A Mini Vacation with Gooey Ducks - by Barbara Baker

 

Even though the crocus tried their best to bring colour to the south facing hillsides in Calgary during April, the lingering spring scenery felt drab.

Time for a quick reprieve. Off to Vancouver Island we went. But first we had to drive through the snow-covered mountains and of course wait in numerous road construction line-ups. If it’s not winter in Western Canada, it’s road construction season.

Having spent most of my life around mountains, going to the ocean is somewhat like flying to the moon for me … well, not really but you get what I mean. It’s an entirely different landscape for this mountain gal.

Trees with blossoms lined the streets, and a lazy seal soaked up the sun’s rays while we waited for the ferry. I couldn’t stop smiling.

  

Since it was off-season for tourists, we found a room right on the ocean in one of our favourite places - Parksville.

The tide chart said it starts to recede at 6 AM and is at low tide by noon. Perfect. We spent the mornings exploring forests, waterfalls and toured north on the ocean highway always cognizant that we needed to be at a beach by lunch time.

Still wearing a scarf, gloves and a parka I held fast at wearing shorts. This was a holiday and darn it all. I was going to wear them.

The beaches were covered with layers of shells that left trails of movement behind them. The gulls, herons and eagles stopped by to search through the tide pools and remains that were scattered about.

  

I squealed when I spotted my first starfish hidden among a rock crevice and the seals swam by barking encouragement as I searched for more treasures.

 

Each day, while the tide was out, we watched people carrying five gallons pails and shovels as they headed out to a sand bar. They spent hours digging. What in the world were they up to?

Curiosity won and I asked around. They were digging for gooey ducks - the world's largest burrowing clams. Geoduck (their real name) means to dig deep.

They use a syphon hose (which can be up to three feet long) to suck in water, plankton and tiny organisms. After they’ve eaten, they spit out cleaner water than they took in via another hole - such environmentally friendly creatures!

The only indication they are far below the surface is if you see a small circular hole in the sand. When you walk over or close to a gooey duck’s burrow, they spit out their water often hitting you - not intentionally of course.

Geoduck facts:      -    some live up to 168 years and often remain in one burrow

-     they can grow up to 8 inches long and weigh between 1 and 3 pounds

-     they’re full of iron, Omega 3 and protein and can be eaten raw, sliced or cooked

-     Geoducks are valued at $150 per pound in some markets and are said to be a sweet, briny, crunchy delicacy  (I cannot verify this)

During one of my beach rambles, Jillian, (the main character in my books), popped into my head. She told me she didn’t like where her new story was going. And then she mentioned she wanted to change the opening scene. Really? Of course I ignored her. Initially. Because what does she know? But she was persistent and she made some great suggestions. When she expanded on her ideas, I could feel myself smile and then I chuckled. What a cheeky character. She certainly keeps me on my toes. Does she realize how much work these changes will be?

 Baker, Barbara - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net)

 

Junk Art

 

Have I mentioned I have too many hobbies? These are just a few of the weird and whimsical creations I've put together from scraps piling up around our farm. Wood destined for the bonfire, scrap metal from some ancient tractor project my husband regrets starting, and random pieces broken off of said tractor projects or found in the field and ditches. 

Sure, Pinterest ("the tool of the devil created by women" - as my husband refers to it) helps inspire me, but in the end, when the glue hits the metal, I am the one who makes the final call. Some are not great, others turn out better than I imagined. 

As with most of my artsy, fartsy creative outlets, it's a lot like writing. Regardless of the inspiration, the process, or the outcome, when it's all said and done, my stamp is on it. A little piece of me. One of a kind.

It calls to mind a very brutal yet crucial critique I received from a trusted beta reader. I had tried so hard to polish up the segment I was sending her. I used Grammarly to its fullest. No red lines. No gold lines. No squiggly lines whatsoever. A grammatically edited masterpiece! So the feedback I got was wholly unexpected. 

When my reader said, "It's good, Julie. It's fine," something didn't feel good or fine at all. After a little prodding on my part and a lot of humming and hawing on hers, she finally busted out and spilled what was bugging her. "It's written very well, Julie. But ... it just doesn't sound like you anymore. It's like someone else wrote it." 

Mind blown. Heart crushed. Thoughts whirling. Defenses at the ready.

It took me some time to figure it out. Like weeks. But I could not let it go. Finally, at some point, I got sick of looking all the auto-grammar lines and prompts to upgrade. It was just creating too much screen noise for my already buzzing brain. So I shut it off. I shut it all off. I quit letting it boss me around. 

And guess what. I found my voice again. Just sitting there like a patient friend who'd been sidelined. It never left. Just waited for me to come back. And come back I did, with open arms. Sometimes, it's not perfect. Just like me. Sometimes, it's clever and odd. Just like me. But just like my junk art, it's got MY stamp all over it. 

Oh, not to worry, Grammarly still has a place and a purpose, but it's not the driver. I'll shove it in the backseat and let it visit with me from there. 

Lima beans, furballs, and being a lethal weapon by donalee Moulton

  

I was recently featured on Heather Weidner’s blog This or That. Thought I’d share some of my answers – and my personal quirks – with you. Simply scroll down.

ORDER HERE

 1.        Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Absolutely nothing

        The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Vacuuming

 2.        Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: 

        A lovely drink like a decaf mocha and a treat like warm chocolate chip cookies    

       Things that distract you from writing: Usually the doorbell and my husband

 3.        Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing 

        Easiest thing about being a writer: Not writing

 4.        Things you will run to the store for at midnight: Mango ice cream    

        Things you never put on your shopping list: Lima beans

 5.        Favorite snacks: Chester’s corn twists and most anything chocolate    

        Things that make you want to gag: Snails, almonds, furballs

 6.        Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: Lawyer

        Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Started my own business

 7.        Something you wish you could do: Be a lethal weapon

        Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Vacuum

 8.        Last best thing you ate: Lemon posset pudding made by my friend George 

        Last thing you regret eating: Vegan lasagna (and that was more than a year ago)

 9.        Things to say to an author: Thank you.

        Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: 

        You made a mistake. 

10.     The most exciting thing about your writing life: Holding the finished product

        The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: Start earlier

 11.     The nicest thing a reader said to you: I loved it when… and then they recount a scene. 

        The craziest thing a reader said to you: There’s a typo on page 243.

 

 

BWL Publishing Inc. New Releases for May 1, 2025

 

Despite the grieving husband’s description of the event, Sergeant CJ Jensen isn't at all convinced that a farm fatality is really an accident. With the help of Pam Ryan, Floyd Swenson, and a neighbor who raises skunks, CJ’s investigation uncovers multiple mysteries as she moves forward and puts down permanent roots in Pine County.

 

EDITORIAL REVIEW by Victoria Chatham

Skidded and Skunked: Pine County mystery #12 written by Dean L. Hovey with D. L. Dixen

 

When Pine County Sergeant CJ Jensen is called to the scene of a tragic farming accident, it looks exactly that. Donna Raster is dead, apparently the victim of a malfunctioning Bobcat driven by her husband, Craig. On further investigation, the evidence doesn’t add up, and CJ, along with Pam Ryan, an investigator with the Pine County Sheriff’s Department, dig deeper into Craig and Donna Raster’s relationship.

 

Along with CJ and Pam, some well-presented characters include Marvel Erickson and her pet skunk, Stinky; Casey Satter, a dodgy realtor who unwittingly videos evidence with his drone; and CJ’s Basset hound, Bailey. Along with this cast of characters, this story has enough twists and unexpected turns to satisfy any reader.

 Click this link to purchase your copy

https://books2read.com/Skidded-and-Skunked

Molasses has been a sweet treat for centuries by Eden Monroe

 

 

https://www.bookswelove.com/monroe-eden/

Used in a variety of applications, from a simple bread and butter topping to any number of delicious recipes, molasses remains a traditional favourite. Molasses cookies and molasses cake were (are) perhaps the most popular, and both were well-loved by young Luke Kavenagh in When Shadows Stir, Book Two of The Kavenaghs (1870-1879):

“When the afternoon class was finished (he was being home schooled), Luke cleaned his slate and waited for his cookies and milk.

 ‘I want to talk to you for a moment, Luke,’ she said sitting down opposite him. ‘Do you know your birthday is tomorrow?’

He thought for a moment. ‘I’m going to be nine, aren’t I.’

‘That’s right, and to help you celebrate the big day I’m going to bake you a cake. Any special kind you’d like?’

Maggie knew what his response would be before she even asked, and of course he shouted: ‘Lally cake!’

Keeping molasses in this house with Luke around was no easy feat.”

 

 Luke’s lally (molasses) cake with whipped cream

 

Molasses has proven to have staying power, and is in as much demand today as it was when it first made its way into North American homes as early as the 17^th century. On the list of natural sweeteners that includes honey and maple syrup, the versatile molasses is possibly the most complex according to howstuffworks.com:

“Depending on its strength, molasses can taste from lightly sweet to smoky-sweet to harshly bittersweet, and its history is almost as complicated as its flavor.

“Making molasses — the process of pressing sugar cane and boiling its juice until it is crystalized — was developed in India was early as 500 B.C.E. In the Middle Ages, the concept made its way to Europe when it’s believed Arab invaders brought it to Spain. From there, molasses-making took another voyage across the Atlantic when Christopher Columbus brought sugar cane to the West Indies….”

Molasses can also be made from beets, which according to www.mwagri.com/beet-molasses, is the “… syrupy by-product of the production process to extract sugar from sugar beets. The residual liquid that is left over is an excellent source of energy for livestock.”

Beet molasses is a valuable feed resource for the beef and dairy cattle industry because of its protein and essential minerals, and is an important ingredient in their growing and finishing diets. It’s also an additive for salt licks.

Additionally, both cane molasses and beet molasses are used in the fermentation industry as a sugary substrate and a key ingredient in yeast production. And surprisingly, again according to mwagri.com/beet-molasses: “… in recent years, molasses has gained popularity as an alternative or a supplement to chloride salt for de-icing roads. Not only does it cost less than rock salt, it is also less corrosive and more environmentally friendly.”

Crosby’s Molasses is a multi-generational company located in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, and as set out in Crosbys.com: “Crosby’s Fancy Molasses is the highest-grade molasses available” made from single-origin sugarcane and considered “ideal to use in a variety of foods…. It comes from one place. The Madre Tierra sugar mill in the village of Santa Lucia, Guatemala is our sole provider. It is made from the juice of sugarcane grown in the surrounding volcanic soils.”

Founded in 1879 (in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada), Crosby’s Molasses kept retailers in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and New England, USA well supplied with this popular sweetener. That included delivery to general stores in puncheons (large wooden barrels holding between 90 and 100 gallons), particularly in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, as well as smaller barrels and half-barrels. Customers simply brought their own container to the store for a molasses fill-up.

Walter Akerley of The Narrows, New Brunswick, Canada, who lived to the grand age of 106 ½, had supplies for his general store delivered to him by riverboat. He would then pick them up by horse and wagon at the wharf and take them to his store. Puncheons of molasses were one of his most welcome items.

I remember during my childhood there was always a squeeze bottle of molasses on the table at mealtime, a favourite spread for our homemade bread and butter.

Blackstrap molasses also remains a popular choice for those who enjoy a “stronger, more robust flavour” compliments of this highly-concentrated, very dark molasses. It can also be used in baked beans and gingerbread, as well as in barbeque sauces, stews and marinades.

 

 

 Baked beans were another Kavenagh favourite.

 

Blending Crosby’s Fancy molasses and blackstrap molasses together yields cooking molasses, according to Crosby’s.com.

With all of this sweet talk I thought perhaps a few recipes might be in order, some new to go with more traditional choices, all found in scrumptious detail at Crosbys.com:

 

ONE-BOWL OLIVE OIL GINGERBREAD CAKE

 

·         1/2 cup olive oil

·         1 egg

·         1 cup Crosby’s Fancy Molasses (or 1 cup of Crosby’s Maple + Molasses

·         1/2 cup brown sugar

·         1.5 tsp baking soda

·         1tsp cinnamon

·         2 tsp ginger

·         1/2 tsp cloves

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         2 1/2 cup all purpose flour

·         1 cup hot water

·         Whipped cream, for serving

Instructions:

1.      Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9” square cake pan with a spray of olive oil, then dust with flour.

2.      In a large bowl, blend the olive oil and egg until smooth. Add the molasses (or the Maple + Molasses) and brown sugar, whisking vigorously until the mixture is smooth, until there are no remaining sugar lumps.

3.      Add the dry ingredients, then mix until smooth. The batter will be thick.

4.      Pour in the hot water and stir until the batter is homogenous. Be careful not to over-mix.

5.      Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

6.      Bake 25-30 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched or when a toothpick comes out clean.

7.      Cool the cake completely in the pan (at least 1.5 hours). Slice into squares and top with whipped cream. Enjoy!

 

 

Extra Fudgy Molasses Brownies

 

·         1 cup dark chocolate chips or coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate

·         1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

·         1/4 cup Crosby’s Fancy Molasses

·         2 large eggs

·         1 cup sugar

·         1 tsp. vanilla extract

·         1/2 tsp. baking powder

·         2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

·         1/4 tsp. salt

·         1 cup flour

·         Sea salt (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.      Heat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-by-8-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper.

2.      Combine the chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth.

3.      Remove from the heat, add molasses and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

4.      Combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, baking powder, cocoa and salt in a large bowl and stir until just incorporated. Add the chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Add the flour and fold in until just incorporated, about 20 strokes (no white streaks should remain).

5.      Pour the batter into the prepared pan (spreading it out and smoothing the top). Bake 30 minutes (until the centre is set). Remove to a wire rack, sprinkle brownies with sea salt (optional) while still warm and let cool at least 20 minutes. Take them out of the oven a littler earlier if you want them to be chewier.

6.      Cut into bite-size pieces (1 or 2-inch squares)

 

 

DOUBLE GINGER CARAMEL SWIRL NO CHURN ICE CREAM

 

·         1 can (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk

·         2 tablespoons Crosby’s Fancy Molasses

·         2 cups heavy cream

·         ½ tsp. powdered ginger

·         ¼ cup chopped candied ginger

·         ½ cup caramel sauce

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

 

1.      Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

2.      In a small bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and the molasses.

3.      In a large bowl whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Drizzle in the condensed milk mixture and powdered ginger and continue to whip until all the condensed milk is incorporated into the cream and the mixture is thick.

4.      Fold in the candied ginger then drizzle over most of the caramel sauce. Stir once or twice (you want thick ribbons of the sauce to remain) then scrape mixture into the prepared pan.  Even out the top then drizzle remaining caramel sauce over top. Draw a butter knife through the mixture in a figure-eight pattern to incorporate the final drizzle of sauce.

5.      Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours.

 

I hope you have enjoyed this molasses journey.