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Sunday Errands: Brioche Buns, Olive Oil, a Sweet

The best way to "run" errands is to walk them with a little one in tow and attach a cookie and a cupcake to the adventure. First stop is to Beacon Bread Company for brioche buns for weekday packed lunches. Next it's to the Scarborough Fare olive oil store to fill up this bottle with olive oil that tastes like "fresh cut grass and artichokes", to be used later in gazpacho and dipped in white bread from All You Knead and fresh Parmesan from a block from Beacon Pantry. Then it's off to Key Foods for rolls of fresh mozzarella and Applegate provolone cheese for a homemade pizza dough, the dough for which we will pick up from Pleasant Ridge on our way back home.

All on foot and a Radio Flyer bike!

What are your favorite errands on a Sunday?

The Hudson River Kayak Tours Paddles Onto the Outdoor Getaway Scene

One of the more relaxing ways to experience the Hudson River is by kayak, paddling up or down the river. In Beacon, Mountain Tops is a go-to source for kayak rentals and tours (see their 4th of July paddle under the fireworks).

For a getaway outside of Beacon, to travel by water under the Bear Mountain Bridge instead of commuting over it, The Hudson River Kayak Tours company has paddled onto the scene with three very different tours every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You don't even need to think about when a tour is, just pick a day, pack a lunch or bottle of wine, and go!

For a long lunch, try their Stony Point Lighthouse and Battlefield Tour, a four hour tour on Thursdays and Fridays where you pack a lunch, launch from Stony Point to paddle around the marshes and return for a guided tour of the lighthouse and the Stony Point Battlefield. On Saturdays and Sundays, paddle under the Bear Mountain Bridge during the Poplopen Creek and Iona Island Tour for a little bird watching at the Iona Island Bird Sanctuary, and on Friday - Sunday, enjoy a romantic night on the Hudson River during their Sunset Tours.

Enjoy!

Summer Wine Picks from Artisan Wine Shop

Summer and wine...such a happy combination. Of course your inspiration for different wines will come from different places, so we talked to Tim and Mei at Artisan Wine Shop for their recommendations on the perfect red, white or rosés wines for summer occasions available in their wine shop right now. Keep in mind, Tim recommends that most red wines should be served chilled in the summer. About 30-45 minutes in the 'fridge should do it...

GARDENING

You've been gardening, pulling weeds, harvesting beans, transplanting hostas, building decorative walls, and you're ready for a glass of wine. You're hot and tired, but you feel great after all of that physical work that looks so rewarding. What wine should you pair with your mood?

WHITE
Arca Nova is a Vinho Verde that is a refreshing white with a lightly bubbly effervescence to keep the taste fresh and you cooled off. It's a white wine from northern Portugal made from light, crisp grapes that are green and lush.

RED
The red Gamay from Domaine Les Hautes Noelles should be chilled and is a 'vin de la soif' (a wine for thirsty people) pulling in a cherry flavor that is low in alcohol.

PICNICS IN THE PARK

You're heading to Riverfront Park for a picnic, music festival, or a stroll down Long Dock, or are having an Alice in Wonderland type picnic in the pruned shrubbery at Dia (get some cheese from Homespun's Dia location), you'll want a wine that will match the early night breeze.

WHITE
You'll enjoy the Schlossmuhlenhof, a Riesling, but not just any Riesling...a dry Riesling Trocken that is native to the Germans who make and drink it. According to Tim, the Germans don't drink any other type of Riesling, certainly not ones that are sweet, which can be considered the norm by Americans. It's lower in alcohol, crisp, clean and good with food.

RED
The Fuori Off Road Strada, a liter of Tuscan red wine in a box.  Packs well in a sack, and you'll get more wine with less packaging! Put this organic boxed wine on ice. It's a Chianti, but not officially classified as such, being that it's in a box. It's light and crisp with some structure and dryness from the tannin. It will have dryness on the finish and is good with food.

BBQs & BACKYARD GRILL OUTS

You're going to a friend's BBQ or backyard grill, and everyone is bringing their craft beers and growlers from The Hop, but you want to bring wine.

WHITE
The Effet Papillon is a Cotos du Roussillon blanc from the southern part of France. It's wrought with soft texture and stands up to the weight of grilled chicken, fish and vegetables. The Effet Papillon picks up flavors well to enhance your meal.

RED
La Flor is a Malbec that is full of flavor. It handles heavy foods like meat well, but could be drunk by itself. This red wine is tangy in nature, and works well with BBQ sauce.

TIM'S FAVORITE ROSÉS FOR SUMMER

Tim was especially excited to share his favorite bottles of rosés. The Lieu-dit Cocagne Coteaux du Vendomois and Pigoudet Premiére. The Coteaux du Vendomois is dry and savory with no sweetness, and is best 15 minutes after opening. The Pigoudet is made from a blend of grapes and is more fruity because of the warmth of the region.

WINE CUPS FOR THE OUTDOORS!

And of course, you must have the proper glass! If you are on a picnic, traveling or just want to drink from a sturdy cup outside, the govino wine glass is shatterproof, reusable, disposable and available locally at Utensil. So fit in the trip from one end of town to the other when you are headed to your event and are picking up wine on your way! And don't forget, if you need a quick apple pie, there are usually mini apple and cherry pies ready at BJ's. 

All of these wines are available in the Artisan Wine Shop, so print out this guide or mention the Summer Wine Pick Guide on A Little Beacon Blog for some guided direction on picking your wines!

Movie Night at Howland Public Library

Tonight-ish is family movie night at the Howland Public Library!

Starting at 4pm, watch The Lego Movie! In partnership with the Wee Play Project, the library is kicking off summer with the release of this DVD. Popcorn will be served at this free event and no registration is necessary.

To learn more about events for kids at the Library, visit the Beacon Library Parents Group on Facebook, and check the main calendar of events at the Library.

City Wide Yard Sale Well Stocked as Ever!

Rain fell the entire week leading up to this year's City Wide Yard Sale. But hours before starting, the clouds parted, stopped drizzling, and the yard sales were out!

This year we went on foot, stopping at a yard sale behind Beacon Barkery to find a pink raincoat and matching rubber boots for $5. Onward we forged to fuel up at Culture for their delicious lattes (for my friend...I'd already fueled up at home thanks to my aero press from Mountain Tops that I love).

We found more sales on Beacon and S.Walnut, that had these craft supplies, cute trade paperback books, windows with glass for projects, porch lights still in the box, so much.

Cars and pickup trucks drive by, usually with a man in the driver's seat scouting and a woman jumping out to scavenger before his truck can fully stop. Usually the yard sales offer lemonade and are dotted all over Beacon, from residential streets, to even a cat hospital in the woods! Some specialize in certain things like tools or baby gear, but all offer many things you forgot you needed.

It's one of my favorite weekends in June.

Did you go? What did you find?

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Alright, let's check in to see how your garden is growing! This year, as planned, I started out using the hay mulch method, as loved by Ruth Stout, who wrote the book on it. After I'd witnessed my very droopy, withering basil that needed watering 2x daily completely thrive to the tune of growing 3x as big and hardly needing watering again (or weeding), I was convinced. It was my neighbor who introduced me to this hay method when he came over to put down the hay because he couldn't resist converting me to the Ruth Stout method.

Trouble is, this year I planted seeds before putting the hay down. And, I didn't mark where I seeded. And I didn't trust that all seeds would grow, so I threw down a bunch, and a bunch has sprouted! Wonk.

Because I was late on the hay, I had to wait for seed growth to emerge before I put hay down. Which resulted in two big rounds of weeding, and as you can see, mini weeding still needed because the hay isn't covering the nooks and crannies around each plant.

But, I have not needed to water my pees, tomatoes, carrots, basil, cilantro or parsley! This week's constant overcast is helping, with the light drizzles keeping everybody plenty hydrated.

To my husband's dismay, I have also hay mulched our recently transplanted hostas in the back, and two little widow boxes that don't catch rain and usually dry out. Hopefully everything will grow better and he will let me keep the hay...