Regulars (All)

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 8/30/12

Not Planting a Fall Garden?

Save your soil with a cover crop

If you are not planning a fall vegetable garden, it’s worth your while to consider a cover crop of rye or winter wheat. Your corn, beans, tomatoes, lettuce and pepper plants may not have used all of the nutrients in the soil. Even if you did not apply more fertilizer than the plants needed, even if you are an organic grower, there is organic matter in the soil that continues to decompose, releasing nutrients until the ground freezes. Unless these nutrients are absorbed...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 8/30/12

What’s at the End of the Line?

A big, powerful surprise

The rod tip dipped, then dipped again. Reaching out, my longtime friend Sandy Sempliner eased the rod from its holder. His reel spool then began to turn slowly. Thumbing it lightly, he tried to determine if extra tidal current was providing the force or if a crafty fish down below was making off with his bait. The pull on the line increased, and the spool blurred. Sandy was sure now that something big had his chunk of menhaden. Giving it a half dozen or so additional...

Article - The Dish; by Lisa Knoll - 8/30/12

Summer’s Heirloom Tomatoes

ALL NEW!!! The Dish, an original Bay Weekly column dedicated to the food and restaurants of Chesapeake Country.

Welcome to The Dish, a new Bay Weekly column dedicated to the food and restaurants of Chesapeake Country. In this exclusive, we go beyond traditional restaurant reviews to consider the flavors of the Bay along with the unique people, places, spirits and recipes that whet our appetites. Let’s start in season, celebrating the end of summer with a delicacy that will soon be tasted only in memory: heirloom tomatoes. Eastport newcomer Vin 909 has forged a robust reputation...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by - 8/23/12

Way Out There and Out of Sight

Can you track down Neptune?

Thursday and Friday offer the best chance to track down the only planet never visible to the unaided eye: Neptune, the most distant planet in the solar system since Pluto’s demotion to planetoid status several years ago. Neptune comes closest to earth on the 23rd, while the 24th marks the planet’s point of opposition, when it is opposite the sun, as seen from our skies, with earth smack-dab in the middle. That night, Neptune rises in the east at sunset, peaks...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 8/23/12

Fishing for Money

$2.9 million needed for commercial fishing checks and balances

Where’s the money going to come from? Legislation passed this year (House Bill 1372) mandates that Department of Natural Resources’ program management costs for commercial fishing operations be covered by funds generated in that sector. Fishfinder There is no good news on rockfish. When located, stripers are reticent to bite. Trolling is the best method with limits of middling rock possible, plus some bluefish in the 16- to 18-inch range. Croaker...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 8/23/12

Now’s the Time to Improve Your Lawn

Get a soil test, and I’ll write you a free prescription for what to do next

If your lawn is just so-so and you want to make it look like a professional lawn next year, now is the time to take action. A soil test of the existing lawn is of utmost importance. A good lawn requires a pH of 6.2 to 6.8 with medium to optimum levels of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. If the appearance of your current lawn is uniform, then only one sample should be adequate. However, if the front lawn is better than the side or back lawn, submit samples for...

Article - The Bay Gardener by Dr. Francis Gouin; by Dr. Francis Gouin - 8/16/12

How to Dry Tomatoes

They’ll taste great come winter

Are you being flooded with tomatoes? My neighbors are willing to take their share but they can take only so many. If you enjoy canning, make catsup, salsa, tomato juice, stewed tomatoes or crushed tomatoes. I have and still have tomatoes to spare. I fry green tomatoes by dredging them through a mixture of corn meal and Old Bay prior to frying in olive oil. Fried red tomatoes are also a favorite for some. If you have a food drier, try drying tomato slices...

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 8/16/12

The Hounds of the Heavens

We’ve rewarded our most loyal companion with three constellations

Of the 88 official constellations over our heads, nearly half are animals, serpents, birds and fishes. Admired for their beauty or feared for their strength, these are wild creatures, beasts you wouldn’t want to encounter, let alone have in the house. In fact, of them all, only a few are domesticated animals. One of the oldest recognized constellations is Taurus the bull. Goats have played a role in civilization at least as long as have cows, but their celestial reward is the...

Article - Bay Reflections; by Michael White - 8/16/12

My Dog and I Are Creatures of Habit

Life on the Bay Can Be Exhausting

I rise early even on weekends, continuing the habit of a lifetime, look out and see the civil twilight and the promise of the sun. Over the flat water, dark blue now, like a sheet of glass, wisps of dark clouds with a hint of pink on the horizon in a sky of light blue. The day is already alive with morning sounds, distant traffic. Gulls cry from afar, geese honk as they fly over, a tern drifts by, Bay ducks leave their traces on the water surface like a flotilla, and a common loon emerges from...

Article - Sporting Life by Dennis Doyle; by Dennis Doyle - 8/16/12

Dog Day Exercise

How to lead dogs to water and make them swim

The Dog Days make August a difficult month for canines, especially the sporting variety. Hunting season is just around the corner, but it’s been many weeks since the weather has been cool enough for serious field exercise. Inactivity takes a toll on human-dog cooperation and communication, not to mention their mutual physical conditioning. Water play beats the heat and does the job. The easiest form of training for any dog is masked by the semblance...