outdoors

Loquats are now in season. Actually loquats, also called Japanese plum, come into season throughout much of the year in my yard, but the first for this year are just now ripening. This small evergreen tree usually begins blooming in September and sets fruit during the winter. Although it is not native to the area, it grows with any difficulty.

Because most of the birds are not yet nesting and feeding young, I have a much better chance of getting a few of these delicious fruits for my own table. Although I do eat the preserved ones on the oriental buffet whenever I can, eating those from the yard is much better because I know they are grown organically.

The sharp whistle of a male wood duck (Aix sponsa) pierces the air on a recent morning on the river. At this time of year he is calling for his mate. Although I don't see him, I know that his body will be covered with bright breeding plumage at this time. As one of the most colorful ducks of the region, the male wood duck has a bright green head including the long crest, marked with a red eye and red on the beak. His breast feathers are chestnut with a bright white collar between the head and chest. The wings are black and green with white markings and the sides, belly and flanks are gray. In comparison, the female is gray and brown, a perfect camouflage for her role as caregiver of their soon-to-hatch ducklings.

The slow food movement has finally arrived in Northeast Florida with the creation of the Slow Food First Coast convivium (chapter). If you are not familiar with the concept, it was born in Italy and popularized in the USA by Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, Cal.

Fruit Cove Middle School teacher Richard Villadoniga is a founding member of the group. He said the objective of the parent organization, Slow Food USA, is to create a Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) project where members would receive a weekly supply of fresh, seasonal, local produce directly from a farmer in the area. In October he got about 25 people together for the first meeting of the group. He now has about 100 people on the e-mail list who are interested in getting information on becoming members of this grass roots organization.

By BEVERLY FLEMING

It is 15 degrees below 0 in Iowa, according to my brother Dan, and that certainly reminds me of one of the reasons I moved to Florida in the first place.

I spent my first week here in the Ambassador Hotel in Jacksonville and there was a clock with the time and temperature on it across the street. It was January 1970 and I seem to remember the temperature was in the 70's. Since I have lived in Florida, the coldest temperature was 7 degrees above 0 on Jan. 21, 1985. That is still an improvement over other winter temperatures in other places I have lived, including Missouri, Massachusetts, Wyoming, and one memorable winter in Chicago. Burrrr!

Bird watching is such an entertaining activity and in the last few years, butterfly watching has become almost as popular. Florida is a great place for both these sports as the state has the third most diverse wildlife population in the United States, according to the University of Florida (UF).

Each year, Audubon members across the country do a Christmas bird count. Long time member, Lucy Seeds, says she has participated in all but one of the counts over the last 30 years. She and other St. Johns County team members observed more species than last year but unofficially, Seeds said she believed the actual number of birds is down.

The communities along the William Bartram Scenic and Historic Highway are the reason many moved to northwest St. Johns County. Fruit Cove, Switzerland, Hallowes Cove and Orangedale are all areas where the natural beauty draws people who want to live there.
Newer communities seem to lack that definitive character that is an important point of providing community pride. Many of them are cookie cutter designs that seem to be drawn from a corporate headquarters somewhere far removed from our more laid back Southern charm. It seems that few try to fit into the surrounding landscape and instead make the landscape conform to whatever they think is best, regardless of its natural features.

By BEVERLY FLEMING

Keeping healthy, both physically and emotionally during the holiday season is especially important. A real key to this is making time for yourself. One suggestion is to begin your day one half hour earlier. To do this less stressfully, set your alarm five minutes earlier each night for the next six nights. By the end of the week, you will have given yourself an extra half hour of time.

Now that you have that half hour, use the time to renew yourself by going outside and doing some breathing exercises. Breathe deeply, hold for three seconds, then blow out. Repeat three times. By getting more oxygen to the brain, you feel more alert. This is a good exercise when you are waiting in line for anything. It also relieves stress.

Always eat breakfast. A bowl of unsweetened cereal and a banana with low fat milk will go a long way to make your morning better. It is much better to eat at least three time or even four small meals than loading up with a large meal at night. Be sure to include plenty of fresh fruit. Locally grown citrus is now in season and is available from many dooryard growers and roadside stands.

Drink plenty of water and cut back on high caffeine coffee and sodas. If you drink bottled water, you will need at least four pints a day. This may seem like a lot at first but after the first week, you will begin to feel much better. Your skin and hair will look better also.

Cut back on stressful situations. Avoid conflict. Plan for delays while driving, shopping or long distance travel. Delays are bound to happen this time of year so anticipate the happening and leave earlier. Take along a stress-reliever. Soft music, a good book or even a photo album of happy times are appropriate.

Don't deprive yourself of holiday treats but limit sweets to smaller portions and freeze extras for gifts or for later. Keep alcohol to a minimum. Gaining a little weight during the holidays seems inevitable but you can minimize the impact by good choices and increased exercise. Walking for just thirty minutes, three times a week is a real benefit.

Make plans for a low stress party. A Sunday afternoon holiday tea for girlfriends is a simple idea. Plan a traveling party among friends. Each host is only responsible for one course which could be appetizers, entree, dessert and after dinner coffee or stretched into more courses by the addition of a soup course, salad and a fish course. Plan to carpool to make parking easier.

Cookie swaps are also enjoyable and easier if you plan and bake ahead. Don't forget to include recipes. This is also a great kid activity if your children are old enough to appreciate good cookies instead of store bought gifts.

Remember those less fortunate in your community. Holiday time is often lonely for single people, the elderly, or those who are ill. Plan to include an extra person in at least one of your holiday events. Provide transportation (both to and from) for them.

And don't forget the homeless. A blanket, a coat, a hot meal or a box of personal toiletry items, delivered by you with a sincere smile will go a long way to show your heart goes out to them. Also remember the children who have no families. Check with your church for appropriate candidates in your community.

After the mad rush of the actual holidays are over, many people become depressed by the down time. Staying physically active with your children or friends will help to lessen this feeling. Go out to the library or to the park or get in touch with those you missed seeing during family time.

By BEVERLY FLEMING

Holidays are always memorable for the good times, good food and fun with family but this past Thanksgiving Day was a memorable one for me because it was my formal introduction to the Cuban treefrog. I had learned about the frog during Master Gardener and Master Naturalist training. I knew that it was an exotic invasive species. But I hadn't actually seen one.

Our son-in-law, John, was smoking a turkey on the back patio in Mandarin. He came in to say he wanted us all to come out to see something. I thought it was probably something about his new smoker but was surprised when he turned to the old BBQ grill and pointed.

At first, I didn't see anything. Then my eye focused on an ash gray lump with a few dark spots that looked like a partially burned lump of charcoal--until one of the spots blinked and I realized it was an eye! My eyes and mind readjusted and I recognized the object was alive and that it was a frog or toad.

Upon closer inspection, I saw a large almost white frog about three and a half inches long and almost as wide. It had large bumps on the back and a slight pattern on the back legs. But the distinctive characteristic was super-size suction cups on the tip of each of the frog's toes.

Then John asked, "Have you ever seen anything like this before?"

I could certainly say that I had not but that I thought it might be a Cuban tree frog. When we went inside, I asked Katherine if I could use the computer and when she said "Yes," I logged onto the University of Florida website. Sure enough, the first photos were of a pale gray version of the subject in question and explanation that said the frogs go pale when they are cold. They go into a sort of inactive state of semi-hibernation when the temperatures drop.

By BEVERLY FLEMING

Water is a renewable resource used by all living things on Earth. In the eastern states, we rely on rainfall to replenish surface water reserves (streams, lakes, rivers, reservoirs, etc.) and ultimately to restore the aquifer. Severe drought over the past few years has reduced those free-flowing rivers, lakes and reservoirs. And actually only a portion of rainfall recharges the Floridan aquifer.

Runoff benefits the lakes and rivers but reduces that which is available for recharge areas as does evaporation and transpiration. Only that which filters through the soil in specific areas will recharge the aquifer system and that takes a significant amount of time. With an average rainfall of approximately 50 inches per year in Florida, our surface waters usually get recharges each year. but what happens when we don't get that rainfall?

You have heard a lot more about the water war in the Southeast lately because of the extended drought in Southeastern states, but the debate between Florida, Georgia and Alabama is actually decades old and may ultimately be settled only by the US Supreme Court who rules in surface water resource management cases. However, litigation is extremely costly and every effort should be made to equitably partition this resource before it is taken to court.

According to Internet research, water law in the Eastern states is traditionally based on riparian doctrine where precipitation supports agriculture. In the Western states, it differs in that water rights are traditionally based on first owner along the waterway being given first rights and then being able to decide if diversion of the resource is going to happen.

Several water resources are involved in these debates. Lake Sydney Lanier is a manmade lake located in northern Georgia. It was created by placement of the Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956 and is managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. It serves power plants powering all three states. The primary purpose for its creation was flood control of the Atlanta area although it has also been used for drinking water. According to the St. Johns Riverkeeper, Neil Armingeon, taking more water from the Chattahoochee River (Lake Lanier) would impact other waters such as the Apalachicola River and Apalachicola Bay in Florida, our largest oyster area.

Florida's St. Johns River is another water body being targeted by areas south and west of it that claim to need more water in addition to what they are already withdrawing to handle the expanded growth in their area. According to the 2000 U.S. census, the largest population increase in history took place between 1990 and 2000. They are asking to withdraw millions more gallons of water each year for drinking water for those residents.

In many counties, but not all, we have water restrictions in place. We have reduced the withdrawal of water from the aquifer by restricting irrigation of our landscapes between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and only two days a week. Reuse of used water is also advocated for lawns. Unfortunately, too many people are not taking the restrictions seriously and lack of personnel for enforcement is limited.

If we are responsible citizens, we can take some matters into our own hands by further reducing our dependence on potable water. There is a workshop being held at the St. Johns Agricultural Center on November 27 to educate the public on how to create a rain barrel. The class is from 10 AM until noon and the cost is $35. You will create and take home your own rainbarrel. Class size is limited so call (904) 209-0430 to make your reservation now.

You can also choose to redefine your landscape by reducing the amount of turf grass (especially St. Augustine) by using native plants in your landscape, by buying a Florida Water Star and Energy Star home, or by refitting plumbing in your home to low flow usage. You should also be willing to express your views about mandatory restriction of water use to public officials who are making the decisions in our county and state.

By BEVERLY FLEMING

This month will bring on one of the events I have looked forward to since spring. Each year we add a couple of chicks to the menagerie of critters at Deerfield Farm. The first egg from the new pullets will be laid in October.

If you have ever raised chickens, you know that it is a challenge, but a very worthwhile on. The hormone free, antibiotic free eggs from your own chickens are absolutely delicious and are healthier for your body than those produced in production barns and if you raise some for meat, that is also healthier.

For some, those who live in deed restricted areas, raising your own chickens isn't an option. For everyone else, a few hens are an absolute delight. They are usually very quiet without a rooster present (and he isn't necessary for egg production). Because we also raise doves and cockatiels, they fit right in and the feed bill isn't that much higher because they eat table scraps, grass and insects when we let them run loose.

We usually buy two or three baby chicks each April. Chickens live and produce eggs about five or six years. The flock size only fluctuates a little each year as older birds are culled out and young ones replace them. And although we
keep a close eye on them and they are usually penned (especially at night), The resident bobcat or fox will occasionally get one of the chickens.

You will also sometimes get a chicken that will peck you when you feed up or fight constantly with the others. That one will have to be culled but I happen to have a delicious recipe for chicken and rice purlieu.

Chickens are great garbage disposals. They love all veggie and fruit peelings, moldy bread, left over brown rice or other table scraps. But we never feed them meat scraps although they would eat them if we did. When my husband mows, he puts grass clippings in the pen and we let them run loose to eat bugs and other insects and grass seeds at different times.

When you first purchase the baby chicks, they must be kept warm until they feather out. That means we usually keep them in a large cardboard box in the house for a couple of weeks or until the weather moderates. This also helps the
chicks to become acquainted with us without outside disturbance.

Of course, over the years, I have narrowed the choices to some favorite breeds. One is Araucana, the Easter egg chicken. This breed lays eggs that have blue or green shells. The birds are also beautiful with a mixture of black,
brown, red and gold feather.

I also like Buff Orpington for their brown eggs and because they are good layers plus have excellent meat. Their temperament is also usually docile and they make good mothers if you do have a rooster and have fertile eggs. Rhode Island Red also lay brown eggs and are excellent layers although I find them a little flighty. On the other hand, White Wyandottes are extremely hardy, quiet and have equally large brown eggs.

Dominiques are black and white speckled birds that usually have rose combs. The females are docile, have light brown eggs are good layers, but the roosters tend to be very defensive, grow long spurs and can be a detriment to a quiet, well mannered flock. I admire the "wild" chicken varieties for their very hardy tendencies and good looks. However, they tend to hide their nests so well it is hard to collect eggs and they do not take well to being penned. They also are something of a seasonal layer so we stick to the more domesticated varieties.

Here are a few tips for making good boiled eggs: