Author: Ed

December 23rd Celebration: Night of the Radishes

Did you know that December 23rd is Noche de Rábanos or Night of the Radishes in some regions of Mexico? It's a time of celebration with displays of elaborately carved radishes.

Photo by Travis S.

Yes, this photo shows some of the little ones we know and love, but the main sculpture is made from giant radishes (they can be more than 6 pounds) grown for this purpose. More photos of fabulous carvings here.

I remember carving radishes into roses and pointy floral designs to decorate cold cut trays for my parents holiday parties. I remember discovering the trick of cutting petals all around and then dropping the radishes into ice water so the petals would swell and open like a flower.

We might have forgotten this holiday except that over the years our original discovery of this holiday and a post we did on carving radishes keep popping up this week in the list of favorite pages of BostonZest readers.

For more about radishes in general, here's a post, "Radishes, Fireball to French Breakfast!," with more information about this sunny, snappy veggie.

It's fun to learn about other cultures and how they celebrate. We'll soon be out looking at the ice carvings around Boston. Have you ever adopted a cultural event just because it appealed to you?

Here is every tool you might ever need to carve radishes or any other vegetable. Or, how about whittling? That just takes a pen knife or here's a kit with everything you need.

International Culinary Carving Set 80 Piece, Wood Case

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: by Travis S. Used under creative commons license. Here's his photostream on this topic.

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

December 23, 2013
7 Salty Winter Tips for Boston Dog Lovers – A Readers’ Favorite

While some aspects of winter – like playing in snow – can be fun, salt on Boston roads and sidewalks can be bad news for city dogs. It can lead to sore paws and more.

Poppy has been getting a lot of attention in her little red boots. (Or, "Ruby Slippers" as one woman on Newbury Street called them. We like that term and have adopted it.)

During the past couple of weeks, we've noticed a lot of readers finding a past post on dealing with salt on dog paws, so we're rerunning the information.

Here are 7 tips for dealing with winter when you have a dog!

Tip 1: Dog Boots

You're seeing photos from our little Poppy's first day wearing Pawz Water-Proof Dog Boots. She accepted them right away and gave them a good workout as she experienced her first measurable snowfall.

Tip 2: Snow Rinse

So far, Poppy is not showing any of the tenderfoot problems that bedeviled our Maggie Mae. But, we're not taking any chances. If you've ever had salt in a cut, you know how that stings. Now imagine walking on salt with paws that are raw and irritated.

If you are out on a walk and your dog starts favoring a paw, try to find some clean snow and use that to rinse the salt from the paws.

Tip 3: Be Alert for Infections and GI Upsets

Salt and other melting chemicals can cause paws to become raw and irritated. If you see your dog licking his paws after a walk, that's a warning sign. Not only can the paw become infected, but dogs, especially small dogs, also can develop an upset GI system from ingesting these chemicals.

Tip 4: Wash Those Paws!

When you return from a salty walk, you should wash and dry your dog's paws. We do it even with the boots because sometimes a dip in a deep puddle or romp in the snow will leave some salt residue. We give Poppy a dip in the sink. For bigger dogs, there are a variety of paw washers. You can also just use a bowl and dip and then dry each paw.

Tip 5: Off to the Vet, if …

There are signs when you should check in with your vet. This would be if a paw is bleeding, cracked, or ulcerated, and in the case of vomiting or diarrhea since these symptoms may not be related to the salt.

Tip 6: Avoid Metal on Sidewalks

Salt is also one of the culprits in the stray, electrical current that has killed at least four Boston dogs in past winters. Electrical problems can occur when salt applied to roads and sidewalks corrodes electrical equipment. Salty water can serve as a conductor allowing stray current to spread to metal grates, utility covers, and even to paving material and bare ground.

Tip 7: Use Salt Alternatives

For those concerned with the problems caused by salt, there are paw safe ice melt alternatives. Calcium magnesium acetate or mixtures with sand, sawdust, and kitty litter will work to keep your sidewalks safe. There are downsides with each of these in terms of expense or the mess they may track into your home, but these options are less damaging to plants, pets, and structural elements.

Boot scrapers near the entrance to your home or building are a great way to deal with the residue of sand, salt, and other de-icing materials that we track in with us in winter.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

Related articles

Sunday Dog New Year's Resolutions for 2013

Bless you, carriage lane: long run Sunday

Beat the Winter Blues with Your Dog

"Life is a Toy" for Our Sunday Dogs and Cat

Sunday Dog, Lucas Has a Nose for Fashion!

December 22, 2013
7 Salty Winter Tips for Boston Dog Lovers – A Readers’ Favorite

While some aspects of winter – like playing in snow – can be fun, salt on Boston roads and sidewalks can be bad news for city dogs. It can lead to sore paws and more.

Poppy has been getting a lot of attention in her little red boots. (Or, "Ruby Slippers" as one woman on Newbury Street called them. We like that term and have adopted it.)

During the past couple of weeks, we've noticed a lot of readers finding a past post on dealing with salt on dog paws, so we're rerunning the information.

Here are 7 tips for dealing with winter when you have a dog!

Tip 1: Dog Boots

You're seeing photos from our little Poppy's first day wearing Pawz Water-Proof Dog Boots. She accepted them right away and gave them a good workout as she experienced her first measurable snowfall.

Tip 2: Snow Rinse

So far, Poppy is not showing any of the tenderfoot problems that bedeviled our Maggie Mae. But, we're not taking any chances. If you've ever had salt in a cut, you know how that stings. Now imagine walking on salt with paws that are raw and irritated.

If you are out on a walk and your dog starts favoring a paw, try to find some clean snow and use that to rinse the salt from the paws.

Tip 3: Be Alert for Infections and GI Upsets

Salt and other melting chemicals can cause paws to become raw and irritated. If you see your dog licking his paws after a walk, that's a warning sign. Not only can the paw become infected, but dogs, especially small dogs, also can develop an upset GI system from ingesting these chemicals.

Tip 4: Wash Those Paws!

When you return from a salty walk, you should wash and dry your dog's paws. We do it even with the boots because sometimes a dip in a deep puddle or romp in the snow will leave some salt residue. We give Poppy a dip in the sink. For bigger dogs, there are a variety of paw washers. You can also just use a bowl and dip and then dry each paw.

Tip 5: Off to the Vet, if …

There are signs when you should check in with your vet. This would be if a paw is bleeding, cracked, or ulcerated, and in the case of vomiting or diarrhea since these symptoms may not be related to the salt.

Tip 6: Avoid Metal on Sidewalks

Salt is also one of the culprits in the stray, electrical current that has killed at least four Boston dogs in past winters. Electrical problems can occur when salt applied to roads and sidewalks corrodes electrical equipment. Salty water can serve as a conductor allowing stray current to spread to metal grates, utility covers, and even to paving material and bare ground.

Tip 7: Use Salt Alternatives

For those concerned with the problems caused by salt, there are paw safe ice melt alternatives. Calcium magnesium acetate or mixtures with sand, sawdust, and kitty litter will work to keep your sidewalks safe. There are downsides with each of these in terms of expense or the mess they may track into your home, but these options are less damaging to plants, pets, and structural elements.

Boot scrapers near the entrance to your home or building are a great way to deal with the residue of sand, salt, and other de-icing materials that we track in with us in winter.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

Related articles

Sunday Dog New Year's Resolutions for 2013

Bless you, carriage lane: long run Sunday

Beat the Winter Blues with Your Dog

"Life is a Toy" for Our Sunday Dogs and Cat

Sunday Dog, Lucas Has a Nose for Fashion!

December 22, 2013
Celebrate the Winter Solstice 2013! Friday Links to More about It…

December 21, 12:11 p.m. EST is the 2013 Winter Solstice here in Boston, and it's a great reason to celebrate!

Tomorrow, we will have just 9 hours, 4 minutes and 34 seconds of daylight. By Monday, we'll have added 8 seconds to that total and we'll be on our way to longer days of light.

Whatever winter holiday you choose to make your central celebration in December, it was probably based on the fact that the sun seems to stand still and the shortest day of the year occurs on the Winter Solstice.

Wikipedia has a page full of the celebrations from the Beiwe Festival of the Sami people of Fennoscandia to Ziemassvētki celebrated in Latvia, Baltic states, and Romuva. The list includes more familiar occasions like Christmas, Hanukkah, Saint Lucy's Day, and the Yule festival.

This is an astronomical event, so the folks over at Earth Sky have the details in their post, Everything you need to know: December solstice 2013. As they point out, it is the shortest day in Boston but the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a holiday gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

December 20, 2013
Celebrate the Winter Solstice 2013! Friday Links to More about It…

December 21, 12:11 p.m. EST is the 2013 Winter Solstice here in Boston, and it's a great reason to celebrate!

Tomorrow, we will have just 9 hours, 4 minutes and 34 seconds of daylight. By Monday, we'll have added 8 seconds to that total and we'll be on our way to longer days of light.

Whatever winter holiday you choose to make your central celebration in December, it was probably based on the fact that the sun seems to stand still and the shortest day of the year occurs on the Winter Solstice.

Wikipedia has a page full of the celebrations from the Beiwe Festival of the Sami people of Fennoscandia to Ziemassvētki celebrated in Latvia, Baltic states, and Romuva. The list includes more familiar occasions like Christmas, Hanukkah, Saint Lucy's Day, and the Yule festival.

This is an astronomical event, so the folks over at Earth Sky have the details in their post, Everything you need to know: December solstice 2013. As they point out, it is the shortest day in Boston but the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a holiday gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

December 20, 2013
How Cold Is Cold Enough to Curl a Rhododendron?
How cold has it been in Boston lately? Cold enough for the rhododendron leaves to begin to curl. And, cold enough for some of our readers to dig out a post from 2008 to learn about it. So, here's a bit of that readers' choice for those of you who have discovered BostonZest, in more recent times.

Rhododendrons can be used as a natural thermometer, if you learn the signals their leaves are giving you.

This photo (above) was taken mid-winter as the leaves were beginning to tighten into their most protective roll.

Garth Wedemire over at The Amercian Rhododendron Society says, "Leaves of rhododendrons respond to cold by first drooping…then curling up.
- At temperatures above freezing, the leaves extend at approximately right angles from the stems.
- Just below freezing, the leaves droop downwards…but remain flattened.
At 25° or thereabouts…the leaves droop and curl, and by 20°, they are curled so tightly that they look like green pencils. Once the temperature drops below 20°, they can't curl up much tighter, and only a non-living thermometer will do."

Here's the page with Garth Wedemire's article.

Here's what the leaves look like when it is under 20 degrees.

He says this is a defensive reaction designed to prevent moisture loss from the leaves. These plants will show some drooping and curling in extreme heat as well.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a holiday gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2008 and © 2013 Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
December 19, 2013
How Cold Is Cold Enough to Curl a Rhododendron?
How cold has it been in Boston lately? Cold enough for the rhododendron leaves to begin to curl. And, cold enough for some of our readers to dig out a post from 2008 to learn about it. So, here's a bit of that readers' choice for those of you who have discovered BostonZest, in more recent times.

Rhododendrons can be used as a natural thermometer, if you learn the signals their leaves are giving you.

This photo (above) was taken mid-winter as the leaves were beginning to tighten into their most protective roll.

Garth Wedemire over at The Amercian Rhododendron Society says, "Leaves of rhododendrons respond to cold by first drooping…then curling up.
- At temperatures above freezing, the leaves extend at approximately right angles from the stems.
- Just below freezing, the leaves droop downwards…but remain flattened.
At 25° or thereabouts…the leaves droop and curl, and by 20°, they are curled so tightly that they look like green pencils. Once the temperature drops below 20°, they can't curl up much tighter, and only a non-living thermometer will do."

Here's the page with Garth Wedemire's article.

Here's what the leaves look like when it is under 20 degrees.

He says this is a defensive reaction designed to prevent moisture loss from the leaves. These plants will show some drooping and curling in extreme heat as well.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a holiday gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2008 and © 2013 Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
December 19, 2013
Do You Use a Walking Stick in Boston When It’s Icy?

A neighbor saw me out with my walking stick last week and asked me about it. She's a smart woman and she wanted one.

I'm usually asked if I've been injured or had a fall. I wonder why it's cool to use a stick when hiking in the woods but not when walking on icy sidewalks or climbing over snowbanks?

No one would ask this woman if she's been injured. They just think that she has outfitted herself for the conditions she expects.

I don't use the stick because I've had an injury or because I'm unstable, but because I want to prevent falls by walking safely. I walk everywhere. It's my principal means of transportation and my main exercise. With icy sidewalks, unshoveled corners, and snow banks to navigate, I love the secure step that hiking sticks give me.

This post has been updated on 02/11/15 with the newest versions of this product.

My favorite stick for city walking is a Hammers Hiking Pole like the one shown in the photos here. I find this type of stick very useful. It can be opened to a full five feet, if that is what you need, and then telescoped down to 27.5 inches. That's small enough to stow in a suitcase, backpack, or shopping bag.

Mine came with tips for smooth ground, ice, snow, and even has a camera mount hidden under the knob at the top. Turning a walking stick into a monopod is useful when both hiking and photography are on the agenda. I've used it, successfully, with my compact Canon pocket camera and heavy Nikon D600. The current models may be a bit different but this has been a reliable company.

I've also thought about getting this Hammers Shooting Stick/Monopod since it would always have a rest for my camera open and ready to use.

Over the years, I've built a small collection of sticks.

One is an Irish Blackthorn Walking stick. This was always called a shillelagh in my family.

This was actually a very popular weapon in its day and its history is as a fighting stick. Here's is a link to a page with more on that aspect and the real history of these iconic staffs.

I also have a simple hickory hiking pole with a rawhide strap. The strap on a walking stick is not just there to keep you from dropping the pole. It is an integral part of the tool.

I've found a site that tells you about using walking sticks and how to use the strap to transfer the work of walking with a stick from your hand to your arm and shoulder .

Perhaps it's time to start our own fashion trend and make walking sticks the accessory to be seen using on Boston's icy streets.

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: istockphoto and Hammer site
Here are links to my favorite and a couple others that are fun to have.

December 18, 2013
Do You Use a Walking Stick in Boston When It’s Icy?

A neighbor saw me out with my walking stick last week and asked me about it. She's a smart woman and she wanted one.

I'm usually asked if I've been injured or had a fall. I wonder why it's cool to use a stick when hiking in the woods but not when walking on icy sidewalks or climbing over snowbanks?

No one would ask this woman if she's been injured. They just think that she has outfitted herself for the conditions she expects.

I don't use the stick because I've had an injury or because I'm unstable, but because I want to prevent falls by walking safely. I walk everywhere. It's my principal means of transportation and my main exercise. With icy sidewalks, unshoveled corners, and snow banks to navigate, I love the secure step that hiking sticks give me.

This post has been updated on 02/11/15 with the newest versions of this product.

My favorite stick for city walking is a Hammers Hiking Pole like the one shown in the photos here. I find this type of stick very useful. It can be opened to a full five feet, if that is what you need, and then telescoped down to 27.5 inches. That's small enough to stow in a suitcase, backpack, or shopping bag.

Mine came with tips for smooth ground, ice, snow, and even has a camera mount hidden under the knob at the top. Turning a walking stick into a monopod is useful when both hiking and photography are on the agenda. I've used it, successfully, with my compact Canon pocket camera and heavy Nikon D600. The current models may be a bit different but this has been a reliable company.

I've also thought about getting this Hammers Shooting Stick/Monopod since it would always have a rest for my camera open and ready to use.

Over the years, I've built a small collection of sticks.

One is an Irish Blackthorn Walking stick. This was always called a shillelagh in my family.

This was actually a very popular weapon in its day and its history is as a fighting stick. Here's is a link to a page with more on that aspect and the real history of these iconic staffs.

I also have a simple hickory hiking pole with a rawhide strap. The strap on a walking stick is not just there to keep you from dropping the pole. It is an integral part of the tool.

I've found a site that tells you about using walking sticks and how to use the strap to transfer the work of walking with a stick from your hand to your arm and shoulder .

Perhaps it's time to start our own fashion trend and make walking sticks the accessory to be seen using on Boston's icy streets.

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: istockphoto and Hammer site
Here are links to my favorite and a couple others that are fun to have.

December 18, 2013
Where to Dine on New Year’s Eve 2013 in Boston
Our readers are already searching our past posts to figure out where to dine this New Year's Eve in Boston. It's time for you to grab a reservation at a special place!

This is an outdated post. Click below for the link to:

Where to Dine on New Year's Eve 2015 & New Year's Day Brunch 2016

We all have our ideas of the perfect New Year's Eve.
- Are you looking for a place to ring in 2014 with a happy crowd?
- Will you be out and about dropping in on events or house parties?
- Or will you make a reservation for a quiet dinner before popping a cork for a private celebration?
- Is a walk to view the ice sculptures and skating on the Frog Pond more yours style?
We'll leave the New Year's Eve reservation for those of you who like to be part of a bigger celebration, while we spend the evening with some sparkling wine, good food, and great companions. However, we have gathered resources to help you find a place for any kind of New Year's Eve you'd like.

We always recommend Hamersley's Bistro as a perfect place to enjoy a meal on a special occasion. It's been one of the few exceptions to our stay-at-home rule. This year, they're planning a four-course prix fixe menu with a champagne toast if you're there at midnight.

Everyone can begin at Open Table. They maintain a list of special New Year's celebrations at area restaurants.

You can put a time into the reservation box on the main page and see what's available. Remember, many places have special prix fixe menus for occasions like this and some may require a credit card to hold a reservation.

The site Boston Chefs always posts a listing of its member restaurants that have special plans for New Year's Eve. Here is their New Year's Eve list. And, here's the list for New Year's Day.

And, here are a few suggestions published by Boston's great food sites last year: We'll update this section as we spot new information from these sources.
- 12.27.12: Eater Boston has added its Map of What to do on New Year's Eve.
- 12.28.12: Grub Street Boston put up their, "Grub Guide: Where to Get Dreamy Takeout on New Year's Eve," some good choices there.
There are also restaurants that have planned a special New Year's Eve menu but have built their reputation on high quality food. These are places where you can expect to have a wonderful meal any day of the year.
- Island Creek Oyster Bar is serving its regular menu and, for that kindness, we've put them at the top of this list.
- Eastern Standard, next door, is doing the same. Regular menu, great wine list, craft cocktails.
- Grotto on Beacon Hill, Kitchen in the South End, and Marliave downtown all join that list of places sticking with the food you love.
- Brasserie JO has a special menu but alway provides great food in a relaxed atmosphere, and their desserts are a party in themselves.
- La Morra in Brookline – chef Josh Ziskin says he saves some of his most prized dishes just for this evening. He's serving a four-course Italian dinner with a glass of Prosecco for toasting.
Where are you spending the evening? What's your favorite way to celebrate? Come back on January 1st and tell us about your New Year's Eve.

To be notified of updates to this post, sign-on to the comment feed for this post or follow us on Twitter for updates.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: Photo: iStockphoto.com

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
December 17, 2013