With the movement to go green and eat local, many people are left wondering how to keep their bounties fresh and delicious all year long without canning or freezing, and root cellars are a fantastic way to do just that. This article covers three different types of root cellars, and how to construct each one:
Buried Treasure: Preserve the Harvest in a Root Cellar
Infographic by CustomMade
My life is filled with love and laughter thanks to the amazing people I get to hang out with. As well as being awesome, they’re creative, talented, generous, and fun! I thought you might like to meet them so I’ve asked them to come and give us a behind-the-scenes look at what they’re passionate about.
Wendy Reynolds, fellow writer, amazing flower photographer, very green thumb gardener, chef extraordinaire (it’s taken so long to have her visit because it was hard to choose which awesome thing to talk about), sent along some excellent suggestions for restaurants and things to do in New York City just before my trip. I thought I’d share it with you because I thought it was awesome advice!
Here’s a list of some of the restaurants we liked when we were in New York last October:
1) We went to Eataly (Mario Batali’s Italian market at 23rd and 5th) twice, once for lunch and once for dinner before a show. It’s a huge place that combines a marketplace with about six or seven different “restaurants.” It’s really good — we had dinner at the fish place and it was so good, we went back for lunch another day at the pizza/pasta section (really good, too, but the fish place was actually to die for). Then I bought a whole whack of stuff in the market area to bring home.
2) There is a very, very nice place, somewhat upmarket in the East Village called Tuome. Very, very good and perfect for dinner.
3) Ivan Ramen. A Korean fusion hot spot. So good. We went to the so-called “Slurp Shop” for lunch in the Gotham Market (on 11th at about 42nd or maybe a bit higher). Gotham Market is a great place to check out and there are a few other places to have lunch plus there is a Blue Bottle coffee shop there. Ivan Ramen is also a proper restaurant on Clinton Street in the East Village and we’ll definitely head there next time.
4) There are several Shake Shacks scattered around and they are really not to be missed. Check out the link for sites. Burgers, dogs, fries, and ice cream. Cheap and delicious. https://www.shakeshack.com/
5) The Chelsea Market https://www.chelseamarket.com/ has loads of places to eat and shop for food. It’s near the base of the southern access point to the Highline on Ninth. The Highline really is not to be missed if you can manage it, although it’s always packed with people, so be prepared to get slightly jostled. Also, the Whitney Museum has moved down to that area, too. It was closed for the move when we were there last year, but I’ve been to the Whitney before and it’s fantastic. And the MoMA is my favourite – there is always some fabulous special exhibit there, in addition to the permanent collections. Andy Warhol!
6) Murray’s Bagels is great for a classic NYC experience and a huge yummy bagel, of course! There are a couple of locations, but the website only mentions the one in Chelsea. https://www.murraysbagels.com/
7) If you can manage the Tenement Museum in the East Village, it is a totally fascinating experience, unlike any other museum you’ve ever been to. There are several guided tours of homes/areas in that part of NYC. You have to book a specific tour. Well worth it. https://www.tenement.org/
8) Then there are all the other museums and galleries and buildings and everything. And walking. And Battery Park. And the Brooklyn Bridge. We did an architectural boat tour around lower Manhattan and that was really cool. https://www.sail-nyc.com/content/new-york-city-architecture-cruise
So many things to see and do!! Thank you very much Wendy for sharing this info! I had a blast in NYC at the RWA Conference, but I’ll have to go again to sightsee and check out these fabulous restaurants. And I’ll invite Wendy back to share her photography expertise!
I’m over visiting Author Peggy Jaeger today!! She’s a fellow contemporary romance author with a great sense of humour. She’s asked me 40 questions – more than you’ll ever want to know! Check it out HERE!
And the winners of a free e-copy of Perfectly Reasonable and the other great gifts are:
Bn100 – Cards by Karen
Faye K. – LOC Design earrings
Paula K. – USB flashdrive
Readerfun – Cards by Karen
Ella M. – LOC Design earrings
Doris SC – USB flashdrive
Marie L. – CPR keychain
Anna M. – Cards by Karen
Tessa B. – LOC Design earrings
Stevie R. – USB flashdrive
I’ll be in touch!! Thanks to everyone who follows along and shares in the excitement with me! Happy reading.
Laugh every day. Love every minute.
Linda
If you’d like a chance to win beautiful cards from Cards by Karen (they are gorgeous!!), uniquely designed and LOC handcrafted earrings, a CPR keychain or a 4G USB flash drive sign up for my newsletter – Let’s e-talk – (or like my Author Facebook page) and your name will be entered to win!
Hey, I’m the featured author on the Soul Mate Publishing Blog-a-thon today! All this month Soul Mate is introducing its awesome authors!
Here’s what Char Chaffin, the mastermind behind the blog-a-thon wrote:
It’s Monday! Another week of Blogathon frolic starting with a fun interview from Linda O’Connor, PLUS she’s doing a giveaway. It’s like Christmas! Except there’s no snow. And it’s August.
And I don’t see a decorated tree, but it doesn’t matter because we’ve got Linda today! YAY!
So check her out! Leave a comment! And PROMOTE!
It’s Day 2 of the Perfectly Reasonable Countdown! Time to unveil the Perfectly Reasonable Video Trailer. Thanks to Sandy James for another fun video!
It’s Day 3 of the Perfectly Reasonable countdown! I thought I’d share the 3 most frequent questions I’m asked.
How do you come up with the ideas for your stories?
They pop into my head and I think, “Oh, that’s funny.” And then I write them down. I don’t consult with anyone while I’m writing unless it’s to do research on how a character would say something or (how a male would) react in a certain situation. I don’t like to run my ideas by anyone because they never sound as good when I say them out loud. 🙂
How do you write the sex scenes?
One word at a time . . .
When will the print copies of Perfectly Reasonable be available?
That, I don’t know, since it’s up to Debby Gilbert at Soul Mate Publishing. I’ve asked for print copies, but likely it will be sometime in 2016.
It’s Day 4 of the Perfectly Reasonable Countdown!
The inspiration for Perfectly Reasonable came from working with medical students. As well as a spicy romance, this book shows Trace’s journey as he applies to medical school. For over 10 years, I was involved in teaching Clinical Skills to medical students. I asked the students what they thought was the most valuable thing they did when they applied. Most of them mentioned volunteering – and starting early to volunteer. It didn’t have to be fancy or far away, but it was important to be able to reflect on the volunteering about their ability to interact with people, empathize, and play a leadership role. So I’ve invited 4 very special people to share their stories about volunteering – 4 compelling reasons to volunteer and some great ideas if you’re wondering what’s out there to do!
Marion O’Connor ~ It was my pleasure to assist newly arrived refugee families become accustom to Canadian life. It was a very rewarding experience as I helped them with our language and accompanied them to various appointments and shopping activities. In return, I learned about life and the hardships they experience in their country. It certainly makes you appreciate how fortunate we are to live in Canada.
Lin Arthur ~ I am most fortunate to have been a person who worked in an area about which I am passionate – I loved working with families, multiply disabled children (particularly infants), teaching physiotherapy students, and being a member of a multidisciplinary team. Retiring has been great but it also feels like I’ve left a part of myself behind. By being a mentor and sharing my experiences and perspectives with newly graduated, gifted physiotherapists who chose pediatrics, I felt that I could participate in shaping the future of the profession through influencing their practice and offer a point of view other than what’s offered in the classroom setting. In return, they helped bring me up to speed on the current fields of thought, technology, and measurable outcomes. We created a healthy exchange as we brainstormed over complex patients! I really enjoyed it, and I think the patients benefited from the art of the old and the science of the new!
Anne Richards ~ So why do I volunteer? I have been most fortunate to have travelled to many interesting places. I’ve seen poverty and the struggles of people just trying to carve out a life. I always felt blessed to live in a county with so many freedoms and privileges . . . as my Dad used to say when I was growing up “Giving back is the rent you pay for the space you occupy.”
I have always chosen interesting ways to volunteer. I have taught English to immigrants from Vietnam, started a Grandmother group here in Kingston to support Grandmothers in Africa who are raising their orphan grandchildren with very few resources after their children died of HIV-AIDS, helped Aboriginal kids with reading, taught them to play the piano or to weave. I’ve always been interested in helping single mothers continue with their post-secondary education. There are so many wonderful ways to make the life of someone else just a little bit better. You truly gain much more than you give!!
Tammy Scott-Zelt ~ I’ve been volunteering with the Kingston Clippers Soccer Club for 18 years. My role as a volunteer included coaching players from U7 house league to a men’s competitive team, spending 16 years on the board of governance, and lending a happy hand in many other tasks involved in keeping a soccer club successful. Over my 18 years volunteering, I’ve made many lifelong friends whom I never would’ve crossed paths with otherwise. The Kingston Clippers has grown from 1200 to 2000 players over the last 20 years, and I feel that my hard work as a volunteer on the board contributed to the club’s success. Seeing little or big accomplishments is very fulfilling. Coaching children and seeing them grow to young adults and make their own path in life is the best feeling, because I feel like I was a part of helping them reach their goals. Spending six hours a week or sometimes an entire weekend with players allowed me to guide them and hopefully be a good role model – as a coach and to encourage them to volunteer when they become parents! Yes, volunteering takes time away from family and chores, but organizations would never survive unless community volunteers stepped forward to help. I also feel volunteering showed my children how to be better at organizing and juggling time management.
If you’re looking to meet new friends, figure out what you’re passion about, or even if you’re not sure what you have to offer, contact the organization and offer to help. Trust me, all organizations are desperately looking for volunteers and they’ll be thrilled to see a new face. Volunteering is something I love to do. I’ll continue to volunteer in my community because without my help, community organizations might not be able to survive.
There you have it – 4 compelling stories about volunteering. It’s truly inspiring and very rewarding to volunteer! From helping out at a food bank or soup kitchen, reading with elementary students, playing piano for the elderly, there are so many opportunities to give back, enrich the lives of others, and learn something about yourself. So get out there and volunteer!!
It’s getting close – only 3 days left until the release of Perfectly Reasonable! (I’m getting excited!!) Come back tomorrow – I’ll answer the 3 most common questions I’m asked.