Monmouth Buzz

{ BUZZ } OUR GUIDE TO NEW IDEAS, TIPS, TRENDS AND THINGS WE LOVE IN OUR COUNTY.

YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE’S FUTURE

Decorating a tree for the holidays is a joyful occasion—taking it down, more of a mournful hassle. But what if your Christmas tree could be put to constructive use? Try one of these ideas (and remember to take all the decorations off first): • Turn it into firewood. Your tree is perfect fuel for your outdoor firepit. Use smaller branches as kindling and chop the trunk into longer-burning logs. Avoid lighting it indoors, however, as the amount of moisture in the tree will create smoke and sooty fireplaces. • Make it a sanctuary. Whether they’re rooted in the ground or secured on a stand, trees are great shelters for birds. So take your old Christmas tree into the yard and stand it in a secure spot for winter. Decorate it with a bird feeder, then watch as new aviary acquaintances drop by. • Compost it. Towns that collect Christmas trees at the end of the season turn them into mulch. You can use your tree similarly and simply toss it into the compost heap in your yard—the browns and greens will ultimately break down into soil and feed your garden. (Read more about composting in the “Kudos” item at right.) • Donate it. That’s right, several organizations— such as zoos and animal sanctuaries—accept old Christmas trees. The Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, for instance, uses them as décor in their exhibits. Some animals, such as goats, chow down on the greens too, so it’s imperative that all tinsel and ornaments are removed. Riding the wave: Surf’s up for Red Bank resident Scott Thompson, who was inducted into the New Jersey Surfing Hall of Fame. The Fair Haven native and dad of three 20-something sons has been surfing since 1965 and continues to do so all year round—and all around Monmouth County, specifically at his two favorite spots, Sandy Hook and Bradley Beach. Thompson is also a volunteer with Clean Ocean Action, whose goal it is to clean the waters off the East Coast.

Helping Mother Earth: Mark Davis of Long Branch is doing his part for the environment too. As a member of the city’s Green Team, Davis works with local restaurants like The Juice Theory, The Herd Juicery and Rook Coffee Roasters to compost their food scraps. Composting is a form of recycling in which organic scraps are added to soil to help plants grow (and thus it’s better for Mother Earth), rather than used to fill up the landfills. If you see Davis out and about doing his thing, give him a friendly “thanks!”

Dad-and-son inventors in sink:

In 2017, single dad Bryan Alintoff, left, of Long Branch helped his son Hayden come up with a new product for a third-grade contest at Gregory School modeled after Shark Tank, the reality show on which inventors compete for business funding. Thus was born the Sink Spinner, a contraption that attaches to a faucet and cleans the sink without making a mess elsewhere. Since winning that school competition (and working during the pandemic to get it off the ground), Alintoff and his creation made national news, and the product saw lots of fanfare when it launched on Kickstarter in November. Hayden hopes to donate a few Sink Spinners to public schools in Long Branch and Middletown, but you can get yours and learn more at sinkspinner.com.

READY TOCHICKEN-SIT?

Tinton Falls is moving ahead with plans to allow 25 select households to set up chicken coops on their properties (a half-acre or larger). Now the borough needs “chicken sitters” to take charge. The borough council is assembling a CAB—that’s Chicken Advisory Board, of course—of six individuals to help run the pilot program; tasks include checking on the chicks and writing a rulebook on how to take care of these fowl friends. One slot will be filled by a person from the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, but five remain. Think you’ve got what it takes? Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, but it’s worth a shot. Call the Tinton Falls borough at 732.542.3400 to learn how to get involved—and don’t chicken out!

Dogs: 5-year-old Nutter Budder and 4-year-old Lemon Meringue, mini golden doodles Owners: Casey and Eddie Nonni of Hazlet Township These two mini golden doodles are as cute and snuggly as their names are. Their proud pawrents say they’re both major cuddlers, especially Lemon Meringue, a female pup, who wakes up her owners in exchange for a snuggle. She is also a bit of a fashionista, who will go get one of her outfits and bring it to her humans so they can get her dressed. Nutter Budder, a male, lights up when someone says “grandma,” and loves a good float in the pool (but hates actually swimming!). Both of these cuties enjoy hanging out in the neighborhood, such as at Holmdel Park, Yappy Hour at The Wonder Bar, Fox Hollow Vineyards and Jughandle Brewing Company—“anywhere we can all go together!” says Casey. Follow their adventures on Instagram @nutter_budder. Want your pet to be featured in a future issue? Email Editor in Chief Rita Guarna at rita. guarna@wainscotmedia.com, or send us a DM on Instagram @ monmouthhealthandlife.

FORT PONDERS FLIX

Will Eatontown become another Hollywood? Netflix is in talks to purchase Fort Monmouth, a sprawling Army base that’s up for auction, and turn it into a production center for its original series. “Gov. Murphy and legislative leaders have created a business environment that’s welcomed film and television production back to the state,” the streaming giant says in a statement, “and we’re excited to submit our bid to transform Fort Monmouth into a state-of-the-art production facility.” Bids are due for the property Jan. 12, so we’ll know more soon.

Meanwhile, The Fort Athletic Club, a part of Fort Monmouth, opened a brand-new state-of-the-art fitness center this October. The former military gym features modern facilities for both athletes and ordinary folks, including a fitness area, basketball courts and a kids’ zone, but it still pays homage to its military roots. Check out what this spot has to offer at 1600 Avenue of Memories, Oceanport, 732.819.1041; fortathleticclub.com.

CULINARY CORNER

BEYOND BARE BAR FARE

Your neighborhood watering hole was never like this. Chef James Avery’s The Black Swan in Asbury Park, taking over the former Modine space, is a pub reimagined, with more than your typical burgers and fries. The menu features cuisine from across the globe—India to the U.K.—and there are four areas decorated to the nines: The Pub, The Dining Room, The Tea Room and The Vault. Fan favorites include the baked brie and crackers platter and the fish and chips, served on a cutting board alongside tartar sauce and peas. But yes, the burgers and fries are great too!

• The Black Swan, 601 Mattison Ave., Asbury Park, 732.361.7159; theblackswanap.com

EAT ANIMALS ELSEWHERE

It’s no easy feat to find vegan treats that taste and look great, so Cats Luck in Neptune is pretty much a godsend. This new breakfastand-brunch place is run by vegan baker Michelle Mancuso, and it’s more than just Insta-worthy pastries and banana nut crumb cake (which is delicious, by the way). Try a tofu scramble with veggie or tofu-based quiche for breakfast, or indulge in a “chick’n and bacon” ranch sandwich and loaded disco fries for lunch. (The “bacon” is coconut bacon and the “chick’n” is seitan chicken, made from wheat gluten, flour and water.) And yes, literally everything here is vegan.

• Cats Luck, 140 Steiner Ave., Neptune, 732.361.7294; catsluckvegan.com

MEDITERRANEAN FOR ALL

Ever met someone who didn’t like Mediterranean food? If so, don’t bring this benighted soul here for the moist chicken shish over rice and veggies, stuffed grape leaves or a baba ghanoush platter. Ava Barsoum in Howell has all of this and more, as well as other classic Middle Eastern-inspired eats and desserts such as baklava.

• Ava Barsoum, 4224 Rte. 9 S., Howell Township, 848.222.4491; ava-barsoum.business.site