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June 2025: ICE, No Ice, and Bounty in the Garden

/ Chris Thaiss / Leave a comment

Double-crested Cormorant preens and scans atop dead Oak, east bank of our lake, at sunset, June 8, while visiting Osprey looks on doubtfully

In this month’s blog:

ICE vs. Worker Shortages: More News from a Bizarro 2025
Climate Log: “No Ice” in Alaska; Here Comes the “Heat Dome”
Our Garden: Produce Galore in a Rainy Month
The June 2025 Photo/Video Gallery: Virginia Travel and Local Color

Honeybee sips from a yellow-purple Pansy in our garden plot, warm morning, June 18

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ICE vs. Worker Shortages: More News from Bizarro 2025

ICE agents warn onlookers as agents handcuff one protester in Los Angeles (LA Times photo). From Jenny Jarvie and Grace Toohey, “Raids by ICE are stunning, but no surprise,” June 16

As I look at photos of Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents surging unannounced into workplaces (Home Depot, clothing factories, etc.) then handcuffing people in Los Angeles last week and this, I have to remind myself that this is the strange, new US in 2025, not scenes of Darth Vader stormtroopers from Star Wars (see below). The likeness is uncanny, though: the masks, the armor, the heavy weapons, the lack of identification of any kind, the immediate violence. I’ve certainly not in my lifetime seen so-called “US law enforcement” acting as a federal government secret police force. Russian KGB and East German Stasi during the Cold War, yes, but not US law enforcement, which over recent years (and especially since 2021) has been trying to become more people-friendly and transparent in their tactics.

The five-month-old federal administration keeps trying to convince us that undocumented immigrants are an ongoing threat to US citizens and to our economy. But where’s the evidence? The claim is that these brown-skinned, admirably bi-lingual (English/Spanish) families are “taking our jobs,” as if there were a glut of workers in the US, and as if US citizens cannot find open jobs.

At last look, however (June 3), the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that there were “7.4 million job openings” in the US. That’s 7.4 million. Shortages of workers–not a glut–continue to be reported in many fields, including manufacturing positions, first responders, air traffic controllers, teachers, nurses, child-and-elder-care workers, hotel and restaurant staff, retail sales, construction workers, agriculture workers, etc., etc., as well as in the agencies that Elon Musk’s DOGE (Dept. of Government Efficiency) rampage of firings left understaffed.

To take just the first of those many categories, the New York Times (June24) analyzed data from the Business Roundtable (“Why Factories Are Having Trouble Filling Nearly 400,000 Open Jobs”) that pointed to severe lack of qualified applicants and the falling rate of community college enrollment.

Meanwhile, the workforce gets steadily older, as the percentage of over 65s keeps increasing and the US birthrate keeps declining.

Bottom line: this country needs more workers, not fewer.

So it’s extremely puzzling why the administration wants to deport all these workers–and why the President’s advisors want to terrify US communities into shunning places of business where ICE might attack next. What does this administration have against the people of the US and the businesses that fuel the economy? The ICE assaults in LA, for example, have left many prosperous economic hubs deserted (“LA Neighborhoods Clear Out, As Immigration Raids Send People Underground,” LA Times, June 21). Onlookers have seen adults and children grabbed off the street, no questions asked, and pulled into vans. People across these neighborhoods don’t want it happening to them or their loved ones. Would you?

Home Depot on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, where ICE arrested dozens on June 19 (LA Times photo)

To make matters worse, Trump chief advisor Steven Miller earlier this month ordered the Dept. of Homeland Security (which controls ICE) to increase the daily toll of captures and detainments to 3000 per day! What can possibly be the goal of this frenzy? Why would Trump and Miller want to weaken the US economy and hamstring businesses by creating much greater worker shortages than those that already exist? What do they have against small and large businesses, who need more workers, and against us consumers–who will have to pay even higher prices as supplies dwindle because of a shrinking workforce?

According to the Business Roundtable (New York Times, June 24), a path to citizenship and aid to education for the undocumented could help ease the shortages of qualified workers (NYT photo)

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Climate Log: No Ice in Alaska–Here Comes the “Heat Dome”

Heat Index in US, June 24 (Washington Post ) as the “heat dome” has arrived

As described in last month’s blog, Americans keep dying and being made homeless through record flooding in the US heartland, but with never a word of sympathy or even awareness from the current President. To add insult to injury, he’s gutted the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which we had always depended on to offer emergency supplies and funds for rebuilding after such disasters. Instead, he wants the states (most often red states who voted for him in the 2024 election!) to foot their own bills for their stricken citizens. Because he and his appointees claim that climate change doesn’t exist–and all facts to the contrary don’t matter–obviously those record floods didn’t happen (or so their actions and inactions claim) and those stricken people and communities are on their own.

This month, the floods continued, and the administration again took no notice. The story (by Dana Hedgepeth, Washington Post, June 16) reported that 4 people died in flash floods in West Virginia on June 15. One state official said, “I’ve never seen anything like it,” but cries for attention like that fell on the deaf ears less than 200 miles east in DC.  Moreover, as one of the nation’s poorest states, West Virginia is in no position to deal with the destruction without federal help.

West Virginia flash flood damage, June 15 (photo by Wheeling, WVA, Fire Department/AP)

At the same time that the heartland floods were still occurring, the Post was also reporting (Ian Livingston, June 16) that “Part of Alaska is Under a Heat Advisory: That’s a First.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/06/13/alaska-first-heat-advisory/

Temps across Alaska for Sunday, June 22 (National Digital Forecast Database and Washington Post)

If you are among the great majority of US residents who acknowledge the climate change that our President says doesn’t exist, you will take note that these unprecedented June forecasts are part of the “heat dome” pattern that is becoming more frequent worldwide (“June is the New July: Why Intense Summer Heat Is Arriving Earlier,” Washington Post, June 25) https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/06/25/global-heatwave-climate-change/

Worldwide heat map from NOAA, June 24, in Washington Post, “June Is the New July”

According to even Fox Weather (almost always a mouthpiece for the President), “heat domes” are especially powerful high-pressure systems that can be 1000 or more miles wide and long. The domes can

  • move steadily eastward in the US,
  • last for days until a stronger system erodes the dome, and
  • produce record-setting temps and humidity.

Now, this week,the “dome”–with temps close to and perhaps over 100 in the Northeast US–will have affected during its run three quarters of the US population.

And it’s only June. But please, if you accept the President’s Bizarro version of things, don’t believe what the weather people–who know what they’re talking about–are telling us. If you want to stay completely Bizarro, just nod your head at whatever the administration tells us.

Fox Weather infographic on the current “heat dome,” June 20

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Our Garden: Produce Galore in a Rainy Month

On a rainy morning, June 16, we collected this produce from our small patch in the community garden

The “heat dome” described above has just reached us in Virginia, but until this point in June we’ve had substantial rain (3-4 inches!) and moderate temps–so our 225-squ.-ft.garden has been producing magnificently.

Our 15′ by 15′ garden of diverse flowers and veggies has filled fruitfully over 2.5 months, as have the gardens of our hard-working neighbors (June 16)

Here, by contrast, was our garden just two months ago:

On April 25, here was our garden, with all plants in ground, newly mulched, and with veggies and flowers beginning to thrive in the steadily warming temps.

Three types of tomatoes, four types of peppers, two blueberry bushes, zucchini, crookneck squash, strawberries, Swiss chard, thyme, oregano, mint, rosemary, and sage have grown steadily since late April–and now daily produce delicious edibles. Meanwhile, ebullient flowers–dahlias, dianthus, coneflowers, buttercups, vinca, snapdragons, cosmos, pansies, petunias, zinnias, salvia, the flowering herbs, and three types of marigolds bring pollinators to the garden and a rainbow of colors.

Magenta Dahlias and red and white Snapdragons, morning, June 20

We have gradually been getting to know our neighbor gardeners, most of whom have been growing in Virginia much longer than we have, and not only do they answer our questions readily, but they offer us some of their produce, as we offer ours.

Mockingbird in a neighbor’s Berry patch, morning, June 18

Weeding, of course, is an ever-present chore in this humid climate–the productivity of our garden includes lots of productive weeds! Because we are all organic gardeners, we’d rather weed than subject our plants, the pollinators, and our bodies to herbicides. Crab grass is torturous, but blue speedwell (AKA “creeping charley”), while prolific, comes up easily–and then comes back for more fun!

Multi-color Marigold display, all grown from seed, brings pollinators and dominates the crab grass that we pull from the garden, June 11

Conversely, we’ve always looked upon “volunteers”–plants that just show up uninvited–as opportunities to learn about new species. In our garden, for example, one volunteer was the Buttercups that have brought pops of yellow that complement the reds, pinks, purples, whites, oranges, and blues of our plantings.

Our “volunteer” Coneflower plant, in full bloom and with more buds coming, morning, July 23

The majestic pink coneflower that emerged in late March as a “weed” is now a tall, multi-stemmed beauty that stands next to our “sweet millions” tomatoes. So what if it competes with two of our pepper plants? They all have enough room, even if crowded. And our two perennial strawberry plants? They also emerged in March to surprise us, and they produce better than any strawberries we ever planted in California.

Tiny Bee in one of our two Strawberry plants, with many blossoms, morning, June 18

But here comes the heat dome. Now we get to see how our plants do in the hottest heat of summer. Bring on the “heat dome”! We’ll meet the challenge as best we can. We have experienced neighbors to help advise us.

Sage, Thyme, Strawberries, Marigolds, Blue Aster in bloom, June 6

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The June 2025 Photo/Video Gallery: Virginia Travel and Local Color

This month’s gallery includes, among a range of artifacts from our lake community and garden, photos from our trip early in the month to Tidewater Virginia and the historic towns of Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown, and Gloucester along the York and James Rivers, where refugees from England encountered the indigenous Powhatan people for the first time in 1607, and where the English built their first settlements in North America. Professional historians, including four of our Virginia relatives, whom we visited on the trip, have done an amazing job of keeping alive this tumultuous 425-year history of immigration, conflict, rebellion, slavery, and warfare–but also the steady, progressive development of the democratic principles that have made the US great and that still, we hope, will continue to guide the future of the nation.

As we walk around our lake, Green Heron flies into the dead Willow Oak on the east bank of our lake, then preens and scans. Such serendipity!

Red-winged Blackbird in the same Willow Oak, but on a rainy morning, June 16

Bumblebee in Juliet Tomato flower in our garden, morning, June 18

On our Tidewater travels, we toured Jamestown Island, where the first English settlement was built. Here I snap a Red-bellied Cooter in the marsh at the island’s edge, June 1

This simple cross commemorates at Yorktown the French soldiers and sailors who died in this final battle, 1781, of the American Revolution. Without the French aid and sacrifice, the Revolution would not have succeeded.

Cottontail beside duck statue, east side of our community, morning, June 20

Bluejay in morning shadows along the southside path in our community, June 20

A pair of Cormorants scan along the lake from the west shore dock, rainy morning, June 16

Grey Catbird pair sips from puddles on north end path, rainy June 16

In our garden, Pink Dahlias with Honeybee and Red Dianthus, June 20

The majestic fallen trunk of one of 4 Yellow Poplar trees that still grow at historic Zion Poplars Baptist Church in Gloucester, VA, May 31. These poplars are honored as a Remarkable Tree of Virginia for their historical significance.

Zion Poplars Baptist Church, Gloucester, VA, May 31. This church was the first Black Church in Virginia established (1866) after the end of the Civil War. Early services at the church were held under the seven Poplars, of which four remain and which are pictured above.

Crookneck Squash blooming and fruiting in our garden, June 18

Husky Cherry Red Tomato plant in our garden, loaded down with fruit, early morning, June 23

Snapping Turtle, first sighting of the year in our lake, pokes head above water, lurks, then dives, June 20

Oxeye Daisies, St. John’s Wort, and Daisy Fleabane among June wildflowers beside the north shore of our lake, June 20

Common Moorhen male, my first sighting, in marshland at the Yorktown battle site, May 31

In our garden, Hot Burrito Peppers, Sage, and Mint plants, morning, June 18

Cardinal male atop dead tree in the Jamestown Island marsh, June 1

Foundation of the original meeting house of the Jamestown settlement, 1607, and statue of explorer, writer, and founder John Smith, by the James River, June 1

Song Sparrow calls singingly from atop a young Willow Oak on the north shore of the lake, June 12

Before sunrise, June 11, mist rises from the lake, with Red Maple and Elderberry in foreground and downtown buildings in the distance

Mourning Dove on wire west of the lake, morning, June 12

Five House Sparrows try out the new yellow feeder on our porch, morning, June 17

In two months, like our garden plants, the young ones of our Canada Geese families have matured from two throngs of fuzzy goslings to almost fully-grown adults. See the flotilla of 30 here in the Northeast corner of the lake, early morning, June 23

What adventures await us in the last week of June and into July?

April 2025: To Save All Life, Don’t “Drain the Swamp”

/ Chris Thaiss / Leave a comment

Osprey, an iconic Chesapeake wetlands shorebird, makes a rare appearance atop the dead oak on the east bank of our little inland lake, April 20. The visiting, fish-eating raptor stays for a while, then swoops over the lake…

…scans our lake at Easter sunrise, then flies off to find other wetlands

In this month’s entry:

Draining the Swamp: Recipe for Annihilation
Garden Update: Frost Is Past, Plants Take Hold
Cherry Blossoms and Honoring Real Heroes
The April 2025 Gallery: Remember Earth Day? Nature Keeps Fighting

White Azaleas in bloom by the gazebo, west bank of lake, warm twilight, April 24

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Draining the Swamp: Recipe for Annihilation

12,000 acres burned in Ocean County, New Jersey, as wildfires increase across the country, April 23 (CNN photo)

Whenever I hear the President’s rallying cry of “Drain the swamp!”–by which he refers to the ongoing mass firings in federal agencies since he took office on January 20–I wonder if he at all appreciates what “Drain the swamp” really means. Failing to value what swamps are and what they accomplish can doom all life.

Given his long history as a speculative builder of hotels and other urban properties, he perhaps thinks of swamps as messy, smelly, icky, treacherous places that get in the way of steel and concrete foundations, can thwart builders’ dreams, and often contain creatures like snakes, alligators, and disease-bearing mosquitoes. His hatred of swamps is part of his incessant campaign to destroy the environmental protections (see Newsweek, March 13, “What Comes Next?”) enacted since 1970 by a succession of Presidents, starting with Republican Richard Nixon, who founded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  It’s likely that the current President resents the term “wetlands,” and especially the phrase “protect wetlands,” applied to those swampy places that impede two of his favorite ventures: turning public lands over to fossil fuel drillers and enabling so-called “developers” to turn natural environments into more and more commercial districts of concrete and steel.

The Cradle of Life

What he certainly does not sufficiently value when he thinks of swamps (like Virginia’s Great Dismal Swamp pictured above) is that they have been and continue to be the cradle of life on this planet, the purifier of all fresh water, and the essential meeting and mixing place between land and sea. Without swamps, bogs, mires, fens, marshlands, lakeshores, wetlands, coral reefs, vernal pools, or whatever you want to call them, all life will die out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetland

Planting Easter eggs: Mallard pair builds their nest along the north shore of our little lake at Easter sunrise. The drastic, ongoing decline (30% lost) of birds since 1970 has been caused in part by the erasure of these precious water/land interfaces across the globe.

Drought, Wildfires, and the Loss of “Swamps”

The photo of the New Jersey wildfire at the top of this section seems a strange juxtaposition with the pleasant video of the Mallard nesting pair, but they are closely related. Global warming (another term our President despises and refuses to acknowledge) is making the Earth steadily drier, including the U.S., as the regularly-updated U.S. Drought Monitor https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu shows:

You’ll note that the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states–including both New Jersey and Northern Virginia–have been in a long-term (SL on the map) period of what the map labels severe drought, though local officials (at least in our region) rarely mention that there might be a problem, because we are not yet at a stage of having to restrict water usage. But those of us who garden (see the “garden update” section, below) are already very aware of the shortage of rain.

Not only does drought intensify the chances for wildfires, but lack of rain steadily erodes wetlands, as I see each day when I walk around the lake and notice the slow exposure of more dry shoreline. More dry shoreline means fewer nesting spots for Mallards and other waterfowl, as well as turtles, such as the Northern Red-bellied Cooters that adorn this blog most months of the year.

17! Red-bellied Cooters, babies and adults, throng this log near the south shore of the lake, April 17. Turtle eggs nest in the mud near the shore, emerge underwater in the fall, and winter in a dormant state underwater in winter. They come above the surface once the temp gets to 60, for at least part of the day.

Flood control. And just as wetlands reduce wildfire risk, so they also help control floods, by capturing excessive rain that would otherwise flow unimpeded through streets, over rock-hard drought lands, and into rapidly swelling streams during flash floods events. Soft wetlands allow excess floodwater to percolate into the aquifer underground, where it is saved for future use, rather than be propelled down rushing streams destroying anyone and anything in its path.

Kentucky River floods Frankfort, the Kentucky capital city, amid record rains in the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys, April 7 (Photo: Jon Cherry/AP)

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Garden Update: Frost is Past, Sun Abounds, Plants Take Hold

Swiss Chard plant takes hold, three weeks in ground, our community garden plot, April 22, Earth Day

We’re slowly learning the lessons of the Northern Virginia climate as we nurture our small plot in the community garden in our town. Twice in the past month we learned the hard way about planting too early here. Even though the average low temps from late March to mid April were in the 40s, all it took were two nights when the temp dipped to 32 or below (27!) for us to lose tomato, squash, and pepper seedlings. Note to self: Northern Virginia is definitely not Northern California, where we could safely grow year round.

Still, those two setbacks aside, we’ve now had two solid weeks of steadily warming temps for our assemblage of veggies, fruits, herbs, and flowers to thrive in our little patch (225 sq. feet) in the community collection of small gardens.

Our full garden plot, newly mulched, and with veggies and flowers thriving in the steadily warming temps, April 25

Some of our plants are varieties we had success with in California: cherry and grape tomatoes, hot and mild peppers, strawberries, zucchini, eggplant, Swiss chard, basil, mint, thyme, sage, lavender, and oregano.  One species, Blueberries (two bushes, in ground a month now), are thriving here in this cooler climate, and had no trouble with those 2 nights below freezing. They like the cold, as do the strawberries, but we’ll see how the blueberries hold up when it gets into the 90s in July.

Our two Strawberry plants, perennials, we inherited in this plot, and they are blooming prolifically.

Our two Blueberry bushes , which cross pollinate, loved the March cold and are blooming nicely, April 25

One third of the plot we devote to flowers. The hearty Pansies, purple and yellow, have been thriving since March planting as have the pink Dianthus (one of our California favorites), and just this week we’ve added purple Petunias. One discovery here is the plethora of fast-spreading ground cover such as bright Blue Speedwell and pink Henbit, which will take over everything if we let it.

Purple and Yellow Pansies and Purple Petunias vie with Blue Speedwell and Pink Henbit in the flowery third of our plot, April 25

In drier, hotter California, the challenge was to provide enough water to grow what we’d planted. We rarely had to pull so-called “weeds”: by which people mean any plant that you don’t want to grow in a space where you want to grow something else. Here, the relatively wetter climate encourages less-wanted plants to thrive, so “weeding” of plants like Dandelions and “Creeping Charlie” are daily chores. So the task for us is to  judge the balance between what we’ve planted and the volunteers that already love our ground.

Stay watching for updates. One challenge will be providing enough watering to keep the plants thriving in our severely drought-affected new normal. As a neighbor gardener put it this week, “We’re not used to worrying about rain.”

Also taking hold is this Husky Cherry Red Tomato, April 25. We loved these in California and hope they do as well here.

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Cherry Blossom Tradition and Honoring Real U.S. Heroes

Cherry Blossoms in full bloom, and the city of Rosslyn across the Tidal Basin and the Potomac, March 27

We made our annual visit to the D.C. Tidal Basin in late March, with the Yoshino Cherry Trees and Magnolias in full bloom and the entire Basin area teeming with students and adults visiting from many places. Not only were the trees magnificent, but we reveled in the joy of the crowds, particularly in the patriotic spirit of the thousands from diverse origins and backgrounds who took the opportunity to visit the three memorials that surround the Basin: the Jefferson Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial, and the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial. At each huge installation, the inspiring words of these authentic heroes of democracy and courage are emblazoned on the walls, and offer us who stand before them messages of hope and encouragement to persevere in our endeavors to respect one another, seek fellowship with the peoples of the world, and keep alive the idea of the U.S. as a friend in times of mutual need.

Pair of Grackles call out from brilliant Magnolia, Tidal Basin, March 27

Crowds throng the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial, March 27

Words of hope among many sayings of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt carved into the walls at the FDR Memorial, March 27

Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin through the trees, March 27

Words of Martin Luther King, Jr., on wall of the memorial, March 27

Rebuilding the Basin. We also wanted to see how work had progressed over the year since we had last visited the Tidal Basin. Since 2023, the Basin has been undergoing a massive reconstruction, because sea level rise in Chesapeake Bay, caused by global warming, was every day forcing the waters of the tidal Potomac to overflow the Basin’s walls. More than 150 of the precious cherry trees have been removed because of the worsening flooding.

Not a true wetland, the Basin had been built in the 19th century as part of the massive draining of swampland in the nation’s Capital to enable construction of many of the now iconic buildings of the federal city. Lacking a wetland’s actual resilience in changing conditions, it was inevitable that a massive reconstruction of the Basin’s stone walls and dredging of the bottom like that going on now would be eventually needed.  Fossil-fuel-caused climate change accelerated the need. See the March 2024 blog for a history of the 19th century “draining of the swamp” and its ongoing repercussions.

The project is expected to be completed next year, in time for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S.

The 3-year reconstruction of the Tidal Basin is moving the walls a hundred yards back from the originally-constructed shoreline near the Jefferson Memorial, with the loss of a few hundred trees.

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A Cottontail “Easter Bunny” hides in the northwest corner of the shoreline, April 20

The April 2025 Photo/Video Gallery: Nature Keeps On Keepin’ On

Welcome to the Babies! And to more wetland rites of spring here and elsewhere in our region. (Oh, plus three kitchen treats. Would not forget those!)

Surprise, surprise! Despite this winter’s cold, the Canada Goose babies are here by our lake at the same time as in last year’s earlier spring. Congrats to the parents!

Very rarely do Mallard females fly into trees and look to build nests above shoregrounds. This one on the west side of our lake was a real surprise, April 19

This Cardinal male in mid call atop a roof south of the lake, April 19

And here’s a very different view of a Cardinal male in closeup shadow in a Black Cherry tree, west bank, April 26

Watch this same Mallard female fly up to the broken branch in the Walnut tree while a Downy Woodpecker comments, April 19

At the National Aquarium in Baltimore, which we visited on April 10, an attempt is being made to re-create a marsh in the water outside. Here, a Mallard male rests on a bed of reeds. For almost 150 years, this harbor water had been a dump for industrial waste. With federal aid, the clean-up has been ongoing for 50 years, but will it continue?

This Mourning Dove shares the same roof with the Cardinal pictured above, April 19

On Easter Sunday, we visited relatives at their rural home. Here a beautiful tiny lizard enjoys the sun by their pond.

3-foot-long Yellow Largemouth Bass, the dominant fish in our little lake, swims near the north shore on a warm April 25

The annual magnificent woodland display of Bluebells covers acres at nearby Riverbend Park on the Potomac. We visited on April 6.

Grey Catbird perches in a Red Cedar along the west bank of our lake, April 26

Cardinal female and Yellow-rumped Warbler call from the Willow Oak beside the southeast cove, April 19

My first sighting this year of a Bumblebee, in the gazebo by the lake, April 19. These pollinators are essential to life here.

The Willow Oak by the cove also gave a perch to this acrobatic House Sparrow on April 19.

Carolina Wren makes music most days, but I don’t see them nearly enough. This one perched beside me in this Weeping Willow on the west bank on April 26.

Song Sparrow calls from the leafing Persimmon on the east bank of the lakeshore, April 26. I’d never want to imagine a month without a Sparrow song.

American Goldfinch in dry Cutleaf Teazel, north of dam, April 4

Jean’s one-of-a kind Coconut Custard Pie, with Filo Dough crust, April 26

Jean’s Easter Bunny Carrot Cake with cupcakes, April 20

Jean’s Easter Deviled Eggs with Crab, Olives, and Cucumber Pickles, April 20

First sighting of the year: Green Heron, usually a late summer bird, here now as another April surprise, in the Willow Oak on the east bank, rainy morning, April 26

The birds always seem their most ebullient on these warm, drizzly mornings after an overnight rain. The lakeshore, our local wetland, rejoices. And so we venture on to the marvelous month of May.

C Is for Cherry Plums

/ Chris Thaiss / Leave a comment

garden cherry plum plucking - 1Written June 24, 2011 (addition August 2016 below)

Chris:

Even slower than last year, it took April, May, and half of June before the Valley heated up the way it should. So I’m not surprised that the purple jewels are behind, even more behind than last year. By June 22 in 2010, I had harvested a few hundred ripe ones from the tree in our yard and from the third of the neighbor’s tree that hangs over our back fence. I had help–my daughter Ann Louise, who was visiting, then young co-worker Elliott and his wife Elise. A big bucket two-thirds full of little round fruit just bursting with tart-sweet flavor. Not super sweet like bing or rainier cherries, but tarter, like baking cherries. Elliott, a gardener and cook, to whom I gave half the pickings, kept asking, “Are you sure they’re cherries?”

I, too, had doubts from the very start. They were the size of cherries, and the pits were like cherry pits, but they were not as solidly meaty as cherries and they were juicier. And the juice was sweet and sour, and when you bit into the fruit, the skin seemed like…and the juice squirted like…a little plum. You know, sort of like the round, red kind about the size of a tennis ball—but these were lots smaller and darker—but not at all like the little Italian purple plums that turn into prunes.

Now, if you had a cherry that acted like a plum, or vice versa, what would you call it? That’s right. So I googled “cherry plum,” and knew what I had.

Now cherry plums won’t lose their sourness as they ripen. That’s who they are: citrusy sour with a nice sugary promise. You can eat them off the tree or from a bowl if you like, but expect to pucker, a lot. I guarantee that your dinner guests won’t like them, unless they’re adventurous eaters.

So why pick them at all—other than perhaps to keep your garden floor from getting covered in splatted little plums in July and August, when they fall, overripe? Pick them because they make an absolutely stupendous cherry plum jam. More on that later.

Right now I want to rhapsodize on the picking itself. What’s so much fun is how the little buggers hide. Well, they don’t hide exactly, but the tree does nothing to make them stand out. Imagine this: a purple tree, well sort of maroonish purple, like a Japanese maple, but with little leaves that curl, so the curled leaf looks like the little plum and the little plum looks like the leaf. The first, or even the second, or even the third time you look at a branch, trying to find the plums, you won’t see them. Or you’ll grab at a leaf because you think you see a plum. Finally you’ll see them—aha!—and you’ll grab its smooth, plump surface and pull it easily, with a snap, from the twig. Then gradually you’ll see another and a few more and suddenly you’ll see clusters where you thought there were only leaves. And you’ll pick them steadily, still being fooled sometimes by leaves, until you’re sure that no more plums could possibly be found in that part of the tree. But tomorrow, or the next day, as you pass under a branch on your way to pull a creeping vine from your fuchsia, you’ll look up to see more plums. Not new ones, you know, but ones you missed.

Adding to the fun, of course, is being old and not really enjoying anymore climbing ladders into fruit trees. Oh, who am I kidding? I feel like the boy in Frost’s poem swinging birches or like my own self as a kid hoisting myself limb by stout limb into Mark Diamond’s willow tree and looking down with a bird’s eye view. Nowadays, that bird’s eye view is from four rungs up, not high enough to even hoist myself onto the lowest branch, but it feels high to me at 63, and what I like best is to be surrounded by plum branches, cooled on a hot June day, and peer at the light filtered through a bright screen of purple leaves, shadows and beams flickering in the breeze, and—aha!—another cluster of purple pearls magically appearing where none had been the moment before.

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Now, about that jam:

Step 1: Since the cherry plums are bing size or a bit larger, you can use a cherry pitter on most of them to pluck out the pits. Beware of spurting juice—wear an apron or old clothes and rinse your hands frequently. Any plums too big for the pitter will need to be sliced and de-pitted by hand. It’s not a quick process, but you’ll get into a rhythm.

Indeed, if you don’t have a pitter, no problem. This year, my pitter broke early in the process. So I just dug into each plum with thumb and fingers and squeezed the pit out, taking care to keep the plum over the bowl and guard against squirts of juice by cupping each plum in my left palm as my right hand dug in.

Step 2: Let the de-pitted plums fall into a nice big bowl, so the juice won’t get lost. You’ll gradually accumulate a big pile of skins, meat, and juice. Note: The pits you place in another saucepan and set aside–you’ll come back to them.

Step 3: Now place your saucepan with the plum mixture (I had so many I used a large souppot) on low heat and watch the plum mixture as it cooks down, stirring as much as you need to to keep the mix from sticking to the sides as the mixture thickens.

Step 4: Remember, these little guys are more sour than sweet, so you’ll need to add sugar or other sweetener to taste. (I like to add other fruit juices, like apple or grape, along with about a cup of sugar, to my largest pot, which holds at least 400 little plums.) As the mixture cooks down, taste the syrup and see if you need more sweetener. I don’t like mine too sweet; I’d much rather have the fruit flavors dominate.

It’s also your choice if you want to add pectin for thickening. Again, how much you add depends on how thick you want your jam. I put a small package in a mix of 200-300 plums last year, and the jam was more syrupy than your usual store-bought version, but not runny, especially because you keep the jam refrigerated after cooking.

This year I didn’t use pectin and kept all the skins in the mixture. I cooked the mixture for about 90 minutes and the result was excellent in texture, the skins soft, the juice syrupy when cooled.

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Step 5: As the mixture cooks down (it’ll take at least an hour on low heat), the skins will come away from the plums. Old-time preservers often kept the skins in the mix, as I did this year; your choice. Last year, I plucked them all out with tongs, and the results were great. But the skins-in version this year may be even better.

Step 6: Remember those pits? You can’t get all the meat and juice off in the pitting process, so you’ll want to add a couple cups of water to the saucepan in which you saved them, bring the mix to a boil, and let it boil for about 15 minutes, enough time for the pits to blanch and the meat and juice to separate off into the water. Then scoop out the pits with a slotted spoon and discard them. Pour the meat and juice mix into the rest of the plums and keep cooking on low heat.

Step 7: Last year’s product filled two 10-ounce jars and one 30-ounce jar, 50 ounces in all, and with regular refrigeration, we had plum jam for ten months—or until the new plums were on the tree and almost ready for harvesting! Some we gave away in small jars and the folks we treated loved the product. My daughter Irene made original labels for the 10-ounce jars. She called one “Plumderful” and the other “It’s a Plum!” I don’t know what the names will be this year, but the jam will again be an inspiration.

This year’s skins-in version made lots more: about 160 ounces divided among jars of different sizes, some for eating and gifting, a few for freezing. For me, the great fun of this adventure is feeling all year long, as I spoon the purple delight onto my toast, the memories of the good times that went into the making. What a miracle that all this bounty comes from these silent gems that do their best to hide in the garden just above your head.

Addition, August 2016

kitchen canning cherry plums - 1

Six years into the jamming and still going strong. After our more abundant rains in the 2015-16 season, this year’s crop of cherry plums was our best yet. I plucked more than 600 from our side-yard tree, and didn’t have to get above rung three on the step ladder. (Last year, with meager rain, we had our worst crop–only 200 from the entire tree up to rung four!)

I’m happy to say that the cooking method described above is still producing delicious jam. I gave up trying to use the cherry pitter two years ago–just a bit too narrow for these little plump plums. But finger and thumb plucking the pits works just fine, and practice improves efficiency. Just be sure to take a short break in mid-pitting if your back starts to ache. This isn’t an endurance test or a race. Give yourself a half a day at least for the whole process, from pitting to cooking to canning.

About canning (or, more accurately, jarring): Jean uses 8-ounce Ball jars with their tight-seal lids and follows the instructions for boiling and sealing. This process ensures that the “Plumderful” can be kept in the pantry indefinitely until the seal is broken. Once the jar is opened, keep refrigerated. We’ve found it’s best to use up the jam in an opened jar in no more than a couple of months, as the contents will eventually get moldy. That’s why it’s a good idea to use small jars rather than jars more appropriate for pasta sauce.

We’ve also had good luck freezing jam jars that are not vacuum sealed. We’ve kept jars for a couple of years this way. Once thawed, the jam keeps its texture and is still full of flavor.

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And, oh yes, there’s nothing more fun than labelling the jars, especially if you have a grandchild to help you, as I did this year, with grandson Adrian.

kitchen grandson adrian labels cherry plum jars - 1

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C Is Also for Coffee

September 10, 2016

Jean

Coffee interests me in several ways besides being a bracing hot drink that pairs with my favorite breakfast pastries.  (I’m trying not to get distracted thinking about those, despite having just watched an episode on the Cooking Channel dealing with Parisian pastry shops.)

Chris is making a fresh pot of coffee right now.  Decaf actually, since neither of us needs the electrical jolt of caffeine, even first thing in the morning.  I can’t wait to smell the aroma wafting through the house.  First, though, I cleaned out the grounds from our last pot by taking them to the garden.  The first way in which I am interested in coffee other than as a drink is as a soil enhancer.  Coffee is expensive; I figure we might as well get all the benefits we can from it, and Starbucks has long pushed the benefits of its grounds in the garden.  In fact, I like to pick up large bags of used grounds at our local Starbucks to spread not only under the trees and around the flowers but also around the foundation of the house.  The last time I was at our Starbucks, however, they had rearranged things a bit and done away with the basket in the corner that held the bags of grounds.  I’ll have to ask them about that.  Maybe I can get some under the counter.

I was somewhat skeptical about the value of coffee grounds at first, so I’ve done a little investigation.  Overall, the reviews are quite positive.  You can read some of the facts and opinions at sites like these:

The part I like best, however, is the second benefit of coffee grounds in the yard, and that is as a natural pest deterrent.  It seems that snails and slugs don’t like the grounds, nor do ants and roaches.  (We have roaches in the soil in northern California.)  Since our beautiful Norwegian forest cat died after we had some spraying done for a massive ant invasion a couple of years ago, I have vowed to invite no more commercial sprayers to the house.  Instead I put coffee grounds all around the edges of the house where the ants liked to enter and I have seen almost none of the little pests.  Chris is also exclaiming that he has seen far fewer snails.  He may not realize why.
In addition to these benefits of coffee, of course, I love to bake with it.  My favorite coffee drink is mocha and my favorite pastries have a little espresso or mocha flavor as well.  Leaving aside for the moment the wonders of coffee with chocolate, I need to comment on its use in barbecue sauce.

Let me first say that I love barbecue sauces of almost all kinds.  Coming from Kansas City, my favorite has long been that dark, spicy, sweet and sour K.C. sauce.  Chris, however, has always complained about “sweet” barbecue sauces, even when the balance of sweet with sour is quite complex.  He claimed to like only the vinegar and mustard based sauces but those can be a bit too puckery for my taste.  Actually, he can do without the sauce entirely, preferring dry rubs most of all.  I get his point, but I do regret giving up that gooey sauce that gets all over your fingers (and chin, in my case) and mixes so well with the beans on the side.

I have finally realized that the answer to this dilemma is a coffee based barbecue sauce.  I’ve tried a couple of different recipes, and they are just delicious.  You can get that unctuous, sticky, carmelized coating on the ribs or whatever meat you are using without it tasting either sweet or sour.  It’s just simply full-flavored and seriously delicious–umami, if you will. (See our post, “D Is for Dirt,” for another take on umami.)

Here are a few of my favorite recipes, although of course, I take liberties with the recipes when I feel like it.  (I might feel like adding a little chocolate to take it in that mocha direction!  You can make it spicy like mole as well.)  These recipes are basically simple, no long list of spices and ingredients like some barbecue sauces.  So long as that coffee flavor comes through, you’re gold.   Have fun with it.

One final touch that really sent my coffee ribs over the top for Chris was a sprinkle of finishing salt–specifically, a dark, smoked salt I got in some packet of specialty salts, but you could use a different chunky salt.

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Coffee-Barbecue-Chicken-The-Chew

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/michaels-coffee-braised-short-ribs-recipe.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chile-coffee-bbq-sauce-recipe.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-chiarello/michael-chiarellos-babyback-ribs-with-espresso-barbecue-sauce-recipe2.html#!