are widely available in New Jersey. All the ones I found sell for less than $30 a bottle and many are under $20.
As a writer always terrified of facing the disaster known as writer’s block when the words just don’t come, I am particularly attracted to Steele’s line of Writer’s Block wines. He sells eight wines under that brand, and there’s not a Cab or Chard among them. On each label is a picture of Shakespeare. I never heard that the Bard ever suffered from writer’s block, but maybe that was lost in the mist of time. My favorite Writer’s Block is Roussanne, a Rhône Valley grape that is a nice change of pace from Chardonnay. It has a wonderfully aromatic nose and fresh taste. Another Writer’s Block that I still haven’t tried is made with Counoise grapes. That is one of the 13 varietals that can be used to make the famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Steele has lots of other Rhône varieties as well as the standard Merlot, Cabernet, and Chardonnay. Check them all out. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
George M. Taber is the author of Judgment of Paris—California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine; and To Cork or Not to Cork—Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle.
Iraq War Dead
Since March 19, 2003, when the second Iraq War began, there have been 4,183 American military personnel killed, and 30,702 wounded, as of August 17, 2008.
For more information, www.antiwar.com/casualties.
Troop 46 Holiday Wreath Sale
The holidays are coming, and it’s time to think greenery! Montgomery’s Boy Scout Troop 46 is now conducting its annual Holiday Wreath Sale. The troop’s plush wreaths, beautifully decorated with pine cones, gold ornaments, and red bows, have been a tradition in Montgomery for more than 40 years, adorning businesses, homes and offices throughout the community.
Scouts will be selling the wreaths door to door and by telephone through mid-November. The troop assembles the wreaths and decorations just prior to Thanksgiving, and will deliver them directly to purchasers beginning Thanksgiving weekend.
Proceeds from the wreath sales underwrite the troop’s scouting programs, helping to pay for equipment, camping and activities fees, high adventure trek preparations, leadership training for the Scouts themselves, and other expenses directly supporting their activities.
Large wreaths, which are 40 inches in diameter and cost $50, make excellent decorations for businesses. Standard wreaths, built on an 18 inch diameter frame, are perfect for that front-door greeting, and are priced at $17. Wreath hangers are available for $2.50. Contributions to Troop 46 in lieu of, or in addition to, wreath purchases are always welcome.
For more information, or to order your wreath(s), call Keith Mertz at (908) 359-3359.
Fire Company #1 Supports Food Pantry With Fund Raiser
On October 4, the Montgomery Township Volunteer Fire Company #1 sponsored their 2nd annual benefit. This years' beneficiary was the Montgomery Township Food Pantry. MTVFC1 announced that $1879 was collected and donated to the Food Pantry. In addition, two SUV loads of food and non-food items were also collected. "As a volunteer firefighter, I can appreciate all the work and effort that goes into a program that serves and supports the community. That's why we chose the Montgomery Township Food Pantry as this year's beneficiary. A firefighter's main goal is to serve and protect the citizens of their town. I am proud to belong to a fire company that goes beyond the role of firefighter when it comes to helping our fellow neighbors," said Rich Kocsis MTVFC1 Firefighter and Benefit Event Committee Chairman
The main attraction of the event was an antique car, motorcycle and fire apparatus show. Firefighters from both of Montgomery's two fire districts and Rocky Hill kicked off Fire Prevention Month with displays, demonstrations and activities related to educating the public on fire prevention and fire safety. Melzo the Clown was on hand entertaining the children with balloon animals and face painting. Other children activities included pumpkin painting and scarecrow making.
"Since our fire company is a non-profit organization, you need help from other members of the community to make an event such as ours successful. All the members of MTVFC1 would like to thank these local businesses for their continued support: Belle Mead Garage, Cammps Hardware, Harlingen Vet, H.J. Opdyke Lumber, Belle Mead Co-Op, RMK Imaging, Gasior Furniture, Tiger's Tail, Belle Mead Orthodontic, Karsay Coffee, Dutchtown Nursery, Harlingen Garage and Dr. Dan Pullen Dentistry. In addition, MTVFC1 would like to thank all the Girl Scouts that volunteered their time and helped bake goodies for our event. A special thank you goes to John Ashcroft of Herring Properties located at 23 Orchard Road. They provided us with a great location to host our event." - Brian Voss MTVFC1 President
According to Denise Crowley, the Montgomery Township Community Resource Manager who manages both the Senior Center and Food Pantry: "We were very excited when the Montgomery Township Volunteer Fire Company #1 approached us about hosting a donation drive for the Montgomery Township Food Pantry. It came at the perfect time as we begin to gear up for the holidays and winter season. We appreciate the very generous financial donation as well as the product support. The items received from the fire company helped to fill the Montgomery Township Food Panty with much needed food and non-food items. This donation will make a positive difference in the lives of the many Montgomery families using the pantry and we are very thankful the fire company thought of us."
Here are a few pantry facts: The Montgomery Township Food Pantry opened its doors in May of 2008. It is located on the Senior Center side of the Otto Kaufman Center in Skillman and stocks non-perishable food and non-food items. (Please check for expiration dates when delivering items to the pantry.) Clients come to the pantry by appointment only and donations are accepted by appointment only. This ensures the privacy and confidentiality of our clients.
There are currently dozens of families using the pantry on a regular basis. Both food and non-food items are available. Most needed food items include: boxed cereal, boxed milk, hearty soups, boxed pasta, and pasta sauces. Most needed non-food items include: laundry detergent, dish detergent, toilet paper, tissues, napkins, paper towels and toiletries.
If you are interested in learning more about the Montgomery Township Food Pantry or your organization is interested in hosting a donation drive, you can call Denise Crowley at 609-466-1054 or send an email to FoodPantry@twp.montgomery.nj.us.
If you are interested in joining Montgomery Township Volunteer Fire Company #1, you can visit the firehouse located at 35 Belle Mead-Griggstown Road on Monday nights at 7:30pm or visit our website www.mtvfc1.org for more information.
Clause Project, Gifts for needy children
Most of us feel a desire to help people who are less fortunate than ourselves, especially at Christmas. The problem is that we lead busy lives. Wouldn't it be easier if there were a way to do something charitable that was simple and quick and did not involve organizations, meetings, and other activities?
Here is opportunity to be charitable at Christmas that will take almost no time, is low cost, and is guaranteed to give you a sense of reward and well-being.
The CLAUS Project, which you may have seen featured in area newspapers from time to time works with churches, social welfare agencies, and other groups in the Trenton area to gather names of children from families that are impoverished who otherwise might not receive a Christmas gift this year. The children, through their social agency or church, submit a wish list of one or two items they would like to receive for Christmas.
The ClAUS people then pass these wish list
s on to those who have volunteered to purchase a gift for a child. This information includes the gift wishes, age and gender of child, specific sizes or general size of child, what ever is needed to make the shopping simple, easy and quick, and to make the gift successful.
Wish lists are realistic and simple and can vary from an item of clothing such as a pair of jeans or a sweat shirt, to a game or an inexpensive item of jewelry, or a basketball, soccer ball and so on. Santas are encouraged to not spend more than $30.00 per child, though you are free to spend whatever amount you want. Normally, a volunteer buys a gift for just one child, so the matter is not at all burdensome. Volunteers often accept more than one child.
The volunteer chooses one of the items, purchases it, wraps it, and then drops the gift off at my home at 50 Meadow Run Dr. It is that easy. Last year, we bought a child a baseball glove and another child a sweatshirt and found the information so clear and specific that I was in and out of Sears in 30 minutes. The year before, it was a soccer ball.
Wrapped gifts should have a removable tag that tells the people at the CLAUS Project what child the wrapped gift is for, and what the gift is. The wrapped package should also have a blank gift tag so that the parents of the child can attach their own names. In this way, the parents are enabled to be their child's gift giver. This is one of the most salutary aspects of this project. Over the years, countless children have received their only Christmas gift this way, and countless stressed parents were able to feel better about Christmas and about parenting.
We need volunteer santas to buy a gift for a child. Will you help? All you need to do is call us. We will supply you with information for a child Gifts will be due by December 4, so please let me know as soon as possible. Remember: volunteering for this can take little more than an hour of your time. Please call us: Charles and Judy Di Domenico, 908-874-5359.
Candy for Toys
Branchburg and Hillsborough NJ -- November 1, 2008-- Learning Express Toy Store is helping parents reduce their children’s caloric intake and sugar highs by buying back the candy their children have collected.
From November 1st through 7th, Learning Express will give children $1 per pound for collected candy, with a limit of $5. The cash is in the form of “Fergie Dollars” and can be spent for toys in the store. (Fergie is the store’s 13 year old Yorkshire Terrier.)
Candy may be exchanged by children only, and not parents.
All candy will be distributed to local charities that distribute the candy to children who were unable to go out Trick or Treating due to safety concerns.
For more information on Learning Express of Branchburg or the Candy Buyback Program, please contact Rick Grossman or Jon Cassino at (908)-725-7869.
The Old Gardener: Trees, friends with benefits - or why do tree huggers hug trees?
Has the word spread? There have been a ton of articles recently highlighting how trees save us money. Our money, our pocket, our benefit. Each tree planted to shade your house saves cooling bills. Each tree planted as a windbreak saves heating costs. Each tree planted as a buffer to neighborhood noise saves your nerves.
Every flowering tree brings joy. Every autumn leaf holds memories. Didn’t we all bring a bouquet of the best leaves home to mom? The unmistakable memory-scent kicked up by scuffling through the fallen leaves at Halloween can bring the past back like the taste of a favorite cookie. Our memory, our lives, our benefit.
If you hang a bird feeder from a branch close to the house you will gain a point of interest all winter, add a bird identification book and it becomes a treasure hunt. When you are setting up the feeders for the winter play with the placement until you have a good view from inside. Cardinals like a platform feeder, Finches like to cling , Woodpeckers will do either but really like the cakes that they can peck at. There are specialty feeds designed to attract all types of birds; of course the most expensive has the least mess and is totally devoured. Large trees are very generous with bird feeder branches. Those same branches become heckler’s benches for the scolding chickadees; they want their breakfast NOW.
Evergreens offer shelter to birds during a winter storm. It is amazing to see how many little birds zip out as soon as the sun comes up.
Every tree and shrub offers protection to the little critters. Last year we had a young hawk looking for a snack. Each time it went in for a strike it was baffled by the webbed branches of the trees. That was one annoyed hawk. It seems like there is a pretty steep learning curve for predators. I’ve noticed that cats snag an awful lot of flies before they manage mice.
If you are worried about cats getting into the birds you can prune away the lowest ground sweeping branches eliminating some of the sneak potential. The rest of it is up to Darwin. There are few of the traditional predators left; cats, yes, weasels and foxes, not so much.
Has the word spread? Birds eat bugs, this is a good thing. Dawn to dusk, all summer, they are on duty - cramming all sorts of bugs into their babies mouths. Don’t spray - let the birds do it. The birds that are nesting in your trees are kept going all winter by the feeders in your trees. Our world, our environment, our benefit.
To plant the right tree in the right place takes thought and knowledge. To gain a tree and its benefits we have to learn. To have a tree thrive under our care and gain those benefits we have to pay attention.
Spread the word.
Restaurant Review - Elements
New Restaurant Opens – Elements
We had a chance to attend the opening party of a new restaurant in the Princeton area, Elements. Located on the corner of Rt. 206 and Leigh Avenue (just past Community Park in Princeton if you are driving from Belle Mead), the new building is likely to win notice from architects everywhere. A stunner, it was designed by Richmond, Virginia architect Bob Steele and uses natural products, such as teak, maple, and quarry stone.
Principal owner Stephen Distler noted, “Two years ago I thought it would be nice to open the finest restaurant in Princeton. It looks like it could be the finest restaurant in New Jersey.”
Much the same can be said about the food we sampled. Although their official opening was October 18 as we go to the printer, we were impressed. They serve what they call “interpretive American cuisine,” such as bluefin tuna served with chermoula, garbanzo beans, preserved lemon and herbs; Kobe rib eye beef, with white sweet potato, langoustine, turnips and spices; and veal with fingerlings, Brussel sprouts, bacon, and weisswurst.
Chef and co-owner Scott Anderson, formerly chef de cuisine the noted Ryland Inn, said that Elements actually makes their own weisswurst on site. We had a sample of the Kobe and weiswurst with Brussel sprouts – delicious. I came back shamelessly for seconds. My childhood memory of Brussel sprouts was of small, hard green lumpy things redolent of gasoline. Evidently, there is a trick to cooking them, as these were superb.
Dinning areas were scattered around the restaurant to accommodate groups of various sizes. We looked in at the kitchen, which was easy to do. It was open along one side for dinners in one of the side rooms of the 80-seat restaurant. Chefs were at work preparing trays of food. In the center of their work station was a truffle the size of a baseball. That’s something you don’t see every day.
Prices for Entrees vary from $24 for fluke, to $75 for Kobe rib eye. We recommend it. Open seven days a week, they will be serving dinner only, Monday through Thursday from 5:30 to 10 pm, Saturday from 5:30 to 11 pm; and Sunday from 5 to 9 pm. Reservations are recommended; 609-924-0078 or online, www.elementsprinceton.com.
Separated and Divorced Support Group to Meet
Separated and Divorced Support Group helps people through the pain and trauma of separation and divorce to grow into well-adjusted self-sufficient who single people. Encourages sharing and support among members with an end towards friendship (not for singles seeking dates).
Meets Wed 8-9:30. Hopewell Presbyterian Church 80 W. Broad Street, Hopewell. Call the facilitator, Jill Young-McMurchie 609-213-9509 anytime, or 609-466-0758, day.
RVCC TO HOLD FREE BIOTECHNOLOGY SEMINARS
The public is invited to attend a series of free Biotechnology Seminars sponsored by Raritan Valley Community College’s Science and Engineering Department. All seminars will be held Wednesdays, at 6 p.m., in the Science Building (Room 101), at the College’s North Branch Campus.
To register for any of the seminars, e-mail Wilma Bassista, wbassist@raritanval.edu. For additional information, contact Derek Weber, dweber@raritanval.edu.
The following seminars will be held:Wednesday, November 5;Dr. Constance Ace, vice president, Research & Development., XYLOS Corporation “Biocellulose: A New Class of Biomaterials for Surgical Implants”
Wednesday, November 12; Lance Marquardt, manager, Biopharmaceutical Production,Medarex, Inc.
“Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Overview”
Wednesday, November 19; Dr. Gina DiGioia, NJCST Postdoctoral Fellow, Pestka Biomedical Laboratories, “Adaptation and Scientific Development in the Biotechnology Industry”
RVCC, located on Route 28 and Lamington Road in North Branch, NJ, and serving Somerset and Hunterdon County residents for 40 years, offers more than 90 associate degrees and certificates. In addition, customized training programs and non-credit courses are available for those seeking personal and professional development.
The College is committed to offering a quality and affordable education through effective teaching, liaisons with the community’s businesses and state-of-the-art technology. For further information, visit www.raritanval.edu.
Local Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings
(Subject to change)
www.nnjaa.org
www.24-club.org
SUNDAY
8:30am, 24 Club (located behind Vespias/Goodyear at the Princeton North Shopping Center, Rts 518 and 206), 5:30pm, 24 Club
7:30pm, Rocky Hill Reformed Church, Rt 518
MONDAY
7:15am, 24 Club, Rocky Hill
12noon, 24 Club
5:30pm, 24 Club
7pm, 24 Club
8pm, Hillsborough Presbyterian Church, Rt 206 and Homestead Rd
TUESDAY
7:15am, 24 Club
12noon, RH Reformed Church
5pm, 24 Club
7pm, Double Trouble, 24 Club
WEDNESDAY
7:15am, 24 Club
12:15pm, 24 Club
5:30pm, 24 Club
7:30pm, RH Reformed Church
8 pm, Mens Meeting, 24 Club
8pm, Hillsborough Presb. Church
8 pm, Men’s Meeting, 24 Club
THURSDAY
7:15am, 24 Club
12:15 pm, 24 Club
5:30pm, 24 Club
7 pm, Women’s Meeting,
24 Club
7:30pm Carrier Clinic, Main
Building, Garden Cafe
FRIDAY
7:15am, 24 Club
12:15pm, 24 Club
3pm, Carrier Clinic Outpatient Building
5:30pm, 24 Club
8pm, Hopewell United. Meth. Church.
SATURDAY
7:15am, 24 Club
5:30pm, 24 Club
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their common experience and help each other to recover from alcoholism.
Obituary - Nellie Chini
Nellie Chini, 97, of Rocky Hill, NJ, formerly of Brooklyn, NY, passed away Monday, October 27, 2008 in the University Medical Center at Princeton.
Born in New Rochelle, NY, she was raised in Tres, Italy and came back to the United States at the age of 21, settling in Brooklyn. While living in Brooklyn, she married Emanuel and together they raised 4 children. In 1997, Nellie moved to Belle Mead, NJ where she resided until 1997. After that she spent time in Albany, NY, Hanover, PA and the past year in Rocky Hill.
A homemaker for most of her life, she loved to crochet, knit, read and cook. But most of all, she loved her family. Nellie was a dedicated mother, grandmother and great grandmother.
Nellie was predeceased by her husband Emanuel in 1989, a great granddaughter Clare Marie Mahood and a sister Teresina Maccani.
Surviving are her four children Julius Chini of Brooklyn, NY, Gloria Mahood of Albany, NY, Mary Collins of Hanover, PA and Albert Chini of Rocky Hill, a sister Antonia Brida and brother Giacomo Maccani both of Italy, ten grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
Services will begin Friday, October 31, 2008 at 1:15PM in the Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08542 followed by a 2:00PM funeral mass at St. Charles Borromeo R.C. Church, 376 Burnt Hill Road, Montgomery, NJ.
Burial will be next to her husband in the Rocky Hill Cemetery, Rocky Hill, NJ.
Visitation will be on Thursday from 5:00PM to 8:00PM at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions in her name to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718
Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718 or on-line at www.cancer.org would be appreciated.
1773 - Gen. Washington, and The British Evacuation of New York City
1773
225th Anniversary of the End of the American Revolution
General George Washington’s Departure from Military Service
By Jeanette K Muser, Rocky Hill Heritage Project
The British Evacuation of New York City
The Treaty of Paris arrived in Princeton on October 31 and the Confederation Congress adjourned on November 4. With a little spare time before his departure from New Jersey, General Washington and his friend, Thomas Paine, conducted an experiment on November 5 at the Millstone River. Their common interest was to understand the prevailing miasma theory of disease. Miasma, or foul air, was believed to be unhealthy. This was significant for their times and important because the first American president took an active interest in scientific matters of health, agriculture and engineering.
General Washington left Rockingham on November 10, 1783. He returned to West Point to await news of the British evacuation of New York City. Only about 800 soldiers were still enlisted in the Continental Army. New York was then the center for loyalist refugees (Tories), wartime prisoners, British and German soldiers (Hessians) and fugitive slaves. Finally, word arrived at West Point that British General Carlton would begin the evacuation.
The official Evacuation Day was November 25, 1783. There were parades, cannon salutes, fireworks, dinners and receptions. British ships with some 20,000 troops were awaiting a favorable wind to depart and on December 4, the fleet drifted out of the bleak harbor. However, Washington had one more thing he had to do before leaving New York City.
On December 4, 1783, General George Washington summoned a few of his officers to Fraunces Tavern on Pearl Street for a formal farewell. In his words: “With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable.”
The General was then escorted to a dock where he, two aides and a few von Heer dragoons departed for New Jersey and on to Philadelphia. By December 19, he and his two aides-de-camp arrived in Annapolis.
The 8th and last installment will appear in the December 2008 issue. Check the website www.montynews.com for all of the installments.
Goldie Hawn to Speak at Conference of Woman Dinner Dec 6
PRINCETON, NJ -- Princeton HealthCare System will welcome award winning actress, director and producer Goldie Hawn as the keynote speaker for the 6th Annual Conference for Women, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, December 6, at the Hyatt Regency in Princeton.
The annual Conference for Women brings together regional experts in health and wellness to discuss a wide range of topics from nutrition and relaxation techniques to financial fitness and living a “greener” lifestyle. A total of 15 informative seminar sessions will be hosted by Princeton HealthCare System physicians and staff members covering topics of interest to women of all ages.
Hawn, who earned an Academy Award as best supporting actress in Cactus Flower and was nominated in the best actress category for Private Benjamin, a film she also produced, is widely acclaimed as an actress, director and entrepreneur. She also founded The Hawn Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping children reach their full potential.
Tickets to the event are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and advanced registration is required. Ticket price is $65. A continental breakfast and lunch are included and complimentary childcare is available.
For more information or to register, please call (888) 897-8979.
RVCC Planetarium Sets Fall Star Shows
Spend your weekends this fall at the Planetarium at Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) in North Branch. The Planetarium will present a variety of star shows and laser concerts in October and November for audiences of all ages. The following shows will be offered:
Fall Skies: Saturdays, Oct. 18 – Nov. 22, 3 and 7 pm. Explore the fall sky and learn how to find the planets in the night sky. Discover the constellations of Pegasus the Flying Horse, Perseus the Hero, Andromeda the Maiden and Cassiopeia the Queen. Learn about the Leonid Meteor Shower.
Fright Light: Saturdays, Oct. 18 and 25, 4 and 8 pm.
Enjoy a special Halloween laser concert
Washington's Farewell Orders to the Armies of the United States
1783
225th Anniversary of the End of the American Revolution
General George Washington's Departure from Military Service
By Jeanette K. Muser, Rocky Hill Heritage Project
On October 18, 1783, Congress issued a proclamation applauding the armies of the United States...with the "thanks of their country for their long, eminent and faithful services." This was followed by another proclamation that after November 4th, all troops were to be discharged from service except for a few at West Point and the western outposts. General Washington used this opportunity to begin writing his "Farewell Orders to the Armies of the United States."
Washington's study at Rockingham had a view of the Millstone River. Colonel David Cobb, one of his aides-de-camp, wrote the first draft. Cobb was a Harvard graduate from Massachusetts. The document was completed by October 30, 1783 - the day before the Treaty of Paris arrived in Princeton! The "Farewell Orders" was sent to Newburgh, New York to be read at West Point on November 2nd. The "Orders" was also published in the Philadelphia newspapers on that date. Philadelphia was the largest city in America at that time.
One of the most famous lines in this document is, "...the unparalleled perseverance of the Armies of the United States, through almost every possible suffering and discouragement for the space of eight long years, was little short of a standing miracle." General Washington concluded in his "Farewell Orders to the Armies of the United States" with the comment: "The Commander in Chief is about to retire from Service. The curtain of separation will soon be drawn, and the military scene...will be closed forever."
The "Orders" were read to the troops and officers still at West Point. Many of the officers were not pleased with the "Orders" because they were still waiting for wartime payment from Congress. The officers recognized that Washington repeatedly reminded Congress of the bravery and service of the Continental Army and officers but, with the General's departure, they believed that their "champion" would lose his influence on Congress.
The Confederation Congress met on November 3, 1783 in Princeton and elected Thomas Mifflin of Pennsylvania as the new president. Congress would reconvene later in Annapolis. Thomas Jefferson arrived in Princeton just as Congress adjourned on November 4th. On November 10, 1783, General George Washington left Rockingham for West Point to await the British evacuation of New York.
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