Showing posts with label Nebraska. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nebraska. Show all posts

Thursday, March 10, 2011

From The Good Life - Sandhill Cranes

Tim and I love to take day trips. March in Nebraska brings the Sandhill Cranes. We saw them from a distance a couple of years ago but have never been up close and personal with the cranes. Saturday morning we set out for Grand Island, about 2 hours west of Omaha. We made a quick stop for Starbucks in York. Tim noticed the sky off to the west was full of birds. Just down a gravel road to the west of Starbucks, remember this is Nebraska, we found the Snow Geese. Certainly the largest flock of geese I have ever seen.



Back on I-80, headed west to Grand Island, we decided to try and find one of the cranes viewing sites outlined on Outdoor Nebraska. Just off the interstate, we started to see cranes and more cranes. I heard on the news last week they estimate the numbers right now at about 500,000 thousand. At their peak, in a couple of weeks, the numbers will be close to a million. Besides their characteristic flight, one of the most interesting things about the cranes is their song. We drove a 2 - 3 mile radius of gravel roads and found many different flocks of birds. Some were just a few birds and some numbered in the hundreds.


Wherever we travel, we enjoy trying local wines. We headed north to St. Paul, Nebraksa and Miletta Vista Winery. The winery is a few miles outside of town and has the most beautiful view of the Loop River Valley. We tried a couple of whites and three reds. Our choice was the Work Horse Red. Heading back southeast, we visited Prairie Creek Vineyards. The view here, not quite the same. This vineyard sits on a corner of flat farmland. Here we tried three whites and two reds. This time we chose a white, Sweet Ass White! (Yes, that's the name of the wine).

We decided to continue on Highway 92 rather than take I-80 all the way back to Omaha. We were hoping to find a quaint local restaurant on our drive home. As we drove through the town of Seward, we saw the Cafe on the Square. The curb appeal was nice. I googled and they had a website. Good curb appeal and a website, okay I am game. It was in a building dating back to 1890. Tim chose a delicious mac 'n cheese. For me, it was a hearty meat loaf with mashed potatoes and gravy. Bird watching makes me hungry or was it the wine tasting?



What a fun, relaxing Saturday. I would encourage anyone who has the chance to see the Sandhill Cranes to do so!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

What Season Is It??


Don't you often wish you were a meterologist? You can be wrong, a lot, and still keep your job. True to form, our meterologists were wrong last night. The forecast was for snow flurries.


I woke up about 6:30 this morning and noticed a little snow on the window. I looked outside and saw more than just a little snow. The ground was totally covered and so were the the trees. Amazingly some areas of town received as much as 6" of snow. Not the earliest snowfall on record but the earliest I have ever seen snow. It was a beautiful snow and as of the end of the day most of it was melted.


Thursday, March 5, 2009

Dried Beans Grown in Nebraska

Until reading an article in the Omaha World Herald last week, I had no idea that Nebraska harvests more Great Northern white beans than any other state, 140 million pounds. Nebraska is among the top three states for pinto beans, harvesting 108 million pounds in 2008. These beans are primarily grown in Western Nebraska. Other varieties grown in Nebraska are black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, pink beans and garbanzo beans.

I am familiar with and have cooked with all of these types of beans, except pink beans. Curious about the uses for pink beans, I checked out the Nebraska Dry Bean Association website. Pink Beans: "Small, pale, pink-colored; rich, meaty flavor with a slightly powdery texture. Related to the kidney bean; turns reddish brown when cooked. Often used in chili; a favorite in Old West recipes. "


Beans are a good source of protien, high in fiber, low in fat and packed full of vitamins and minerals. Dried beans can be the main source of protien in a meal or served as a vegetable. One fourth cup of cooked beans is equivalent to one once of meat. As a vegetable, a serving is one half cup. A meatless main dish made with beans is a good change for a Friday during the Lenten season.