BostonZest

The Voter Registration Jury Duty Myth

Does registering to vote lead to a call to Jury Duty? The answer, in Massachusetts is a resounding, "No!"

A call to Deputy Jury Commissioner, John Cavanaugh, put to rest the belief that registering to vote has any influence on your selection for jury duty. "Each city and town clerk maintains, in a database, two lists – one of registered voters and one of all residents. They give us the all resident list... which includes non-voters," Cavanaugh said.

The Jury Commission maintains a page on their website that details how names are selected for jury duty. Lists of registered voters don't enter the process.  http://www.mass.gov/courts/jury/the.htm

With that said, it's time for those who are not registered to Vote on November 4th, to fill out the forms they need and register.

Here are the key voter registration details from the Election Division's site:  http://www.sec.state.ma.us/Ele/eleifv/howreg.htm

"There is no waiting period to be eligible to register to vote. If you move, you may register to vote as soon as you move into your new home.

You may register to vote:

• in person or by mail, by completing a mail-in registration form and delivering it to your city or town election office, or
• at any local election office in any city or town in the state and at any registration event you encounter anywhere in Massachusetts, or
• when applying for or renewing your driver's license at the Registry of Motor Vehicles or when applying for service at a designated voter registration agency."

               

You can download a national voter registration form, accepted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, here:

http://www.eac.gov/voter/Register to Vote

Deadlines for voters:

• Voter registration - 20 days before the election.
• The mail-in date this year is: October 15, 2008.

Absentee Ballots

Should you need an absentee ballot, for one of the reasons accepted by the Commonwealth, you need to have that application filed by noon the day before the election.

Here's a link to download an application and review what is required for absentee ballots.  http://www.sec.state.ma.us/Ele/eleifv/howabs.htm

If you were on a jury, and convinced the accused was innocent, would you be strong enough to vote alone, time after time, and ultimately hang the jury? Linda Cox was. In her memoir, "Lone Holdout," she tells the tale of the trial, stressful days in the jury room and her personal quest to defend an innocent man. Here's my full review of the book. 

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino

Photography: © 2008 Penny Cherubino

Figgy Pudding Bites

Eating seasonally requires paying attention as you walk through produce departments. You might not remember that this is fig season because only the most fortunate among us have fig trees growing in our back yards.

And, since figs are extremely fragile and have a short shelf life, there may be a small display of them tucked into a cooler somewhere.

They can also be pricey so I only buy them when I plan to use them quickly.

In the past two weeks I've bought fresh figs at Alba Produce in the North End and at Whole foods. In past years I've also purchased them at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge and at Russo's in Watertown.

So far this season, we've enjoyed them on our cheese trays and as desserts. But, figs can become part of any course you are serving. They are wonderful eaten out of hand. You can add them to salads or curries, grill them stuffed with cheese and wrapped with bacon or ham, or bake them into a tart or turnover.

One of the BostonZest goals, in the months ahead, is to help even our "non-cooking" readers prepare some simple items that require more shopping know-how than kitchen skills. Today we present "Figgy Pudding Bites."

Bring home some fresh figs and a good rice pudding. I used Kozy Shack purchased at Whole Foods for the dessert in this photo.

Wash the figs, cut off the hard little stem at the top, make two cuts three-quarters of the way down the fig to form a cross.
Gently ease the fig open and spoon in a dollop of rice pudding. Make as many as you want for dessert. Three on a plate with a couple of cookies on the side should be ample for most folks.

You can also stuff the figs with tapioca or your favorite ice cream. Or for an appetizer switch the stuffing to a soft cheese or a blue cheese. Gorgonzola or St Andrea are especially delicious with figs.

Details:

Alba Produce Company
22 Parmenter Street, Boston MA 02113

A. Russo & Sons Inc.
560 Pleasant Street, Watertown MA 02472

www.russos.com

Formaggio Kitchen
244 Huron Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
www.formaggiokitchen.com

Miss Izzy Loves Rainy, Muddy Days

Have you noticed that Sundays are dog days around BostonZest?

This is Miss Izzy who recently moved to New York City and is missed on our evening walks.

She is, as you can see, a total character and she loves dogs and people, playing hard, getting dirty and listening to her person sing.

Do you have a great photo of a Boston Dog?  (Naturally we consider all dogs in the areas surrounding the city as Boston dogs too!)

We would love to share the Sunday Dog space with other photographers of beloved canines.

Send us a link to your photo by clicking on the "email me" link under the search box in the right hand column. We'd love to consider your shot for it our Sunday Dog spot.

Here's another photo of Izzy at play.

http://www.bostonzest.com/2008/08/puppy-play---iz.html

Old South Garden Enjoy and Learn

Just as area gardens, like this one at the Old South Church, become lush and full blown, the cool weather sets in to diminish their beauty.

City gardens take special care to reach this level of lovely. If you would like to see what you could grown under less than idea conditions, stop by this front yard.

Not only will you enjoy looking at it, but the caretakers have even provided a full color chart to help you identify the plants.

It's a great opportunity to decide what you might want to add to your own sunny city garden. This site has a lot of sun. It also has a lot of wind but these gardeners have won awards for the work they do here.

Details:

Old South Church

645 Boyston Street, Boston MA

(Across from the Library in Copley Square)

www.oldsouth.org

Garden information:

http://www.oldsouth.org/photos/album31jul07.htm

Update on Copley Market & Booksigning

I just posted this update on Chowhound.com but wanted to give BostonZest readers a few more details and links.

I just came from the Copley Market and a few of the vendors did show up today, despite the storm.

Siena, Old Friends, Iggy's, McArthur's, Dick's, and Crystal Brook were all there with plenty of stock.

Missing are Atlas, Stillman's (in case you were going for meat) Hamilton, Keown and others.

Siena had cookbook author Amelia Saltsman signing her Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook while I was there. But, they are going to move her to Sofra in Cambridge (where it is dry) for the rest of the afternoon.

She's great, I loved chatting about food with her.

Details:

Here is a link to her book:

Here is a link to Sofra:  www.sofrabakery.com

Boston Harbor Islands- Book Signing & Regatta This Weekend

Bostonians are just beginning to discover one of our most spectacular assets – The Boston Harbor Island National Park Area.

Just in time for this period of discovery, a new guide packed with information about these historic and beautiful places has been published.

Boston Harbor Islands- A Guide To The City's Hidden Shores by Christopher Klein introduces you to the history, geography, flora, fauna, special features, and current amenities on thirty-one Boston Harbor Islands.

In the pages of this book, you'll meet the people and hear the stories that form the history of the islands. You'll gain a new appreciation for the important role the harbor islands played in creating the city we know.

As I read, I started planning visits. I didn't know that Grape Island existed. Now, I want to see where a major alarm of the American Revolution was raised in May of 1775. (This was a little more than a month before the Battle of Bunker Hill.)

Reading about this episode was made very real by the inclusion of letters between John and Abigail Adams about the "Grape Island Alarm." This is but one example of the meticulous research that enlivens this work.

If history is not your thing, you might enjoy the detailed information on places to enjoy picnics, wildlife, birding, hiking, camping, boating, and beaches.

Other folks will love the hundreds of gorgeous photographs, like those shown here. They make you want to see the vistas yourself.

(The photos here are courtesy of Union Park Press. The first was taken by the author, Christopher Klein and the second is the work of photographer, Nicole L. Vecchiotti. Both are copyrighted and all rights are reserved by the owners.)

The photography and flowing text make this book a great holiday gift for your favorite armchair traveler, boater, or a Boston area family.

This weekend, is a perfect opportunity to hop on a ferry and head out to Georges Island. Not only will Christopher Klein be there to chat and sign copies of his book, but he'll do it in the middle of the 4th Annual Boston Harbor Islands Regatta and festival.

Aside from watching the racing sailboats, other spectator activities include fishing lessons, hiking historic Fort Warren and a chance to sing along and dance to Dixieland Jazz by David Ehle. Activities will run from 10 am to 4 pm. All the links and details you need are below.

Here's a link to purchase the book from Amazon.

Details:

From the signing invitation:
"Join Union Park Press, Christopher Klein, and hundreds of Bostonians on Saturday September 27
for the 4th annual Boston Harbor Islands Regatta On Georges Island
This is an outdoor festival NOT to be missed!!
Stop by to chat and have your copy of DISCOVERING THE BOSTON HARBOR ISLANDS signed by Chris Klein at 2 PM"

Links related to the book:

www.unionparkpress.com
www.hubtrotter.blogspot.com
www.christopherklein.com 

Links to Boston Harbor Island Organizations

www.bostonislands.org
www.islandalliance.org
www.tbha.org

Transportation to the Islands:

On September 27, Ferry boats will be running hourly from 9:00am to 5:00pm from Boston’s Long Wharf to the Regatta Festival on Georges Island. Here's a link to ferry service schedules for other times.
http://www.harborexpress.com/harborislands/

Cookbook Author, Amelia Saltsman at Copley Market

Amelia Saltsman, author of the Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook will be at the Siena Farms stand at the Copley Farmers Market this Friday from 11 am to 3 PM. She's be signing copies of her book subtitled "seasonal recipes, simple food and stories from the market and farm."
I know Saltsman's take on food from her frequent appearances on KCRW's Good Food radio show and podcast.

She's often a part of the "market report"  that begins each show. She and Santa Monica Market Manager, Laura Avery will talk about what is in season and Saltsman will chat about how to use it in a simple preparation.

If you share my love of learning about fresh, local food and the world of people who know more about it than you do, I highly recommend both the book and the podcast.

Good Food is hosted by restaurateur, cookbook author, and all around fun woman, Evan Kleiman.

If you don't make it to the market to buy the book, you can support BostonZest by buying it from Amazon through by clicking on the ad below.

Details:

Copley Square Farmers' Market: Corner of Boylston and Dartmouth Streets in the Back Bay

Here is Amelia Saltsman's site

www.ameliasaltsman.com

Link to "Good Food" information and podcast:

http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/gf