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8 pancake recipes you’ll FLIP for
$4.99 March 2019
Vol 31 • No 10
Great Jiggs Dinner Debate Craft Beer Cheat Sheet
Pirate Treasure Tour
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life is better Published monthly in St. John’s by Downhome Publishing Inc. 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 Tel: 709-726-5113 • Fax: 709-726-2135 • Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 E-mail: mail@downhomelife.com Website: www.downhomelife.com Editorial Editor-in-Chief Janice Stuckless Assistant Editor Elizabeth Whitten Special Publications Editor Tobias Romaniuk Art and Production Art Director Vince Marsh Graphic and Web Designer Cory Way Illustrator Mel D’Souza Illustrator Snowden Walters Advertising Sales Senior Account Manager Robert Saunders Account Manager Barbara Young Marketing Director Tiffany Brett Finance and Administration Senior Accountant Karen Critch Junior Accountant Marlena Grant Operations Manager Alicia Brennan Operations Manager, Twillingate Nicole Mehaney
Warehouse Operations Warehouse Operator Josephine Collins Distribution Sales & Merchandising Joseph Reddy Sr. Customer Service Associate Sharon Muise Inventory Control Clerk Heather Lane Warehouse Associate Anthony Sparrow Retail Operations Retail Floor Manager, Water Street Jackie Rice Retail Floor Manager, Avalon Mall Carol Howell Retail Floor Manager, Twillingate Donna Keefe Retail Sales Associates Crystal Rose, Emma Goodyear, Jonathon Organ, Nicole French, Elizabeth Gleason, Janet Watkins, Melissa Wheeler, Rebecca Ford, Darlene Burton, Erin McCarthy
Subscriptions Sr. Administrative Assistant Amanda Ricks Customer Service Associate Ciara Hodge Founding Editor Ron Young Chief Executive Officer / Publisher Grant Young President Todd Goodyear Chief Financial Officer Tina Bromley
To subscribe, renew or change address use the contact information above. Subscriptions total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL $39; AB, BC, MB, NU, NT, QC, SK, YT $40.95; ON $44.07; NB, NS, PE $44.85. US and International mailing price for a 1-year term is $49.00.
Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement #40062919 The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error is due to the negligence of the servants or otherwise, and there shall be no liability beyond the amount of such advertisement. The Letters to the Editor section is open to all letter writers providing the letters are in good taste, not libelous, and can be verified as true, correct and written by the person signing the letter. Pen names and anonymous letters will not be published. The publisher reserves the right to edit, revise, classify, or reject any advertisement or letter. © Downhome Publishing Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.
Printed in Canada Official onboard magazine of
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Contents
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46 Unexpected Irishness Dennis Flynn explores seven strong, some surprising, connections between Ireland and Newfoundland and Labrador.
88 Forest Bathing A new movement reminds people that sometimes what they need is a walk in the woods. Elizabeth Whitten
99 Everyday Recipes
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good for what ales you
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Get ready to make the most of Pancake Day with these 8 different and delicious pancake recipes.
112 Stumped about Stout? We have your craft brewery cheat sheet. Tobias Romaniuk
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Contents
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homefront 10 I Dare Say A note from the editor 11 Contributors Meet the people behind the magazine
12 Letters from our Readers The first $100 winner, cruising with Downhome, and treasured snapshots of the past
20 Submission of the Year
22 g’day mate
22 Downhome Tours Explore Australia with Downhome
24 Why is That Why do dogs turn in circles before lying down? And why does Newfoundland and Labrador have its own time zone? Linda Browne 26 That’s Amazing Wild news from around the world
28 Life’s Funny Dangers of Driving David Roche
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you otter know
29 Say What A contest that puts words in someone else’s mouth
30 Lil Charmers Chillin’ 32 Pets of the Month Posers 34 Blast from the Past Remember Chewing Frankum?
36 Poetic Licence Between the Rock and a Hard Place by Vicki Schofield, and Ode to Harry’s Harbour by Richard Taylor 4
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38 Reviewed Denise Flint interviews Annette Martin and reviews her book, The Alder Bed.
40 What Odds For Paul Warford, fashion is in the eye of the beholder.
features 42 Always On Air Inside VOWR, Newfoundland and Labrador’s oldest radio station Elizabeth Whitten 52 Designed to Impress Thanks to these creative designers, high fashion is in style in Newfoundland and Labrador. Elizabeth Whitten 62 Declutter for a Cause
52 flair for fashion www.downhomelife.com
64 Sure Shots Featuring photographer Samantha Jacque
explore 72 What’s on the Go Exciting events happening around NL March 2019
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Contents 74 Pirate Treasure Tour Dennis Flynn takes us on an adventurous romp, chasing down leads on pirates and rumours of their buried treasure.
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80 Forest for the Trees How to know your juniper from your snotty var Todd Hollett
92 A Famous Fisherman Seen by millions smiling from the front of a popular postcard, this “jolly” fisherman was a joy to meet in real life. Mel D’Souza
94 Stuff About What do the redeyed tree frog, Chinese philosopher Confucius and the movie Shaft have in common?
food and Leisure 96 The Everyday Gourmet Apple Butter Andrea Maunder
110 Tasty Top 10 Readers’ favourite NL foods, plus a debate about Jiggs Dinner
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116 Down to Earth Introduce children to gardening with their own rows to hoe Ross Traverse
reminiscing 122 Flashbacks Classic photos of people and places
123 This Month in History The Daily News gets its start
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124 mystery woman
124 Who was the Mysterious Margaret Carter? An upcoming museum exhibit in Mount Pearl is hoping to shed light on the major players of an historic transatlantic air race – including the St. John’s woman who played a part. Linda Browne
128 If This Old House Could Talk Lester Green lets the house do the talking in this imaginative retelling of his family history in South West Arm.
132 A Treacherous Trip Home About the cover This boil-up photo by Candace Pilgrim of Griquet, NL, was taken during an enjoyable day in the woods. It's the perfect illustration for this month’s feature on the health benefits of being in nature. Story starts on p. 88.
Cover Index 8 Pancake Recipes • 99 Inside VOWR • 42 Designed to Impress • 52 Wellness in the Woods • 88 Great Jiggs Dinner Debate • 111 Craft Beer Cheat Sheet • 112 Pirate Treasure Tour • 74
How a family excursion was almost sunk by a series of dangerous shoals Kim Ploughman
138 Between the Boulevard and the Bay Ron Young revisits the pros and cons of marijuana legalization
140 Collective Memories The Americans in Ship Harbour Andrea McGuire
142 Mail Order 146 Real Estate/Marketplace 148 Puzzles 160 Photo Finish
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homefront pets of the month
posers Dash Hound? Penny the Yorkie waits in the car outside Bidgoods, hoping someone brings her back a treat. Joe Sobol St. John’s, NL
Shades of Cool Murray looks ready to Netflix and chill. Helen Rose Pasadena, NL
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Ideal Evening Out With the snow dusting his fur, Berg the Newfoundland dog is in his element. Stephen Hawco Nova Scotia
Double Double Take If anyone were ever accused of being hopped up on caffeine, it would have to be these two cuties. Kaeleigh Fitzgerald Clarenville, NL
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Rounding the bend on the Boulevard in St. John’s, NL, where the concrete sidewalk dramatically weaves from the straight and narrow to accommodate the base of a very old tree, I stop on a Sunday morning to gaze out on the still waters of Quidi Vidi Lake. As I linger there, reflecting that in rural Ireland similar accommodations have been made to divert roads and pathways around special trees and even a fairy ring or two, I spot something remarkable. A gigantic leprechaun, replete with red beard, a fine felt hat, a splendid green suit – and running shoes! – sashays along the lower path. Nobody else even gives him a second look. He’s as much at home here as he would be strolling down O’Connell Bridge in the heart of Dublin. That wildly Irish sight, likely a mascot heading to or from a charity run, is just one of numerous wonderful encounters I’ve had with unexpected Irishness in this province. To mark the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day celebration, here are seven of those subtle (and not so subtle) connections I have found between Ireland and Newfoundland and Labrador.
St. Patrick’s Day Let’s begin with the obvious. St. Patrick’s Day is a big deal in St. John’s – a much bigger and longer celebration than exists in its homeland of Ireland. We can thank the former proprietors of the legendary Erin’s Pub on Water Street for that. In 1986, Ralph O’Brien, a native of Ireland, bought Erin’s Pub and his band, Sons of Erin, had its own home stage after 20 years of hectic touring. In a chat last year, he tells me that when he was growing up in Ireland, www.downhomelife.com
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St. Patrick’s was a fine time but always only a single day. That’s how it was in Newfoundland and Labrador, too, until Ralph had a bright business idea. “We had made some ownership changes and I was looking for a way to get a few extra folks in, make a little more money for the pub, but also to showcase all that great local musical talent we had by giving them a place to play,” Ralph says with a smile. “So we were the first venue that extended St. Paddy’s Day to make it a full weekend, and then it was natural to take the Thursday night before and so on. “Now everybody here does it and St. Paddy’s has grown to a week-long celebration and, in the traditional music scene, we always joked it became much bigger in Newfoundland than even New Year’s. You still don’t see the duration of this kind of thing many places in the world, and not even back in Dublin.”
and written extensively on Newfoundland vernacular furniture. “There was at least one motif employed by outport furniture makers which was used elsewhere only in southeast Ireland to embellish furniture. Yet, it has long been used to decorate items of glassware, ceramic ware and other objects throughout the Western World. It is referred to in southeast Ireland as an ‘incised star’ and is a derivative of the Celtic compass star. It is suspected that the source of this motif for both outport and southern Irish furniture makers might be the Waterford Glassworks Factory. It is noteworthy that this
Waterford Crystal Some links are surprisingly crystal clear. Waterford, Ireland is famous for its crystal, and some of the Waterford crystal patterns appear in traditional outport furniture. For instance, a common crosshatch pattern on furniture is rendered as hobnails. “The inspiration for hobnail carving in Newfoundland can be traced to Southern Ireland where they were used to decorate cut glass in the Waterford and Cork glass-making areas,” explains Walter Peddle, a retired curator of history at the Newfoundland Museum who has studied 48
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factory is located in the city of Waterford in southeast Ireland and that about 85 per cent of all Irish who settled in Newfoundland came from within a 30-mile radius of that city. Its location, and the fact that the incised star finds its home there, gives reason to suspect that some of the motifs and strategies employed to decorate glassware at the Waterford Glassworks Factory were adopted by Irish furniture makers and were transmitted to Newfoundland.”
St. Brigid’s Day In terms of Irish calendar customs that have made their way to Newfoundland and Labrador, St. Patrick’s Day is only one of many, and a relatively recent arrival at that. A much older religious day is St. Brigid’s Day (February 1), and although it is not commonly celebrated in Newfoundland and Labrador, there are places where it was well known. Rose Connors of Colliers recently told me about marking St. Brigid’s Day when she was a child. “We used to go out on St. Brigid’s Day when I was a little girl with some of our relatives in Avondale. It was just the girls, and I remember we would take a little doll or even a doll’s head with us when visiting houses. There wasn’t anything in particular we had to wear or to say, but we’d get a little gift or maybe just a bit of cake or candy. It wasn’t very much, but people thought the visit would bring luck or protection from St. Brigid, I guess. We enjoyed it.” In Ireland, the custom of visiting www.downhomelife.com
with a doll as an effigy of the saint was one of the elements of the tradition. Another was men and boys, called “biddy boys,” wearing straw headdresses and costumes. The late Frances Laracy of Conception Harbour once told me that when she was a girl her older relatives would recall visits from the “strawmen” in the winter. While she never saw them personally and did not know the specific reason for them as it had died out by her day, she said they definitely were not mummers or wren boys, but something different. I sometimes wonder if they were a local version of the biddy boys, a term I’d heard but never realized had anything to do with St. Brigid’s Day.
Fear of the Fairies Irish poet William Butler Yeats once wrote, “Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.” The Irish and Newfoundlanders
A ring of trees in the forest is often thought to be the work of fairies, folklore brought over from Ireland. March 2019
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and Labradorians both enjoy happy times but really love a good scary story, so many tales of Irish fairies, ghosts, mermaids, miracles and monsters came across the ocean and took root here. Irish fairies, in particular, are very much celebrated in Newfoundland, with fairy gardens, fairy doors and wellworn advice to keep fairies at bay. Such things as tossing a glove into the centre of a fairy ring, carrying bread in your pockets, wearing an item of clothing inside out and never wearing red, and carrying a religious medal were said to protect against being taken. A special concept that has carried over from the Old World is the fairy ring, a naturally (mysteriously?) occurring circle of trees, shrubs or flowers. If one stumbles upon a fairy ring, they must be careful not to disturb it or offend the local fairies. Even today, the locations of fairy rings in Newfoundland and Labrador (as in parts of Ireland) are closely kept secrets, be it for reasons of superstition or simply to protect delicate areas from unwanted traffic and damage.
coins or a piece of Christmas cake. The Wren visitation still happens in places such as Colliers, Renews, and Riverhead in St. Mary’s Bay, to name a few.
The Wren
Tiddly
The Irish tradition of going around with the Wren, the King of All Birds, still makes an appearance on St. Stephen’s Day (December 26) in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Wren visitation is an ancient custom of “Wren Boys” going house to house with an effigy of a tiny bird and reciting a particular song/poem on December 26, in exchange for a few
You may know diddly about Tiddly, but folks in the town of Carbonear could give you lessons in this ancient Irish game played with sticks and stones. In fact, Carbonear has hosted the annual Tiddly World Championships for more than a decade. Longtime volunteer organizer Judy Cameron says, “The event is familyoriented, played for fun, and normally
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The author (right) and a couple of other “Wren Boys” take part in the Irish tradition of visiting with an effigy of a bird on December 26.
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Two sporting traditions with Irish roots have found their way across the pond, tiddly (above) and hurling (right). held during the annual Carbonear Days Weekend. Of course, the ability to argue and maybe lie a little is considered an asset in Tiddly. While the game had pretty much died out by the late 1960s or early 1970s, it had very deep roots in the town.” Based on locals’ stories, she estimates the game goes back at least 150 years in the Carbonear area.
Hurling When in doubt, speak softly and carry a big stick, especially in the Irish game of hurling, which has a history in St. John’s dating back to 1788. An exhibition game held on September 26, 2009, in Bay Bulls with combined teams from Ireland and Newfoundland and Labrador may have been the first formal match hosted in this province in roughly 125 years. www.downhomelife.com
Hurling is an ancient Gaelic outdoor team sport played for at least 3,000 years. Teams of 15 players (hurlers) compete using ash sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar (pronounced slit-er). In hurling, a strong strike can drive the ball as fast as 150 km/h and as far as 110 metres. It is thought to be the world’s fastest field team sport in terms of game play. Ross Houlihan, a native of Waterford, Ireland, was one of the referees at the Bay Bulls game. He says, “Hurling was played in Newfoundland up until around 1880, when the Catholic Church began to crack down on it. Games regularly ended in fights and bloodshed as rivalries turned nasty if a game was not going to one’s hopes.” This particular match ended in all smiles and camaraderie as part of the Festival of the Sea. March 2019
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When it comes to clothes shopping, many of us head to the nearest mall. There, we wander store to store, browsing through the racks of similar styles imported from around the world. But we could instead get fitted out in an original designer piece, made right here. High-end fashion has recently popped up in Newfoundland and Labrador, enabling us to be just as fashionable as boutique shoppers in the big cities like Toronto and Montreal. Downhome chatted with three businesses making a scene in the fashion world, while at the same time supporting local businesses.
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Newbornlander Standing
on the water’s edge in Quidi Vidi village is the Plantation, a space for artists to work and sell their crafts. It’s also the home base for Newbornlander, a new business with a line of chic children’s clothing. You won’t find cartoon bears or overdone pastel colours here, and that’s on purpose. These designs are simple and elegant. When Constanza Safatle was looking around for baby clothes, she didn’t like what she saw. So she bought a sewing machine and fabric, watched a few video tutorials and started to make her own baby bibs. “Then I started to develop other kinds of products and then never stopped,” she says. And that’s how Newbornlander got its start in 2017. Constanza is from Chile and came to Newfoundland and Labrador so her husband could attend the Marine Institute. She was expecting their first child at the time. As a lawyer, she couldn’t work in her profession here, “but I can develop my own business.” 54
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Newbornlander’s cute and classy designs are on display at Quidi Vidi Plantation in St. John’s. Elizabeth Whitten photos She was joined by Kerri Ivany in 2018. They met while working on a community program, “and we ended up taking to each other,” Kerri recalls. “And after a few months we decided to become business partners. I was a textile artist at the time, just sort of looking for direction, and she was looking for a business partner to take her business to the next level.” Newbornlander makes bonnets, hats, booties and other items, as well as tents for newborns to two-yearolds. The fabric patterns are classy, with animal and floral prints. Constanza’s husband is a fishing engineer, so she likes to use nautical themes in the fabric, which blends www.downhomelife.com
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nicely with this province. “They’re stylin’,” Kerri adds. Constanza explains that while babies are wearing Newbornlander, it’s being sold to the parents who actually dress their kids. She’s seen it with her own firstborn, now two years old and starting to point out what patterns he’s drawn to. “I think when you go to the babies and the newborns, you need to think of the mom,” she says. People can purchase items at Newbornlander’s studio at the Quidi Vidi Village Plantation or order online through their Facebook page. A website is next on the wish list, Kerri says, which will make it easier to reach new clients, especially as they’re getting more orders from outside the province. Newbornlander helped Constanza set roots in the province when she first moved here. For the immediate future, she and her young family will be staying here, but she does miss being a lawyer. “One of the things that attached me to Newfoundland is this, to have the opportunity to make a business. Now I have a partner like Kerri.” So even if she relocates back home, Newbornlander can continue with Kerri here and Constanza in Chile.
Sooley Designs When Megan Sooley of Sooley Designs sits down to create a
new piece, she gets her inspiration from the fabric. When she sees a fabric in a store, she can envision what it will be after she gets her hands on it. “The fabric, pretty much to me, builds the piece. It screams what it is to me. I’ve got this new piece of fabric and it’s kind of a furry, pink thing, I don’t even know what to call it. And it’s a sweater. It’s a big, comfy, cozy, over-the-top sweater,” she says. Megan’s designed everything from loungewear to wedding dresses. “I can make clothes for any size woman, any body really. And I get a lot of inspiration from my clients in that way. So if somebody’s looking for a dress that is flowing, comfortable, but they want to show a little bit of skin but not too much – trying to work with all those elements.” It’s a challenge she enjoys. With a professional artist for a mother, Megan had an artistic childhood. She got her first sewing machine at age nine. Using
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Wild & Heart Photography
Megan Sooley (left) designs everything from loungewear to wedding dresses, “ for any size woman, any body, really,” she says.
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whatever materials she could get her hands on, she made purses out of old jeans and dresses from curtains. At the age of 20 she decided on the spur of the moment to travel to Montreal, hitching a ride with a friend who was headed to Toronto. “And I had no plans whatsoever, really to go,” she says. “I just had noticed this school. I hadn’t applied or anything like that. And the next day he came March 2019
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and picked me up, and I had a suitcase and a sewing machine and I left.” Megan then applied to LaSalle College and graduated in 2010. After school, she lived in Europe for a while before returning to Newfoundland and Labrador to work as a technical designer. Her work led to a repetitive strain injury from sitting at a desk, and she lost her job. With no money, Megan moved back home. Borrowing $20, she bought enough fabric to make a sweater “because it was the only way I knew how to make any money,” she explains. She quickly sold it online, which brought in enough money to make two more sweaters, which also sold. Sooley Designs started from there, and has been so successful that in 2018, the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs (NLOWE) presented Megan with the Young Entrepreneur Award. Currently, Megan employs two seamstresses and a saleswoman in her downtown St. John’s store, plus she recruited her mom as a third seamstress and bookkeeper. At any given time, Megan can have 150200 orders to fill, as well as people scheduled for fittings in the store. “I like to get to know my clients, each and every one. And I like to give them enough time with me.” So she typically only has two or three consultations a day for that reason. Most of Megan’s clients are locals, but she does get some people from out of town and some from out of province. Just the other day a woman come into the store who’d lost her luggage and had a wedding party that night. Megan says it made her think, “If she doesn’t find 1-888-588-6353
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something here, I’m not doing it right.” The client ended up leaving with navy blue polka dot dress. Megan says she has no interest in going to the big fashion shows (think Paris, New York etc.), which costs a lot of money to attend. Instead, she uses her position to promote local talent, helping host fashion shows with the proceeds going to charity. Vogue photographers and models come here to do photo shoots, Megan says, “and I’d much rather show my clients and my people what I’m doing and let them experience it,” she says. In the last few years she’s seen a lot of people coming back to Newfoundland and Labrador for the music, food and the fashion scene. “It’s all been coming up a bit more because people are coming home again, I feel. Because there is no better place, really. We’re the luckiest people in the world, I think. And I love the weather here… I love rain and fog and cold. So it’s like this place is made for me.”
Melanie Jacqueline
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designs are a whirlwind of colour, and she has a simple reason for it: “It makes me happy,” she laughs. “You’re dressing in bright colours, people are kind of drawn to that… It really is just about being happy, and I just love bright colours, and I love working with bright prints. To me, it just makes it a little more unique.” A former preschool teacher, MJ founded Melanie Jacqueline in 2011. It seems to have been her calling. “I’m a creative soul. I thrive from being creative, for sure. My mind never slows, there’s always ideas happening,” she says. For her, clothing is a way for people to express themselves. “There’s a lot of colourful people in this province, and so I think I’m helping those people.” Growing up in Deer Lake, MJ was in junior high when she started sewing with her mom. Originally March 2019
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using store-bought patterns, she remembers the first thing she made was a green crepe mini skirt. Now she’s making a name for herself with her own designs, attracting clients all over Canada and the US, and the list is growing. A highlight so far was MJ’s invitation to fashion week in
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London and New York City last year. “It was pretty wild, it was definitely a great experience,” she says. Since then she’s continued to focus on growing her business in St. John’s. Currently, MJ has a studio on Bates Hill where she sells her clothing and meets with clients by appointment. Shoppers can also find her pieces nearby at Johnny Ruth on Water Street, and she’s in the process of developing an e-commerce website in hopes of reaching new clients and giving them an easier way to shop. www.downhomelife.com
A lot has changed since starting Melanie Jacqueline, but some things have remained the same. MJ is the only person sewing and has a sales assistant who works at the shop. “I would love to expand, it’s just a work in progress. We’ve been working for the last year on some new ideas and plans, so we shall see,” she hints. “But it’s very important to me that my hand tag is always ‘Made in Newfoundland’ and is true to that. It’s very important for me to keep this local.” Always looking to innovate with other locals, for MJ’s recent collection she teamed up with artist Sara Dillon of SJ Artworks to create a series of fabric prints. “It was custom Melanie Jacqueline fabric, not to be found anywhere else. And it was very true to me and my personality and some of my story. So that was really exciting,” MJ says. MJ was one of the first designers to do high-end fashion in the province, and she has watched the fashion scene expand in last few years. “It’s definitely growing,” she says. “There’s more opportunity, I think, for people to shop locally, which is a great thing. I think the people here have always been pretty fashionable, you know. I think just being in Newfoundland makes it a little tougher to find unique things or quality things that are actually handmade here.” Not too long ago, people would leave the province to go shopping for higher-end items or local designers wanted to get out, but MJ has her feet firmly planted here. “I don’t want to go. I love it here. I mean, in the wintertime I might say differently,” she laughs. “It’s a good place to be creative.” March 2019
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explore
THE ROAD FROM Deadman’s Bay is behind me and a stiff breeze blows cartwheels of green sea foam that kiss the strand before retreating to the ocean. It is a wild old day when I run into the legendary Cat Cove pirate Billy Murrin, who was most famous in what is now the Cape Freels and Lumsden area of Newfoundland and Labrador. He regards me with cold eyes beneath a hat that would make Long John Silver proud; a brace of ornate daggers and a menacing pistol adorn a belt crossing his chest. His ruby-hilted sword stuck into a treasure chest at his foot punctuates the premise that whatever loot he plundered he intends to keep, so come near at your peril.
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Fortunately, he’s only a lifelike statue in the overly romanticized style of piracy popularized in Hollywood movies, placed outside Rich’s Convenience Plus by shopkeeper Richard Parsons. The legend of pirate Billy Murrin has been told in Richard’s family for generations, and he and his wife recently decided to give him more of a profile in town. “Of course, this statue looks a bit more like a Captain Morgan ad or something from the movies than the real Billy Murrin, but we wanted something to be a symbol,” says Richard, who explains they bought the statue from a seller in Kensington, PEI. “The story is that nobody knows where the real Billy Murrin came from sometime in the mid-1880s, and he was a quite a mystery as a bit of drinker and a salver [an old expression for one who salvages ships], and was supposed to have a large treasure of some kind, perhaps taken from fellow pirates, hidden somewhere. One of the local folks who looked after Billy in later years, perhaps hoping for some financial reward before he died, was chatting with him one evening and Billy asked her, ‘Can you keep a secret?’ She grew very excited, thinking he was about to reveal the location of the treasure, and said, ‘Yes, I can keep a secret, Mr. Murrin!’ To which Billy replied, ‘Aye, and so can I.’ So whatever the treasure was, he never told and it is still here to be found. There were so many shipwrecks in the Lumsden area, with all the storms and shifting sandbars and hidden reefs, so who knows what the sea may reveal in the future.” This holds true all over the province. Go into almost any outport and linger for a day or so chatting with locals. They may share a story of shipwrecks or salvation from the sea, or lost travellers taken or legendary tasks tendered, but This roadside statue in the Cape Freels area calls attention to the local legend of pirate Billy Murrin and what treasure he may have hidden here. www.downhomelife.com
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Historian and writer Pat Collins points to some of the local pirate lore on display at the Conception Bay Regional Museum in Harbour Grace. there can be no more fantastic and captivating tales than those with a hint of pirate treasure. The enormous popularity of books, movies and even the History Channel TV series “The Curse of Oak Island” (now in its seventh season) attests to the universal appeal of the search for hidden riches. While “The Curse of Oak Island” follows brothers Rick and Marty Lagina as they attempt to crack the Oak Island mystery that has puzzled adventurers for over two centuries and reach a treasure believed to be buried on the small island off the coast of Nova Scotia, similar lesser-known tales abound in Newfoundland and Labrador. Most hard evidence of any piraterelated treasure in the province is lost to time and there are rules related to such hunts. So enjoy these sites of local legends shared with me and 76
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others, but take their tales of treasure with more than a grain of sea salt. The real undiscovered treasure is not coins or currency of any kind, but spectacular scenery, sensational stories, and an excuse to safely explore for fun these places through which pirates are said to have passed.
EASTON’S TREASURE IN HARBOUR GRACE The best-known Newfoundland pirate was perhaps Peter Easton, and his story can be explored at the Conception Bay Regional Museum in Harbour Grace. Local historian and author Patrick Collins says, “According to writings by Governor Mason and found in Prowse’s History of Newfoundland, we know that Peter Easton was here by 1612, and fortified somewhere in 1-888-588-6353
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this area,” he says, indicating a section of coastline running from Point of Beach, passing near the former 1870 brick Customs House that is now the museum building, and ending near Ugly Head. “There are all kinds of stories about how Easton came here and one is that Queen Elizabeth I requisitioned him to come as part of the navy, but while he was here the war ended with France. So finding he had nothing to do, he realized a lot more could be made by building his own army of fishermen and attacking the French and Spanish and Basques.” He adds, “Now a lot of this is lore and can’t be proven historically without much more archeological research, but we do know that Easton captured Sir Richard Whitbourne and kept him prisoner for 11 weeks, attempting to get him to join him in piracy. Whitbourne refused, but did eventually manage to help get Easton a pardon. “There is another great folklore story of Easton sailing into Harbour Grace harbour with the captured Spanish vessel San Sebastian in tow. Easton saw that the flags on his fort were in the wrong order and realized his stronghold had been captured. Five Basque ships sailed across the mouth of the harbour to blockade him, but Easton knew the harbour and the winds better and was able to escape. In the process he fired on and sank the Basque ship St. Malo somewhere near Easton [also called “Easter” or “Eastern”] Rock close to the Harbour Grace islands. Somewhere ashore it was said 47 pirates were buried in a mass unmarked www.downhomelife.com
grave, but the exact location remains a mystery.” Other local legends claim that after Easton left Newfoundland for good in 1618, he captured treasure ships en route to Europe, got his pardon, and retired a very wealthy man in France with the title of Marquis of Savoy. Some say he buried treasure somewhere in Newfoundland, perhaps Harbour Grace or surrounding islands (or the Southern Shore, by some accounts), before departing, but owing to his great fortune later in life, he never returned to claim it.
PLUNDER PLOT IN PORT DE GRAVE The Green Point lighthouse area near Port de Grave has been the site of much speculation about buried pirate treasure – in particular, the Peter Easton plunder he supposedly hid before attempting to break a blockade of ships at nearby Harbour Grace. The short trail to the iron tower of the 1883 Green Point lighthouse at the very tip of the Port de Grave peninsula is a favourite site for berry pickers and hikers.
WHERE THERE ARE SHIPS, IS THERE TREASURE? Happy Adventure, near Eastport, shares its name with Peter Easton’s flagship (a model of his vessel Happy Adventure is on display in the Harbour Grace museum). For this reason, the community has made the list of possible Easton hiding places. Oderin, an island in Placentia Bay, sometimes also gets named as a March 2019
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Where this sailboat passes by Port de Grave, so, too, did pirate ships long, long ago – if rumours of their treasure buried nearby are to be believed. hiding spot for pirate treasure, as bits and pieces of non-native woods were said to be found there – perhaps from ship building or repairs more so than hidden chests, but who knows for sure?
UNNAMED & UNCLAIMED An area of Sandy Cove (also near Eastport) was supposedly called “Silver Buckle” after an unspecified pirate who buried his treasure there. Close by, tiny St. Chad’s (near Salvage) was once supposedly known as “Damnable,” since a pirate ship in hiding there was captured when the ship’s bell accidentally rang out, alerting the enemy, to which the pirate captain allegedly said, “Damn the bell!” Further afield, likewise in the category of unnamed pirates, somewhere on the South Coast between Boxey and Deadman’s Bight there is said to be hidden pirate treasure. As well, Baccalieu Island and Old Perlican islands are claimed 78
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to hold their own unfound and unspecified pirate treasures.
BOUNTY IN CONCEPTION BAY Kelly’s Island in Conception Bay, said to be the base of Irish pirate John Kelly, has a number of treasure and ghost stories associated with it – as do nearby Bell Island and Little Bell Island. As is par for the course, details are scanty, but pro diver Rick Stanley of Ocean Quest Adventure Resort in Conception Bay South keeps an open mind. “Just because it hasn’t turned up yet doesn’t mean it won’t,” he says. I joined Rick and other scuba divers, kayakers and more volunteers to clean up the main beaches on Kelly’s Island in June 2008. And while there may not be much remaining hard evidence of John Kelly himself, there is a very distinctive bum-shaped rock along the edge of the island that has gotten the nickname of “Kelly’s Arse.” 1-888-588-6353
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The view from atop Tracey Hill in Red Bay. There are rumours of pirate treasure buried here. Divers and adventurers sometimes go ashore to have a good-natured photo with it. Even a pirate can be the butt of a joke now and then. In James Cove (an abandoned section of the community of Colliers), ghosts are said to guard Captain Kidd’s treasure. Local prospectors ran into some troubles hunting for it 50-70 years ago and it resulted in an anonymous humorous recitation called “Captain Kidd’s Treasure.” There is no evidence that the Scottish privateer-turned-pirate William Kidd (1645-1701) ever made it to this location or elsewhere in the province. It’s a fanciful tale, adopting a wellknown pirate name, to warn adventurers against the dangers of strange expeditions late at night. Turk’s Gut (in present-day Marysvale) is named for an encounter with a Turkish pirate. There is even an outdoor pirate mural and a “Turkish Spring Water” fresh water spring near the Heritage House. On the right days and in calm seas, caves and arches come into evidence from the ocean side. And if you know www.downhomelife.com
where to look, so does a turbaned pirate head in the cliff face, making this a favoured location for experienced and prepared sea kayakers.
WHAT REMAINS IN RED BAY Hauntingly beautiful in its starkness, Red Bay, Labrador has a wonderful hiking trail that leads to a pond atop Tracey Hill. This spot is said to hide Captain Kidd’s pirate treasure and is supposedly guarded by a ghostly protector.
HIDING IN THE HUMBER Just outside Corner Brook near Marble Mountain Ski Resort, a buried treasure is said to rest on Shellbird Island in the Humber River. “The Old Man in the Mountain,” a natural, scowling face in the cliff looking down on the island, is said to be a marker for the treasure. An information board at the exit off the Trans-Canada Highway will help you find the “Old Man” as he stares down from the confines of Breakfast Mountain. March 2019
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food & leisure the everyday gourmet
Apple Butter 96
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the everyday gourmet By Andrea Maunder
Andrea Maunder is the owner and creative force behind Bacalao Restaurant in St. John’s, NL, and Saucy & Sweet – Homemade Specialty Foods & Catering.
www.downhomelife.com
Have you ever had apple butter? I’ve noticed that it’s not widely popular in Newfoundland and Labrador, but it has wide appeal in other parts of the country – and the world. It doesn’t contain any butter: the name refers to the spreadable texture. Apple butter got its start in European monasteries in the Middle Ages as a way to preserve the fruit and, of course, to have something sweet to eat. I love it! It’s delicious on toast, as you can imagine, but great with yogurt or ice cream, on oatmeal or muffins, with pork or cheese and crackers. It’s so delicious, you’ll want it on everything. In selecting apples, avoid using all McIntosh or Delicious apples. They are great for applesauce, but they go to mush so quickly that it’s hard to get the texture we’re after. I don’t recommend Granny Smith, as they are just too firm and difficult to break down. You could use a mixture of apples. I recommend Fuji, Braeburn, Cortland, Spartan, Idared, Jonathan and similar. I used Ambrosia apples; I found a big bag of mixed sizes (marked “imperfect”) at the supermarket for a good price. Use a larger stainless steel (or copper) pot, not aluminum, and the wider the base the better for the second part of the cooking process. The more surface area, the quicker the evaporation, turning your juice-filled apples into creamy, luxurious apple butter. A food mill is handy for the step where you separate the cooked apple flesh from the skin, core and seeds. If you don’t have one, you can use a medium-coarse sieve (with holes smaller than apple seeds) and a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, or a potato ricer.
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Jam making trick: Chill small plates in the freezer. When you want to test the thickness of your jam while cooking, drop a bit on a cold plate where it will cool and set quickly. Sweetness and spiciness of the apple butter: You can customize your apple butter to your taste. The naturally occurring fruit sugars intensify as the moisture evaporates, so apple butter will become sweeter as it cooks. Depending on the apples you use, and your personal taste, you
may need to add more or less sugar. Use my guide as a starting point and adjust to your liking as you cook. Same with spices. You can store your apple butter in the fridge or can it in mason jars. (Follow proper canning procedure, with sterilized jars and new snap lids, piping hot apple butter, and hotwater processing for 15 minutes.) If you don’t want to can it, it freezes pretty well.
Apple Butter 6 lbs apples 2 cups water 1 1/4 cups good apple cider vinegar Good pinch salt 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 cups sugar 2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice 1/2 tsp ground cardamom 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp ground cloves Juice of 1-2 lemons
Wash apples well with warm water, removing any waxy coating. If they are average size, cut them into quarters. If large, cut into sixths. Leave skin on and cores intact (the naturally occurring pectin in the skin and cores will help thicken the apple butter). Cut away any bruises. Place apples in large pot with water, vinegar and salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer 15-25 minutes, until apples are soft, almost mushy. Using a hand-crank food mill, or a medium-coarse sieve and spatula (or a potato ricer), press the apples and any remaining cooking liquid through, into a bowl, leaving the skin, cores and seeds behind. Return apple flesh to the pot, add spices and lemon juice, and start with 1 1/2 cups sugar. With the heat on low (not lowest setting or it’ll take all day, but not too close to medium or the apples will burn on), simmer the apples, stirring frequently to keep it from sticking, until thick and smooth. You’ll notice the colour will darken throughout the cooking process, which takes about 2 hours. Taste after the first hour to see if you’d like to add sugar, and again a half-hour later – it will naturally sweeten more as it cooks. Check the texture with the freezer-plate trick. You are looking for a thick, spreadable consistency. When at the consistency and sweetness you like, pour into jars for refrigeration, or complete the canning process, or let cool and pour in freezer-safe containers for longer storage. Makes four to six 250 ml mason jars 98
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everyday recipes.ca
This year Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) lands on March 5. This Christian holiday marks the last chance for indulgence before giving up luxuries for Lent. With this rich selection of pancake recipes, you could fry up a feast this Pancake Day.
Plain Pancakes 1 1/2 cups flour 3 tbsp sugar 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups buttermilk 1 egg 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
Sift together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, blend the buttermilk, egg and coconut oil together. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined. (Note: do not over mix, as this creates a very dense and heavy product – lumps are OK.) Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add enough coconut oil to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Use an ice-cream scoop to drop batter in the hot pan, keeping pancakes about 1" apart. When bubbles start to form on top of batter and edges start to dry out a little, flip the pancake. Cook until pancake is puffed up and springs back when lightly poked. Serve immediately. Suggested topping: maple syrup. Yield: 10-12 pancakes
All of our recipes are brought to you by the fantastic foodies in Academy Canada’s Culinary Arts program, led by instructor Bernie-Ann Ezekiel.
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Partridgeberry Ricotta Pancakes 1 2 1 1 1
cup flour tbsp sugar tsp baking powder tsp baking soda cup milk
1 egg 1/2 cup ricotta cheese 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted 1 cup partridgeberries
Sift together dry ingredients. In another bowl, blend the milk, egg, cheese and coconut oil together. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined (do not over mix, as this creates a very dense and heavy product – lumps are OK). Gently fold in the berries. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add enough coconut oil to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Using an ice-cream scoop to portion, place scoops of batter in the hot pan about 1" apart. When you see bubbles start to form on the surface of the batter and the edges start to dry out a little, flip the pancake. Cook until pancake is puffed up and springs back when lightly poked. Remove from pan and serve immediately. Suggested topping: maple/birch syrup. Yield: 10 pancakes
table For prin rds a c e ip c re visit
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Pumpkin Pancakes 1 cup flour 3 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ginger 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda 3/4 cup milk 1 egg 1/2 cup pumpkin purĂŠe 1 tbsp butter, melted
Sift together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, blend milk, egg, pumpkin and melted butter together. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined (do not over mix, as this creates a very dense and heavy product – lumps are OK). Heat a frying pan over medium heat and melt enough butter to just evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Using an ice-cream scoop to portion, place scoops of batter in the hot pan about 1" apart. When you see bubbles start to form on the surface of the batter and the edges start to dry out a little, flip the pancake. Cook until pancake is puffed up and springs back when lightly poked. Remove from pan and serve immediately. Suggested topping: molasses. Yield: 8-10 pancakes
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Apple Pancakes 1 cup flour 2 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 3/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg Pinch cloves
3/4 cup milk 1 egg 1/4 cup whipping cream 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted 2 apples, peeled, cored & sliced 1/4� thick
Sift together dry ingredients. In another bowl, blend the milk, egg, whipping cream and coconut oil together. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined (do not over mix, as this creates a very dense and heavy product – lumps are OK). Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add enough coconut oil to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Fry some apple rings until they start to caramelize. Using an ice-cream scoop to portion, place each scoop of batter over an apple ring, keeping pancakes about 1" apart. When you see bubbles start to form on the surface of the batter and the edges start to dry out a little, flip the pancake. Cook until pancake is puffed up and springs back when lightly poked. Remove from the pan and serve immediately. Suggested topping: caramel syrup/sauce. Yield: 8-10 pancakes 102
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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes 1 cup flour 3 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups milk 1 egg 1/2 cup peanut butter, melted 1 tbsp butter, melted
Sift together dry ingredients and add chocolate chips. In another bowl, blend the milk, egg, peanut butter and melted butter together. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined (do not over mix, as this creates a very dense and heavy product – lumps are OK). Heat a frying pan over medium heat and melt enough butter to just evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Using an ice-cream scoop to portion, place scoops of batter in the hot pan about 1" apart. When you see bubbles start to form on the surface of the batter and the edges start to dry out a little, flip the pancake. Cook until pancake is puffed up and springs back when lightly poked. Remove from pan and serve immediately. Suggested topping: traditional pancake syrup. Yield: 10 pancakes
table For prin rds a c e recip visit
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Potato Pancakes 1 large potato, peeled and grated 1/2 cup onion, grated 1/4 cup flour
1 egg 1 tbsp parsley, minced 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp salt
Mix everything together and allow it to sit while you prepare your pan. Heat the pan over medium heat and add enough clarified butter/oil to coat the bottom of the pan thoroughly. Mix your potato batter again, and portion out six pancakes in the pan (cook in batches if you have to). Cook, flipping at least once, until they are golden on both sides and the potatoes are cooked completely through (approx. 5-8 minutes). Suggested topping: sour cream/ranch dressing Yield: 6 pancakes For printa recipe ca ble rds visit
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Cinnamon Roll Pancakes Pancakes
Cinnamon Swirl
1 cup flour 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 cup milk 1 egg 2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 cup pancake batter (from this recipe)
For the pancakes: Sift together dry ingredients. In another bowl, blend the milk, egg and melted butter together. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined (do not over mix, as this creates a very dense and heavy product – lumps are OK). Reserve 1/4 cup of batter to make the swirl. For the swirl: Mix all swirl ingredients together and place in a sandwich bag with the corner cut out, or in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and melt enough butter that it evenly coats the bottom of the pan. Using an ice-cream scoop to portion, place scoops of batter into the hot pan about 1" apart and, using the piping bag, swirl the cinnamon batter over the surface of the pancake. When you see bubbles start to form on the surface of the batter and the edges start to dry out a little, flip the pancake. Cook until pancake is puffed up and springs back when lightly poked. Remove from the pan and serve immediately. Suggested topping: thin icing/glaze made by combining 1/4 cup icing sugar and 2-3 tsp water. Yield: 4 large pancakes www.downhomelife.com
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Bacon Pancakes 1 cup flour 2 tbsp sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup milk 1 egg 3 tbsp butter, melted 3 strips bacon, cut in half
Sift together dry ingredients. In another bowl, blend the milk, egg and melted butter together. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined (do not over mix, as this creates a very dense and heavy product – lumps are OK). Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add two of the bacon halves. Fry lightly on both sides, until they start to become somewhat crisp and golden. Using an ice-cream scoop to portion, place scoops of batter in the hot pan, covering the bacon strips, about 1" apart. When you see bubbles start to form on the surface of the batter and the edges start to dry out a little, flip the pancake. Cook until the pancake is puffed up and springs back when lightly poked. Remove from the pan and serve immediately. Repeat with rest of bacon halves. Suggested topping: maple syrup. Yield: 6 pancakes
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food & leisure
We asked our Facebook friends to share their favourite pancake toppings, and they offered up some delicious alternatives to everyday pancake syrup. How do these toppings “stack up” to yours? “Homemade blueberry sauce.” – Todd Hollett
“My own maple syrup tapped from maples on Blackmarsh Road. YUM!”– Jennifer Stamp “Butter and bananas.” – Lee Benoit “Molasses!” – Stephanie Bennett “Fresh fruit and whipped cream.” – Cathy Murphy
“Brown sugar sauce.” – Gloria Young “Eggs over easy.” – Alice D’Huyvetter “IHOP’s Butter Pecan Pancake Syrup!” – Kim Hynes
“Real butter & 100% Canadian maple syrup!” – Kimberley MacIntyre-Nurse “Peanut butter topped with an over medium egg and then syrup over everything.” – Linda Lewis Golden www.downhomelife.com
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