Inside Catskill Rose Lodging & Dining

Brought by the same people as the Empire Railroad Museum concerts, this month’s Phoenicia Phrist Phriday is September 3rd at 8:00 p.m. Door opens at 7:30 featuring Eugene Ruffolo followed by Kurt Henry with Cheryl Lambert. Open mic at 9:45 for those so inclined. They ask for a donation of $3 to benefit different causes with this going to the Shandaken Theatrical Society’s “Raise the Roof Fund”. The Arts Upstairs Gallery,60 Main Street, Phoenicia.

The 7th annual Wall Street Jazz Festival – a free outdoor concert (“where the traditions meet the progressives, and all the leaders are women), will kick off at 5 PM on Saturday, September 4th, on the corner of Wall & N.Front Streets, Kingston.

Say goodbye to The Woodstock Fringe Festival  with one of their last seven performances of 2010. All performances at the Byrdcliffe Theatre, Upper Byrdcliffe Road, Woodstock.

The last concert of Belleayre Music Festival is Saturday, September 4 at 8pm featuring the Aaron Neville Quintet. Belleayre Mountain, Highmount.

My mother brought the seeds back from the garden of her cousin because they were the best tomatoes, huge, the size of a softball, deep red, juicy and delicious. She has grown them for years and faithfully saved the seeds unlike me, who flits from variety to variety. This year, though, I saved seeds from what we call the French tomato for planting next year. In researching how to, I found that tomato seeds are viable for ten years if stored in a cool, dry place.

Choose a ripe, heirloom tomato, the best one.
Cut it across the equator, squeeze the seeds, pulp, and juice out into a small cup and cover with  water. After about three days, a white, orange, greenish mold will form on the surface. This means that the gelatinous coating on the seeds has dissolved. Scrape off and discard the mold and any seeds that are floating.  You want the seeds sitting at the bottom of the cup. Refill the cup with water, and carefully pour off any remaining pulp, repeat until the water is clear.
Spread the rinsed seeds onto a paper plate or paper towel lined plate that will wick the water away from the seeds so they dry fast and won’t get moldy. Once  dry, put them in a labeled envelope, baggie, or other container and store in a cool, dry place.

Living in the New York City watershed, we are all very aware of the reservoirs and their importance, though tempers occasionally flare over property rights and recreational issues. Here is an issue we can all agree upon: the Canonsville reservoir was opened this year to rowboats, canoes, kayaks, sculls and small sailboats as a pilot program and  as can be expected, the Ashokan is desired for the same use. Imagine the thrill of sculling across or  exploring the reservoir in a kayak. If so inclined, on what may be an attainable request, sign the petition . The weather is gorgeous for walking the trail by the Ashokan and possibly seeing the nesting pair of bald eagles.Visit!

Nancy Rullo, longtime friend, will be doing a poetry gig at the Woodstock Fringe Festival of Theater and Song with group called the Goat Hill Poets. Guaranteed to entertain as are all the offerings, the show is Wednesday August 25th at 8 pm. The festival continues through September  7th.

On our plates this week we have sweet yellow and red corn, rattlesnake pole beans, ratatouille,  and broccoli rabe  harvested or made from harvest of the garden. Talk about fresh. We love this. For specials, we’ll take the never ending cherry tomatoes mix with sautéed garlic, rosemary, black olives, and capers over pan-fried fresh local trout drizzled with balsamic vinegar reduction  and crispy pancetta. We will also make a crust of black pepper, parsley, crushed fennel seed, and mustard seed on baked halibut over pernod cream with brunoise of onion, carrot and fennel.

In its eighth season, the Woodstock Fringe Festival has performances from August 7th through September 5th at the Byrdcliffe Theater in Woodstock. They are a professional performing arts organization that develops and presents new and experimental theatrical and musical works. The offerings, as usual, look fabulous.

Bid the Mount Tremper Arts Festival goodbye to their third great season of music and dance ending with the last performance August 14th! It is wonderful to have them as neighbors.

The new  Phoenicia Festival of the Voice begins August 13th through the 15th with world class performances of opera, baroque and choral music, and the vocal arts of traditional cultures.

Great venues to support fine works of art, right here, in the Catskills. Come visit!

Phoenicia artist Anique Taylor has a showing August 20th – September 19, 2010 at the Monmouth Museum on the Brookdale Community College Campus in Lincroft, NJ. If you are nearby, you could chat with her at the artist’s gallery talk on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 7:00-8:00pm or you could see her work at her studio in Phoenicia or at the gallery  Art Upstairs on Main Street. Tell her we say Hello! More info? Call (732) 747-2266

Friends and family gathered for a birthday celebration with champagne,  good food and good music. What could be better?

A first in location for us, the bride and groom chose the Empire Railroad Museum for their nuptials. The weather was perfect. The ceremony was inside  the  gorgeous renovated  1899 railroad station with the amazing vaulted ceiling. The reception followed outdoors, on the train station platform, with summery food and lively bluegrass from local musicians. Happy Wedding! We wish them the best.

We thought it would be nice to be able to relax in the morning with a hot drink, warm scones and a piece of fruit. In our rooms there is a mini refrigerator, coffee maker,  a microwave and waffle robes to do just that. The scones are buttery biscuits with dried apricot, golden raisin, and ginger or chocolate chip, chocolate, cinnamon, and pecan or dried cherries, currants and oats.