TOP SECRET CATSKILLS-FAMOUS RECIPE

After some not-so-great weather, we seem to be back on track. The garden’s popping off and the bugs are hatching on the river - mostly caddis, march browns, and sulphurs. Tomorrow I’ll be on a drift boat from dusk till dawn, hoping to find some trout and spot some Drakes (an exceptionally large mayfly). The pack’s filled with sandwiches, cold beer, and as tradition demands, one chocolate chip cookie — it’s part good luck charm, part coping mechanism for when the fish aren’t biting. This edition is overflowing and I pulled together some great stuff for your weekend to help get you into the great outdoors. Have fun out there! - Michael

A RECIPE

Rhubarb is one of the first edible plants to show up in spring, often appearing while the ground is still gripped by the cold, and signaling that the growing season has finally begun.

As a perennial that thrives in cooler climates, it’ll keep coming back year after year, making it ideal for the Catskills and self-proclaimed amateur green thumbs like myself. Just give it full sun, well-drained soil, and a bit of space and you should have a consistent rhubarb supply for a decade or more.

When the time comes to harvest, cut the outer stalks that are firm and crisp near the base, leaving the center ones so the plant can keep producing. These stalks are the part you want — the leaves, on the other hand, are toxic, containing high levels of oxalic acid, a compound that can cause nausea or worse in larger amounts.

OK, so now you are sitting there with more rhubarb than you know what to do with — don’t worry, I got you covered. I stole a Crew Member’s Catskill-famous strawberry basil rhubarb crisp recipe. Take it. Print it. Hide it under your mattress. Keep it secret, keep it safe.

STRAWBERRY BASIL RHUBARB CRISP

Ingredients:
- 2 pints strawberries, quartered
- 1 cup rhubarb (~3 stalks chopped)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- Dash of salt
- 1/4 cup chopped basil

For the crisp topping:
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 stick butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and prepare the fruit. Rinse and quarter the strawberries. Chop the woody ends off the rhubarb stalks and chop roughly into 1/2 inch pieces. Mix fruit in a medium bowl with brown sugar, salt, cornstarch, basil, and the lemon zest juice. Let sit to macerate while you prepare the crisp topping. 

For the topping, mix the oats and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt, then mix in the butter with your hands, rubbing it into the oats and brown sugar mixture. 

Pour the fruit into a small cast iron skillet or casserole. Top evenly with crisp topping. Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top. Serve with whipped cream with a basil leaf on top. Then… feast like a rabid animal and share with no one.

LEVEL UP

In some exciting news (at least for me), I’m working on a new and improved Catskill Crew website. It’s coming along and will set the foundation for some much bigger plans that are on the horizon. Stay tuned my friends.

CATSKILL-OPOLY

It’s been awesome to see Catskill-opoly boards out in the wild. Thanks to everyone who grabbed one — and extra thanks to those who sent pics of your merciless battles in action. You can snag yours on the site below, and just remember: Offer no quarter to your opponents.

THE BULLETIN

Want to spread the good word about your business, a project you’re working on, a hire, or just want to say hi to 29,000 friends?

OH-BOY! MARKET returns to Andes on July 5th & 6th with 70+ incredible independent makers, small-batch goods, and the big summer energy we're all ready for! Come for the goods! Stay for the good times! Snag your tickets.

Omega Institute located right in Rhinebeck is a place to reset your perspective, recharge your energy, and renew your connection to what matters most. Guided by world-class teachers and nearly 50 years of expertise, Omega creates the perfect environment for you to discover clarity, connection, and purpose. Browse their 2025 programming.

ZAPWARE creator Becca Van K is a magnet for Lyme disease and mosquitoes, so naturally, she was on the hunt for comfortable, fashion-forward bug protection. When she couldn’t find what she wanted, she sewed her own — right here in the Catskills. Check them out and stay safe out there. Check them out and stay safe out there.

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts has another big one this week — on Thursday, May 29th, Luke Bryan will be in town for the Country Song Came On Tour. Then stick around and camp on site, because Friday is open to the public with line dancing and cowboy hat making. Tickets on sale now.

THE REPORT

Adopt Pets: I’d like to introduce you to Chunky Monkey the Chocolate Lab Mix, Vanna a Domestic Shorthair, and Bunny 155 who is… well, a bunny.

House of the Week: An 1845 one-room schoolhouse is for sale in Hardenburgh. It's only changed hands twice since the Civil War, is surrounded by 5,000+ acres of private wilderness, and has the Haynes Hollow Stream running past the back door.

The Sky Report: Venus hits its best viewing window on May 31st, rising at 3:27 AM and climbing 22° above the eastern horizon before sunrise washes it out. This is as far as Venus gets from the Sun in our sky, making it the brightest "Morning Star" you'll see all year.

Sunrise 5:27 AM
Sunset 8:24 PM
Fire Danger [low]
Air Quality [good]
Moon Phase [new moon]

Want a Featured Event with a poster? Reach out. 
Want to add an event? Use this link.

Stop by Shandaken Inn every Saturday for Music in The Meadow. This week will be featuring local musician, Joe Colwell. More info here.

TUESDAY 27TH

Oda Wine Garden, Margaretville - Industry Night with DJ Terra Rose drink some natural wine

Tinker Street Cinema, Woodstock - Movie Night from the Video Vault at 7pm roll the film

Salt Box, Kingston - Queer Open Mic Night from 6pm onwards have fun

Tubby's, Kingston - The Pink Stones from 7-11pm grab a tix

WEDNESDAY 28TH

The Pines, Mount Tremper - Music Night with Alexia Bomtempo from 7-9pm smash burgers

Mirador, Kingston - Spring Mixer with the Kingston Midtown Business Alliance from 6-9pm

Keegan Ales, Kingston - Live tunes with Nancy Donnelly Quartet from 6-9pm cheers

Avalon Lounge, Catskill - Upstairs Wednesdays with Federico Balducci, Alex Topornycky, Nico Soffiato from 7-8pm info along with Karaoke with Cowboy Casey who will be upstairs from 8:30-9pm details

Rosendale Theater, Rosendale - Staged Reading of the Screenplay: The Silencer, from local filmmaker Robert Clem at 7:30pm cool

THURSDAY 29TH

Bearsville Theatre, Woodstock - Performance by Tennis along with Billie Marten at 8pm tix

Avalon Lounge, Catskill - MSHR, an art collective that collaboratively builds and explore sculptural electronic systems from 8-10pm woah

Bridge Street Theatre, Catskill - Mary Jane by playwright Amy Herzog at 7:30pm tix

Angry Orchard, Walden - Dogfish Head Pairing Dinner from 6-8pm beer is good for you

Park Theatre, Hudson - Live tunes with Geezer, GSX, and Tracy City from 7-11pm take a look

FRIDAY 30TH

Mountain Top Arboretum, Tannersville - Moth Mystique: Illuminating the Dark Side of Winged Wonders with Carla Rhodes from 7-9pm awesome

Starlite Motel, Kerhonkson - Catskills Cocktail Club doing what they do best, mixing up drinks from 5-10pm

Hutton Brickyards, Kingston - Field + Supply Spring Market from 10am-6pm check it out

Skatetime, Accord - Rondout Valley Schools Fundraiser from 4-7pm have some fun

Bearsville Theatre, Woodstock - Concert with The Bongos at 8pm it’s catchy

Print House, Fleischmanns - Live tunes with The Arborline at 8pm enjoy

The Local, Saugerties - Concert with local singer and songwriter Sandy Bell at 8pm tix

SATURDAY 31ST

Dette Flies, Livingston Manor - Fish Fry Fundraiser for Theodore Gordon Flyfishers from 11am-2pm see ya there

Catskill Brewery, Livingston Manor - Beers and live music with Mike Brown from 2-5pm cheers

Catskill Fly Fishing Museum, Livingston Manor - Fly Tying with John Robbins from 11-3pm tight lines followed by the 2025 Annual Dinner & Catskill Legends Awards from 5:30-9:30pm love it

Arthur’s Acres Animal Sanctuary, Parksville - Volunteer Day in pigs’ pasture with fresh air, belly rubs (for the pigs), and lunch from 10am-4pm love it

Hutton Brickyards, Kingston - Field + Supply Spring Market from 10am-6pm check it out

Opus 40, Saugerties - Saturday Yoga at 9:30am down dog

Catskill Center, Mount Tremper - Invasive Species Pull & Native Planting: Help Restore Clean Air from 9-12pm get outside

The Pines, Mount Tremper - Von Salad Wood Fired Pizza at The Dog House from 12-4pm heck yeah

Wild Hudson Valley, Cairo - Forest Farming Plants & Fungi Workshop Weekend check it out

Nussy's Bier Garten, Round Top - Live Music from 8-11pm have fun

Mountain Top Arboretum, Tannersville - BioBlitz: Celebrate the Schoharie Watershed from 8-5pm sweet

Van Etten Farm, New Baltimore - New Baltimore Antique Machinery & Agricultural Festival woah

SUNDAY 1ST

Kitty’s, Hudson - Jazz Brunch in partnership with Bard Jazz from 11am-3pm

Catskill Fly Fishing Museum, Livingston Manor - Celebration of Life for Ed Van Put from 1-3pm an absolute legend

Hutton Brickyards, Kingston - Field + Supply Spring Market from 10am-6pm check it out

Rise, Kingston - Daytime dance party 10am-1pm get down

Avalon Lounge, Catskill - Upstate Composers Orchestra from 7:30-8:30pm enjoy

Keegan Ales, Kingston - KYBSA Fundraiser with music by Bourbon Sprawl at 1pm chug jk drink responsibly

Rosendale Theater, Rosendale - Prosendale: 4 Poet Laureates Walk Into a Bar at 4pm prosendale ha

MONDAY 2ND

🦗 

Scramble Answer: TURKEY