Nova Scotia Scallops

Scallops are bivalve mollusks and are one of Canada’s most important commercial shellfish species. The scallop is possibly best known for its beautiful and distinctive circular-shaped shell that can reach up to 20 cm in size.

Sea scallops are found densely concentrated on sandy, gravel bottoms. Sea scallops can be found in waters at depths as shallow as 10 metres and as deep as 384 metres. The harvestable offshore concentrations are found on banks at depths between 35 metres to 120 metres. On average, sea scallops need four to five years to reach commercial size. Sea scallops can live up to 21 years.

Sea scallops are suspension filter feeders and their diet consists mainly of plankton. Before settling on the seabed, scallop mortality is high as scallop larvae may be eaten by larger organisms, including zoo plankton and fish, or transported away from favourable habitats by currents. The main predators of adult sea scallops are sea stars, crabs, lobster and various ground fish.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada website:
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/sustainable-durable/fisheries-peches/scallop-petoncle-eng.htm

Pan seared Digby scallop with apple butter 

Enjoy this treat for your taste buds — pan seared Digby scallop with apple butter.
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
12 ea 10-20ct Digby scallops
Sea salt and pepper to taste
2 ea medium gravestien apple
1/4 lb butter
8oz apple ciderYield: 12 ea H’ors D’ouevres
1. Peel one apple, cut in quarters and place in a small pot with the apple cider and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the apple and puree in a food processor. Set aside to cool.
2. Dice the second apple into 1/8 inch pieces, leave the peel on.
3. Blend 1/2 of the pureed apple and butter together.
4. Heat a medium cast Iron pan for 2-3 minutes, add the olive oil and scallops. Sear for 1-2 minutes without moving the scallops, turn them over, add 1 tablespoon of apple butter and sear for another minute.
5. In a second pan sauté the apples for 2-3 minutes on high heat with 1 tablespoon of apple butter.

Pan Fried Scallops - You Tube: http://youtu.be/Q-fIjFrPjJU

Bon appeti with food from the sea.

Retire or semi-retire in Liverpool by the sea

Lobster Season

The lobster season in Queens runs from November to May, but you can find this delectable meat on our menus year round.  Lobster traps are commonly used as lawn decorations in the Maritimes  and our many harbours are filled with colourful boats, racks of lobster traps and buoys ready for the next voyage. Lobster is very low in fat, but not suitable for low sodium diets. One common way of serving lobster 'tail' (actually the abdomen) is with beef, known as surf and turf. Lobsters have a greenish or brownish organ called the tamale that performs the functions of the liver and pancreas in a human, i.e., it filters out toxins from the body. Some diners consider it a delicacy, but others avoid it because they consider it a toxin source or dislike eating innards.

The lobster industry is regulated to protect the lobster industry for future generations. Every lobster man is required to carry a lobster gauge. This measuring device gauges the distance from the lobster's eye socket to the end of its carapace. If the lobster is less than 3.25 inches (83 mm) long, it is too young to be sold and must be released back to the sea.

Red lobsters are red usually due to the cooking process however there is a 1 in 10 million chance of a  red lobster being caught. Blue lobsters are rarely caught (one in every 2 to 5 million) and the only reported catch of the blue lobster was in 2009 in New Hampshire and in 2011 two were caught in PEI and one caught in New Brunswick. Blue lobsters are blue due to a high quantity of a particular protein.  Even rarer is the yellow lobster (one in 30 million), with one caught in 2010 in Gloucester. But most rare of all is the albino lobster, which is without pigment at all and estimated to number one in every 30 million caught.

Liverpool for life by the sea.

Occupy Liverpool Nova Scotia

Now is the perfect time to look at real estate in Liverpool NS. The market prices are suitable to most budgets and the selection of homes are many and varied. Contact one of our local real estate agents for a viewing.

OR

Walt MacDonald Real Estate

OR

Ann Thomson Realty http://annethomsonrealty.yolasite.com/

Exit Iner Lake Realty http://www.exitinterlake.com/agents/1

Walt MacDonald Real Estate http://www.macdonaldrealestate.ns.ca/

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Retire or semi-retire in Liverpool ...

for inexpensive living by the sea.

Monarch Butterflies in Nova Scotia

This tiny, yet beautiful, insect can perform a migration flight of thousands of kilometres, navigating unerringly to reach a place it has never seen. For instance, some monarchs fly from Nova Scotia, Canada to the mountains west of Mexico City, some 5,000 kilometres  in all. Not just to the very same place to which their forefathers migrated, but each one often to the very same tree!

Monarch butterflies can fly in still air at a speed of around 50 kilometres per hour, and considerably faster with a tail wind. They usually fly close to the ground, but have been found as high as 3,500 metres. They have been known to fly more than 600 kilometres over water non-stop in 16 hours. Their 5,000 kilometre migration takes them eight to ten weeks, travelling only in daylight.

Monarchs can be taken hundreds of kilometres off course and still find their way to their destination. How do they perform this amazing feat? To this day, no scientist knows for certain.
The monarch butterfly is the only insect known to migrate annually over major continental distances. There are two basic migrating groups on the North American continent. The Eastern population is based east of the Rockies; some 300 million of these butterflies migrate from as far north as northern Nova Scotia to about 13 sites covering 25 hectares (40 acres) in the Neovolcanic Mountains in Mexico (some 250–50 km west of Mexico City). Individual trees can harbour as many as 100,000 monarch butterflies at a time, while sites can contain as many as 50 million.

You tube: http://youtu.be/MWT51807cyM

Monarchs fill the skies and touch our hearts

LIVE LIVERPOOL .... where people and butterflies come together

Home grown garlic

 

With winter approaching it is time to prepare your soil and plant your garlic bulbs for an early start in the spring.  

 

 

 

 

Growing Cycle

In our northern climate, garlic is planted in October, which sets roots before freeze-up, rests over the winter, resumes growth the following April and is harvested in July or August. Spring planting does not produce satisfactory results.

Site Selection

Pick a location with good soil, drainage, full sun and proximity to water for irrigation. The plot should provide for space rotation, as garlic should not return to the same bed where any allium grew in the last three years.

Soil

Rich soil, high in organic matter and full of microorganisms is the key to organic garlic production. Start with loam, if possible. Sandy soil dries out easily and should be avoided. Clay soils can be built up over a number of years with large amounts of compost. In building up the soil, use liberal amounts of organic matter (compost or composted animal manure) and grow green manures and legume crops for plough-down. Wood ash can be sprinkled to provide potassium. Take a soil test to maintain soil balance. A soil pH within the range 6.0-7.5 is acceptable.

Planting

Hand planting is preferable. Place the clove vertically in the trench, basal end down (pointy end up) and press it gently into the soil. Mechanical planting devices generally drop the cloves in random fashion, resulting in crooked stems. Cover the garlic by filling the trench, ensuring at least 4 inches of soil cover.

Mulching

Garlic should be mulched to insulate it against mid-winter thaws and resulting in winter kill. Wait until the ground is frozen, usually November, and then mulch with 4-6 inches of clean straw. The same mulch can be kept on the following summer to help keep down weeds and preserve moisture.

Spring Care

Even before the frost is out of the ground, the garlic spears will be seen poking up through the mulch. Carefully move the mulch away from the row to enable faster thawing and rapid growth.

YOU TUBE:  http://youtu.be/MYfcb3LAoX4

Bon appeti

HAPPY AUTUMN GARDENING

International Ukulele Ceilidh Oct 20th - 23rd, 2011

Where:   White Point Beach Resort

When:    October 20th to 23rd, 2011

The bi-annual Ukulele Ceilidh is back for its fourth time, bringing lovers of the small instrument together from all over the world, drawing some of the biggest names in the Ukulele world to Liverpool.  

The roster of performers include ‘Canada’s Ukulele Virtuoso’ James Hill, as well as Grammy Winning Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, Juno Winning Melanie Doane, Chalmers Doane, Lil’ Rev, Gerald Ross, Manitoba Hal, and more.

Whether you are a lover of music, or a Ukulele enthusiast, this Ceilidh is offering great entertainment. There is something for beginners or those who have enjoyed "music of the mind" - workshops, evening concerts and open mic. It’s a one of a kind opportunity to hear beautiful performances, play along with these amazing musicians, or if you’ve never played a ukulele before, it’s an opportunity to learn for the first time.

The ukulele is a noble little instrument and anyone serious about music will eventually come to play one.

Ukulele Ceilidh brings your heart closer to happiness.

4th International Ukulele Ceilidh

Check out the venues, the line-up or to register:

www.ukuleleceilidh.ca

Ukulele Ceilidh 2009: http://youtu.be/uVoAlz8XAQs

Liverpool .. where friends make music together

Liverpool for inexpensive, seaside, retirement /
semi-retirement living.