There’s a beautiful pigeon that lives in the Key Food parking lot on 87th street and the blvd. The lot is littered with garbage and oily pools of water, especially by the can return area. The pigeons don’t seem to mind. The beautiful pigeon’s plumage is a burnt auburn color, except for under her large wings, where she’s white and gray. (I’m assuming it’s a she because she’s so glamorous.) She appears to be stout and healthy. When I walk over there to run errands, I always take a little time to look for her. She is a beautiful site to see, especially in contrast to the unattractive parking-lot-world she lives in.
My great uncle Pep used to have a pigeon coup in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on the roof of his apartment. Many Italians did back then. My mother told me he was so proud of his flock and spent a lot of time up there training the birds and drinking beer. The pigeons were the topic of many conversations at their dinner table, I was told. If only I could’ve been a fly on that wall.
A month or so ago at The Wave, we saw pigeons “fighting” outside the window. It looked as though they were pecking aggressively into each other’s mouths. But I thought the behavior was too repetitive to be a feather flying fight so I googled … and what do you know? They were engaging in a mating ritual! Do you know that pigeons (like most birds) mate for life? So adorbs!
More interesting, pigeons have been used for centuries as messengers. It was first noted 3000 years ago. The birds carried messages spreading the news of winners of ancient Olympic games. Pigeons were used again during war times to carry messages for long distances from military units. Most famously was a bird named Cher Ami (French for dear friend). She successfully carried an important message from an encircled allied battalion during World War I, despite having several injuries. Cher Ami was awarded a medal of honor for heroics. Her taxidermied body is in a Smithsonian Institution in New Jersey.
Before the telephone these spectacular birds were used commercially as a means of communication. It has been recorded that pigeons can fly 1,100 miles and find their way back.
The homing pigeon was bred ultimately from a wild rock dove, specifically for this important task. These birds have magnetoreception, which is a sense that detects the magnetic fields on earth, giving the fowl the ability to perceive direction, altitude and location!
When I think of all these little things it makes me sad that these beautiful, intelligent birds get such a bad wrap in NYC. They are survivors and you need to be living in this crazy city! If your interested in other NYC animals just trying to make there way in the big apple check out this fun and informative podcast, 10 Things That Scare Me, hosted by Amy Pearl here.
For more on animals, follow Paula on instagram – @theglorifiedtomato
by Paula D.
on March 22, 2020 11:17 am in Food / Recipes
I was flipping through a magazine and came across a recipe for homemade jumbo soft pretzels. It struck a chord.
I remember as a kid going into Manhattan to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree with my family. My sisters and I would beg my dad to stop and get us pretzels from the corner cart. It was December and cold outside. The steam rising from the twirling pretzels inside the glass case was all I could focus on. It reminded me of the animated Christmas displays – the ones in the windows at Macy’s that we’d also visit. My father would cave and buy us the pretzels, despite knowing we’d be covered in mustard for the rest of the day. Holding the warm pretzel in our hands was pure joy!
When I was a teenager, my friends and I would take the LIRR into the city to hang out at bars or just to walk around. We’d grab a pretzel almost every time. It became a ritual of sorts. Also, as teens, we were scraping together our money for the day and those pretzels were perfectly priced, filling and delicious!
And yet again, pretzels pop into my memory thinking about those long days commuting from Long Island when I first started working in the city at Morgan Stanley. My saving grace those nights were getting a mini-bottle of red wine and a pretzel from Auntie Anne’s in Penn Station for the train ride home. Butter, bread, and salt is the cure for any terrible day of work.
When I finally moved out of my parents (against their wishes at 28 yrs old), I moved to Ridgewood, Queens. My home away from home was an old German watering-hole called Gottscheer Hall Before the bar became hip, a few friends of mine would hang out with the old-timers, having beers and sharing Gottscheer’s super-large pretzel. It’s probably 15 inches square! A hot pretzel with cheese sauce and a cold Hofbrau on tap were on the menu for me many Friday nights back then.
Clearly, I love soft pretzels. I had to try this recipe. This was my first attempt at making homemade pretzels. I’m not much of a baker and to be honest, this was a big project for a beginner. All the work (and cleaning) did pay off.
The pretzels were salty, buttery and delicious! My friend Rob was over and tried one. He said the texture was more like focaccia than a dense pretzel. Italian pretzels anyone?! I’m sure my baking mathematics played a role in this. My dough was soft and airy, not as dense as a standard pretzel. I had the idea to make it again and add cured black olives! Give the recipe a try. It’s worth the effort!
P.S. I hate hard pretzels.
Soft Butter Pretzels
(Makes 10 medium sized pretzels)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1 cup bread flour
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda
4 tablespoons butter
4 Coarse salt to taste
Mustard for dipping
Directions
Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in a mixing bowl; stir to dissolve. Add sugar and stir to dissolve; add flour and salt. Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Let rise till doubled in size or at least 1 hour. While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 tablespoons baking soda. This process is the trick for a shiny, salty exterior and a chewy center)
After dough has risen, punch the air out of it. Divide the dough into 10 pieces, roll into a long rope. (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. Shape the rope like a U and cross the two ends over each other, pull the ends down and attach them at the bottom of the U.
Carefully dip pretzel in soda solution for 20 seconds and place on greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again till doubled in size. Baking at 400°F for about 10 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter, add salt and enjoy!
Recipe from www.savoryonline.com
Oxalis regnellii, better known as the Shamrock Plant is a lovely little one that will bring bright color (and maybe good luck) into your home well past St. Patrick’s Day.
The Shamrock Plant reaches a max height of 8 inches tall. The leaves are clover-shaped and in the spring, fall, and winter, small delicate flowers appear. There are over 570 species with a rainbow range of color, from bright and dark greens to the sought-after burnt oranges and dark purple foliage. Exposure to the sun will cause these color nuances in either the green or purple varieties.
Oxalis grows from rhizomes or bulbs, which is a unique feature for a houseplant*. And it’s easy to care for because of this. For example, if you miss watering for a while the bulbs go dormant. Start watering again and the plant reappears like magic! Another little trick this plant pulls out of its hat … at night the leaves fold up and close, reopening in the morning with the sunlight.
Speaking of sunlight, Oxalis regnellii likes sunny indirect light. A southeast facing window will work best but it’s a hardy plant and can tolerate various lighting conditions. I water my plant once a week in the winter and 2 twice a week in the spring/summer. It likes moist soil. Let it dry in between waterings to prevent root rot.
The Shamrock Plant can easily be propagated by separating the rhizomes and replanting in soil.
All of us remember as kids searching through the grass to find the lucky four-leaf clover. In 11th grade, at lacrosse practice I scooped up a four-leaf clover as I was going for a ground ball, I swear! I framed it and have it somewhere in my parents’ basement.
So, what is the difference between Oxalis, Clover, four-leaf Clover and shamrocks? Here’s the breakdown.
A shamrock according to Encyclopedia Britannica, is any of several similar-appearing trifoliate plants (leaves divided into three leaflets). Plants called shamrocks include the family Oxalidaceae, or any of various plants of the pea family, including white clover, suckling clover, and black medic.
Therefore, clovers, the ground clover plant, and the house plant Oxalis are both considered shamrocks. Four-leaf clovers are a genetic mutation of the clover. They are rare to find, but not impossible with the luck of the Irish.
For more on plants and gardening follow Paula for the day to day on instagram – @theglorifiedtomato
*Oxalis regnellii, can also be grown outdoors in our garden zone 7. It must be dug up and brought in before the frost.
New York City has finally passed a ban on most single-use plastic bags, catching up to 300 towns and cities across the U.S. and 55 countries in Europe. According to the Dept. of Environmental Conservation, New Yorkers use an estimated 23 billion plastic bags annually — each for about 12 minutes — and approximately 85% of this staggering total ends up in our landfills, recycling machines, waterways, and streets. And oceans! Living so close to the ocean, I feel a responsibility to respect and protect wildlife and our coastal environment. I’m thrilled about the New York State Bag Waste Reduction Act, as I’m sure many of you are too.
Beginning this Sunday, March 1st, it is illegal for most retailers to give you a plastic bag to carry purchases in. NYC has opted for a 5-cent paper bag fee just in case you forget your reusable tote bag. The restrictions and rules can be a little confusing as we transition into this plastic-free shopping realm. Gothamist.com as an in depth article outlining everything you need to know about how the plastic bag restriction will affect individuals and business owners. I strongly recommend reading about it here.
For the past several years, I’ve gotten into the habit of bringing my tote bags food shopping and to other stores. I’ve built up a large collection. For those of you who need to purchase reusable tote bags or want to “shop in style”, I’ve compiled a list of fashionable totes sold by our favorite local business. And men, don’t you worry, “the man bag” is so trendy these days.
Cuisine by Claudette sells a sturdy tote with their iconic hand drawn logo design on it. Take it to the gym or to CVS, it’s versatile! Purchase the Cuisine by Claudette tote at either of their two locations: 143 Beach 116th Street, Rockaway Park 11694 or 190 Beach 69th Street, Arverne
Have you been to the new eatery Thank You? The food is delicious. Drop by to try it and also pick up one of these rad reusable totes! Located at 214 B 116th St, Rockaway Park.
Buy a bag of books or take this fun typographic tote anywhere you go. Visit Avoid The Day’s new brick and mortar at 9904 A Rockaway Beach Blvd, Rockaway Park, to get this fun bag and others.
The Swellife has a few reusable tote options and they’re all adorable. Perfect for the farmers market or the beach! Visit the shop located at 91-08 Rockaway Beach Blvd, Rockaway Beach.
I love this hip, leopard, hand-painted tote bag from Life Eclectic. The bag is made of natural cotton fiber. Wear it out on the town or take it to the grocery store. It’s on sale now! Visit the website Free delivery within Rockaway!
Shop local and do your part to reduce single-use waste — it’s a win-win!
