Hawk Haven Winery | Rio Grande, NJ

 

 

On my way down to see Cape May Brewing Company,  I drove past a sign for Hawk Haven Winery and it looked kind of interesting, so on my way home I stopped. When Todd Wuerker saw me get out of my car with a big camera, he scurried, afraid I was trying to sell him something. Eventually, he came back around and we talked for a couple of hours, and even drank some wine. They have a great product, a promising venue and a story to tell. I'll be back.

Cape May Brewing Co

Last weekend I ventured down to Cape May to see about a new brewery right here in our county and aptly named the Cape May Brewing Company. They've been open for a little less than a year, but they're getting ready to expand so I'll be visiting them again soon. Keep a look out around June or July.

Barn Raising In Goshen

 

 

SALT | CONCEPT ISSUE | APRIL 2012

Welcome to SALT, the concept issue. A digital magazine dedicated to Culture, Art, Retail and Dining in Cape May County, New Jersey.

For now, we're playing around with editorial content and guaging interest from the local business community. There's been a very good response so far.

We will be looking for contributors eventually. Mostly as a community thing. For fun. We won't be able to pay, but there should be some good exposure.

So if you're a photographer, writer or illustrator, or know one who you think is great, drop me a note with your submission ideas and some samples of your work. 

Have a shop, restaurant, event or personality that you think we should cover? Send it along.

Interested in advertising your product, company or service? Let me know. I'd like to make a note about this as well. While we will be accepting advertising, we have very strict guidelines as to the quality of the advertising we'll take. If it's not up to our artistic standards, we'll be happy to design your ad for you at no charge. But we're looking for branded advertising only. No specials. No coupons. No deals. If the advertising is tacky, the magazine becomes tacky. Then it's not worth doing.

This is the beauty of doing something yourself, and for which you don't care if you make money on. You can make your own rules.

For editorial submissions:

submissions@saltnj.com

To submit story ideas:

stories@saltnj.com

To ask about advertising availability:

sales@saltnj.com

The Magic Of Easter (Chicks)

Twenty days ago, we put 18 freshly laid eggs in an incubator, added a little water to the CIRCULATION trough, and plugged it in. Tomorrow, which will be 21 days exactly, we will have fuzzy, yellow chicks. It's incredible really. Any other day and I'm cracking eggs into a bowl to eat. But cook them at 100° for 21 days and you get a chicken. Astounding to me.

Jane woke me up this morning with a look on her face like Christmas morning. "We're going to have chicks," she said. The chicks were cheeping and cracking through their shells already.

This shouldn't actually be a big deal for us. We've done this six or seven times before. But unlike our last rooster, our current one didn't seem overly romantic. In other words, he wasn't tackling a poor hen every time we turned around and giving her what-for, which is what our last rooster did. Our old hens often looked like they'd been put through the wringer. Well, apparently, the new guy is doing his business, he's just doing it with a lot less fanfare, not to mention wear and tear on the hens.

Even though they're not supposed to be here until tomorrow, we have several eggs that have little holes in them and at least one that is working pretty hard to get out. The whole thing makes Jane a little claustrophobic. Imagine being stuck in a shell, trying to get out. Yuck.

The chicks have a little sharp part on their beaks at this point that helps them poke a little hole in the egg. From that little hole, they struggle to crack the rest of the egg. You can see them resting and panting, in between struggles. You can't help them. If you do, they'll just die. And if they can't get out in a certain amount of time, they'll also die. It's survival of the fittest. Only the strong survive.

We've had years where nearly every egg hatches, and we've had off years where maybe only half do. There are a lot of variables, so it's hard to know why.

Which is why we have 18 eggs in there at the moment. We certainly don't want or need 18 chickens. Then once you do hatch them, a few die along the way. They drown in their waterer or get trampled by the other chicks. It's a rough start.

If I had to guess, I'd say we'll end up with about a dozen when it's all said and done.

Most are going to Julia and Mike (my step-daughter and her husband), but a few are probably going to end up at Stan's Crow Creek farm. Stan is also getting our extra rooster.

That's right, we have an extra rooster. Little fact for you non-chicken-raising-people. You can only have one rooster in the hen house. That's no joke. Otherwise it's chaos. So we had to kick one out. He's just been hanging around the yard. I used to kill them. Just chop off their heads and feed them to the crabs at the end of our road. But I don't like doing that. And he's beautiful. He's just one too many.

So he's moving up the road to live with Stan. And a few ladies will join him once they're old enough. If they don't all get picked off by owls, hawks and eagles, or eaten at night by coyotes, weasels, raccoons, or foxes, they'll be fine.

Spring Cleaning | The Tavern House

It's spring cleaning around The Tavern House (aka Uppie's Farm). The Tavern House is the name of our house. We didn't make it up. It's what people used to call the house. The Tavern House was built in 1725 as a private home. At some point, we think in the 1800's, it became a Tavern and stagecoach stop for travelers coming from Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia on their way to Cape May. At the end of our road, there was also a shipbuilding yard, which I can only guess also contributed patrons to a local tavern. On some of the old maps, it's referred to as The Hotel. At some point we know there was a fire, but how and when it became a residence again, we just don't know.

Clockwise: spigot, blueberry bush, raised beds, hosta

We often refer to it as Uppie's Farm. Uppie is my wife, or at least that's what she's know by to our nieces, grandchild, and a growing number of people. We've come to that point in our lives, where grown adult friends are starting to call us by our nicknames. It won't be long now till friends and family all start calling me Grandie. Uppie's Farm is how our nieces referred to our home when they lived in Switzerland. We had a big yard, chickens, pigs, a garden, so naturally they thought of it as her farm. I just live here.

Clockwise: Tavern House, Side Porch, Sconce, Mailbox, Front Porch, Hedgerow

Today is a nice Spring day. Not really nice, but the kind of day that's nice to work in the yard. Or at least it's a nice day for someone to work. I prefer to take pictures and write about it. So Jane hired a young guy who's cleaning out the gutters, clearing brush away, etc... He's no joke.

Jane got a new rain barrel for Mother's Day. It's here a bit early. I still need to hook it up, but being I'm about as handy as a one-armed violinist, I'll need to get one of our daughter's husbands over here to help.

Clockwise: Rain Barrel, Brass Spigot, Black and white, Intake

They're made out of old Whiskey barrels, refurbished, and then fitted out with intakes and a brass fixture. They're pretty actually. Ours is currently sitting by our back door. Not sure if it will be able to stay there or not.

Jane's hired man Paul, cleaned out the raised beds a few weeks ago and spread mulch, so the garden already looks pretty good. He also totally cleaned out the raspberry bushes, which were completely out of control. We replaced them with two blueberry bushes, which we're hopeful about. Jane also planted some leafy greens, which are just about the only thing you can put in the ground this time of year. Our perennial herbs look good but even they need to be controlled or they spread like weeds. As they say, the definition of a weed is any plant NOT growing where you want it to.

Clockwise: Romaine, Oregano, Black-Eyed Susan, Red Leaf Lettuce, Chives, Rosemary

Jane wanted to paint the living room this Spring, but it just may have to wait until the Fall. I think she's already over the idea of having someone in the house. She's moved on to other things in her mind.

Clockwise: Kitchen Window, Child's Boots, LR Window, Basket, Firewood, Pots/Pans

Admittedly, we're in between seasons. It might be nice our during the day, but that doesn't mean you don't want a warm fire blazing later than night. Although as the season has definitely changed, Jane cooks differently. Not because we have access to different kinds of fresh foods, but because things that might have been acceptable a few weeks ago, are now "winter foods." She claims that a lot of it is how much time she wants to spend cooking, rather than doing things outside.

A summer meal, is a meal without a lot of preparation. You want to spend as little time as possible, and you want cook inside as little as possible. Everything should either be raw, or able to throw on the grill outside. Winter meals can take all day, involve not only the oven, but every burner on the stovetop. What else are you going to do?

Final photo are a few from upstairs. Not everyone sees this area of our house, and Jane might not like showing a room she didn't inspect first, but I think they look great. Even the damn bathroom.

In a weeks we should have baby chicks, as we have a dozen or so in the incubator. Only problem is we don't know if the eggs are fertilized. Jane thinks our Rooster may be gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Clockwise: Master Bedroom, Upstairs Bathroom, Stairwell, Bedroom Floor, Bed

Kurt Kelly | Singing The Springtime Blues

Stopped by to see Kurt today. He looked great and despite claiming to only feel adequate, he was pretty fired up. We had a few laughs, a few snorts of honey and a good time.

In The Weeds | Wayward Gardner

Bekki Rich first opened the Wayward Gardner three years ago. It's a combination of nursery and garden-inspired home goods. Situated down the alley behind Coffee Talk in Stone Harbor, NJ, it can be a little hard to find unless you're looking for it. But once inside, you'll be glad you found it.

Bekki has good taste and it shows in her ability to arrange elements in a way that complement color and structure. Which means that she knows how to put a room together. 

The Wayward Gardner presents a good balance of small ticket items with some larger pieces, so it's always easy to find something you can't leave without.

While it's still a bit early for most of the flowers, Bekki has a few flats outside already. By Mother's Day, the sunny, outside courtyard will be bursting with color. For now, you're best bet for color are the sarongs near the door.

So next time you decide to stop by Coffee Talk, walk around back and visit Bekki. Tell her we said to stop by.

Angel Hair | Angel's Barber Shop

I've been growing my hair out. That sounds so strange. How else would one grow their hair. For that matter, it's not like I've made this conscious decision to grow hair. I've made a decision to stop cutting it, or at least cutting it so close to my skull. So let me start over.

I've decided to stop cutting my hair every week with clippers. Which means I probably won't be cutting my own hair for awhile. Which means I needed to find someone else to do it.

This is where Angel comes in. Angel owns a small barber shop in Cape May Court House, the next town over from me. Just walk in, you'll most likely find Angel.

That's Angel. Nice guy. Greeted me the moment I walked in the door. Shook my hand and told me he'd be right with me. And that he was.

I sat in the chair, told him what I wanted, he said he understood....Badda Bing, Badda Boom, some clippers, some shears, a hot towel, a straight razor and a few other implements of destruction, and I was all cleaned up and ready to go about my day.

There is a place in Philadelphia that's kind of like this. But they also do the old school straight razor shaves. That's a little slower pace than Angel's. But that's cool. It was a good experience.

10 Things I Like : Volume 002

For many people, Cape May County, NJ is a vacation resort. A place to spend your summer vacation, be it a week, or the entire season. But for those of us who live here, it’s a different world. So even though I didn’t grow up here, I’ve lived her for almost 17 years now. It gives me the insight of both a local, as well as an outsider. Here are the 10 things I like about Cape May County.

1. County Zoo
People who come for the first time are usually shocked at just how good our zoo is. This isn’t a couple of turtles and a parakeet. We have lions, tigers, bears, otters, giraffe, zebras, lots of small monkeys but no large primates, ostrich, buffalo, boa constrictors and alligators, bald eagles, flamingos and of course our famous snow leopards. Throw in that the only cost is whatever you decide to donate (as little as nothing if you can’t afford it), and you’ve got a world class attraction. We go several dozen times a year. Usually with kids or grandkids, but sometimes just to walk around. Sometimes you just need to pet a goat.

2. Seafood
We live in an amazing area for fresh seafood, with some pretty substantial fleets anchored in our area. The Lobster House is still probably the best place to go for a large selection of fresh merchandise. But if you know the right people, you can buy it directly from the fishermen themselves. You’ll never taste anything like it.

3. Surfing
It might not be Jeffries Bay, or Malibu, and it certainly isn’t the North Shore, but South Jersey produces some nice rides. It’s pretty much all beach break, so you’re constantly chasing waves and fighting fickle conditions, but when it’s on, it’s on. Living in the middle of corn fields like I do, but still 15 minutes from surfing is why I live where I do.

4. Birds
Cape May is known as one of the top birding spots in the world. It’s located along the Atlantic flyway, one of the busiest migratory corridors on Earth. Hundreds of species of birds heading south along the East Coast are funneled via westerly winds down the peninsula to Cape May. Many stop among the barrier islands and wetlands to eat and rest before carrying on... others choose not to proceed south across the thirteen mile stretch of the Delaware Bay and opt instead to take up in the local meadows and woodlands. The spring migration brings thousands of songbirds, shorebirds and waterfowl through the area. Between the songbirds, hummingbirds and butterflies, spring and summer is an especially lively time in our backyard.

5. Ferry
It may not seem like much, but not everyone has a fleet of ferries that travel 13 miles across salt water to another state. Gone are the days when the fancy new ferries that looked like small cruise ships graced our shores. I guess the economy took them. We’re left with simple, yet sturdy, vessels that take you, and your car, from Cape May, NJ to Lewes, DE and back again. It’s great for a day trip and if you ride your bike, it’s only $11/way.

6. Pinelands
Just over 1 million acres of largely undeveloped land, the Pine Barrens is a heavily forested area of coastal plain stretching across southern New Jersey. The name "pine barrens" refers to the area's sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil, to which the crops originally imported by European settlers didn't take well. These uncommon conditions enable the Pine Barrens to support a unique and diverse spectrum of plant life, including orchids and carnivorous plants. The area is also notable for its populations of rare pygmy Pitch Pines and other plant species that depend on the frequent fires of the Pine Barrens to reproduce. The sand that composes much of the area's soil is referred to by the locals as sugar sand. There are literally hundreds of miles of trails suitable for hiking; the Batona Trail alone is 50 miles long. It’s a beautiful ecosystem of pine trees, cedar lakes and streams, and the occasional meadow. It’s what most people DON’T think about when they think about New Jersey....despite the single Sopranos episode when Christopher and Paulie get lost in the woods. My favorite part of which was:

Tony Soprano: [over the phone] It's a bad connection so I'm gonna talk fast! The guy you're looking for is an ex-commando! He killed sixteen Chechen rebels single-handed!
Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri: Get the fuck outta here.
Tony Soprano: Yeah. Nice, huh? He was with the Interior Ministry. Guy's like a Russian green beret. He can not come back and tell this story. You understand?
Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri: I hear you.
[hangs up]
Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri: You're not gonna believe this. He killed sixteen Czechoslovakians. Guy was an interior decorator.
Christopher Moltisanti: His house looked like shit.

(By the way, every time I read that I literally chuckle. Out loud. "His house looked like shit.")

7. Brendan Borek
One of the best events of the summer is the Brendan Borek Surf Memorial. This year will be it’s 22nd consecutive year. I’ve written pretty extensively about it over the years, and last year I did a short film on it, which you can view here:



8. South Seaville Camp
Tucked deep in the pines, inland of what is now Sea Isle City, settlement of this area dates to the construction of the King's Highway in the early 1800s, Farms and lumbering camps were scattered throughout the region in 1860, when the Cape May and Millville Railroad laid down tracks through the forest. The founding of the camp meeting transformed South Seaville from a prosperous maritime community to a destination of religious pilgrimage. According to tradition, the first camp meetings were held "under the leafy canopy of oak trees." Between 1865 and 1874, Methodist campers gathered at the Cape May County Agricultural Fairgrounds. Common to every meeting was the ephemeral character of the assemblage, a seasonal occasion for the faithful to commune in a natural setting. In 1875 the camp was permanently established as the "South Jersey Camp Meeting Association located at Seaville Station, Cape May County, NJ." The founders drew an ambitious plan, with hundreds of numbered lots grouped in rectangular blocks and arranged around parks. The streets, named for past Methodist bishops, ran parallel to a central park where benches and a platform formed the main meeting ground. These more permanent structures retained much of the camp's earlier transient feeling. Buyers were expected to build a canvas or frame structure on the land within one year. Most of the cottages were simple, two-story, balloon-frame dwellings with open porches and gingerbread trim. Often resembling tents themselves, they offered no protection during the cold winter months. Those who chose not to purchase property usually rented canvas tents, ranging in price from $5 for small "A" tents, to $15 for 12' x 16' wall tents. By 1877, ninety cottages had been built and sixty tents pitched. Many of these still exist today. The first time I came upon the camp I was enthralled. It looked like some kind of cult community. All these tiny, ornate cabins. During the summer you can attend church at 10am in the Tabernacle, a gable roofed structure with screened sides. It’s like stepping back in time.

9. Outdoor Shower
Now this might not necessarily be something that is exclusive to our area, but when I first talked about installing one, the people who I work with just outside of Philadelphia were perplexed. Why, they wanted to know. Why not, was my response. There is simply nothing better than an outdoor shower after a day at the beach. Or a day doing anything. Or even as a way to wake up in the morning. Our shower is rather large and has no roof. The walls start about 2 feet up from the floor and are louvered so that air moves well through. Nothing like being naked and wet with a warm breeze across your body. It's very invigorating. Not to mention you don't bring the sand into the house.

10. Farms Stands
Summertime means being able to eat completely local; from countless farm stands to locally caught seafood. Tomatoes, potatoes, squash, zucchini, lettuces, herbs, fruits, everything you can think of. Deliciously fresh and waiting to be eaten. As Garrison Keillor once said, “Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn.”