That Relish

www.wikipedia.org

Cranberry Relish.

For years and years, it has appeared on our Thanksgiving table.  For years and years, it sat untouched.  For some reason it had to be there despite the fact no one sitting around the table particularly cared for it.  But, its presence was seemingly just as important as the turkey, stuffing, and sweet potatoes.

The cranberry, of course, is synonymous with New England culture.  The American Indians had been using cranberries for food, medicine, and even dye throughout eastern North America.  They introduced them to the hapless English settlers at Plymouth Colony.  Supposedly, cranberries have been gracing Thanksgiving tables ever since.  Cranberry cultivation became an important contributor to the economy in modern day Massachusetts and other parts of the United States where they grow in abundance.  If you ever have a chance to see a cranberry harvest, it is quite the sight.  One of my memories from my years working in Plymouth, MA was stopping by the Ocean Spray store on the waterfront for a cranberry something and having a taste of cranberry wine at the local wine shop.  Cranberries, apparently, are just as important to the local economy as the Pilgrims themselves.  Today, of course, cranberries have been named members of the power food club, due to their potential benefits for urinary tract health.  Cranberries and cranberry juice can be found year round, and make frequent appearance in "health food" products and recipes.

Ok, now back to the relish.  You can buy it in a can, you can buy it in a jar.  You can buy the raw ingredients to make it yourself and add another step to your Thanksgiving preparations.  This year, we picked up a jar of Ocean Spray relish at the British specialty shop down in Capellen.  As usual, sit sat mostly untouched in its bowl.  It was there, that's all that matters.  It wouldn't have been a proper Thanksgiving feast without it, you know.

There was one year we decided to go a little crazy by revisiting the cranberry relish issue.  My husband made "Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish" which he heard about on NPR.  While the mixture of fresh cranberries, onion, sour cream, and horseradish may sound like the worst concoction of a condiment to ever appear on a holiday table, let me tell you, it beats the pants off of those abhorrent slices of jelly from the can.  Don't believe me?  Well, according to NPR it's been a popular topic on the airwaves since first introduced to the American public in 1971.  Martha Stewart and, uh, Coolio both approve, so it's worth a shot, right?

Anyway, whatever your opinion on the infamous cranberry relish, there's one thing we can agree on.  This time of year can be full of activities and traditions we may not be particularly fond of- Black Friday, sitting down to dinner with those people (we all have them), untangling Christmas lights, having to listen to Santa Baby one too many times, trying to figure out what present to buy Uncle Herb (the man without a single interest or hobby) yet again, seeing the neighbors have purchased another tacky addition to their inflatable decoration collection, elbowing through the crowds in the store on December 23rd to get that one thing you forgot the other day, and cranberry relish.

Nevertheless, despite all the hassle, there's something special about the holiday season.  No matter how jaded we get, there's a moment somewhere along the way that gives us the warm fuzzies.  It might be sitting back and enjoying the decorations in all their lit and untangled glory, hearing Bing Crosby's White Christmas on the radio, Mom's stuffing, the smell of fresh cut pine, egg nog, mulled wine, Great Lakes Christmas Ale, holiday edition coffee, Rankin-Bass Christmas specials, the first snowfall, Linus reading from Luke in A Charlie Brown Christmas, a fire on the hearth, or the look on someone's face when they open their gift.  There's always something that get's you.  That's the moment when all the other stuff about the holidays doesn't matter, it's that feeling we look forward to.  It makes the crap worth it.

Whether the big day is St. Nicholas Day, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, St. Stephen's Day, Boxing Day, or New Year's Eve, when you find yourself in that moment enjoy every minute.  These times are meant to be savored.

So, give in, celebrate, pass the relish, and have a very happy holiday!

Don't Let A Good Part Go

A discarded MTB wheel gets a bright new future.

A few months ago I did a double take.  We were doing some exploring and ended up in a dead end alley that are common in twisty, turny European cities.  Lo and behold, amidst a pile of cardboard, old carpet, and trash bags was a pile of bike wheels.  Now, I don't normally rummage through other people's garbage, but good grief!  Who the heck throws out perfectly decent wheels?  The bike shop on the other side of the alley, apparently.  They weren't high-end or that great looking, sure, but that didn't warrant chucking them in the alley.  They were true, had all their spokes, and the hubs were in good shape.  Oh well, their wastefulness was our gain.  We made out with a decent stash of beater wheels of various ages, types, conditions, and sizes.  Turns out none of them fit our bikes, but just because you can't use a wheel for its intended use doesn't mean you can't use it at all, right?

It didn't take long to formulate some crafty plans for these wheels.  First project on the list was to solve a lighting problem in our living room. In most rental situations in Europe, you have to buy all the light fixtures and have them installed when you move in.  We happen to have an exceptionally sweet landlord who bought most of the lights himself.  One of the lights he bought was the overhead for the living room, but for some unknown reason it has never shown up.  There was mix up after mix up at the shop and from what we gather, the subject was eventually dropped.  It's a long complicated story, but the gist of it is that we still didn't have an overhead light in our living room after nearly a year of living here. His money, not ours.  Whatever.

In steps a lonely, discarded mountainbike wheel.  We figured with a little dressing up, we could concoct a decent light from it for a fraction of the price of a store bought fixture of similar size.  So, we made a trip to the hardware store.  We picked up some craft wire, a couple boxes of decorative bobbles and doodads, a cheap overhead light fixture, a roll of tape with some built-in color changing LEDs, and some chain.  There's nothing a little steel wool can't tackle, so between it and a little degreaser I got the wheel as shiny as it was the day it rolled off the floor.  We fed the cord of the 10€ light through the hub and adhered the LED tape to where the old rim tape use to be.  I used the craft wire to hang some extra bicycle chain and bobbles from the rims and the shade of the central light.  After a handful of hours and 80€ or so later, we had a pretty nifty light for our living room.  All the wiring was already hooked up at the ceiling so all we had to do was plug it in.  Et voilà!  We now have a light!

I, for one, am pretty pleased.  For our first reuse project, the Cycle Recycle light came out pretty darn good.  Turns out there are all sorts of things you can do with an old wheel, so there will probably be more such crafts in our future.  After all, we still have a few of those redeemed wheels waiting for a second chance.

Lighten Up

Winter has come back around again and with winter comes darkness, complete cold and total darkness.  You leave for work under the cover of night and return home the same way.  We haven't even been through the worst of it it yet.   Five weeks until the solstice.  The further north you are, the darker it gets.  After a few weeks, you can't remember where you put your sunglasses and you don't even care.  You won't need them until May, perhaps April.  It's no wonder things like drinking, drug use, and suicide go up this time of year.  If you happen to live in places like Northeast Ohio or, errr.. Luxembourg winter is even more joyful- constant cloud cover.  Need I say more?

This time of year, more than any other, it's imperative that those of us out of two wheels  do everything possible to be visible.  While it's easy to blame drivers the rest of the time for "just not seeing the cyclist," nighttime is a whole nuther ball of wax.  Low light situations mean everything is harder to spot- bikes, pedestrians, animals, and even other cars.  It's one thing in urban areas with street lights, but out in the sticks if something isn't lit up of its own accord, the chance of a collision increase.  So, do yourself a favor and lighten up.  While you may be worried about looking ridiculous, personally I'd rather look like a fool than be dead.  Here are some of my favorite methods for staying visible during the winter months.

1). High-Vis clothing.  Even if the sun is up, visibility is still low this time of year especially in the overcast areas.  Investing in a high-vis jacket, vest, or pants will go a long way towards getting noticed on the road.  It may look goofy, but it's worth it.

2.) Lighting.  In Europe, many bicycles come with stock, dynamo powered headlights and taillights.  Most people rely on those and the reflectors on the wheels for visibility.  Let me tell ya something, unless you have a high end bike with a high-end lighting system, these lights are crap.  Seriously.  You know how a flashlight looks right before the batteries die?  That's about the power behind the stock headlights.  So, either upgrade your headlight or purchase some add-ons.  I have a special place in my heart for Nite Rider lights.  You can't miss em.  One of these bad boys on the handlebars, fork, or helmet will get you seen.  But, where ever you mount it, make sure it's aimed in a way so as not to blind other cyclists.  A bright light right in the eye is almost as dangerous as no light at all.  Pair the headlight with their equally powerful tail light and you're good to go.  Well, almost.

3.) Highlight movement.  Bicycles come with reflectors, yes, but it doesn't hurt to add a little more.  A roll of 3M reflective tape won't cost you much, but it can go a long way.  While you can stick it to the back of your helmet, backpack, or cargo rack, it's best to use it where it can be most effective- on things that move, like the back of your shoes.  Of course, don't forget being visible from the side in addition to the front and back.  Reflective tape works great on crank arms and a strip here and there on your rims will do wonders.  Of course, if you have some extra funds something like this may be up your alley.

http://www.monkeylectric.com/

4.) Ride visibly.  All the lights and reflective stuff in the world isn't going to help you if you're riding on the side walk, on the wrong side of the street, passing stopped cars on the right, or running red lights.  Ride correctly, take the lane, and communicate clearly with drivers.  Following the traffic laws is your best bet for staying in drivers' line of sight and out from under their bumpers.  While collisions can happen even when cyclists are doing everything right, the chances of a collision go way up when we choose to ignore the laws.

Most drivers, at least I (desperately) hope so, don't want to hit you any more than you want to be hit.  Granted, all the responsibility for getting home safe should not fall completely on the cyclist's shoulders.   But, don't make it harder on everyone by riding around like a ninja either.  This time of year, chances are you're riding in the dark.  So, spend a few bucks on visibility, cycle safely and enjoy the ride!

Falling Rocks, Cheese, and Snow

When one thinks of the famous Bernese Alps, the mind often wanders to images straight out of Heidi- pastures of wildflowers, babbling brooks, and small villages with snow covered peaks towering above it all.  The fantasy, in all truthfulness, is not too far from reality.  The only difference being that much of the population in the large towns of this idyllic area are the transient tourists from Asia, Britain, and the Americas coming to backpack, ski, base jump, and ride the railways and cables up to the mountain tops.  With the motley ambiance of camera clicks and incoherent chattering in a dozen languages, one may forget that the perfection of the scenery meeting the eyes is completely legitimate and not a fabricated theme park of rebar and plaster.

Do not despair, however, you need not travel far to escape the bustling chaos of the resort towns.  The "real" Bernese Alps are steps away.  Yes, Virginia, there is still a corner here and there that has not completely succumbed to modern progress.  You can still climb a mountain (yes, an actual mountain with a name) all morning and arrive in a village where the economy is still based on cattle raising and cheese making.  The villagers are not paid to dress up in felt costumes and talk to bus loads of Japanese and American tourists.  They're going about their lives just as they have done for a thousand years.  Sure, modern conveniences are there and they will not stick their noses up at an opportunity to make a little money operating ski lifts in the winter, but the bottom line is what it has always been.  Life changes slowly in the Bernese Alps, away from the resort towns of Interlaken and Grindelwald.  They still celebrate the seasonal cattle drive to the high pastures in the spring and their return to the lower altitudes in the Fall with ceremonial trychel ringing.  They still make the cheese the same way their great-great-great grandfather did and they still sell it to passersby from their windowsills.

There is much local pride for this famous Alpkäse.  Rumor has it that true Alpkäse connoisseurs can tell on what wildflowers and what pasture the cattle grazed just from its flavor.  While Alpkäse in general is firm, creamy cheese with a thick rind, each village has its own unique cheese, with a flavor and texture all its own.  While you can purchase the cheese direct from the maker, nearly every village has its own cheese shop where you can buy many of the regional varieties.  That is the place to hit, for the proprietress will be happy to slice off some samples for you before you make your final selection.  The choice may not be as easy as it seems.  Some cheeses are fairly young with a soft flavor, while others have been aging in a shed somewhere for a few years.  The smell alone could cause a stagger back.  We sampled a bit from a Lauterbrunnen shop across from the train station and decided that our personal favorite was the cheese produced right there in Lauterbrunnen itself, instead of the other regional cheeses in stock.  Perfectly mild and buttery, it paired nicely with some alp sausage and beer.

If you're concerned all that cheese consuming will slow you down, have no fear.  You cannot go into the Bernese Alps and not partake in some outdoor activity.  This land is made for it.  Whether it's skiing, snowboarding or mountain climbing in the winter or backpacking and mountain biking in the summer, the Bernese Alps will provide everything you need to get the blood pumping.  No matter the fitness level, with all the rail and cable service from town to town no gradient can hold you back.  Step off the valley floors and into the lofty heights above.  It is perfectly acceptable to let your jaw drop.

Leave the empty trappings of the tourist towns with their Hooters Bars, shiny resorts, knife and watch shops, and helicopter tours.  Take a chance and turn onto a trail to places unknown.  Follow a waterfall to its source.  Hear the rumble of a distant avalanche high above on the glacier covered peaks where men have climbed to success or tragic failure with hemp ropes and homemade crampons.  Hear the histories of those legendary peaks from the crusty old herders in stocking caps who've climbed them during their glorious youth.  Breathe in the crisp Alpine air and feel alive again.  No noise except the bells around the necks of countless cows.  No congestion except the sheep crossing the mountain roads.  No smog, just the low hanging clouds in the cold mornings.  The bus loads of gawking and stumbling tourists can be left behind quickly and easily, if you're willing to take a chance.

While the region is happy to welcome visitors from all over the world coming to enjoy all it has to offer, it still manages to remain true to itself.  If you're willing to wander, you'll see it.  It may sting a little.  The calves may burn.  But, I guarantee it is worth the pain.  It is worth every second.