COMPOST

Hello there traveler. Come on in and take a rest. I have the latest edition of Catskill Crew waiting for you. Hope you enjoy and I’ll see ya out there.

BREAKFAST QUEST UPDATE: There have been over 1,000 submissions for the best breakfast sandwich in the Catskills & Hudson Valley.

After a quick review: There are some clear front runners, a lot of debate on whether a breakfast taco counts as a breakfast sandwich, and a dark horse contender that is fighting for the crown.

Voting remains open for 7 more days — then I’ll plot the 20 most-voted for sandwiches on an old map and set forth to find our champion.

PROPERTY: My friends are selling Casa Jane on Little Deer Rd. If you buy it, please let me keep swimming there.

PETS: Ralphie the dog, Manchego the kitten, and Pina the cockatiel.

SKY: The Daytime Arietids are the strongest daylight meteor shower of the year, peaking annually around June 7-10 and known for bright "earthgrazers". First discovered by radio radar in 1947, they originate from debris likely left behind by the asteroid 1566 Icarus or Comet 96P/Machholz. To spot them, face the eastern horizon in the last dark hour before sunrise.

SIGHTINGS: Veery Catharus fuscescens

Shout out to all those who came out for the Dinner Club in Woodstock. The next date is chiseled in stone for June 25th at 6:30PM in Saugerties.

Come on out, meet some friends and chat with some neighbors. Grab a spot.

TOGETHER WITH SANDY — OUR HEAD GARDENER

Hey crewfolk — Since I began this column I’ve wanted to write an ode to my compost pile. Why? Because I love my compost pile. Sometimes we gardening types, we get like this, we become compost-heads; I’m such a cliché. 

I love the compost pile because it really feels like you’re making something with “nothing.” Something valuable even. Buying new nutritious soil is, alas, quite expensive, as new gardeners learn. 

The comedian Zach Galifianakis has a new show on Netflix called This is a Gardening Show (that I highly recommend). It made me both laugh and learn. His final episode focused on one such compost evangelist.

Compost is the food you feed your garden. It’s how you support your vegetables you’re growing especially with sufficient nutrients. Doesn’t matter if you have great seeds, if soil quality is poor, growth suffers.

A good healthy compost comes from a few things: First, a mix of the right ingredients. You’ll hear about “greens” and “browns” and about wanting to use about half and half of each. Examples of the former include (selected) kitchen scraps (no meat / dairy for example), also egg shells and coffee grounds. A quintessential example of the “browns” is leaves. Other ingredients are water (should stay moist), oxygen, and also time. 

You’re going to want to turn your compost periodically. I do this by hand with my shovel, mixing and chopping apart bigger chunks. A happy healthy compost will be rich, dark brown, everything broken down, not smelly, with ideally many worms. 

I used to have a two-sided “E-shaped” wood-pallet bin (note: use untreated wood) that rotted away; my compost setup nowadays is just two side-by-side heaps. Periodically I flip one heap on top of itself onto the other spot. Other gardeners use barrel composters they turn. Consider your own needs and preferences, spatially, abilities, and budget-wise. 

Watching that compost episode, I did think once more about buying an enclosed composter, to prevent critters from getting into my compost (which sure happens here beside the forest). 

As with so many tasks gardening related, it’s on my never-ending to-do list… Sandy 

P.S. you can ask your gardening questions here.

I got a message from Megan over at Catskill Animal Sanctuary — they're short on volunteers and can use some helping hands. So that's where we all come in.

TL;DR the CAS is a 120-acre farmed animal sanctuary up in Saugerties — over the last 25 years they've been a permanent home to over 5,000 rescued cows, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, and more.

Now, they need help with cleaning, grooming, tours, and the day-to-day work of keeping a sanctuary running. If you’re interested in supporting two 4-hour shifts a month, reach out to Megan to get involved.

OH BOY MARKET returns to Andes on July 3rd & 4th with 80+ incredible independent vendors, small-batch goods, and the big summer energy we're all looking for. Come for the goodies and stick around for the good times. Learn more and grab your ticket here.

MOUNTAIN MEMORY GAMES: TEST YOUR SKILLS

CATSKILL PUZZLES: HAVE SOME FUN

LAST WEEKS SCRAMBLE: KINGFISHER

ADD AN EVENT

Tubby's, Kingston – Silver Triplets of the Rio Hondo + Heaven at 7PM fantasy western

Brunette Wine Bar, Kingston – A Grief Group at 6PM take a look

Meyer's Olde Dutch, Poughkeepsie – Story Screen Cinema Trivia Night at 7PM the chicken sandwiches are supposed to be good

Brushland Eating House, Bovina – Game 1 Watch Party at 7PM go knicks

Wayside Cider, Andes – Pop-up Trivia at 6PM

Huckleberry Point, Hunter – Catskill Center’s Hike & Learn Series at 10AM 2,533 ft

Mountain Top Arboretum, Tannersville – Outdoor Yoga at 3:15PM astavakrasana

Return Brewing, Hudson – Knicks Game 1 Watch Party at 8:30PM

Unicorn Bar, Kingston – Queer Trivia and NY Liberty WNBA watch party at 7:30PM

Land in Black Hands Land Base, Kingston – Sound Walk at 6:30PM sonic awareness

Salt Box, Kingston – Pride Month Cunth Nights at 6PM happy pride

TSL, Hudson – Chico: A Great Boxing Story at 7PM author night

Creative Legion, Hudson – Film Screening + Talk: What The Whale Carries at 6:30PM dreamscape

Tinker Street Tavern, Woodstock – Karaoke at 8PM

NightSwim, Kingston – Rent Party 2 at 9PM good stuff

Catskill Center, Shokan – Learn & Plant Volunteer Series: Invasive Species at 9AM register here

Origins Cafe, Cooperstown – The Full Moon Party at 8PM come around

Citiot, Catskill – Catskill First Friday: Pride and Joy at 7PM hi pim

Olsen & Co., Saugerties – Shattered Georgian Wine Tasting at 5PM get tix

Subversive, Catskill – Live Music n’ lobster rolls at 6PM with the Game 2 tip-off at 8:30PM

Scribner's, Hunter – Mountaintop Pride til sunday

West Kill Brewing – 3rd Annual Catskill Charmed Circle can anyone beat landon and andrew

Platte Clove Preserve, Elka Park – Volunteer Stewardship Day at 9am register here

Opus 40, Saugerties – Yoga on the Rocks at 9:30AM stay fit

HPAC, Hurleyville – Pride Festival at 12PM more info

Unicorn Bar, Kingston – Kingston Pride Official Afterparty at 5PM

Assembly, Kingston – Stand up comedy with Lucas Zelnick at 8PM get tix

Saugerties Senior Center – Repair Cafe at 10AM nice

Catskill Art Space, Livingston Manor – Thurman Barker Quartet at 4PM prince of darkness

🦅 CATSKILL CREW QUARTERLY HAPPY HOUR - [DETAILS REDACTED] see you there

Potic Creek Preserve, Athens – Birding Walk at 8:30AM learn more

Agroforestry Resource Center, Acra – Paint Making with Invasive Plants at 1PM dates

Bovina Center Montessori School – Pink Street Festival at 10AM deets

Red Owl Collective, Kingston – Vintage and Handmade Flea Market at 10AM treasures

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