Green Door Magazine: Winter 2013

A J O U R N A L O F R E S P O N S I B L E L I V I N G I N T H E C AT S K I L L S A N D H U D S O N VA L L E Y

american folk

FOLK MAGAZINE MOVES UPSTATE

VOL 3 No. 4 WINTER 2013 $4.99

WWW.GREENDOORMAG.COM

DISPLAY UNTIL MARCH 3, 2014

45 YEARS OF WOODSTOCK CREATIVE HOLIDAY MEALS COUNTRY ENTERTAINING VEGAN DINING TOUR ECO-CONSCIOUS FASHION

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CLIPPINGS From Around the Region FOLK American Folk Folk Magazine’s Ben Ashby and Heath Stiltner move upstate.

GIFTING 8 High Holidays: Stocking Stuffers 10 Madame Fortuna 12 What Ellie Loves Now

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ART 13 Miriam Hernandez 14 Crossing Safely: Robert Hite

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ENTERTAINING Entertaining on the Farm A night of festive feasting in an old farmhouse near the Delaware.

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COVER PHOTO: RIKKI SNYDER

GREETINGS Winter Is Coming

WOODSHED The Outlier Inn BEAUTY Alternative Beauty FASHION Friendly Furs Using an Angora Rabbit’s natural molting cycle to create eco-conscious luxury TRAVEL Roxbury, A Gem of the Catskills

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NEIGHBORS Local Calendar

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POETRY Remembering Dandelions in Winter Metro-North Rider Window

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LOCAVORE 33 bluecashew Kitchen Picks 34 To Melt: Classic Fondue 38 Hudson Valley Seed Library 40 Vegan Catskills: Brave New World 42 Cooper’s Table: Food & Finds

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HISTORY 44 Murder on the Stone Arch Bridge 46 The Forgotten War

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The BOOKSHELF The Difference in Butterflies

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INTO THE WOODS Sapphire Anniversary: Back to the Garden 45 Years Later

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ENDPAPER Sweet Ending

CREATIVES 50 The Toymaker 51 And the Commissar is Telling My Fortune as the Radio Plays...

52 Master Furniture Craftsman: Michael Puryear

EDITOR Akira Ohiso PUBLISHER Ellie Ohiso ADVERTISING SALES Sharon Reich (845) 254-3103 MARKETING DIRECTOR Aaron Fertig COPY EDITORS Donata C. Marcus Jay Blotcher Eileen Fertig CONTRIBUTORS Vanessa Geneva Ahern Jim Blackburn Cooper Boone John Conway Simona David Jennifer Desrochers Jennifer Farley Jessica Fertig Ann Lee Fuller Lori Majewski Dan Mayers Kelly Merchant Sean B. Nutley Jeff Olson Kirby Olson Nick Piatek Rebecca Reischer Larry Ruhl Joshua Ryan Catie Baumer Schwalb Gregory Schoenfeld Rikki Snyder Gregory Triana J.N. Urbanski Allison Nowlin Ward Barbara Winfield CONTACT US Green Door Magazine Inc. 34 South Main Street P.O. Box 143 Liberty, NY 12754 Email: info@greendoormag.com Phone: (845) 55-GD-MAG www.greendoormag.com facebook.com/greendoormag twitter.com/greendoormag pinterest.com/greendoormag instagram.com/green_door_magazine RECYCLE THIS, SHARE WITH A FRIEND! Green Door Magazine (ISSN # 2161-7465) is published quarterly - Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter - by Green Door Magazine Inc. All rights reserved. Subscription rate is $14.95 annually. U.S. subscriptions can be purchased online at www.greendoormag.com or by mail.

Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings, and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us. Address all letters to editor@greendoormag.com. Postmaster: Address all inquiries to Circulation Department, Green Door Magazine, P.O. Box 143, Liberty, NY 12754. No part may be used without written permission of the publisher Š2013-2014.

Views expressed in Green Door & in advertising in the issue are those of their authors & do not necessarily reflect the opinion, policy, or endorsement of the publication.

GREETINGS | AKIRA OHISO

CLIPPINGS | AROUND THE REGION

Winter Is Coming

Fab(ulous)haus

Fab Haus Beacon We have not seen something this creative in a long time. Fabhaus is a laser cutting studio that turns cardboard, wood and other materials into creative re-imagined objects. Owner Ricardo Fuentes utilizes an in-store laser cutter and engraver to design a variety of unique products.

From custom-engraved pencils to jewelry to works of art, you will leave the store truly inspired by the possibilities.

FOR MORE INFO www.facebook.com/fabhausbeacon

Beowulf

Peekamoose Cocktail

THE JUXTAPOSITION OF ELEMENTAL PROPERTIES BY ANN LEE FULLER

20” x 20”

Mixed Media on Panel

annleefuller.blogspot.com

I purchased light hiking shoes after four years of living in the Catskills. I took the kids for a hike at Walnut Mountain. At one point we get lost. Do we head back the way we came or keep moving forward? My 7-year old son, always up for an adventure, says “Let’s keep walking.” We discover a marshy part of the woods with raised wooden walkways and foot bridges over streams. The place is canopied by trees reaching for sunlight. Moss and mushrooms blanket the ground. I try to be in the moment. It’s magical, but there are bills to pay. The kids are free.

I’m restless lately. Winter is coming.

A friend is certain God exists. He said Jung was too. I am just trying to complete 15 minutes of meditation without being interrupted by children. With the Ashram down the road I often stop in to the Arati Store to drink chai, skim obscure books and let a little nothingness rub off. A bit angry, I think it’s easy to find nirvana sequestered away in comfortable maroon robes. I drive along windy roads, stop to take pictures near water, bungalows, stone walls, farms.

My mind wanders creatively. Expectations seep in.

DRINK ILLUSTRATION: JESSICA FERTIG

Projects, ideas, alliterations, song lyrics surface near the reservoir. I put some photos on Instagram. The Nashville and Walden filters work well in the #Catskills. Insta Grahamsville.

Locals say transplants get the 5-year itch, cut their losses and head back to the city. Is there a 4-year itch? Do I want everything at my fingertips again?

Neversink sunk? Vastness, cold wind, the kids will be home soon.

I crave writing, my wife, stacking wood, a fire, soup.

You don’t have to slay Grendel, Grendel’s mama or a dragon to enjoy Beowulf, a wintry libation concocted by Peekamoose Restaurant in the northern hinterlands of Big Indian. Made from locally-sourced, locally-crafted rye whiskey, you are truly imbibing the Hudson Valley land. The maker of the rye whiskey named his infant son Beowulf, which inspired the drink’s namesake.

Concoction: 1 1/2 ounces Coppersea Rye 2 ounces housemade orgeat syrup (Orgeat is sweet syrup made with almonds, sugar and rose water) Dash of orange blossom water Metal goblet (optional) FOR MORE INFO www.coppersea.com www.peekamooserestaurant.com

Floaties

Lucy Jan Turin “Come on take your floaties off and dive into the water,” laments hickster chanteuse Lucille Jan Turin to a timeworn love interest. Her vocals warble like songbirds along the Delaware River near her childhood home. An old twentythree, Jan Turin is at the edge of a cliff overlooking a vast valley. Her eight songs evoke youthful adventure, loneliness and ennui. Jan Turin’s island uke skims unsettled promises of a dreamt-of Shangri-La where the troubles and worries of the world no longer exist.

Reluctant, honest and hopeful, Floaties reminds us that we are all unsettled at times and that Shangri-La exists in the midst of this. She continues to write and perform her music at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine and in her hometown of Callicoon, New York.

FOR MORE INFO www.janturanlucille.wix.com/actor 2013 WINTER | GREEN DOOR 3

american folk Fighting the Wal-Mart invasion with Folk Magazine’s Ben Ashby and Heath Stiltner.

BY AKIRA OHISO | PHOTOS BY RIKKI SNYDER

Like most 23-year-old college graduates, Ben Ashby and Heath Stiltner should be busy looking for entry-level jobs. Instead, these Gen Y young men are ahead of the curve: from their Sharon Springs, NY, home base, they’re running Folk, a national print magazine that showcases American-made products and the people behind them.

They recently inked a distribution deal to increase their print run, thereby expanding their reach across America. This Christmas, Folk will be distributed in 27 countries.

Folk founder Ben Ashby and vice-president Heath Stiltner grew up in Kentucky. It was a small tight-knit community where homegrown wasn’t a trendy fad, it was an economic necessity. And a way of life.

“We grew up in families that were actively doing things with their hands,” says Stiltner.

Then Wal-Mart came to Kentucky, as it did to small towns across America, and quickly sucked the vitality out of Main Street. “I saw what Wal-Mart did to my community,” says Ashby. “It was something I knew I didn’t want to be a part of.”

Folk was a response to that destruction of small-town life.

Ashby and Stiltner easily swat aside our simplistic assumptions about millennials – such choice judgments as “entitled,” “narcissistic,” “special” come to mind. Not every Gen Y kid has helicopter baby-boomer parents who gave them everything they wanted. Not every Gen Y kid grew up in an era of unprecedented economic expansion and prosperity where they were plied with computers, gameboys and Nintendos.

“Gen Y is really searching for something tangible,” says Ashby.

“We’re craving one-on-one connections.”

Gen Y launched those important one-on-one connections with social media. And while Gen X was fiercely anti-corporate, Gen Y is corporate with a conscious. Starbucks is the model, featuring mom and pop granola bars and Ethos Water to redistribute wealth through consumerism.

Ashby and Stiltner have solicited corporate advertisers to help offset print costs, which also allows them to offer affordable rates to small businesses. “It puts those small businesses in so many more hands,” says Ashby.

Authors William Strauss and Neil Howe, creators of the StraussHowe generational theory, said, “The Millennials will correct 4 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

PHOTOS: RIKKI SNYDER

Ashby initially envisioned Folk as an incubator. “It was never about a magazine, it was about supporting local and creating a place where farmers could promote themselves.”

FOLK | FOLK MAGAZINE

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the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker everyone has something to share...

FOLK | FOLK MAGAZINE CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

what they will perceive to be the mistakes of boomers, by placing positivism over negativism, trust over cynicism, science over spiritualism, team over self, duties over rights, honor over feeling, action over words.’’

Ashby and Stiltner embody that philosophy.

Ashby studied rural development and began blogging about local products and businesses he liked around the Lexington, Kentucky, area where he attended college. He told stories through photography, a visual medium that is social currency for millennials who have grown up with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. They have forgone the big advertising budget in favor of old school word-of-mouth advertising. Getting copies of Folk in people’s hands creates effective concentric circles of influence.

Last year, Ashby visited New York City for the first time. He quickly learned that New York is more than just a city. “It also has cows,” he quips. A friend from Warwick in Ulster County showed him around rural New York State. He quickly fell in love with the region. “New York is socio-economically identical to Kentucky,” says Ashby. “People really care about living locally.”

“We wanted some place like Kentucky that looked like Kentucky and felt like Kentucky,” says Stiltner.

The pair landed in Sharon Springs, NY, and met up with another power couple who had made this town their headquarters for international renown: The Beekman Boys. In fact, the TV stars were instrumental in coaxing Ben and Heath northward. Once a decaying town, Sharon Springs is now thriving with coffee shops, antique stores, a bistro, a health food store, a spa and The American Hotel. Ashby and Stiltner live above Beekman 1802 Mercantile with their Jack Russell Terrier Ginger.

The day I arrive to meet Ashby and Stiltner at the annual Sharon Springs Harvest Festival, they are running a Folk pop-up shop in an abandoned Masonic Lodge. With a sophisticated curatorial approach to locally-made and artisanal products, their design sense is mature beyond their years. “I grew up around Early American antiques,” says Ashby. “I know more about antiques than anyone my age should.”

During the interview, Ashby and Stiltner are organizing and filling “thank you” bags for festival vendors. They hand out free samples from a bucket of local apples and the latest issue of Folk to receptive passersby. They chat with locals, charming them with their Southern hospitality, and take pictures with fans. For transplanted Kentuckians, they appear genuinely comfortable in this small New York town.

When Stiltner goes to the post office or stops in at the local coffee shop, local folks make spontaneous pitches for Folk. “Did you know so-and-so make pillows?” mimics Stiltner, attempting a Yankee accent. From these friendly tips, many of the Folk stories are born.

“The butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker, everyone has something to share,” says Stiltner.

While their transition above the Mason-Dixon line seems seamless, Silver Springs’ newest celebrities admit that they miss the south.

When they hanker for genuine down-home food, they take a walk across the street to The American Hotel where they are served an authentic plate of southern fried chicken.

But when the first snowfall arrives in Sharon Springs, a quick vacation southward may be in order for the boys.

FOR MORE INFO www.folklifestyle.com 2013 WINTER | GREEN DOOR 7

GIFTING | HIGH FALLS MERCANTILE

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high holidays

High Falls Mercantile’s Larry Ruhl shares his stocking stuffer favorites.

FOR MORE INFO 113 Main Street High Falls, NY www.highfallsmercantile.com (845) 687-4200

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1 Blithe and Bonny Liquid Hand Soap Available in five fragrances $23 2 Lafco House & Home Room Candles $60 3 Handmade Morning Mug

by Eigen Arts Can be made to order with custom colors $25 4 Blithe and Bonny Scented Soy Candle Scented in Pomander $26 5 Printed Flour Sack Cotton Dishtowels $14 each

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GIFTING | MADAME FORTUNA

Madame Fortuna

BY AKIRA OHISO JEWELRY & PHOTOS BY ALLISON NOWLIN WARD

Madame Fortuna aka Allison Nowland Ward grew up on a farm in Memphis, Tennessee. Brought up in flea markets, she learned to appreciate antiques, eclectic tastes and eccentric attitudes. Whether roaming a flea market or the woods, Madame Fortuna finds creative inspiration in serendipity. Using found objects, upcycled materials and family heirlooms, her one-ofa-kind pieces capture the magic of discovery. She encourages patrons to submit a family heirloom or relic, which she then reimagines. Most of her pieces are customizable. She recently asked Green Door Publisher Ellie Ohiso to pick three personal items. Ellie didn’t make it easy for Madame Fortuna. She chose a Nixon Pin, a wooden letterpress “O” and an Einstein bracelet charm.

Madame Fortuna did the rest.

Visit the Madame and turn discovery into fortune.

FOR MORE INFO madamefortuna.com

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LIE’S PICKS GIFTING | EL

what ellie loves now

hiso Publisher Ellie O ift faves. shares her local g

Hickster Shakers

by Jen McGlashan NY Callicoon Center, com channeryhillcrafts.

ings Laser Cut Earr on ac Be s au Fabh Beacon, NY ausbeacon facebook.com/fabh

Outlaw Franky Blanket Folk Magazine Pop-Up Sharon Springs, NY outlawfranky.com shopfolk.us

Lamp

by Brian Caiazza North Branch, NY landstoremain.com

Catskills Chanukah Sweater geltfiend.com Micro Terrariums

by Holden Ohl Big Eddy Toy Co Narrowsburg, NY Vintage Ornament Wreaths

by Brandi Merolla Narrowsburg, NY www.scenesfromtheattic.com

Howl iPhone Case Ash & Anchor Pennsylvania ashandanchor.com 12 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

PHOTO OF ELLIE: COOPER BOONE

eeBoo Pom Pom Maker Paper Trail Rhinebeck, NY papertrailrhinebeck.com

ART | MIRIAM HERNANDEZ

miriam {hernandez{

BY BARBARA WINFIELD

Grids began to appear in Miriam Hernandez’s work in the 1970’s. “I began experimenting with various methods and materials on fine art paper, including inks, pastels and sewing with needle and thread,” she said. I started with basic grids consisting of vertical and horizontal lines as a base for the calligraphy superimposed on the line patterns.” A practicing Buddhist, Hernandez sometimes used this calligraphy as a way of putting mantras down on paper within the grids.

“Mantras are repeated wishes or prayers, and at times I use traditional Buddhist mantras and sometimes I make up my own,” she said. “In the grids of the 1970’s I also included invocations and odes to two of the artists I admired most, Eva Hesse and Cy Twombly. I was really into their work at that time and still am. It was not about copying or referencing their work, but about invoking the artistic spirit that these two artists represented. It was a way of honoring their work, their talent and their vision.”

“Most of the work I did between 1980 and 2012 were series linked by subject matter, not always but often, Buddhist in theme. And during that time I kept thinking about going back to the grid, yet I was drawn to the figure, the human body. I wanted to get back to the meditative act that occurred with the repetitive motion of putting down a grid pattern. But I needed to

find a way to do a fresh version of the grid.”

While working on found paper, in this case recycled plastic-coated paper bags, Hernandez noticed that when she opened and flattened each bag the existing folds created beautiful patterns of lines. She began re-purposing these bags to create more grids for mantras written in calligraphy. “There is an abstracted face that I use which represents a wrathful deity which encourages us to wake up from our delusions.

Interestingly, some of the bags formerly held coffee, and calling the new series of work “The Wake Up!” series reiterates the message to myself to wake up before time runs out, to increase my compassion and to keep working for the benefit of all beings,” she says. “Working this way helps me get closer to the reality of life and inevitability of death; to remind me of how limited our time is on earth. As an artist I produce work that perhaps people will enjoy looking at. When I sit down to work on my art I am often amazed at how it turns out. So often it ends up looking totally different from what I imagined when I started. Although discipline is necessary, I find that it’s often counterproductive to force the creative process. It’s always fun when the process leads to a surprise.”

}

After a long hiatus, during which Hernandez worked in other mediums, incorporating paint, collage and other textures, she worked with abstraction. She used the figure in a representational way. And, infusing her work with cultural meaning, she recently found herself drawn back into working with grids

again, but in a different format. “What I wanted to do was to contrast, not compare, to show the influence of the work I was doing in the late 1970’s on the work I am doing now,” she said. “Although there’s a meandering line between them, there is a big difference between the style of work I did in 1977 and in 2012. In 2012 I found my way back to working with grids again, this time working on found paper. The Buddhism I practiced in the late 1970’s was also different than what I practice now. What hasn’t changed is the use of calligraphy to set down the mantras, either as the base for the compositions, or as a layer. Working with grids requires a lot of concentration and focus. Their intricacy is very meditative. Being totally focused on what my hands are doing I found had a very calming effect. There is no anxiety about the work, no pre-judging the work. I am completely focused on what I am doing.”

FOR MORE INFO www.miriamhernandez.com

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crossing safely 14 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

ART | ROBERT HITE

For artist Robert Hite, spanning worlds is a day’s work.

BY GREGORY SCHOENFELD

Beginning in 1997, the old Methodist Church in Esopus has been home to a much different kind of gospel. Since moving to the Hudson Valley, sculptor, painter, and photographer Robert Hite has transformed the quaint, 19th century structure into the birthing ground for his creative outpourings. Now, as he embarks upon his fifth decade of producing profound and unique work, one might say that Hite has always been driven by the same scripture; one which contains but a single word: truth.

Hite’s artwork mirrors the belief that the best adversary for complacency is verity. Truth-telling through art is an ongoing battle and Hite meets the challenge with an earnestness that is both intensely personal and universal. Raised in what was at the time a radically disparate and segregated American South, the then-budding artist opted for the root elements of humanity over the yoke of societal dictate – starting down the less-traveled and sometimes dangerous path that has characterized his journey. Hite draws upon those earliest influences from the vibrant yet conflicted South, seeking a commonality that defies cultural limitations; he reveals an inherent beauty in the juxtaposition between a drive for survival and a need for significance. He synthesizes that pursuit by presenting not just the essence, but the actuality of what shapes that story: from the worn and wizened bark of a willow tree to the tin roof of a sharecropper’s shack, he shares the confounding and captivating life energy that permeates the physical realm we travel through. The signature stilted shacks that Hite creates suggest a rustically-charged path from earth to fairytale and back, one where time and toil have blended the colors far more powerfully than any palette can.

PHOTOS: ROBERT HITE; PHOTO OF ARTIST: RYAN COLLERD

There is a levity that suffuses Hite’s work, one that harks to the playfulness of surrealists like Joan Miro and Marc Chagall. Yet that lightness is only the door that allows access to its deeper impact. “People have used the word whimsy a lot for me, and sometimes it takes me aback,” Hite explains, “because underlying the whimsy are darker narratives of what takes place in this country, and around the world with the disadvantaged.

“But, then again, the disadvantaged are the most quick to find whimsy sometimes. The greatest music, the greatest art, come from the people who struggle the most. That’s what allows the whimsy, and it can definitely come from pathos – sort of like Cohen saying ‘it’s the cracks that let the light in.’”

(Hite references the Leonard Cohen line “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”)

Hite’s career as a painter has flourished into both a singular and expansive one, which spans artistic mediums and concepts as effectively as it traverses actual borders. His travels have taken him to the likes of Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic to discover – and deliver in his artwork – the reality of those truly dispossessed and disenfranchised.

In 2010, Hite’s seminal installation on the grounds of St. Edward’s University, entitled Crossing Safely – installed to commemorate those who died while attempting the crossing CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 2013 WINTER | GREEN DOOR 15

ART | ROBERT HITE

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

of the US/Mexican border – was a life-sized pair of dwelling sculptures, built with authentic materials collected on a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. From 2007-2009, Hite re-situated his series of compelling shack sculptures to sites in his adopted Hudson Valley home region. The results were a stark and bracing series of black-and-white photographs entitled Imagined Histories, and a corollary color series called Living On Earth. His work allows us to see the “third world” in whatever world we might inhabit – not only an exploration of poverty versus privilege, but also a search for the definitions of both concepts.

So, is Robert Hite a crusader for justice? No, first and foremost he is the very definition of the artist: a conduit, a vehicle for delivering a visceral that transcends causality and speaks to a common spiritual depth that we all share.

“In some ways,” says Hite, “continuing to keep my own eyes open to justice is enough - and that translates into the work. I work within myself, and I produce what I do. So, really, it’s not so much wanting to control what other people are about as just making sure I mind the store; I don’t need to go too much beyond that. If I have an opportunity, like when I did the Crossing Safely installation – that was an opportunity, through subtle, poetic art, to have a teaching moment, and it was very gratifying. It was ‘look, did you know that ten thousand people have died crossing the Mexican border?’ Whatever that means to you, you can take away from it what you want. The sculpture spoke to that, and created some possible 16 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

opening for dialogue.”

From there, each of us is left – indeed, heartily invited – to extrapolate meaning from the roots of our own individual perception. “I hope it’s not necessary that my story has to be known, or that I need to give someone a story. Hopefully, there is enough emotive quality in the pieces I make so people can resonate with their own story.”

Hite continues to work towards furthering that dialogue, both by exploring expanded mediums as well as new inspirations. And, as his approach to navigating the art world has defied convention, so too does his range of exhibition spaces. In January of 2014, he will be featured in a group show inspired by his own work, entitled Architecture Digested, at El Camino College in Torrance, CA. Closer to home, this winter Hite will be hosting an Open Studio exhibition in his own Esopus church workspace, one which will feature yet another step in the artist’s boundless evolution. The show will debut a new interpretation of his signature architectural sculpture, this time constructed entirely of steel – a collaboration with local artist and metalworker Sarah MacEachen. “I’m trying to smuggle my boyhood into old age,” the artist quips, though he need not worry; his work, as well as his spirit, remain timeless.

FOR MORE INFO www.roberthite.com

Cooper Boone is the consummate entertainer.

As a singer-songwriter, cook and psychologist, he understands what brings people together.

He recently held a contest on his popular blog Cooper’s Table where fans were given the chance to win a weekend getaway at his 1866 Pennsylvania Dutch farmhouse. Eight hundred fans were asked to complete a series of challenges. Six made the final cut.

Entertainingu z Farmhouse S

The multi-talented Cooper Boone entertains out-of-town guests with a night of festivities and feasting.

Boone gut-renovated the once German boarding house. With six guest bedrooms and an open floor plan for entertaining, his dream was to create a place where people could gather. Inspired by early American interiors, he mixes primitive, rustic and modern touches to create a warm and welcoming farm.

His kitchen is the center of activity where friends and guests laugh, sing and eat.

“Food is a conduit that connects people,” says Boone. “You and I can be very different ideologically, but we can sit down at a table and enjoy a meal and connect through that.”

Behind the farmhouse is a barn perfect for entertaining. The rustic communal table is luminous with a handmade chandelier hanging from barn rafters.

Boone repurposed a rusty iron bed frame and hung exposed Edison light bulbs. Mason jars become elegant cups, rustic napkins pop against barn planks and off-white dishes evoke country living. Barn doors open to

the night’s signature cocktail

STORY BY AKIRA OHISO PHOTOS BY KELLY MERCHANT 18 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

reveal a rural landscape that would inspire the Hudson River School.

During dinner, guests shared personal stories, something the psychologist in Boone loves to do to connect people. Dinner included a locally-raised pig smoked on the farm and Boone’s signature dishes made with farm fresh ingredients.

ENTERTAINING | BARN PARTY

a serenade caps the evening

Fun games involved races (watch out for the chickens) and food trivia. During a cooking class guests made Boone’s Apple Crumble.

A three-ingredient challenge became the signature drink of the evening. (See recipe on www.greendoormag.com) After dessert, guests were treated to a private performance by Boone who is a popular country singer. In 2009, he won a Christian Music Award for his song “Mending Fences.”

He heads to Nashville soon to record his third album, which he says will be a departure from his previous two records. The songs are inspired by mountain music, bluegrass and the Carter-Cash sound. “When I toured I couldn’t afford to pay for a full band so we toured stripped down,” says Boone.

“Audiences really responded well to that sound.”

On this night, it’s no different.

FOR MORE INFO www.cooperstable.com

little touches set the stage for the food games

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ENTERTAINING | BARN PARTY

PHOTOS: KELLY MERCHANT

the farm’s chickens play a unique role in the food games

“Food is a conduit that connects people...”

-Cooper Boone

the host cheers as guests race

everyone leaves with a rustic gift

WOODSHED | THE OUTLIER INN

outlier

The Outlier Inn Producer/ Engineer Josh Druckman talks about the Catskills Sound

BY AKIRA OHISO | PHOTOS BY NICK PIATEK

What is your vision for Outlier Studios and the music scene in Sullivan County? My vision for Outlier is (to be) a place where musicians can come and make great music, whether it’s recording, writing, or practicing for gigs, in a relaxed and inspiring setting without sacrificing sonic fidelity. The studio is on a working fiber-farm with sheep, goats and rabbits roaming around. There is plenty of natural light and glass so that even while recording, bands feel as if they are outdoors. When they take breaks, there are chickens and ducks at their feet. Not to mention all of the beauty of Sullivan County being accessible to bands when they need to chill. It creates a really fun atmosphere and takes the edge off of what can be a stressful process. At the same time, the studio is equipped with world-class analog and digital equipment, which make the bands and visiting engineers very happy!

What is it that brings musicians and bands from elsewhere to record in the Catskills and Outlier Studios? Besides the natural beauty and quiet of the country, bands come here from all over the world to experience the inspiration that musicians have tapped into for centuries. There is a vibe up here, an energy. It culminated in the Woodstock scene and concert. Since then, the scene has dissipated but all of the elements that made that scene happen are still here.

You recently had Teen in Outlier recording its new album.

Can you tell me about the sessions? Teen’s great and the new record rules! It was fun working with them and their producer, Daniel Schlett. They worked intensely for ten days, writing a few of the tunes here. They totally enjoyed being in the country, surrounded by animals and I think the relaxed setting enabled them to focus and work in a way they couldn’t have in the city.

What is your philosophy when recording bands? My philosophy is focus on writing good songs, hone the arrangements, practice the hell out of them and then come into the studio and record them. There’s enough magic that happens in the studio sonically.

The band should do as little thinking as possible and just let the songs come to life.

Are bands going back to old school recording methods and processes? Why? After 10 years of “in the box,” digital audio workstation, bedroom multi-tracking, bands are returning to the philosophy of “play the tunes live in the studio.” The computer sucked all the energy out of the music and all of the fun out of the process. Of course, we’re still using computers but more as a recorder than as an extra member of the band. Bands need product and the computer enables them to endlessly tweak their songs and never finish them.

Is there a Catskills sound? The Catskills sound has always been a combination of folk, blues, rock and jazz. Roots music. I don’t think that will ever change, although the production might be modern. As more bands come up from the City, however, they bring a more urban sound. I work with a lot of indie rock bands whose influences stem from the Catskills, but who are putting their own spin on it.

Teen’s sophomore LP will be released March 4th on the Carpark label.

FOR MORE INFO www.outlierinn.com www.teentheband.com 22 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

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HOMEMADE

REMEDIES Use one part unfiltered, raw apple cider vinegar mixed with 5 parts water or organic brewed herbal tea for a hydrating toner. Use a 1:1 ratio for oily or acne prone skin.

Mix 2 parts baking soda with one part water for a natural exfoliant.

Use coconut oil as a natural and effective eye makeup remover.

Use raw unpasteurized, unfiltered honey as a spot treatment or facial mask.

Want to be extra luxurious?

Use Manuka honey 16+.

Never heard of it? Do the research, you won’t regret it.

Want to clear up your skin?

Improve your digestion. Stay away from foods that cause inflammation. Add fermented foods or homemade bone broth to your diet. Your skin will thank you for it later.

The author of this article is creator of Botany & Birch, an artisanal skin care line handcrafted in small batches. All products are 100% natural - free of gluten, grains, dairy, soy, harmful chemicals and preservatives. Rebecca is a native New Yorker who spent some of the best summers of her life at her family home in the Catskills.

While Botany & Birch products are made in downstate New York, the idea for the company came about while on a regular visit to the Catskill Mountain Region. It’s amazing what some relaxation and fresh mountain air can do to get the creative juices flowing.

For more information or to purchase products visit www.botanyandbirch.com.

Green Door Readers get 10% off with code greendoor. Offer expires March 5, 2014.

24 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

Green Door Readers visit BotanyandBirch.com and get 10% OFF with coupon code greendoor at checkout.

Ends March 5, 2014.

BEAUTY | NEW YORK ORGANIC

ALTERNATIVE BEAUTY

BY REBECCA REISCHER | PHOTOS BY ELLIE OHISO

My mother had a friend who was, for the lack of a better word, fabulous. When I was a child, our families used to vacation together often. I distinctly remember sitting in her hotel room one morning as she brushed her daughter’s knotty hair to the sounds of what we all know as torture. This was the late 80’s and I assume she forgot her bottle of ‘No More Tangles’ at home.

With a twinkle in her eye, she glanced at us and comfortingly imparted, “Girls, for beauty we suffer.” She was glamorous and I took it in like gospel. I was bewitched by both the vanity and masochistic nature of her directive.

Like many women, I used them as words to live by for most of my adult life.

PHOTOS: ELLIE OHISO. PHARMACY SHOT BY ALEXANDER CHAIKIN.

That lip gloss is the perfect hue, arsenic isn’t that bad, is it? Red dye number #22? I’ll take it. This moisturizer promises to make even the driest of skin as supple as a baby’s bum. Parabens? I’ll use it just one more day until I switch to a more natural brand (fast forward to empty container.) Denial is one of the most useful tools a lady can carry in her back pocket, all the while unconsciously repeating the mantra “For beauty I suffer.”

I woke up one day (truthfully, it was years in the making) and thought to myself, “I choose to suffer no more.”

As internet folklore purports, we unknowingly swallow several pounds of lipstick in a lifetime. Is it an exaggeration? Maybe. Is the idea that far fetched? Not really. There is abundant and growing research that links the harmful chemicals found in conventional cosmetics and beauty products to hormone disruption and diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. Why take the risk?

I had the right idea years ago when I started to use a deodorant cream from a well-established and regarded company that flaunts the tagline ‘natural skincare’ and ‘healthier skin, guaranteed.’ I used it for years until I realized that parabens were high on the list of ingredients right before the list of essential oils and extracts used to scent this ‘natural’ product. Until I

became more savvy about looking twice at the ingredient list, I trusted advertising and marketing to soothe me into a false sense of comfort about my health. Note to self: You’re a highly educated individual - don’t be so gullible.

As a further commitment to my health and well being, one year ago, I chose to adopt a paleo diet and lifestyle. Feeling more empowered and informed, I slowly gained an understanding that what I put in my body was just as important as what I put on it. By way of this diet and lifestyle transformation I was able to cure minor long standing ailments, improved my skin tone and complexion and felt a connection to my body and the ecosystem in a way I couldn’t have imagined. I began to cut out the foods that didn’t feel good for my body: grains, gluten, processed and refined foods, sugar, dairy and soy.

In addition, I added more whole and nutrient dense foods such as wild caught fish and humanely raised and organic grass fed meats.

Food and cooking have always been one of my true joys and passions in life. I spent a summer volunteering on an organic farm and vineyard in Northern Italy just so I could be closer to nature and its bounty.

For those who know me, it’s not unusual to come to my home and see a culinary creation overflowing from the countertops of my tiny kitchen. As an extension of this love of cookery and creation, I started to concoct my own safe and pure beauty products for personal consumption made from botanicals, natural and organic ingredients and essential and nourishing oils.

Lip gloss, deodorant, body butter, I can do that! The best kept secret is so can you. You may not want to, so when buying beauty care products, read ingredients, do your research and understand that words like ‘natural’ and ‘eco-friendly’ are overused as big companies cater to what they think consumers want to hear. While my exact diet and lifestyle may not be right for everyone, I do believe we all deserve a fair chance at a clean and fabulous life. Sound good? I’ll take one of those, minus the voluntary suffering of course.

2013 WINTER | GREEN DOOR 25

FASHION | FRIENDLY FUR

avant-garde angora

Ambika Boutique uses an rabbit’s molting cycle to create friendly furs & eco-conscious luxury.

BY AKIRA OHISO PHOTOS BY JEFF OLSON

26 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

In the foothills of the Sullivan County Catskills, Ambika Boutique creates functional and stylish fur accessories. But no need for a PETA protest. Ambika’s fur is sourced from a group of happy Angora rabbits. Raised just behind Ambika’s home, her rabbits are shorn every three months during their natural molting cycle.

The fiber is washed with an eco-friendly cleanser to remove dirt and saliva, as well as most allergens. The fiber is brushed, spun on a wheel and wound on a spool.

Angora fiber is warmer than sheep’s wool and has the elegant softness of cashmere, which will keep you warm during Catskill winters. Eco-conscious, hypoallergenic and animal friendly, Ambika furs are a perfect holiday gift without the guilt.

PHOTOS: JEFF OLSON

FOR MORE INFO www.ambikaboutique.com

2013 WINTER | GREEN DOOR 27

TRAVEL | ROXBURY

ROXBURY, A GEM OF THE CATSKILLS

BY SIMONA DAVID

Roxbury is a cosmopolitan hamlet, located in the western Catskill Mountains, 150 miles north of New York City. In recent years it has flourished, with second homeowners comprising about 60 percent of the tax base. Once known as the birthplace of 19th century financier Jay Gould, Roxbury still offers a home for the well-heeled and is dubbed by some “The Beverly Hills of the Catskills.” Over the past few years, innovative and inspired entrepreneurs have transformed Roxbury’s historic buildings into contemporary attractions.

Plattekill Mountain Plattekill Mountain is a destination for skiers and snowboarders in the winter, and mountain bikers in the summer. It is the first mountain range in the East to be hit by lake effect snow coming from the Great Lakes, and that gives the mountain a special appeal.

Foodie Heaven For those interested in locally sourced food, Roxbury offers a vibrant scene: the Ate-O-Ate Gourmet Food Truck (winner of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce’s The New Business of the Year Award for 2013) originated here.

Other locally made artisanal products include Machu Picchu Organic Bread, Ballard Honey, as well as

products from an organic dairy farm and a kosher creamery. Other eateries in town include Queens Mountain Café, Public Restaurant, Cassie’s Café and East Brunch.

year-round in three venues in Delaware County, and in schools throughout the area.

Main Street Revitalization During the past couple of years, several landmark buildings in town have been renovated and opened for business: Roxbury Corner Store, Enderlin, and Queens Mountain Café and Lerner Gallery. Many of these merchants have benefitted from the New York Main Street Revitalization Grants Program, administered by the MARK Project, a community and economic development organization headquartered in nearby Arkville.

Roxbury Arts Group Roxbury Arts Group, also known as RAG, began 35 years ago as a community effort to make the arts accessible to this rural area.

Today, RAG offers programs

Roxbury Corner Store The Roxbury Corner Store comprises four different businesses: The Orphic Gallery, whose motto is “Where Art and Music Collide,” The Eight Track Museum, Exit...The Gift Shop and Yesterdays’ News.

The Orphic Gallery, which opened in the summer of 2012, has quickly become an artistic fixture of the town, featuring contemporary artists like music photographers Allan Tannenbaum and Peter Stupar, vinyl pop artist Greg Frederick, and avant-garde musical instrument designer Ed Potokar.

WIOX Radio Headquartered in the old Masonic Lodge on Bridge Street is WIOX – a community radio station founded in 2010. The community radio station programming, created by more than 90 local volunteers, preserves the quaintness of the hamlet. Novel ideas and talent from all over have been broadcast at 91.3 FM and streamed over the Internet, generating a renewed interest in Roxbury.

motel expanded with another wing, adding seven more rooms and suites and a small spa inspired by vintage TV shows. This year, it earned the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence. Over the years, the motel has attracted visitors from across America and beyond, including U.S. senators and foreign ambassadors.

Enderlin Enderlin, a landmark building in the town’s commercial district, has three different retail spaces, and two apartments, including the recently relocated Catskill Images. The studio is complemented by a small, stylish gift shop.

Historic Buildings Roxbury Motel The Roxbury Motel has seen expansive growth since it was renovated and reopened in 2004 with 11 individually themed rooms. In 2007, the

The town’s historic district has over 80 buildings included in the National Registry of Historic Places, and is part of the White House Preserve America program.

NEIGHBORS HAPPENINGS IN THE CATSKILLS & HUDSON VALLEY DECEMBER 2013

1 The Holiday Show Through January 2. Works by WAAM Artists. All available for under $500. 845-679-2940. The Woodstock Artists Association & Museum, 28 Tinker Street, Woodstock. Ulster County.

1 Boxwood Trees Mary Hughes, Olana Flower Garden Caretaker, will guide participants to create their own unique table top tree constructed out of fresh boxwood cuttings. All materials are provided with the class, including ribbons, bulbs, decorative fruit and pine cones. 1pm. $30/non-members, $25/members.

518-828-1872 x 109. Wagon House Education Center. Olana, in Hudson. Columbia County.

4 A Yiddish Vinkel Whether you speak Yiddish, or want to learn a few words or expressions, we’d like to bring back a “time remembered.” 11 am. 845.254.5469. The Pine Hill Community Center, 287 Main Street, Pine Hill. Ulster County.

6 A Christmas Carol From Ulster Ballet. Friday, December 6, 2013 7:30pm, Saturday, December 7, 2013 7:30pm, and Sunday, December 8, 2013 2pm at UPAC. 845-473-2072. Bardavon 1869 Opera House, 35 Market St. Poughkeepsie. Dutchess County.

6 Holiday Open House Free. 845-679-2940. The Woodstock Artists Association & Museum, 28 Tinker Street, Woodstock. Ulster County.

6 Taking Precedence Artists Lisa Zukowski and Rick Thurston bring their two-person show to Gallery 66 NY. 845-8095838 through December 29th, with an artist’s reception on Friday, December 6th, from 6 to 9PM. The gallery is open Thurs.-Sun. 12-6pm. Gallery

30 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

66, 66 Main Street, Cold Spring. Putnam County.

6 Hawley Winterfest Ice Bar Friday December 6, 6-9pm; Saturday & Sunday, December 7 & 8, noon-6pm. 570-226-6130.

Enjoy a specialty cocktail on the Cocoon patio on a handcrafted ice bar by Sculpted Ice Works.

Complimentary samples available. Cocoon Coffee House, Route 6 & Bellmonte Ave., Hawley, PA. 7 Chili Festival Blood Drive, Crafts Fair and Chili Festival 9am - 4pm. Spend the day at the Community Center.

Begin by donating blood through the American Red Cross, from 9am - 2pm. Jaime DeForest will be on hand with her renowned chilis. 845-2545469. The Pine Hill Community Center, 287 Main Street, Pine Hill, Ulster County.

7 Railroad System In Action Scale models of steam and diesel locomotives, old fashioned and modern trains, complete villages and scenery, railroad museum, trolleys and circus train. 845-334-8233. Open house on Saturdays and Sundays. Conveniently located just off of Pine Grove Avenue, in Mid-Town Kingston. Noon to 5pm. $6/Adults, $2/Children. Kingston Model Railroad Club, Susan Street off Pine Grove Ave., Kingston.

Ulster County.

7 Christmas In Callicoon Children’s Christmas Party from 1-3 p.m. at the Delaware Community Center. Arts and crafts projects for holiday giving, cupcake decorating, photos with Santa for a nominal fee. For information 845-887-5155.845-292-6180 x115.

Delaware Community Center, 8 Creamery Rd., Callicoon. Sullivan County.

7 Annual Indie Market 2nd annual Indie Market at the Heron 2.0, located off of Main Street between By Delaine and Little Hairem. 845-252-3828. Saturday December 7,

Sunday December 8, Saturday December 14, December 15, 11-5. Narrowsburg. Sullivan County.

7 Celebrating the Holidays in Roscoe 6pm at Riverside Park for a celebration of the beautiful holiday season. Follow the luminaries to a tree-lighting ceremony, for caroling and singing of seasonal songs, and for hot drinks and cookies.

Riverside Park, Roscoe. Sullivan County.

7 Hudson Winter Walk Hudson celebrates its artists and shops during Winter Walk. Offering chili and cornbread for sale.

Warmth, food, and fun. 7pm. 518-822-8448. Time and Space Limited, 434 Columbia Street, Hudson.

Columbia County.

7/8 Holiday Market at Bethel Woods 11-4. Artists, crafters and specialty food vendors will gather in the Market Sheds at Bethel Woods for this annual holiday event. Enjoy festivities and the beauty of the season while shopping unique items for the holidays. Music, children’s activities and photos with Santa from 1-3 will complete the day. 845-583-2000. Bethel Woods Center For The Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel. Sullivan County.

ticket subscription is $127.50. 845-583-2000.

Bethel Woods Center For The Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel. Sullivan County.

14 Catskill Cabaradio Potluck community dinner at 6 pm, and then the live radio broadcast begins at 7 pm. Hosts Elly Wininger and Dave Kearney, the Pine Hill Playboys and special guests make this one of the Catskills’ favorite events. And don’t forget that Saturday afternoons are for Kid Stuff. From 1-4pm, game tables are up and ready for play and in the Rainbow Room. 845.254.5469. The Pine Hill Community Center, 287 Main Street, Pine Hill.

Ulster County.

14 Saints and Sinners bau Gallery Annual Juried Exhibition. Opening Reception Second Saturday Dec. 14th 6-9 p.m.

Exhibition runs from Dec. 14th - Jan. 5th. 845440-7584. Gallery Hours: Special Late Night Fridays 5-9. Saturdays and Sundays 12-6. bau Gallery, 506 Main Street, Beacon. Dutchess County.

8 Spartacus The Bolshoi Ballet returns to Rosendale Theatre in Spartacus at 2pm, an HD cinema experience captured live on October 20, 2013 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Admission is $10 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under. Rosendale Theater, Rosendale. Ulster County.

14 Philipsburg Manor Experience the beauty and serenity of an 18thcentury historic site lit by candle lanterns and bonfires. Take part in hands-on, winter-themed crafts, listen to live fiddle music, and toast the evening with complimentary sweets and hot beverages. 4pm to 8pm. Admission: Adults, $12; children 3-17: $8. Free for members and children under 3. Philipsburg Manor, 381 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow. Westchester County.

8 Lincoln Center Family Holiday Concert 3pm at the Event Gallery. $42.50 advance; $15.00 students. Two subscription packages are available featuring savings and convenience and guaranteeing the same seat for each performance. A subscription for all five performances is $170.00, and a “you pick three”

14 The Nutcracker The New Paltz Ballet Theatre returns for a 16th season to present this classic holiday event featuring principal dancers from the New York City Ballet. Peter and Lisa Naumann, co-directors of the NPBT, have brought many fine regional artists together to create this beautiful production.

Dancers, designers, and technicians have all contributed to make this Nutcracker a visual delight. Saturday, December 14, 2013 2:00pm, 7:30pm and Sunday, December 15, 2013 3:00pm.

845-473-2072. Bardavon 1869 Opera House, 35 Market St. Poughkeepsie. Dutchess County.

10 Francesco Mastalia’s ORGANIC

14 Falstaff Simulcast performances at 12:55pm, direct from the stage of the renowned Metropolitan Opera in NYC. Prices for all presentations during the 2013-2014 Season are as follows: Adults: $20.00, Children (13 and under): $10.00, Students: $10.00 . 845-434-5750 ext 4472.

Sullivan County Community College, 112 College Rd., Loch Sheldrake. Sullivan County.

15 Hansel & Gretel World Stage Series Community Performance presented by Delaware Valley Opera. 12:30pm Art Activity, 2pm Performance. Free admission, ticket required. 845-583-2000. Bethel Woods Center For The Arts, 200 Hurd Rd., Bethel.

Sullivan County.

15 Contemporary Tibetan Art Curated by Rachel Perera Weingeist at the Morgan Anderson Gallery, Howard Greenberg Family Gallery, Sara Bedrick Gallery, and Corridor.

Opening reception from 5–7 pm. 845-257-3844.

Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY New Paltz Campus, 1 Hawk Dr., New Paltz. Ulster County.

22 Lard Dog Semi-Acoustic Direct from Belopio: Semi-Acoustic Lard Dog. 2 pm. At The Cooperage. 1030 Main Street in Honesdale, PA. Doors open at 1:30. Adults $7, Kids $5, Kids under 3 are free.

22 Old Dutch Church Nestle in to the cozy confines of the Old Dutch Church and let master storyteller Jonathan Kruk, complete with musical accompaniment, regale you with his adaptation of a Charles Dickens classic. Parking just across the street at Philipsburg Manor. Performances at 3:30, 4:45, 6pm. Admission: Adults, $16; Children under 18, $12, Members: $5 discount per ticket. Old Dutch Church, 381 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow.

Westchester County.

31 New Year’s Eve Roaring 20’s Speakeasy Party & Dinner. Tuesday, December 31, First seating begins at 7:30pm.

Glass wine.bar.kitchen. A special five-course menu and live music by John Curtin’s Trim Trio performing 1920s music American-style tunes. Period dress encouraged. Complimentary midnight toast, balloons, hats and noisemakers. $65/early seating; $85/later seating. 570-2261337. 119 Falls Ave., Hawley, PA.

JANUARY 2014

2 Industrial Sublime Through January 17, 2014. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 assured the Hudson River a vital role in the evolution of what would become New York City into the nation’s industrial and financial powerhouse—its “Empire City.” 914963-4550. Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Ave., Yonkers. Westchester County.

6 Let’s Sing “Let’s Sing” Howland Cultural Center Community Chorus; 7 – 9pm. Chorus director: Michael Tabon, recently retired from Beacon School District.

Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main St., Beacon.

Dutchess County.

Thru February 2nd, bau Gallery presents Francesco Mastalia’s ORGANIC, a photo documentary featuring over 100 farmers and chefs of the Hudson Valley. This is the first exhibition of this new, large body of work by Mastalia. ORGANIC spotlights the Hudson Valley as a region at the forefront of this movement.

It features the dedicated farmers who are committed to growing and producing food using sustainable methods, and the chefs who echo their beliefs and pay homage to the food they produce. Opening Reception January 11th 6-9 p.m. bau Gallery. 506 Main Street. Beacon.

Dutchess County.

FEBRUARY 2014

7 Guitar Passions Three master guitarists, Sharon Isbin, Stanley Jordan, and Romero Lubambo, meet to perform an exquisite evening of Latin, Brazilian, and jazz. 845-473-2072. 8pm. Bardavon 1869 Opera House, 35 Market St. Poughkeepsie. Dutchess County.

5 Along His Lines 8A Retrospective of New York Realist Eugene Speicher, curated by Valerie Leeds. Morgan Anderson Gallery, Howard Greenberg Family Gallery, and Corridor. Opening reception: Saturday, February 8, 5–7 pm. Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY New Paltz Campus, 1 Hawk Dr., New Paltz. Ulster County.

8 Rusalka (Dvorák) Live simulcast performance at 12:55pm, direct from the stage of the renowned Metropolitan Opera in NYC. Adults: $20.00, Children (13 and under): $10.00, Students: $10.00 . 845-4345750 ext 4472. Sullivan County Community College, 112 College Rd., Loch Sheldrake.

Sullivan County.

16 Trade Show and Conference 9:30 am to 3 pm. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County community supported agriculture & restaurant supported agriculture trade show at the Gerald Skoda Education Center.

845 292-6180. 64 Ferndale-Loomis Road Liberty, New York 12754. Sullivan County.

Sign up for Green Bytes on our website at greendoormag.com, and get weekly events directly into your inbox. To be listed, email neighbors@greendoormag.com by February 1, 2014 or anytime for inclusion in our digital calendar: greendoormag.com/neighbors.php

Stickett Inn: The Store, in Barryville, is a curated retail boutique for all things hickster. A fish hook tie clip, bespoke clothing, drawer scent satchels for men, rustic curios and a savvy Stickett Inn product line make for an enchanting shopping experience. Enjoy a delicious freshsqueezed juice from the Annu Juice Bar while you shop.

2013 WINTER | GREEN DOOR 31

POETRY | WINTER

POETRY

Remembering Dandelions in Winter

BY KIRBY OLSON

Supervisors ponder budgetary problems.

Snow removal trucks made in Dunn, NC have big orange cabs built to last.

The trucks idle county-wide, as transportation crews spread salt.

Soon, ladybugs will alight, bluebirds swoop, dandelions pandemonium new-mown lawns, as road crews fill potholes with asphalt.

Metro-North Rider

BY KIRBY OLSON

Hat off in train reads Green Door landscape rolls by window.

He rides in a blue and gray passenger car.

He sees a cow in a marigold field standing beside a white church and his binoculars follow the cow as he notes in diary, “Dairy.�

Window

BY JOSHUA RYAN

I still have your hand dried flower pressed to two dimensions I look at the window and instead of seeing my reflection I see this immortal plant.

Vague and devoid of complex design.

It just sits there and looks at me.

Benevolent plant who has seen me through some of my roughest times.

There she is always stretching toward a sun.

32 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

LOCAVORE | BLUECASHEW

it’s in the details What’s cooking in the foodie gifts department with Rhinebeck’s bluecashew Kitchen Pharmacy.

Since 2004, bluecashew Kitchen Pharmacy has blazed a trail of innovation, fusing utility and design into a well merchandised specialty kitchen experience. Proprietors Sean B. Nutley and Gregory Triana’s shared passion for cooking and retail, with marketing and event backgrounds, make the perfect mix.

Sean B Nutley & Gregory Triana

FOR MORE INFO 6423 Montgomery Street Rhinebeck, NY 12572 (845) 876-1117 www.bluecashewkitchen.com

Photo by Jojo Ans

Taika Dinner Plate

by Iittala $49

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BLUECASHEW. PHOTO OF SEAN AND GREGORY: JOJO ANS

Used at Kingston’s Stockade Tavern

Swivel Peeler Extra Fine

by Rosle $27.95

Roasting Pan

by Emile Henry $70

Salt Pig

by Emile Henry $37

Celebrate the season with our local bounty Stag Bottle Stopper

by The Just Slate Company $15

Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook

by By Dina Falconi Illustrated by Wendy Hollender $40 2013 WINTER | GREEN DOOR 33

LOCAVORE | RECIPE

It is December 1981. Our kitchen table is surrounded by twelve first grade girls, all swathed in various shades of magenta and violet, guests of my eighth birthday party.

The clown-slash-balloon artiste has just left and it is time for the meal I have chosen above all others for my big day. Cheese fondue.

STORY, PHOTOS & STYLING

BY CATIE BAUMER SCHWALB of pitchforkdiaries.com

to melt 34 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

2013 WINTER | GREEN DOOR 35

Classic Cheese Fondue Serves 4-6.

16 ounces Emmenthaler swiss cheese (roughly 4 cups grated) 8 ounces Gruyere cheese (roughly 2 cups grated) 1 tablespoon corn starch 2 cloves garlic, cut in half 1 ½ cups dry white wine Note: If you prefer to make the recipe without alcohol, you can replace the wine with water with enough fresh lemon juice added to approximate the acidity of the wine.

Optional: 1-2 teaspoons of Lemon juice 1-2 teaspoons of Kirsch, cherry brandy Equipment: Stovetop-safe glazed earthenware pot or enamel-lined cast iron pot Hot plate or sterno flame, to keep warm once transferred from the stove Thoroughly grate both cheeses and combine in a large mixing bowl.

Add cornstarch and gently toss to evenly distribute throughout the cheese.

With the cut-side of the garlic cloves, rub the inside of the pot, leaving the garlic in the bottom. Add the wine and over a low heat, slowly bring it to a simmer. Remove the garlic and discard.

A small handful at a time, slowly add the cornstarch coated grated cheese to the wine, whisking gently but constantly as you go, over very low heat. Adding too quickly, in too large amounts, with too large pieces, and over too high heat, will all risk the fondue “breaking,” with the oil from the cheeses separating from the milk solids. Take your time, stir continually and resist the temptation to increase the heat.

Serve with large cubes of crusty bread, and perhaps sliced apples or grapes, or roasted or blanched vegetables, all for dipping.

At the end of the meal at the bottom of the pot there may be a darker golden crust of well-cooked cheese, affectionately called la religieuse. Gently pry it from the bottom of the pot, cut into large shards and share it with the group.

Note: If your sauce should happen to separate or break, lower the heat even more and try adding some lemon juice, about a teaspoon at a time, whisking vigorously as you do.

36 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

PHOTOS: CATIE BAUMER SCHWALB

When all of the cheese has been added, continue to stir over low heat until you have a creamy, even sauce that coats the back of your spoon. If the mixture seems too thick, you can add white wine, a small amount at a time. If desired, add kirsch to taste.

Keep the fondue on the stove over low heat to serve, or transfer the entire pot to your serving area, keeping it warm with either a fondue burner and stand or a hot plate.

LOCAVORE | RECIPE

Classic, Swiss, gooey, robust, rich, creamy, fondue au fromage. The entire house is so filled with smells of gruyere, emmenthaler, garlic and warm bread, I could hardly focus on the poor clown. We have been grating cheese and cutting bread cubes for days. I make some introduction with a small flourish of my fondue fork and invite everyone to dig in. A few do, a few are already intimidated by the stinky cheese vapors swirling from the cauldron. So when my mother casually adds that if anyone would rather have a hot dog we also have a few of those on hand for back-up, twelve hands snap in the air. More fondue for me.

As I was growing up my father’s parents lived in Istanbul and would travel through Switzerland on their way back to the States to visit us.

Fine and assertive Swiss cheeses were long a part of my vocabulary.

And my mother’s parents, living ten minutes away, seemed to always have a dinner party simmering frequently with a fondue pot nestled on their coffee table. None of those fabulous citrus-hued mid-century wedding registry pots gathered dust with us.

The Swiss national dish, a classic cheese fondue, is nearly effortless, but so decadent and special, making it perfect for cold weather gatherings and celebrations. The communal aspect of fondue is my favorite, bringing everyone together over an impossibly rich pot of spectacular and simple ingredients. Everyone gets a little messy, everyone shares a little in the preparation, no worry of food getting cold, and no time limit, until the pot runs dry.

A traditional cheese fondue, and my favorite, is a combination of emmenthaler and gruyere cheeses, garlic, dry white wine, perhaps some starch to help the sauce come together, and sometimes a bit

of kirsch cherry brandy, originally added if the cheeses were too young and not ripe enough. But each state, or canton, in Switzerland has its own version, including a fondue au crémant from Geneva, using champagne and cognac, and one from eastern Switzerland using appenzeller and vacherin cheeses with a dry hard cider. So deeply ingrained in Switzerland’s food culture the precise origins of fondue are hard to pinpoint, but the dish is traced back at least centuries and is thought to have started as a practice to make use of stale bread and old bits of cheese during leaner winter months.

Through the years a classic cheese fondue keeps crossing my path, making the gatherings it is served at feel a little more special and infinitely more memorable. And the slow food, uncomplicated nostalgic retro vibe of seeing a fondue pot on a table feels very right for what I value about food and cooking right now, perhaps taking the opportunity to make use of day old bread and odd bits of cheese myself. Fondue is from the French verb fondre: To melt. Come in from the cold, sit down, slow down, cozy up next to cherished friends, share great food, and melt.

2013 WINTER | GREEN DOOR 37

The Hudson Valley Seed Library sits on twenty-seven acres just a few miles off of scenic Route 209 in Accord, New York. Repurposed from an old Catskill Resort turned Ukrainian summer camp, the Seed Library is the joint creation of five owners, one of which is Ken Greene who lives on the property and runs the operations.

Ken and his team are passionate about getting people to question the origin of the seeds they use every planting season.

“Where is my food coming from?

Who’s growing it? How? This is the next logical step”, Greene says. “The big seed companies are cultivating a lack of transparency. Ask questions.

Can you trace your seed money back to Monsanto and DuPont?”

Originally the Seed Library grew 100% local heirlooms, then Northeast heirlooms, and then newer open pollinated varieties, which they feel are equally as valuable. “Heirlooms are changing all the time. People like to think of them as an object, like your Grandfather’s watch, but you are allowing it to grow and adapt by growing them”.

This helps to give plants new skills for weather and climate change, critical for creating food independence. And food independence is a major component of the Seed Library’s mission.

Seed Library packets are decorated with unique art.

Each year, Greene and his crew sends out a general call for artists in March.

Last year, over 300 people submitted graphics.

Tw e n t y two were ultimately chosen for this year’s line of packets, and the artists were as diverse 38 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

as the seeds. Inspired by the images in vintage seed catalogues, contemporary artists create updated looks for the packets. Some take a scientific approach, while others are over the top, but all bring an individual style to the packaging.

In a time where commercial seed packaging features super-saturated photography and perfect specimens with a bit of digital help, the illustrated art packs have really inspired people.

Ken states “Everyone’s garden looks different. More important to me was the story of the seed. Artists can capture the story part of it much better than a photograph can.”

The results have been significant; Seed Library packets are sold in typical places where seeds are sold. But they are also carried in some bookstores and other uncommon venues because of the beauty of the artwork. The original packet art, framed and mounted, is exhibited annually in a traveling artist’s show, which goes to a wide variety of galleries and historical societies. It’s even been featured by The Horticulture Society of New York and the famed Sotheby’s auction house.

The extra care and attention devoted to the packet art is extended to all aspects of the operation. The harvesting and packaging of the seeds are all done by hand. Packaging is done in a climatecontrolled shed, small enough that only a few people can work there at the same time. While renovations are being done on one of the old resort buildings to create new headquarters for the Seed Library, sales are centered temporarily in a construction trailer.

Greene and his crew have an eye towards further growth; they are expanding their gardens next year in hopes of increasing the varieties they produce and sell.

Many of these varieties were grown this summer in the test garden at the center of the farm, once the location of Greene’s modest home garden.

FOR MORE INFO Hudson Valley Seed Library seed packets range from $2.75 to $3.75 apiece and can be ordered online at their website, www.SeedLibrary.org, where you also can read their blog, learn about great regional resources for Hudson Valley gardening, subscribe to their newsletter and like their Facebook page.

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF THE HUDSON VALLEY SEED LIBRARY

As the local food movement takes hold across America, people are becoming very conscious about where their food comes from. In the era of Monsantocreated GMO seeds, The Hudson Valley Seed Library offers an alternative: they grow only heirloom and open pollinated varieties. The added benefit is that the Seed Library varieties have been cultivated and grown here in the Hudson Valley, meaning that they are perfect for local gardeners to grow in this climate and soil.

SOWING SEEDS STORY BY JENNIFER DESROCHERS

2013 WINTER | GREEN DOOR 39

40 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

LOCAVORE | VEGAN

VEGAN CATSKILLS BRAVE NEW WORLD

BY LORI MAJEWSKI | PHOTOS BY DAVID CHERNIS & ANNE MCGRATH

This is the debut of Vegan Catskills, Lori Majewski’s regular column dedicated to the discovery of animal-friendly fare and the colorful folks who serve it up.

The culinary-minded among you may recognize Ric Orlando from Chopped; he was a winner on the Food Network competition show, taking first place in a 2010 contest, and a finalist on Chopped Champions. And, along with being a regular guest on Today, the chef scripted and starred in his own Public Television series, Ric Orlando’s TV Kitchen.

But Catskills residents know the affable, 54-year-old Orlando as the longtime owner and clean food-loving chef of New World Home Cooking Company, a fixture and forerunner on the Ulster County foodie scene.

Located on Highway 212, the large, barn-like facade houses a locavore, farm-to-table restaurant and bar that predates the huckster one that’s dug its boots in both here and in Sullivan Country.

PHOTOS: DAVID CHERNIS & ANNE MCGRATH

The good news for vegans? Though Orlando fans devour snout-totail classics like his much-praised meatloaf, a sizable part of the menu is devoted to animal-friendly fare.

Read on, as Orlando talks about his passion for cooking conscientious and delicious meals that even an omnivore can love.

Q: This year New World celebrates its 20th anniversary. The restaurant industry has changed a lot over the last couple of decades. How have you managed to be classic and trendy at the same time?

Ric Orlando: I don’t think anybody could have predicted the acceptance of this rural, farm-to-table, neoAmericana experience. All the things that we did that made us outside of the norm — driving around in my beat-up Volvo doing farm-to-table

stuff, selling local food, [embracing] independent music and bringing local artists into the restaurant — that’s all mainstream now. I feel really proud to have helped to lead the way.

Q: What made you decide to add a vegan menu?

RO: I listened to my customer base.

When I first started, I made a lot of vegetarian dishes, but [mostly] lactoovo vegetarian. Then we started to get requests for no dairy and no egg, so I changed a bunch of my core recipes.

For my sweet potato recipe, I took the butter out and substituted coconut oil back in 1994. But I’ve been cooking kale since most people were not even walking — since the 80’s.

Q: New World is known for your seitan dishes. What makes them so special?

RO: It’s the one-two punch: blackened string beans and the seitan. We have a woman who makes the seitan for us locally: Shamah — Shamah’s Savory Seitan. Her seitan is the best because she doesn’t use vital wheat gluten. She uses flour. It doesn’t have that dense, rubbery texture. It tastes like Salisbury steak when you were a kid. We cut that into medallions about three ounces each, and I make a mix of blue corn flour with some special spices, and we pan-fry to make it crispy on the outside and serve it with a really good green salsa and black beans, brown rice, orange veg and green veg. It’s a hearty meal. One of the things I’m really proud of is that male vegans love New World because they leave feeling full and happy.

Q: So much for the stereotype that all vegans eat is salad!

RO: The seitan wings are the more delicate version. They’re smaller pieces, and we crisp them up in a fryer and serve them with any of my signature sauces, the jerk, barbecue, Korean, Latin-style. Only one is not vegan: the dirty blond. It has honey in it.

Q: Which vegan item are you most proud of?

RO: Here’s a variation on a recipe that’ll crack vegans up. It’s called the All-American Down-Home Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake. One day I had a last-minute call for a chocolate cake for a party, and I just happened to have a jar of Veganaise. So I made the cake using vegan mayo, and it was great. It’s one of our standard recipes now. We usually make them for our Meatless Mondays. Every Monday we have Celtic music at the bar and a $20 three-course vegan/vegetarian prix fixe.

Q: You’ve seen a lot of winters here in Saugerties. What’s New World like when there’s snow on the ground?

RO: Beautiful. It’s very pastoral, very mellow. Menu-wise, we have a really great Seitan Stroganoff. By the middle of January, I’m tired of butternut squash so I started this thing called July in January. The last weekend of the month, we do a whole weekend of only tropical food: fried plantain, every tropical fruit I can find, conch. We do blue and pink drinks; we bring in beach sand and throw it on the floor.

The staff wear bathing suits. People are really ready for it.

It’s like cabin fever weekend. It’s like, “If I see more brie farro with butternut squash roast...”

FOR MORE INFO New World Home Cooking Co. 1411 Route 212 Saugerties, NY www.ricorlando.com 2013 WINTER | GREEN DOOR 41

Cooper’s Table FOOD & FINDS

STORY, PHOTOS & STYLING BY COOPER BOONE

restore

PHOTOS: COOPER BOONE

inspire 42 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

LOCAVORE | COOPER’S TABLE

THE ULTIMATE FINDS: COPPER & CHOCOLATE I’ve always dreamed of owning a set of shiny copper pots hanging in my kitchen. Well that dream came true when I recently went to a sweet little auction of cookery from the kitchen of the Sally Darr estate (former food editor for Gourmet Magazine) in High Falls, NY. It was a crisp sunny day with a crowd of well-spirited go-lucky bidders.

Sometimes auctions can be more miss then hit, but this one was a winner on all fronts. The seven copper pots I ended up winning only cost me $22!

When I arrived back at the farm I eagerly rolled up my sleeves and started to attempt to clean my winnings with soap and water. These pots had years and years of lovely crusty kitchen history baked on to them. Nothing I did was working!

Turns out there are many approaches to cleaning up copper pots. I tried vinegar, baking soda and lemon, acids and bleach.

The white vinegar certainly shined up the less needy pieces, but my approach on the super crusty ones failed miserably. When my fingers started to look raw and scabby, I buckled and bought Wrights’ Copper Cream and used an industrial stainless steel scrubbing brush. Each pot required at least three cleanings but they were clearly improving with each pass. I then finished them off with the white vinegar for that sparkly sassy shine.

One thing I failed to consider was the need for re-tinning of the interior of

my vintage copper cookery. You see, ingesting copper can be toxic, so when using copper pots and pans you need to have a solid tin lining that prevents the toxic copper from leaching into food. Do I need to have my seven vintage pieces retinned? Answer: Yes. I ended up sending my copper pieces to Jim at EastCoastTinning.com where I paid $8 per piece for shipping, and $5 per measured square inch for re-tinning and polishing. GULP! So, I sucked it up and sent my money, as I had strangely developed this unrelenting attachment to these old copper pots. They deserved to be saved and passed down to future generations!

The day my refurbished copper collection arrived felt like Christmas. As I opened my salvaged shiny treasures my heart was full. Well, it just so happens I was prepping for a dinner party that day.

Tripping with excitement, I decided to bake my Chocolate Yogurt Zucchini Cake in one of my newly reconditioned pans and served it for dessert, cradled in the copper pan. My original recipe for this cake is the perfect combination of rich dark chocolate paired with creamy local yogurt and grated home grown zucchini for added moisture. A real blue-ribbon winner. As I placed the cake on the table in the shiny copper pan I secretly smiled knowing this cake had layers far deeper then the eye could see. All was well.

CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI YOGURT CAKE

“

Instructions Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. On medium heat, combine chocolate and oil and mix until thoroughly melted and set aside. Sift dry ingredients (except for sugar) and set aside. Cream butter and sugar in a mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add melted chocolate mixture followed by yogurt. Add dry mixture 1/3 cup at a time. Fold zucchini until fully combined. Bake for 40 minutes on center oven rack. Insert metal knife into one of the cakes, it should come out clean. Cool on racks then frost with your favorite frosting.

2013 WINTER | GREEN DOOR 43

This is perhaps the best chocolate cake you will ever have. It reminds me of the cake that Miss Marie used to make for me as a child.

“

Ingredients: 4 oz of unsweetened dark chocolate morsels ½ cup canola oil 2 cups all-purpose flour ½ cup unsweetened Cocoa powder 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ cup softened organic butter 2 cups sugar 3 large eggs at room temperature 2 tsp vanilla ½ cup yogurt 3 cups grated zucchini (with skins)

FOR MORE INFO www.cooperstable.com

HISTORY | MURDER The Stone Arch Bridge over the Callicoon Creek in Kenoza Lake was built by Henry and Philip Hembt around 1880, and has become one of Sullivan County’s most photographed structures. It is also the site of one of the region’s most gruesome murders on January 19, 1892.

Local farmer George Markert had been born in Germany and came to America before the Civil War. He obtained work in the tannery of Gideon Wales in what was then known as Pike Pond. (The name was changed in 1890 to echo a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier.)

He married Caroline Heidt, who had also relocated to the area from Germany. Through hard work and frugal living, Markert eventually saved enough money to purchase a farm. Caroline’s brother, Adam and his family farmed land nearby, and the two families became close.

Some neighbors recalled that Adam Heidt and his wife were both completely uneducated and highly superstitious. They say the couple’s five children shared those traits, and the family was generally looked down upon.

When Caroline Markert died and George remarried, he and his brother-inlaw drifted apart. No longer having much in common, they rarely socialized.

At some point, Adam Heidt’s life began a downward spiral. His crops failed and his health began to deteriorate. He became convinced that George Markert was a “hexenmeister” or sorcerer, who possessed supernatural powers, and had placed a curse upon him and his family, causing them the misfortunes plaguing their lives.

Furthermore, Heidt believed that Markert had placed this hex upon him by patting him on the back three times, and that he could reactivate the curse by performing any ordinary act - stroking his beard, tugging on his ear, spitting on the ground - three times.

Heidt confronted Markert about the hex, but his contention was met with laughter. Then he shifted tactics, instead barraging his alleged torturer with letters, initially pleading to lift the curse

44 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

and then pledging vengeance against Markert if this wasn’t done.

Heidt’s life did not improve.

Finally, when his cows began to produce bloody milk, Adam Heidt could take it no longer. On a cold Tuesday night in January 1892, he followed George Markert to the tavern at Hembt’s Hotel, where Markert often went for a nightcap or two. Witnesses would later recall seeing the two men leave the hotel together, Markert in possession of the heavy table leg he customarily used as a walking stick. It was the last time George Markert would be seen alive.

As the men crossed the stone arch bridge over the Callicoon Creek - folklore holds that witches and warlocks are powerless over running water - a third man, later determined to be Adam Heidt’s eldest son, Joseph, then 22, sprung from the shadows. George Markert was shot five times in the head with a .38 caliber revolver, clubbed repeatedly with the table leg, and his body thrown off the bridge into the creek below. The Heidts believed that since the hex was activated by any action repeated three times, the murder had to be committed three different ways in order to lift it.

Markert’s mysterious disappearance had the small community of Kenoza Lake all abuzz. It was the most sensational event in the area since the widow Ulrich – incidentally, Adam Heidt’s mother-in-law – had been murdered by itinerant laborer Sailor Jack Allen in neighboring Jeffersonville in 1887.

When Markert’s mutilated body was discovered in the creek about a quarter of a mile below the bridge a few days later, the community’s worst fears were realized. They had a murder case on their hands.

During his examination of the body, Sullivan County Coroner John Dycker found a packet of letters written by Adam Heidt to George Markert. The letters, some in English and some in German, provided authorities with the details of the hex as Heidt perceived it, and contained threats of violence if the curse wasn’t lifted.

Adam Heidt and two of his sons,

Joseph and 20 year old John, were arrested, but John Heidt produced an alibi and was released. Adam and Joseph were charged with the murder and sent to the County Jail in Monticello. A subsequent search of the Heidts’ farm uncovered a revolver of the same caliber as used in the murder, and blood-stained clothing belonging to the two men.

District Attorney Melvin H. Couch charged father and son with second-degree murder.

While awaiting trial, Joseph Heidt confessed to the crime, claiming he had acted only in self-defense.

He said that he had confronted his uncle and demanded that he “take back the torture” from his father.

Markert had laughed at him, he told authorities, and when Joseph repeated the demand, Markert struck him with his walking stick.

The two men wrestled. When Joseph managed to disarm him, he claimed, Markert pulled a jackknife and let it be known that he was going to kill Joseph. The nephew then drew his revolver and shot the older man in the head.

Joseph Heidt was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison at Dannemora. He served fifteen years, and upon release lived out the remainder of his life without incident. Judge Edgar Fursman declared Adam Heidt insane and sent him to the state hospital for the criminally insane at Middletown where he died “of chronic melancholia” in 1897.

Meanwhile, the people around Kenoza Lake soon began reporting the eerie sighting of Markert’s ghost on the stone arch bridge, usually on cold winter nights close to the anniversary of the murder.

Those sightings have continued to this day, prompting much speculation. Had George Markert indeed dabbled in black magic and was now getting the last laugh?

John Conway is the official historian of Sullivan County. He is the author of four books on local history: Trifles and Poppycock” (1984), a new edition of Stephen Crane’s “Sullivan County Tales and Sketches” (1995), “Retrospect” (1996) and “Dutch Schultz and His Lost Catskill Treasure” (2000).

murder on the stone arch bridge STORY BY JOHN CONWAY PHOTO BY STEVEN WAYNE COOK

2013 WINTER | GREEN DOOR 45

HISTORY | THE FORGOTTEN WAR

THE FORGOTTEN WAR

BY JIM BLACKBURN

This year marks the 350th anniversary of the Second Esopus War, which was fought primarily between the Munsee Esopus and the New Netherland colonists in 1663. The image of an “Indian” war most often conjures up scenes of the American West, yet this conflict took place right in the proverbial backyard of the Hudson Valley. The Esopus Wars were centered around the settlement of Wiltwijck, a place we know today as Kingston. The conflict completely changed the power dynamic of the region, from one dominated

by American Indians to European colonists. While from another angle, a look at the war’s participants offers a view of the diverse population that composed Dutch New York.

Little today is left of the Hudson Valley as it was in 1663. But two artifacts offer a window into that distant time and place. One is an account of the war written by Captain Martin Krieger, and the other is the Kingston Stockade District. The Journal of the Second Esopus War written in 1663 by Captain Krieger is a detailed text of some twentyfive thousand words. Many of those words describe a series of military expeditions, while others give insight into the everyday life and unique culture that was the New Netherlands.

The journal is more of what today we would call a report or an account, as the personal inner musings that we associate with a journal or diary did not take shape till the nineteenth century. Though the journal is not intimate in an individual sense, it does shed light on the individuals involved in the Second Esopus War and the historical landscape they inhabited.

Settled by New Netherlanders in 1652, Kingston at that time was the only sizable settlement between Albany and New York, and the area surrounding the settlement was controlled by the Esopus nation. The Esopus were a branch of the Delaware Indians known as the Lenape, and spoke the eastern Algonquin language Munsee. They are sometimes referred to as the Esopus Munsee and their territory before the Esopus Wars encompassed much of today’s Ulster County.

The stockade was a result of the growing animosity and violence between the two groups. In 1658, Director-Governor Peter Stuyvesant 46 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

surveyed a bluff that offered natural protection on three sides, and he and his carpenter Fredrick Philipse oversaw the erection of a fourteen foot palisade built with tree trunks pounded directly into the ground.

The new stockade came with new rules; the villagers would now go out during the day to their varied labors and fields, and return to the stockade to spend the night in their new village homes. During the Second Esopus War Captain Krieger was continuously sending groups of soldiers to protect the settlers going out to work on various tasks, the most prominent being the maintenance and harvesting of crops, and the continual gathering of fire wood. Another challenge for Captain Krieger was the need to escort those using the Strand Road, which ran for three miles over some rough terrain, connecting the stockade of Kingston to the Rondout Harbor that led to the Hudson River.

The road provided a vital link to the supplies of the outside world that the young settlement could not survive without.

forgotten. And the subsequent peace treaty, brokered by the Susquehannok and Mohawk between the Esopus and Dutch seemed more a ceasefire than a lasting agreement. After the uneasy peace of 1660, the Esopus refused to cede or sell any additional land to the settlers. Regardless, the ever growing population of Wiltwijck continued to encroach farther into Esopus territory. Repeated attempts to peacefully mollify the situation failed; the Esopus decided to declare war first this time.

The journal includes a prelude of sorts not written by Krieger himself, but is an account of the massacre at Kingston on June 7, 1663. The document signed by the various members of the Court at Wiltwijck to the Council of New Netherlands offers an introduction to the environment Krieger was about to enter into, and also that this war would be more violent than the one three years ago as each side would pursue a scorched earth strategy against the other.

The First Esopus War started on Around mid-day on June 7, 1663 the September 20, 1659 as the villagers Esopus put into action a devastating of Kingston attacked a group of surprise attack inside the stockade of Esopus, who after working the day as Kingston. The report states that the hired hands paid Esopus started unfortunately “Entering in with brandy, bands through were most all the gates, likely highly they divided intoxicated and scattered and celebrating themselves around a among all the fire outside houses and the stockade dwelling in a walls. There is friendly manner, no record of having with them provocation on a little maize and the part of the Novi Belgii Novæque Angliæ, circa 1656 some few beans Esopus that led to sell to our to two unarmed Inhabitants.” celebrants being shot dead, only that Unbeknownst to the settlers of the settlers were fearful, and that Kingston that day, the Second Esopus fear acted upon manifested itself War had already started earlier that into violence. The Esopus, who were morning. outraged by the unprovoked attack, returned the next day in force and The document continues, “And after virtually destroyed everything of they had been about a short quarter the settlement outside the stockade, of an hour within this place, some which was now locked up tight. people on horseback rushed through the gate from New Village (this The First Esopus War came to an village was located at the present town end the following summer of 1660, of Hurley) crying out: ‘The Indians with little loss of life, though the have destroyed the New Village!” It sale of twelve young Esopus captives is unknown when the Esopus were into slavery to the far off island of planning to strike, but news of the Curacao was neither forgiven nor attack on the New Village set their

plans immediately into action. The recounting of events written only a few weeks later still bear the shock and trauma inflicted on that day: “And with these words, the Indians here in this Village immediately fired a shot and made a general attack on our village from the rear, murdering our people in their houses with their axes and tomahawks, and firing on them with guns and pistols.” The Esopus, though almost seemed more intent on taking hostages, as “they seized whatever women and children they could catch and carried them prisoners outside the gates, plundering the houses and set the village on fire to windward.” And as fast as it all happened the Esopus were gone, but not before twenty villagers lay dead and forty-five were taken hostage, mostly women and children.

The lists provided of those killed at Kingston bring home the reality of the numbers. Some are completely heartbreaking, entries such as “Jan Albersen’s wife, big with child, killed in front of her house” or “William Hap’s child burnt alive in the house.”

Other entries shed light on those who are often overlooked in the historical record, “Thomas Chambers’ slave murdered on the farm.” This highlights the fact that slavery was practiced probably from the founding of Kingston, and would be tolerated in New York for almost two-hundred more years till full emancipation was reached in the 1820’s.

The large number of hostages taken in this initial attack, besides their value in ransom, makes it seem as though maybe the Esopus were waging some sort of mourning war. Mourning wars are thought to have been the primary practice of warfare conducted before the arrival of Europeans in North America. The point of a battle against another community was not to inflict casualties, but to take hostages.

Some hostages would be tortured to death as revenge for those lost in previous battle, while others would be adopted into families to help restore population levels. With such close contact between the Esopus and those at Kingston, it is most likely that disease took a toll on the population. As well, the twelve young Esopus sold into slavery after the First Esopus War might have been a consideration for the taking of so many children as captives. As

Portrait of Peter Stuyvesant Circa 1660, oil on wood Krieger’s journal relates, most of the hostages were finally recovered unharmed by the end of the war.

The war might not have been completely over land boundaries as it is often portrayed.

IMAGES COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

This was the world of violence and uncertainty that Captain Krieger found himself as he stepped off the ship that brought him as well as a small army from Manhattan to Kingston on July 4, 1663. The first entry from Krieger reads, “We entered the Esopus Kill (a creek named for the Esopus Munsee) in front of the Rondout with two yachts, and sent Sergeant Pieter Ebel with 40 men up to the village Wiltwijck to fetch wagons; he returned to the river side about 2 in the afternoon accompanied by Sergeant Christian Nyssen, 60 men and 9 wagons; they loaded these and departed with them to the village where I arrived towards evening.

Saw nothing in the world except three Indians on a high hill.” The first few weeks would continue in this fashion, with Krieger overseeing the transfer of supplies from the harbor to the village, sending out escorts to protect workers in the fields and sending groups of soldiers to lay in ambush.

While preparing for an assault on the Esopus strongholds later that fall, the individuals whom Krieger comes into contact speak to the diversity of the people, both American and European, who inhabited the future state of New York. In the everyday running of the village and in negotiations for the release of hostages, Krieger comes into contact with Mohawks, Mohicans, Catskill Munsee, Wappinger, Hackensack, and Minqua peoples. He is also aided by “Lieutenant Couwenhoven with 41 Indians” from Long Island in his campaign against the Esopus.

Krieger also notes the origins of those he meets in his journal: “August 5th Thomas the Irishman arrived here, August 17th Gave three Englishmen leave to go to and return from the Manhatans,

September 25th Domine Blom had arrived in the Spaniard’s yacht, October 10th Louis the Walloon went to fetch his oxen, and October 15th Hans the Norman arrived at the Rondout with his yacht from Fort Orange.” In addition to the Dutch, French Huguenot, and others from the German principalities like Krieger himself, there were also “7 of the Honorable Company’s slaves” in Krieger’s force. These slaves of the Dutch West India Company most likely represented people of various Caribbean and African background.

All these people of various origins highlight the diversity of Dutch New York, as much of Colonial America was multicultural from the start.

Captain Martin Krieger’s journal goes on to relate in a somewhat cold businesslike manner the scorched earth campaign he would lead against the Esopus nation. In May of 1664, the few surviving sachems of the Esopus signed a peace treaty with Stuyvesant, which ceded all claims of land in what was now formerly Esopus territory. A belt of wampum was given as a token of peace, and is kept today in the Ulster County Hall of Records in Kingston. Martin Krieger would go on to spend his last years upstate, settling near Niskayuna on the Mohawk River. The date of his death is unknown, though some records indicate to as late as 1712.

The journal he wrote lives on as an important document of not only the Second Esopus War, but also of the variety of individuals and peoples that history would know less of without his writings.

The Stockade Area in Kingston is now a National Historic District.

Much of the history and stone architecture now found there represent a later period than that of the Esopus Wars. Of the original wooden houses, barns, and palisades nothing remains, yet the original street layout of the Stockade Area is as Stuyvesant planned in 1658.

Walking on these streets 350 years later, one doesn’t get the feeling that Kingston was at one time a frontier town or that it was the setting for a fiercely fought “Indian” war, but there was a time when the United States did not exist and the American West was located right here in the Hudson Valley.

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2013 WINTER | GREEN DOOR 47

BOOKSHELF | BUTTERFLIES

The Difference in Butterflies

BY AKIRA OHISO

Yung Yung Tsuai’s memoir The Difference In Butterflies, co-written with author Marilyn Meeske Sorel, begins in Taipei, Taiwan in 1948, the year Tsuai was born. The Chinese Civil Wars ended, Mao Tse-Tung founded the People’s Republic of China, and Chiang Kai Shek retreated to Taiwan. He declared martial law and suppressed political dissidents through imprisonment and execution. The 38year period of martial law was known as “The White Terror.”

Against this political backdrop, Tsuai became a talented child dancer to support her poor family. Her parents and grandmother were Mandarin refugees from Mainland China who lived in constant fear of Chiang Kai Shek’s henchman. Their psychic trauma manifested as parallel oppression on their children. Tsuai remembers:

“Words rained down on us along with bamboo sticks, feather dusters and the soles of shoes.

Grandma’s favorites would be knocking our heads with her finger knuckles, twisting earlobes till our faces turned red, digging her fingernails into the skin of our thighs. Most of the time, death threats were the weapon.”

Her grandmother grew up in China when women were kept in the shadows with bound feet. She called little Yung Yung, “dead slave girl.” Tsuai fetched tea for her grandmother and lived in fear that she would drop the glass. The message received was, “My life isn’t as valuable as this glass, which they treasure so much. I’ll be careful.”

In 1969, legendary choreographer Martha Graham was touring Asia and met Tsuai.

Graham invited her to New York City to learn modern dance. In 1970, her parents let her go.

It was a time when Chinese women were rarely seen outside of Chinatown. Tsuai spoke little English and did not have the psychic tools to manage adulthood in a new country. A technically-skilled dancer, her movements were distant and lacked emotion.

“I never consciously linked Martha and my Grandma together, but the evidence showed

I tried my best to run away from both while taking them with me.” Martha Graham’s presence in the book is illusive like a long shadow turning a corner.

Tsuai left the dance company and spent years finding herself.

She met her husband Martin Lerner at a Primal Scream Therapy group during her years of therapy hopping. Martin was the son of Jewish liberal parents and grew up with white privilege. Martin opened up a new world to Tsuai.

Free from the tyranny of dictators, the initial freedom of America was life nourishing for Tsuai. Over time, her traumatic past resurfaced.

Tsuai found it hard to fit in.

Her larger-than-life mother-in-law worked for Bella Abzug and socialized in powerful circles. She remembers her as a supporter of Maoism and the modernization of China, a historically typical response of socialistleaning liberals pushing their political agendas in the face of human suffering.

Tsuai couldn’t understand how she could support a dictator like Mao Tse-Tung, but she kept her mouth shut like a good assimilist.

As she assimilated, she could no longer relate to her Chinese relatives. No place was home now. She began to experience assimilation in America and the attendant duality of searching for integration and wholeness in seemingly conflicting parts.

The strength of this memoir rests in the story of a first generation Chinese immigrant in the United States. The authors were able to capture the un-rooted and dualistic experience of assimilation during the height of communism. Leaving their countries for greener pastures is the American Dream, but the immigrant story is often one of a trauma, survival, mental illness and painful assimilation.

The Difference In Butterflies is a fascinating account of one woman’s life in the midst of powerful political and personal forces beyond her control and her journey to find wholeness, freedom and inner peace against great odds.

FOR MORE INFO The Difference in Butterflies is available at the Queens Mountain Cafe in Roxbury or online at amazon.com 48 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

CREATIVES | TOYMAKER

THE TOYMAKER Zzoë Rowan: Toy Maker, Gardener, Woodworker and Owliecat

BY VANESSA GENEVA AHERN of hudsonvalleygoodstuff.com

The toy making process addresses a collection of overlapping interests he has. “It’s an art and a craft, and I love making beautiful things; it requires focus, attention to detail. It’s ethical. It has a strong historical component. I don’t make modern toys or plastic gimmicky things so what I do make I do research on, and look into the process of how they were made traditionally. If you want to find out how to make something efficiently, you find out who made it first,” says Rowan.

“The reason I chose toy making is that I’m really a generalist. I’ve been a working artist, drawing and painting my entire life. I’m sure the first toys I made were for myself, but I don’t remember not making toys,” says Rowan. In preparation for the holiday season, Rowan plans on making ornaments to sell. Touring his workshop, one gets a sense that this could be Santa’s satellite workshop with wooden toys in different states of development strewn about the counter. Rowan says that his operation recently sped up with the addition of a working treadle-powered lathe.

Right now the biggest challenge to keeping Owliecat alive is financial. He devotes much of his time to gardening and landscaping work that is guaranteed to pay the bills, and works in Owliecat two days a week. (He has two children and he just started graduate school, working towards a Masters in Fine Arts).

He points out a spin top made of Hophornbeam wood, a local extremely hard wood, sustainably harvested from trees that are already dead. “A lot of people know about maple, oak, ash, but people don’t know about this wood. It is almost rocklike and because of that it has a good weight and is durable. Makes really good tops,” he says, spinning the top to prove his point.

The toys he makes by hand are made from “home-grown stuff ” and fused together from scavenged, recycled items: tin cans, old popsicle sticks, savaged bamboo, old chess pieces, felt, piano parts making his work sustainable and eco-friendly. Most of the gourds that he uses to make instruments and quirky items like gourd nightlights are from gourds he has planted himself. Even a few of his are made from pieces that he has carved together. He made a bow saw, a jig, and a clamp. “It’s a bit arcane to someone who is not a wood worker. It’s really low budget,” says Rowan.

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“I love making beautiful things; it requires focus, attention to detail. It’s ethical. It has a strong historical component.

If you want to find out how to make something efficiently, you find out who made it first.”

Landscaping and gardening influences and feeds his work in a spiritual sense. “I find it universal among artists that I know that whatever arts they pursue inform each other. I can’t explain why, but whenever I’ve done gardening, it improves my art,” says Rowan. Another benefit of landscaping and gardening is that sometimes during the pruning process there is found an interesting piece of wood that would otherwise

be thrown away. It gets seasoned and ends up in his workshop.

Rowan doesn’t believe people who claim they don’t have any creative talents. “Making things is good for people. That’s what makes us human.

Most of us have something that we do that is creative. A great example is parenting. Parenting is entirely creative. You can’t parent uncreatively.

You’re constantly adapting,” says Rowan.

Rowan’s 13-year old son is better on the Internet than he is, and has helped his father set up an Etsy site.

Rowan’s vision for Owliecat is to create a oneof-a-kind toy-making workshop in the Hudson Valley where people can watch as toys and other handmade objects are made, and he can share his experiences as a toymaker by teaching people of all ages to make things by hand on the spot. They can buy his toys too.

“Right now we are in period of transition from dormancy. We did fundraising on Indiegogo. com and Kickstarter.com, and put a lot of energy into it hoping to get that initial rush from money and determination,” says Rowan. The money raised was much less than expected. “I’m still optimistic and I’m a patient person. Whatever it takes,” says Rowan.

Claire Raper, owner of Kid Around, says that Rowan brings wonderful energy and enthusiasm to the store, and the children’s art classes he has taught there have been very well received. “He had this kite making workshop where he not only got into the art of kite making, but the aerodynamics of flight. You could just see the kids getting inspired. He never talks down to them. He challenges them to put all their energy and time into a project,” says Raper.

“When you intentionally go and make things, it’s healing,” adds Rowan.

FOR MORE INFO owliecattoys.tumblr.com facebook.com/Owliecat

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ZZOE ROWAN

Step into Zzoë Rowan’s toy workshop named Owliecat located in the back of Kid Around’s Toy Store & Children’s Consignment store on Partition Street in Saugerties for a little magic. You will find a sprawling treasure chest of whimsical handmade old-fashioned toys: puddle jumpers, spinning tops, wooden rolling baby toys, musical instruments, mobiles from recycled piano parts and wires. The sign says it all: Owliecat: Toys, games, curiosities, classes, repairs, instruments & art.

CREATIVES | RADIO HOST

And the commissar is telling my fortune While the radio plays...

BY J.N. URBANSKI

My radio show is a deeply absorbing endeavor for which I do about three to six hours of research and preparation weekly. It brings me into contact with all aspects and people of my community. It forces me to write every week. If I don’t have a guest with whom to mull over the week’s chosen subject, I must fill an hour with my own thoughts or opinions. This usually means at least 5,000 words, or 20 pages and procrastination is simply not an option; I must put the fingers to the keyboard and wrest a subject from my subconscious whether it is ready or not. More important is that I must finish it completely, or consider it finished, and read it aloud on live radio. Writer’s block must be chopped with my metaphorical axe along with my fear of public speaking. Occasionally, I will wonder to myself, as I stare at the mountains and write, what I did with all my time before I became a radio host?

I host a show on WIOX Radio in Roxbury, New York, on Monday mornings called “The Economy Of” and every week I attempt to quantify a certain subject with a guest or alone. The show is continually in my thoughts and influences, my waking and sleeping hours like a strict governess. An innocent trip to the grocery store can ignite a spark of an idea that catches the tinder and blazes until I have an hour’s worth of material. A five-minute library visit between errands, during which I found a Nora Ephron anthology, has laid the icing on the cake for my Women in Film series. Even a product at the store has transformed into a subject. I’ve found erudite guests on the five-dollar rack at the bookshop and I always have a handful of non-fiction books on the go. Currently, it’s Religion For Atheists by Alain de Botton, Arguably by Christopher Hitchens and Scribble Scribble by Nora Ephron. Authors make engaging interviewees. I cannot enthuse enough about the wonderful Married to Bhutan by Linda Leaming. Bhutan is a gorgeous, magical country. It’s hardly ever written about and I interviewed one of its authors.

They say radio is dead, but it actually brought me to life. It forced me to develop my voice, adhere to a regular deadline, honed my speaking skills and brought me much closer to my community than I would ever have gotten by my introverted self. Writing can be a mostly solitary existence. I now shove myself out into the world, as I have a responsibility to my listeners. I venture to entertain them and perhaps tell them something they didn’t already know. Most of all, though, I’m teaching myself. My show is a creative outlet that inspires my freelance writing career, both fiction and non-fiction, and every week I discover a tad more about the world. A thirst for knowledge drives my journalistic career and my life and I make an effort to try new things. When an opportunity comes my way, I’ll nearly always take it, especially if it looks difficult.

I also have a consulting business and I give a lot of tips and advice to my clients. One of the biggest tips is never be afraid to make mistakes. One of the most common observations I’ve made in my career is that most people avoid attempting things they’d like to do because they’re afraid of failing, but mistakes are a valuable asset of any business or personal journey. I remember my first shot at public speaking was a complete disaster. I got up in front of the microphone and bombed like a professional, but just the act of trying was an exhilarating accomplishment.

So, then there isn’t any formidable or intriguing colleague or friend who hasn’t been asked on my show. During my travels over the past fifteen years I’ve met innumerable fascinating people and I find my neighbors just as enthralling. For my Women in Business series, I discovered that there are many female-owned businesses in the Catskills. Why are more and more women leaving corporate life to go into farming or food production? It’s here that I began my quest to take better care of myself, eat better food and discovered organic, whole foods. I saw how and where they’re grown locally. I now have a year-old Economy of Food series that celebrates shopping locally to bolster one’s economy. It’s here that my husband started our farm and where we’ll one day feed our goats and chickens. It’s here, in upstate New York, that I found my voice, commitment to my craft and my community. A writer needs nothing more than that.

FOR MORE INFO Listen on wioxradio.org on Mondays at 9 am.

2013 SUMMER | GREEN DOOR 21

CREATIVES | FURNITURE

Master Furniture Craftsman Shokan’s Michael Puryear

BY JENNIFER FARLEY

Lanky and fit from a lifetime of hiking and skiing, master furniture craftsman Michael Puryear exudes the peace and confidence of an artist secure in what he brings to the table, making no apologies for the lofty prices - $3,000 to $25,000 - his made-to-order pieces fetch.

“I picked up a spirit from my relatives of if you want to do something, you just do it, plumbing, carpentry, anything.

They could fix almost anything,” he says. “My attitude is that the world is large, interesting, and fascinating, and that man is a maker. I’ve been doing this now for 30 years, and I’m in a lot of major collections. It’s not an easy way to make a living.”

He “thrashed around quite a bit” before discovering his true calling. An early career as a freelance photographer brought the fourth-generation native of Washington, D.C. to Brooklyn, where he eventually began renovating brownstones to make ends meet. His landlord noticed the quality of a pair of bookcases the avid reader had made for himself, and the rest is history.

Puryear says working on commissions requires discipline, problem solving and an open mind. He thinks that it’s mostly good for artists to have that kind of focused interaction with the client’s needs.

“There are so many variables. For example, not everyone can read drawings,” says Puryear. “That’s the kind of business detail you learn over the years.”

A Teacher and A Sculptor, Too He’s just finished a maquette, or sculptor’s model, for the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee’s “African American Art on the Cultural Trail: A New Public Art Competition.” Puryear is one of six finalists. His maquette features a replica of an African style “Dan” chair he made in 2010, which he proposes to be cast in bronze and mounted on a 15-foot hemisphere of granite.

Etched into the granite are the outlines the West Coast of Africa adjacent the East Coast of North America, suggesting the slave trade; the regal chair implies status - that’s where the term chairman comes from - but its legs are subtly scored with whip-mark scars.

“I’m the proud descendant of slaves; the Puryear name comes from a family of French Huguenots who settled in Virginia,” says Puryear. “I was drafted by the army during Vietnam.

I was a lab technician, did not go overseas, and a certain white officer named Puryear was extremely surprised when I showed up bearing the same last name.”

FOR MORE INFO www.michaelpuryear.com

He’s preparing to spend a month in Rockport, Maine, where he will teach at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. In March, he gave the James Renwick Alliance Distinguished Lecture at the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum. Puryear attended Howard University, and he’s taught at almost all the

furniture craft schools in the United States. He’s also an associate professor at SUNY Purchase; the school’s president commissioned a four-figure desk from Puryear.

He Loves Winter In The Original Longyear Farmhouse Winter is Puryear’s favorite season. Aesthetically, he loves the snow, and has even traveled to the Arctic twice. “I get a lot done,” says Puryear. “People kind of hole up, there’s less socializing.”

Being a sportsman, he came to know the Hudson Valley. Also his brother Martin, a famous sculptor, lives in Accord. Eight years ago, after living in a rent-controlled loft in Chelsea for 24 years, Puryear relocated to Shokan where he owns the original 1870 residence of the Longyear Farm. Puryear is a widower and has been with partner Nicole Carroll for a decade. She’s a marketing consultant who recently founded the American Tuition Project, which raises money for college students leveraging the power of crowd-funding.

Puryear bought the farmhouse because it had several outbuildings, the largest of which he’s transformed into a drool-worthy workshop.

The freshly sheet-rocked ceiling has improved the quality of light.

Over the years, he’s opened up the downstairs living space of the farmhouse, which is filled with Puryear’s furniture. At times, he uses his residence as a showroom for prospective clients. He recently completed a standing desk, made to measure for a financial attorney.

A Spirit of Shibui Curved elements and contrasting wood colors and textures meet with planar surfaces in Puryear’s furniture. He’s ever mindful of what the Japanese term shibui, which translates as simple elegance.

“My work tends to be reductive,” says Puryear. “That’s kind of a

hard thing to put into words.”

Clean-lined and substantial, Puryear’s furniture also pays homage to Shaker and Scandinavian design. The craftsman feels that curves convey emotion while rectilinear forms suggest intellect.

Bent lamination is a technique he often uses; it is an extremely labor intensive process, but one which preserves the direction of the wood grain whereas faster methods would not.

A signature of several Puryear pieces is the illusion of a floating element such as a tabletop that seemingly hovers suspended above the support. One of his most popular commissions is a folding screen made of color-impregnated ash finished differently on each side. He enjoys making furniture with stark contrasts of light and dark, perhaps bleached and stained finishes of the same wood, but clients seem to prefer to look at those pieces, and not actually buy them.

“Everything contains its opposite, so how would you know what good is if you don’t have bad, how would you see light if there was no dark,” muses Puryear. “But that’s my thinking. The client may just want a really great end table.”

All of his pieces employ traditional joinery techniques because “that’s what lasts,” says Puryear. Clients commission works with the expectation they will hold up for several lifetimes. In his workshop now for refinishing is a “Flatiron table,” inspired by the flow of traffic in that neighborhood; he made this one many years ago, and it’s seen hard use from children. The family who owns it recently commissioned an unusual chess bench, complete with custom-made chess set, because that’s a favorite pastime.

“I’m open to making almost anything, but you usually have to give me between six and 12 weeks,” says Puryear.

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INTO THE WOODS | 45 YEARS

Sapphire Anniversary Back to the garden 45 years later at Bethel Woods Center.

BY AKIRA OHISO

In 2014, Bethel Woods will celebrate the 45th Anniversary of The Woodstock Music & Art Fair. With the passage of time, Woodstock’s impact on the world continues to change and grow. The proceeding decades ran the gamut of musical periods from disco to grunge, yet, arguably, no musical period captured the magical moment that was Woodstock.

The myopia and exceptionalism of youth might easily dismiss Woodstock as sentimental, but walk through the Museum at Bethel Woods and you see young people connecting with the music and story of Woodstock. In uncertain times, those lessons are as relevant as they were 45 years ago.

Bethel Woods is planning a year-long anniversary celebration that will feature legendary and contemporary performers, youth programs teaching the ideals of the 60’s, special exhibitions and more.

2014 also marks another important music milestone – the 50th anniversary of The Beatles landing in America. The Museum at Bethel Woods’ special exhibition, “The Beatles Invasion!” opening in April, is sure to delight as it documents the innocence of the nation in the early part of the tumultuous decade.

Will Route 17B become a parking lot again? It’s hard to imagine 400,000 fans descending on Bethel. Honestly, it just wouldn’t be allowed. With the world hyper-connected via smart phones, Woodstock is happening all the time. Even so, put down your Apple and get back to the garden.

FOR MORE INFO www.bethelwoodscenter.org 54 GREEN DOOR | WINTER 2013

PHOTOS: PROVIDED BY BETHEL WOODS

On Memorial Day weekend, from May 23 through May 26, 2014, the site will host Mysteryland, the world’s longest-running electronic music festival. This will be the first time a multi-day festival is hosted at the iconic Bethel Woods site in upstate New York since the legendary Woodstock festival.

ENDPAPER | MAPLE SYRUP

Sweet Ending

PHOTO BY DAN MAYERS www.danmayers.com

“A sap-run is the sweet goodbye of winter. It is the fruit of the equal marriage of the sun and frost.”

WALTER OELSCHLAGER CANNING CATSKILL MOUNTAIN MAPLE SYRUP www.catskillmountainmaple.com 607-746-6339

-John Burroughs’ Signs and Seasons 1866.

Burroughs was an American Naturalist and essayist. He was born in the Catskills.

-Letter to Thomas Jefferson by Benjamin Rush, August 19, 1791.

Rush was a Founding Father and social reformer who made the case for maple sugar instead of cane sugar, the latter produced mainly with slave labor.

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PHOTO: DAN MAYERS

“In contemplating the present opening prospects in human affairs, I am led to expect that a material part of the general happiness which heaven seems to have prepared for mankind, will be derived from the manufacture and general use of Maple Sugar.”