Weekend Guide, May 3 to 5

There is absolutely no excuse for anyone to say they're bored in Easton this weekend!

 

Friday, May 3

Rummage Sale: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Includes clothing, housewares, children's room, and more. First United Church of Christ, 229 Church St., Easton. 610-258-3361 or click here.

Tunes at Noon - Scott Harrington: Noon to 1 p.m. Centre Square. Click here for more details and upcoming shows.

Lehigh Valley Tea Party meeting: 7 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. This month's presentation is on U.N. Agenda 21. Charles Chrin Community Center, 4100 Green Pond Road, Palmer Township. www.lvtp.org

Dancing: 7 to 10 p.m. Waltz instruction with Con Gallagher from 7 to 8 p.m., dancing with DJ Carol Coffinger from 8 to 10 p.m. $10 per person, benefits Third Street Alliance. 41 North Third St. 610-433-7804 or www.thirdstreetalliance.org

Line Dancing: 7 to 10:30 p.m. Lessons at 7:15 p.m. $5 per person for members, $6 for non-members. Tatamy Fire Company, 164 Bushkill St., Tatamy. 610-759-2786 or www.purecountrydancers.com\

Live at Riverside - KeNoBe: 7:30 p.m. Free. Riverside Park, amphitheatre, Larry Holmes Drive, just north of the free bridge. Click here for more details and upcoming shows.

School of Rock - "Women Who Rock", DJ Massimo: Band at 7:30 p.m., DJ at 10 p.m.  Rivals Sports Bar & Nightclub, 5 Lehns Court. 610-923-7625 or www.rivalseaston.com

Adam Web: 8 p.m. The Riegelsville Inn, 12 Delaware Road, Riegelsville. 610-749-0100 or www.riegelsvilleinn.com

Bobby Clark: 9 p.m. Colonial Pizza & Spaghetti House, 136-138 Spring Garden St. 610-252-3033 or www.colonialpizzapub.com

The Uptown Underground: 9 p.m. Two Rivers Brewing Company, 542 Northampton St. 610-829-1131 or www.tworiversbrewing.com

DJ Mikey Z: 10 p.m. Riegelsville Tavern, 1274 Easton Road, Riegelsville. 610-510-3030 or www.riegelvilletavern.com

Family Circus Trio: 10 p.m. Funk, with Jon Fadem, Peter Fritz and John Kimock on drums. Porters' Pub, 700 Northampton St. 610-250-6561 or www.porterspubeaston.com

Time Relapse: 10 p.m. Pearly Baker's Alehouse, 11 Centre Square. 610-253-9949 or www.pearlybakers.net

Saturday, May 4

Free Comic Book Day: The first Saturday in May each year. Participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their stores. In Easton, Sacker's Collectibles, is participating. 60 Centre Square. 610-252-8902 Click here for more about Free Comic Book Day.

Third Annual Jazz Breakfast: 8 to 11 a.m. Featuring live music by the Easton Area High School Jazz Combo. $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and children under 12. Money raised by the event will go towards funding the EAHS Jazz Band's trip to Baltimore. First Presbyterian Church of Easton, 333 Spring Garden St. For more information or advance tickets, call 610-393-0156.

"Fitness Fiesta!": 9 a.m. to noon. Includes bike safety, "Kids Get Fit" classes, adult exercise classes. LINCS Family Center, 2400 Firmstone St., Wilson Borough. For more information, contact Janice Swiatek at 610-704-8710 or jazzerjan@rcn.com

Rummage Sale: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bag day! Includes clothing, housewares, children's room, and more. First United Church of Christ, 229 Church St., Easton. 610-258-3361 or click here.

 Easton Farmers' Market Season Opening: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The oldest continuous open-air farmers' market in the U.S. kicks off its 261st season with with seven new vendors, featuring a total of thirty-four farmers, food purveyors and crafters. Cooking demonstrations, herb talk, healthy eating and cooking tips, live music, free market bags, more. Centre Square. www.eastonfarmersmarket.com or click here for more details.

Mother’s Day Tea Party: 10 a.m. to noon. For Mother’s Day, let’s name all the ways that mothers are special and prepare to celebrate with an “at home” tea party. Attend this event to prepare for the special event at your house. Cops 'n Kids Reading Room, Easton Area Community Center, back entrance, 901 Washington St. 610-250-6562

Annual Historic Easton House Tour: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A self-guided tour of seven historic properties, three public spaces and an artisan session on restoration and preservation. Advance tickets for $20 are available online at www.eastonmainstreet.org and at a number of locations in the city. Tickets may also be purchased the day of the tour for $25. Tour starts at Riverside Park, Larry Holmes Drive, just north of the free bridge.

Bachmann Publick House Tour: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn about the building of the tavern,  and life from 1753 through the 1800s, when the building had been enlarged by successive owners, including George Taylor, colonial ironmaster and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Admission is $5 per person. 169 Northampton St. 610-258-1753 or www.sigalmuseum.org

"Magic, Marionettes, and Ventriloquism": 11 a.m. Artist Scott Wagstaff performs. Program is appropriate for ages 3 and up. Easton Area Public Library, 515 Church St. 610-258-2917 or www.eastonpl.org

Pocono Greyhound Adoption Meet and Greet: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sam's Club, Receiving Appointments, 3796 Easton-Nazareth Highway, Easton (Lower Nazareth Township). 570-856-0377 or www.poconogreyhound.com

Spring Plant Exchange: Noon to 3 p.m. Bring a plant, take a plant. Some plants and shrubs for sale too. Hosted by the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership. 630 Northampton St. Click here for more details.

Nurses Celebration: 1 to 3 p.m. Take a tour of the Anderson Campus. St. Luke's University Network, Anderson Campus, 1872 Riverside Circle, Easton (Bethelehem Township).

Roast Beer Dinner: 4:30 to 7 p.m. First Moravian Church, corner of South 10th and Bushkill streets. $10 for adults, $5 for kids, free for those under 6. Call 610-258-6317 for advance tickets.

Tricky Tray: 5 to 7 p.m. Ticket sheets are $5-20, refreshments will be sold too. Olivet Presbyterian Church, 12th and Northampton streets.

Family Style Ham Dinner: 5 to 7 p.m. $9 for adults, $4 for children 6 to 12, free for childred 5 and under. Discount for advance tickets, call ahead. Wheelchair accessible. Christ United Methodist Church, Berwick Street and Seitz Avenue. 610-258-4762

shrmgn shrm gn: 6:03 to 9:42 p.m. The first show of the year at Easton's most unusual art space, with artists Paul Deery, Mike Kondel, and Tom D'Angelo. Our Garage Space, 43 North Sitgreaves St. Click here for more information.

Free Texas Hold'em: 7 & 9 p.m. La Pazza, 1251 Ferry St. 610-515-0888 or www.lapazza.com

Cover Three with Gary Staples, Tom Vallone & Friends: 7 p.m. Bella Luna, 3417 Sullivan Trail, Forks Township. 610-253-7458

School of Rock - "Women Who Rock", DJ Jus Smith: Band at 7:30 p.m., DJ at 10 p.m.  Rivals Sports Bar & Nightclub, 5 Lehns Court. 610-923-7625 or www.rivalseaston.com

Mikey Jr.: 8 p.m. The Riegelsville Inn, 12 Delaware Road, Riegelsville. 610-749-0100 or www.riegelsvilleinn.com

Steve Brosky & Jimmy Meyer: 9 p.m. Two Rivers Brewing Company, 542 Northampton St. 610-829-1131 or www.tworiversbrewing.com

Amos: 9 p.m. Riegelsville Tavern, 1274 Easton Road, Riegelsville. 610-510-3030 or www.riegelvilletavern.com

Karaoke with Nort: 9 p.m. Rip Van Winkle's Pub, 3700 Nicholas St., Palmer Township. 610-258-8873

Fuzed Quartet: 9:30 p.m. The Lafayette Bar, 11 North 4th Street 610-252-0711 or www.lafayettebarjazz.com

ReaLion: 10 p.m. Reggae jams. Porters' Pub, 700 Northampton St. 610-250-6561 or www.porterspubeaston.com

Wig Party: 10 p.m. Pearly Baker's Alehouse, 11 Centre Square. 610-253-9949 or www.pearlybakers.net

Sunday, May 5

Happy Orthodox Easter! (Christos annesti!)

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Coach/Longaberger/Pandora Bingo: Doors open at 10:30 a.m., bingo begins at noon. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Benefits the EAHS Instrumental Music Association and related student music programs. Easton Area High School, cafeteria, William Penn Highway and 25th Street, Palmer Township. For advance tickets call Lisa at 610-253-4972 or Sandi at 610-253-3277.

Doug Hawk: 11 a.m. Sette Luna, 219 Ferry St. 610-253-8888 or www.setteluna.com

Art Show Opening Reception: Noon to 3 p.m. See the Hillcrest Camera Club Members' Photography Exhibition, chat with the artists. Show runs Sundays through June 30. Free. The Gallery at St. John's, 330 Ferry St. 610-258-6119 or www.hillcrestcamera.org

Community Yoga Class: 1 to 2 p.m. Free. Easton Yoga, 524 Northampton St. 610-923-7522 or www.eastonyoga.com

Doc Hollywood, DJ Mike West: 6 p.m., DJ at 10 p.m.  Rivals Sports Bar & Nightclub, 5 Lehns Court. 610-923-7625 or www.rivalseaston.com

Open Mic Hosted by Jim Stocker: 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Riegelsville Tavern, 1274 Easton Road, Riegelsville. 610-510-3030 or www.riegelsvilletavern.com

Easton's most comprehensive guide to what's happening over the weekend, in the city and beyond, is published every Friday.

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Updated on Saturday, May 4 at 12:43 a.m. to add additional events.

If You Can't Beat It, Eat It: Japanese Knotweed

By Christina Georgiou

Recently, there's been a lot of attention in Easton being given to the idea of urban gardening, particularly to grow healthier food, and also to the environmental detriments of invasive plant species in the local area.

The idea that the city is a "food desert" has also been floated around a bit, though technically there is no neighborhood that strictly qualifies as one. (To be considered a true "food desert" there needs to be a lack of a dedicated grocery store in a two-mile radius. While it's true three out of four of Easton's neighborhoods don't have a supermarket and it would be a much better thing if they did, all four neighborhoods are within the two-mile reach of one.)

While we are definitely supportive of urban gardening and growing food, favor native plants over invasive ones, and would very much like to see more healthy (and more affordable) foods sold in neighborhood stores, there's one idea that we think is a bit neglected--what already is available and what to do with it.

This is the second article in the series "If You Can't Beat It, Eat It", where we're highlighting a few edible, healthy plants you may not have noticed  (or just call "weeds") that grow all around the Easton area.

Click here to read the first article in the series, on dandelions.

One of many leafy platoons of an army of Japanese knotweed
that is quietly and voraciously taking over plant habitats
in the local Easton area. This one has set up camp along
the Bushkill Creek, crowding out many other native plants.

When it comes to invasive plants, it could be easily said that Japanese knotweed is one of the worst, if not the worst, and few that have ever met this voracious plant would disagree.

Once it gets the tiniest foothold, it takes over like a leafy invading army, creating a "mono-culture" in its immediate environment. Its underground rhizome network sends up fast-growing shoots, which reach heights of three to 12 feet in a matter of a couple of months. During its peak growing time, it can grow one to three inches a day, and when it reaches full height, it's leaves are the size of a man's hand, depriving potential competitors of sunlight.

It's incredibly difficult to kill--a tiny live piece of stem or root in soil with a little water is enough for the plant to regenerate itself. Chemical herbicides aren't terribly effective, and repeated applications of poison over a succession of years are usually necessary to eradicate it.

Other techniques include repeatedly chopping the plant down and removing the vegetation to prevent it from rooting and continuing to spread, as well as burning it. (One suspects the use of a flamethrower might be most satisfying, if not actually prudent.)



Shoots of Japanese knotweed, being a literal "pain in the
asphalt" along Pearl Street in Easton.

Knotweed rhizomes can go 10 feet deep and stretch up to 30 feet away from visible plants. Its roots can--and do--break through concrete and pavement to spread, often causing costly damage to structures and roadways, though it prefers to take hold in disturbed soil, particularly along waterways, which, when their banks flood, is one of the main ways it travels.

It's literally a "pain in the asphalt" to pretty much anyone who has to deal with its unwanted presence.

Japanese knotweed and it's close cousin, giant Japanese knotweed, was imported from Asia in the late 1800s as an ornamental plant. It's droopy flowers, seen in late summer, produce winged seeds, which is another way it establishes itself in new areas.

Areas in the northeast of the U.S. have had a particular problem with Japanese knotweed, but it's found all over the North American continent, including in Alaska. It's also a problem in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The World Conservation Union has listed it as one of the world’s worst invasive species. Probably the only place it's not considered a major pest is in Japan, where it comes from.



Yes, that's ALL Japanese knotweed. We suspect it's
plotting the demise of that tree on the upper left as
its next conquest.

Locally, Japanese knotweed has become a particular problem along Easton's waterways, said  David Hopkins, the city's public works director.

"It's horrible," he said when I asked him about Japanese knotweed.

He said he thinks flooding is to blame for it becoming especially prolific in recent years. It's crowding out native plants, blocking access to waterways and also harbors ticks in season, he added.

But there is one upside to Japanese knotweed. It's edible, and it's surprisingly tasty and nutritious too.

Japanese knotweed is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C and its cofactor, the antioxidant flavonoid rutin, and of resveratrol, the same substance in the skin of grapes and in red wine that lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart attacks. It also provides potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and manganese.

As a food, it can be used as a replacement for rhubarb in any recipe that call for it, including pies, crumbles, muffins, tarts, sauces, syrups, etc. It can also be steamed or grilled like asparagus. Tea, wine, cordials, and pickles are also possibilities.

Flavorwise, it's unique, with a lemony hint, and somewhat reminiscent of both rhubarb and asparagus, though which it is more similar to seems to depend on its preparation.

While most probably haven't heard of eating Japanese knotweed, the practice isn't rare. Several locations in New England have festivals and/or cooking contests annually centered around Japanese knotweed, and in England, where the plant has also become a big problem, chefs have been developing gourmet recipes to find ways to consume it.



Young Japanese knotweed setting up camp in a field setting.
See those pretty violets on the lower right?
If the knotweed isn't stopped, they're doomed.

Hopkins said he thinks the idea of people eating the local Japanese knotweed is a wonderful idea, and said that foraging the plant for food is perfectly fine in the city.

"I would welcome it if (people) took it all," he said, adding he'd be willing to try some himself. "It would make me feel good to consume something that's been such a pest. What a great thing it would be if people ate it."

Foragers need to be mindful about where they pick from, so as not to pull plants from areas where it is prohibited, as well as making sure their chosen locations haven't been treated with pesticides and herbicides, which is a common way many places deal with Japanese knotweed infestations, but in Easton, this is unlikely to be much of a problem.

The City of Easton has no future plans to apply herbicide in most areas, after it controversially did so along the Delaware River banks in Riverside Park last year, Hopkins said. Any place herbicide is applied on city property will be clearly marked, he added.

In Hugh Moore park, the city will utilize goats starting in June to try to help control runaway Japanese knotweed growth, Hopkins said. The initiative, along with others the city will be trying this year, will be led by the city council's Environmental Advisory Committee. Public works employees will also be chopping down the plant with mowers and weed wackers repeatedly, too.

"We're going to try to not use chemicals at all," Hopkins said.

So, upon discovering that Japanese knotweed is edible, not to mention readily available all over the place, I decided to give it a try.

I have to admit, I wasn't expecting much. I was more expecting that Japanese knotweed is "edible" in an "it will keep you from starving to death at the end of the world" sort of way. I mean, how good could such a horrid plant, and one that grows as tall as a small building and is advancing like a malicious army be?



Japanese knotweed, cooking with butter and garlic. It
not only looks a bit like asparagus, it tastes a lot like
it too.

 Surprisingly good actually. Pan sauteed with a little butter and garlic, it is very much like asparagus with lemon, which I happen to adore.

While there are a number of specific recipes for knotweed crumble out there, I decided to test the theory that it can be substituted for rhubarb in any rhubarb recipe.

Wow, it really does make a very tasty dessert too. The crumble I made has a sour apple taste, and the green color to match, though from a visual standpoint, it looks more like green rhubarb.

The season to harvest Japanese knotweed for food began about two weeks ago, and will continue for a few more weeks, into June, depending on growing conditions and the weather.

New shoots of the plant are reportedly the best, though the top 6 to 12 inches of taller plants are also fine. Basically what you're looking for is the tender parts, before the mature plant becomes woody and too stringy to be tasty.

Harvesting Japanese knotweed is a snap, literally. You can just break off the hollow stalks, or snip it with scissors, if you prefer. Anywhere where the stalk is too tough and stringy to do that easily is probably too mature to provide good eating, though I suspect peeled, the stringier stuff would be fine for wine-making and tea.

You can use a basket to carry it home, or just stuff a plastic grocery bag full. (I used two, doubled up. En masse, the vegetation gets a little weighty, and I didn't want the bag to split.)

Err on the side of harvesting too much over too little--you're doing the local environment a favor by carrying this stuff off, and there is NO danger of overharvesting here. Once you've tried it too, you may well want to eat more or try other recipes with it, and having it already on hand is easier than having to go pick more.

When you get home, to prepare the knotweed for use, strip it of all its leaves, and chop the top off too. Give it a good rinsing.

If you're not going to use it right away, you can store it in the fridge for a few days as is, with or without the leaves. It will wilt a bit, but the stalks, which is the part you're going to use, should be fine. You can also put it upright in water to keep it crisper, though you definitely don't want to do it for so long that it roots.

As tempting as it may be to compost, this is one plant you definitely should NOT do that with, or you will end up with it growing on your property, out of your compost pile or bin, only furthering the local Japanese knotweed problem. Dispose of unused bits in the regular trash. Or you might burn the scraps on the barbeque and toss the ash in the compost heap, giving it a nice nitrogen boost, if you really want to be a purist about not contributing to landfills while not contributing to the spread of this pest plant.

Many foraging guides I've seen recommend peeling off the skin, though I found that's unnecessary with the youngest stalks. Still, it's a simple process if you need to do it. A light scrape with a knife or using a vegetable peeler is quite effective. The best stalks I harvested ranged in size from 1/4 inch to about 1 inch in diameter, though some smaller stalks were tough and some larger ones quite tender.

To cook knotweed like asparagus, I cut the cleaned young, tender (unpeeled) stalks into 4-6 inch long pieces, and chopped up a couple of cloves of garlic. In a heavy frying pan on a medium heat, I melted about two tablespoons of butter, and tossed the garlic in. After a couple of minutes, I added the Japanese knotweed on top, and while it was pan grilling, I sprinkled a little bit of coarse kosher salt and a dash of black pepper on top. A very  few minutes later, when the stalks had turned a light shade of olive green and went limp, I tossed the entire thing into a bowl.

This turned out to be amazingly good, as I mentioned earlier. The garlic carmelized a bit, and added a nice crunch to the lemony flavor of the knotweed, which softens up considerably when it's cooked. (The stalks should be limp when cooked through, otherwise they'll be stringy and unpleasantly tough. But the limpness is not a detriment to flavor in this case, and the texture is actually still good this way.)

I suspect onions would also be very good with knotweed. Grilling the stuff on a barbeque  in a pan with a little water and then maybe some butter at the end, would also probably work well, either by itself or with other veggies.

Moving on to knotweed's sweeter side, I decided to make a crumble, aiming for something that would serve as a dessert, as well as perhaps a breakfast treat.

Here's the recipe I used for Japanese knotweed crumble, which I adapted from one for rhubarb:



Crumbly-topped Japanese Knotweed
Yes, it was good. Yep, it's all gone now.


Crumbly-topped Rhubarb Japanese Knotweed

• 3 cups chopped Japanese unpeeled knotweed stalks
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup granulated Sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 6 Tablespoons of butter, softened
• 6 Tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (regular or quick cooking--either is fine)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
In a 10x6x3-inch baking dish (that's a standard loaf pan), combine the first six  ingredients. Mix the butter into the flour and brown sugar thoroughly, then stir in the oats.

Sprinkle or spread over the rhubarb. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender and the top is brown.

Again, Japanese knotweed can be used in any recipe that calls for rhubarb. If the recipe says to peel the rhubarb, then peeling the knotweed is advisable. If it calls for unpeeled rhubarb, then peeling the knot weed probably isn't necessary.

If you harvest Japanese knotweed later in the season and it's beginning to get tough, my online foraging sources suggest peeling it down to the more tender core is advisable.

Boiled Japanese knotweed, pre-puree, on its way to
becoming fruit leather.

I chose easy recipes to begin with, having no idea whether Japanese knotweed would be worth the effort.

As it turns out, it most definitely is. Next on my list, besides more "poor reporter's asparagus", is knotweed muffins, knotweed quick pickles, knotweed vodka, and maybe some knotweed wine.

I also found a recipe for knotweed fruit leather that sounds tasty and pretty easy to pull off, which is in the works.

I'm truly amazed at what I found experimenting with Japanese knotweed. I had expected that it would be a lot of work for little gain as a food, and that it might be passable, but not great when it came to tastiness. All of my expectations turned out to be completely wrong. It's pretty awesome stuff.

Give it a shot. It's not only free, nutritious, tasty food, but by cutting it down, you'll be doing your neighborhood and the local environment a big favor!

Finding and identifying Japanese knotweed:

• It really is everywhere, once you identify it, but known places in Easton and the greater Easton area are along waterways, such as the Bushkill Creek (easily accessible via the Karl Stirner Arts Trail in the city), and along the Delaware and Lehigh river banks. (One place to avoid along the Delaware River though, is in Riverside Park, and also at Scott Park, due to the application of glyphosate last year. Give it another year or two before harvesting from these locations. All other areas along the riverbanks should be okay.)
• If you see obviously unhealthy or "burned" looking Japanese knotweed, especially surrounded by other sickly looking plants, skip picking from that area. Again, the City of Easton says it doesn't plan to use herbicides this year and will clearly mark areas if they do use chemical means to control plants or pests, but that doesn't preclude private property owners' use of these substances. That said, you may find some old, hollow, long, fibrous stems from last year next to the new shoots. This is actually a good sign that the plant has not been treated. Additionally, waterways, where it likes to grow the most, are protected areas, and should generally be free of such hazards.
• Japanese knotweed has hollow bamboo-like stalks that are crooked at the "knots" or stem joints. The leaves are large, usually at least a few inches wide, and grow off the stalks  on alternate sides of the stem joints. It doesn't look like anything else that grows in the area, and there are no poisonous look-alikes. Shoots coming out of the ground vaguely resemble asparagus. It usually grows in stands, with many stalks shooting out of the ground in the same area. Due to the fact that it has a habit of taking over anywhere it's becoming established, few if any other kinds of plants will be found growing within the cluster.

Click here for more about how to identify Japanese knotweed, from a foraging expert.

Click here for a few more Japanese knotweed recipes.

Click here for a number of good rhubarb recipes, for which you can substitute Japanese knotweed.

Friday Concerts Return to Downtown Easton, Beginning Tomorrow

Three series of concerts in the City of Easton's Downtown, all happening on Fridays, will happen again this year, beginning tomorrow.

 

For the second year, Easton Main Street will be hosting "Tunes at Noon", a lunch-hour weekly Friday concert series in Centre Square that runs through May and June.

 

In its fifth year, "Live in the Square", is held in the same location and features concerts at 7:30 p.m. on the last Friday of each month, from now until September.

 

"Live at Riverside", is at the Riverside Park amphitheatre for the third year, and takes place on the last Friday of each month at 7:30 p.m. through the end of September as well. Featuring bleacher seating and great views of the Delaware River, concert goers can enjoy beer, wine and light dinner fare at Porters’ Riverside Pub Tent throughout the evening.

 

All concerts are free and open to the public.

 

For more information on the concerts or the Easton Main Street Initiative, visit www.EastonMainStreet.org or contact Amy Boccadoro at amy@eastonpartnership.org or 610-330-9947.

 

2013 Main Stree Summer Concert Schedule

Tunes at Noon, every Friday in May and June,
from noon to 1 p.m. in Centre Square

• May 3: Scott Harrington
• May 10: The Roux
• May 17: The Ultra King two
• May 24: Chelsea Carle
• May 31: Patrick Polladian
• June 7: Erin McClelland
• June 14: Karen & Amy Jones
• June 21: Maria Woodford with June Thomas
• June 28: Pour Man’s Band

Live at Riverside, on the first Friday of month
beginning at 7:30 p.m., Riverside Park amphitheatre

• May 3: KeNoBe (R & B)
• June 7: The Large Flowerheads (60’s and 70”s)
• July 5:  Sarah Ayers Band (blues)
• August 2: Joyous ( cover band)
• September 6: Zydeco a Go Go ( New Orleans style band)

Live in the Square, on the last Friday of month
beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Centre Square

• May 31: Easton High School Jazz Bands (Jazz)
• June 28: Dave Leonhardt Trio (Jazz)
• July 26: Hot Bijouxx (Hot swing gypsy jazz)
• August 30: Mike Mettalia and Midnight Shift (Rhythm, Rockin’ Boogie)
• Sept. 27: Christopher Dean Band (Groove and funk-filled soul and blues)

Meet and Greet Event Planned with Magisterial Candidate

The Committee to Elect Antonia Grifo District Judge will hold a "Meet and Greet" reception at the Sigal Museum, 342 Northampton St., on Wednesday, May 8 from 5 to 8 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public.  Refreshments will be served, and vouchers will be given to guests for free parking in the parking garage on South Third St. 

Additionally, anyone attending the reception will be granted free admission to the Sigal Museum.

Tickets are not necessary, however, it is requested that those planning to attend RSVP to campaign committee treasurer Kathy Presto at kathy.presto@yahoo.com.

Grifo is one of five candidates running for magisterial justice in District 03-2-05, which became vacant when District Judge Gay Elwell suddenly passed away late last year. 

The district includes Downtown, College Hill, and most of the West Ward (10th Street and east) in the City of Easton.

Boys & Girls Club Announces New Youth Baseball Program

The Boys & Girls Club of Easton will host a new new five-week program, Reviving Baseball for Inner City Youth (RBI) "Bring Back the Bases", that will begin on Tuesday, May 14 at the Club’s South Side facility, 210 Jones Houston Way.

 

It is open to all area youth, both boys and girls, ages 5 to 18. Participants in the RBI "Bring Back the Bases" program will learn the fundamentals of the sport of baseball and related activities like t-ball, wiffle ball, and foam ball.

 

The program was inspired by Boys & Girls Club staff and the movie "42", a tribute to Jackie Robinson. The goal is to provide youth with a safe place to play the game, under the guidance and coaching of professional staff, a media announcement said.

 

Registration begins on Saturday, May 4 and ends on Saturday, May 11. The cost is $5 for current B&G Club members, and $20 for non-members, which includes a 12-month membership to the club as well.

 

Try outs and weekly practices start on Tuesday, May 14. Practice days and times are as follows:

• Tuesdays, 6 to 7:30 p.m., t-ball for ages 5 to 9
• Wednesdays, 6 to 7:30 p.m., wiffle ball for ages 10 to 12
• Thursdays, 6 to 7:30 p.m.,  foam ball for ages 13 to 15
• Friday, 6 to 7:30 p.m., foam ball for ages 16 to 18

For more information or questions about the "Bring Back the Bases" RBI program, contact Dean Young at 484-239-2075, or Club Athletic Coordinators Frankie West and Isaac Csezmadia at 610-253-5846 between 3 and 9 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays or 9 a.m. to  5 p.m. on Saturdays, or email stars@fast.net

If You Can't Beat It, Eat It: Dandelions

By Christina Georgiou

Recently, there's been a lot of attention in Easton being given to the idea of urban gardening, particularly to grow healthier food, and also to the environmental detriments of invasive plant species in the local area.

The idea that the city is a "food desert" has also been floated around a bit, though technically there is no neighborhood that strictly qualifies as one. (To be considered a true "food desert" there needs to be a lack of a dedicated grocery store in a two-mile radius. While it's true three out of four of Easton's neighborhoods don't have a supermarket and it would be a much better thing if they did, all four neighborhoods are within the two-mile reach of one.)

While we are definitely supportive of urban gardening and growing food, favor native plants over invasive ones, and would very much like to see more healthy (and more affordable) foods sold in neighborhood stores, there's one idea that we think is a bit neglected--what already is available and what to do with it.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting a few edible, healthy plants you may not have noticed  (or just call "weeds") that grow all around the Easton area...



These happy dandelions have no idea they're about to
become dinner.

Dandelions are probably the one plant everyone, regardless of their level of botanical expertise, can identify on sight and even at a distance. They're also one of those things that pretty much everyone has an opinion on.

Kids usually like them because it's one flower they can pick without getting into trouble, not to mention it's fun to blow the seeds and make`a wish.

Those that are obsessed about their lawns are usually more of the opinion that dandelions were sent by the devil specifically to vex them and ruin their otherwise perfect carpets of green.

It's true that dandlions are an invasive plant, though no more so than those surburban lawns, which are almost exclusively made up of non-native grasses themselves.



Like the majority of invasive plants, dandelions were brought to North America's shores deliberately--many times over a couple of centuries, in fact, by a number of different groups of immigrants who brought the plant along to grow in their gardens for both the tasty greens and also for the plant's medicinal qualities.

Those with gourmet tastes know that buying dandelion greens and roots are pricy, if you can find them at all.

But this time of year, dandelions are everywhere, free for the taking. And, if you know what to do with them, they're delicious. 



A bit of foraged bounty: baby dandelion leaves, dandelion
flowers, both whole and just the centers, which will be made
into tea, syrup, and wine. Wild onion grass, far left, added
a bit of extra flavor to dandelion fritters.

Most foraging guides suggest the baby leaves are best picked before the dandelions bloom, before they pick up a too-bitter flavor, and they're probably correct. But I found this past weekend that in areas with many dandelions, there are still plenty of baby leaves out there.

Baby leaves make a very tasty salad, either by themselves or mixed with other greens, like a spring lettuce mix--no fancy prep needed. Just pick and rinse. Toss a bowlful with olive oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with a dash salt and pepper, and you're good to go. Or do it with a nice vinagrette, if you're so inclined.

Dandelion greens are highly nutritious, packed with more vitamins and phytonutrients than anything you'll find in the produce aisle of the supermarket. Folate, magnesium, phosphorus and copper, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, calcium, iron, potassium and manganese all come packed in those awesome little leaves. They're also a very good source of dietary fiber and have a number of other reported health benefits.

A cup of the raw greens only contains 25 calories, too, so feel free to indulge and have two or three.

Oddly enough, a bowl of raw baby dandelion greens is actually quite satisfying. There's a theory out there that many of the people that are overweight and/or obese because they're actually malnourished from eating a processed food diet, and as a result, their bodies are desperately trying to compensate by sending signals they need more food to get more of the lacking nutrients. From what I've experienced in the last couple of days, with a dandelion salad being more than sufficient for lunch, I have to wonder if it's not true.



Baby dandelion greens, with olive oil, lemon juice and a tiny
bit of sea salt. Yum! Looks like the kind of salad you'd pay
a pretty penny for in a pricy gourmet restaurant, doesn't it?

If you find that it's past the season for baby greens, the more mature ones are quite good steamed or boiled, much like you'd prepare spinach. Later in the season, doing a quick boil, then draining the leaves, and doing a second quick boil again should remove the intense bitterness without losing all the nutritious goodness dandelion plants have to offer.

Serve cooked dandelion greens with a little chopped garlic, lemon juice, and/or some butter or olive oil. Again, it's quite delicious.

While dandelion flowers are most often associated with making wine (which I've done in past years, and plan to again this year), they can also be brewed into a very nice tea, which I personally usually enjoy with a bit of honey, iced.

Dandelion syrup, which I haven't tried yet, is also apparently a classic and easy to prepare.

But the most appealing recipe for dandelion flowers I've found so far is dandelion flower fritters!

I just discovered this concept, and having tried my own variation based off of several different recipe versions this past weekend, I can vouch that they are really, really awesome, and nothing like what you might imagine either.

Dandelion fritters may be healthy, but they're not at all reminiscent of "health food." They taste quite sinful, actually, but still carry all the good stuff that dandelions have to offer in the way of nutritional goodness.

The prep is quite simple and easy--if you can make pancakes, you can make dandelion fritters. If you've got kids, I'd imagine they'll not only enjoy these as much as adults, but they'd probably love to help out with the gathering too.

Gather a mixing bowl full of dandelion flowers, whole, just the tops with the stems removed, and give them a good rinsing. No need to dry them off, just shake off the excess water--a colander works well. (Actually, you can even just gather them into a collander in the first place...) Big flowers are easier to fry up than little ones.



Dandelion flower fritters in the making...

For the batter, mix together one cup of flour with one egg and a cup of milk.

For a savory flavor, add some onion and/or garlic powder to the batter, or while you're out getting the dandelions, pull a few young strands of onion grass and chop it up finely before mixing it into the batter.

Take each flower and dip it face down into the batter. Give it a twirl to get some batter between all those tiny petals.

Drop each flower onto a hot lightly oiled griddle or frying pan for about 2-3 minutes. When lightly browned, turn each flower over (a fork works best), and cook the other side too.



Dandelion fritters are amazingly yummy!

For a sweet breakfast or dessert version, you can sprinkle the plain version of the fritters lightly with confectioner's sugar. If you've gone for the savory version, a tiny bit of sea salt brings out the flavor nuances. 



Eat immediately. On the off-chance there are any left, they reheat in a toaster oven or conventional oven easily.

This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to dandelions. The roots are commonly dried and brewed into a healthy coffee substitute, and there are many other recipes out there for the rest of the plant too.

If you have a family or favorite recipe for dandelions, please share it with us in the comments! We'd love to know about it.



A field of dandelions that sits near the Bushkill Creek in the City of Easton.

Foraging for dandelions and other edible plants is not only fun, but it's free!



Still, there are some very important things to keep in mind when foraging for edibles:

• Make sure the area you pull from hasn't been treated with herbicides and pesticides. If you have a service like ChemLawn, eating the weeds from your property is a very bad idea. And while it's true that modern farming makes use of some of the same chemicals, herbicide and pesticide use in residential areas is many times more per acre than farmers use on crops.   It takes a number of years of non-use before it's safe to eat plants in areas heavily treated with these chemicals. That said, other than pesticides/herbicides applied by local residents themselves, urban Easton's backyards seem to be mostly free of this problem.
• Many public spaces, such as parks, are treated with pesticides and herbicides, and plants picked directly from roadsides carry the risk of lead, road salt, petrochemicals, and other extremely unhealthy things. Additionally, some roadway edges in the local area are treated with herbicides by PennDOT to help keep them clear of obscuring vegetation. Sites on or near old abandoned industrial properties are not usually a good idea either--poisons like PCBs may well lurk in the soil and be carried into the plants. Be sure the area you're picking from is free from such hazards. Areas along protected waterways, nature trails, abandoned fields, and woodland areas are usually a safe bet.
• Respect public laws and private property. While it's very rare anyone has any objections to someone picking their unwanted plants, particularly problematic invasive ones, they very likely will have objections to a stranger unexpectedly hanging around their house or on their lawn without permission. However, if you ask nicely and explain what you're doing in advance, a homeowner or resident may well give their blessing to your endeavor. And if someone shows up and asks you to leave, apologize and do so immediately.

Public Input Wanted for Local Planning Initiatives

Local planners are continuing to seek community input to be used in planning what the City of Easton and the Lehigh Valley should look like in the future, and to that effect, two upcoming public meetings are scheduled to gather residents' ideas.

The City of Easton will hold a public meeting to gather input to be used in its  comprehensive plan rewrite on Monday, May 13, beginning at 6 6:30 p.m. at the Salvation Army, located at 1110 Northampton St.

The Comprehensive Plan rewrite process will be coordinated by the Easton planning staff, with oversight and input from Mayor Sal Panto, the Easton Planning Commission, and city council members. Refreshments will be provided to participants by the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership.

This meeting is the latest in a series of such events held in various locations around the city. A similar meeting to gather input in the West Ward was held late last year at the Easton Area Community Center, and the meeting on May 13 specifically hopes to gather more input from West Ward residents.

More meetings are planned be held in other neighborhoods in the city in the near future to gather information from those residents, Easton Planning Director Becky Bradley said.

The Comprehensive Plan rewrite process will continue over the next two years, with a projected 2015 adoption of a new plan, she added.

Public participation, along with data review, will guide the rewrite process, officials have said.

"To date we have spoken to over 400 people and expect that we will have active participation of over a thousand by the end of June," Bradley said.  "All meeting notes will be aggregated and then presented in a large public forum this summer, moving us into the establishment of goals and objectives for the City Comprehensive Plan."

At 8 p.m. on the same evening, Monday, May 13, Envision Lehigh Valley will be holding a virtual town hall meeting for those that missed their meetings last fall but would still like to share their ideas for the region's future.

Using the uStream, participants can watch and talk with planners from Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.

Envision Lehigh Valley says the format will allow members of the public and officials to share information about economic development, answer questions from the virtual audience, and have a two-way conversation online from wherever they are.

Those wishing to be part of the regional process can also submit ideas and concerns by:

• Tweeting short messages to @EnvisionTheLV
• Writing questions on the "EnvisionLehighValley" Facebook wall
• Sending emails to smartgrowth@renewlv.org

For more information about the Envision Lehigh Valley virtual town hall meeting and other upcoming planning events being held by the group, click here.

Lehigh Valley residents are also invited to complete two online surveys to help guide the regional planning process. Click here to view them or take part.

Updated on Monday, May 13 at 3:45 p.m. to correct the time at which the Easton meeting will take place.