Month: July 2010

There is no fruit more brazenly flavorful, yet unabashedly tender, than the peach. The immature fruit is hard and green, not unlike a raquetball in size and texture. As the season progresses, and the sun shines and the rain falls, the peach plumps up and gets curvy and luscious, ripening to luminous shades of golden orange, pink and even rosy red. As a peach ripens, its downy “peach fuzz” gets longer and softer, and provides our greatest clue to freshness. Each time the nearly-ripe peach is handled, the down can be dislodged and damaged (not to mention the bruising that occurs when a ripe peach is manhandled!); a fuzzier peach has been recently harvested and handled lovingly. Some might say that all that fuzz gets in the way of eating the peach, but the true peach-lover covets the moment of impact—fuzzy tongue, juice-spattered chin, sticky fingers and all.

Physically, there are two types of peach, and two main color categories within those types. Freestone peaches ripen with a hollow around the pit in the middle, making them easy to pull apart and very succulent to eat. In contrast, clingstone peaches stay attached to their pits, requiring a knife to cut sections but, in return, maintaining their shape in salads.  Clingstone peaches also tend to ripen earlier than the freestones, making them the first peaches on the scene each year. The acidity of the fruit can be generally assessed by observing the color of its flesh—white peaches are lower in acidity than yellow peaches, resulting in a milder floral flavor and aroma.

PEACHES TO LOOK FOR   Every peach has its moment of being the best—don’t wait for your favorite to appear! Instead, eat liberally of all peaches, and decide on a favorite at the end of the season.   early July Champion (white, clingstone)   mid-July White Lady (white, clingstone) Redhaven (yellow, semi-clingstone) Saturn (white, freestone, also called Donut)   late July Suncrest (yellow, freestone) Salem (yellow, freestone)   August Georgia Belle (white, freestone) Indian Blood (yellow, clingstone) Elberta (yellow, freestone)

According to buylocalvirginia.org, there are 71 U-Pick facilities in Virginia. Of those, 15 of them include pick-your-own peaches, with several notable producers right around Charlottesville. While Mother Nature signals both the beginning and end of each fruit’s season, chances are good that peach production will peak in July and August—and U better be ready!

What is U-Pick all about? In addition to the experience of being there, U-Pick operations offer fresh, luscious fruit at reasonable prices because you provide the picking labor. You see, having folks harvest and purchase their own fruit eliminates a lot of the guesswork inherent in running a fruit operation. Instead of finding markets and trying to align supply and demand, U-Pick businesses can focus on raising the fruit—no small task when you consider the year-round tree maintenance such as propagating, grafting, pruning, pest control, and irrigation. 

When picking, remember that the perfect peach must be mature, and it must be ripe. Maturity is achieved on the tree, and signals the peak of sweetness. Look at the background color of the fruit—green means immature, and if that peach is picked, it may soften but it will not reach its zenith of sweetness. Mature fruit should seem illuminated from the inside, glowing an irresistible yellowish-gold. 

Peaches are a climacteric fruit, which means they continue ripening after harvest. Ripening is the softening of the flesh that eventually slides into decay; it is accelerated by warm temperatures and by bruising, and slowed by refrigeration. If a peach is firm to the touch, leave it at room temperature until it feels delicious.—Lisa Reeder

 

Turn that brown upside down

Many fruits (and some vegetables) turn brown after they are cut—apples, bananas, peaches, and avocado, to name a few. This oxidation occurs when the enzyme polyphenol oxidase is exposed to air. To minimize oxidation, one must manipulate acidity or limit exposure to air. Cut apples and pears may be soaked in acidulated water—that is, water with citrus juice or vinegar added—but this trick ruins the plump, velvety nature of a ripe peach.

Instead, a bit of lemon or lime juice squeezed on peach slices will keep them beautiful for a short while and accentuate the counterpoint of tangy and sweet. If your peaches are going in a composed salad, consider slicing them and dressing them with lemon, lime or even a bit of the vinaigrette you’ll be using—but still slice them as close to mealtime as possible.  

If it’s a fruit salad you seek, or a dessert, the peaches might benefit from soaking in some peach or pear or apple juice to prevent browning and to boost the flavor of the salad. One could even imagine drizzling those rosy, ruddy beauties with a bit of champagne, vinho verde or cream just to see what happens.—L.R.

Our kitchen columnist, Lisa Reeder, is a chef and local foods advocate and consultant. Read more about her at http://alocal notion.wordpress.com. Next month’s local ingredient: pickles.

 

 

 

It’s great to have a backyard pool, but it’s even greater when there’s a stylin’ poolhouse nearby. Such a structure can be much more than a place to put your skimmer net. We visited three local poolhouses to scope the possibilities—from family hangouts to in-law quarters to storage of fine wine. Come on in; the water’s fine. 

Visitor center

“It was the Charlottesville version of when you watch some movie and the cops bust in on the killer,” says Dan Zimmerman of Alloy Workshop, speaking of the tiny apartment that used to occupy the back of Carter and Gail Hoerr’s garage. You’d never know it now: apartment and garage are converted into a bright, cheery poolhouse that feels anything but ominous.

“Our first move was to make the big opening,” says Alloy designer Dan Zimmerman of the sizeable windows that open views toward the pool.

The Hoerrs bought their house in Bellair in 2007, and while they love their views of Birdwood golf course, they felt that the property needed some updates. Eventually they’ll renovate the main house, but for now they’re enjoying how the poolhouse—designed and converted by Alloy in 2008—provides a super-convenient space for entertaining. “We had 20 or 30 people here last night, and we never set foot in the house,” says Carter Hoerr. “We had kids in the pool, kids in the outdoor shower. It takes five minutes to clean up, and the house is never touched.” 

The structure sits catty-corner from the main house, the two of them forming a courtyard around the swimming pool and an outdoor seating area. On one end is an ipe-enclosed outdoor shower. Inside, a large open space houses an entertainment center, couch, dining table and partial kitchen (it includes copious storage and a dishwasher, but no stove). The white oak that covers the unusual angled ceiling continues to flow down one wall, contrasting with the other walls, which are painted bright blue and decorated with white tree and bird decals.

“The blue we landed on as a natural tie-in to the pool,” says Zimmerman. As for the white kitchen cabinets, he liked their clean look, “letting these materials do more of the talking”—i.e., the ceiling and the concrete floors. The result combines a cosy, warm feel around the gas fireplace with the carefree vibe of polka-dotted towels and a pebbled shower floor.

Where that criminally unappealing apartment once was, there’s now a guestroom that gets lots of natural light and a bathroom with a mirror-surface sink cabinet and white-tiled shower. The Hoerrs use the poolhouse to put up guests, to serve buffet-style dinners to friends, and just to hang out as a family. And of course, the couple’s two daughters, ages 10 and 13, “love it out here, as you can imagine,” says Hoerr. “It’s become the crafting center, and we have movies and Wii on the TV.”

The girls’ frequent movements between pool and outdoor shower are an endorsement of what Zimmerman and his colleagues have created, and so are the feelings of some recent overnight guests—who stayed an extra two nights just to relish the space.—Erika Howsare

Green getaway

Sandy Culbertson and her husband, Mike Bresticker, had it all planned out. The Free Union homeowners, who spend most of their year living and working in Chicago, knew when they bought their country cabin that they’d eventually live there full-time. They envisioned stables, another cottage structure and a pool for their sons, Michael, Andrew and Max. But, says Culbertson, just “plopping the pool in” wasn’t an option.

The poolhouse that Sandy Culbertson and Mike Bresticker built near their Albemarle cabin was an integrated part of the pool and landscape design.

Enter Water Street Studio, a landscape architecture team interested in teaching clients how to work with their land. Co-founder Eugene Ryang guided the homeowners toward decisions that made sense for their 18.5 acres, prompting them to level their field and put in a cistern to catch rainwater they’d eventually use to top off the pool and water the garden.

The first order of business, though, was positioning the pool in a way that would not only preserve, but emphasize its setting. “[We wanted] to keep it so that it can sort of enclose,” Culbertson says, “but also so that we can see out. Because I think that view over there is probably my favorite view in the whole world.”

The view she refers to is of rolling hills and a neighboring (in the broadest sense of the word) home across a grassy field. It can be seen from the front porch of the family’s other new addition, a neoclassical poolhouse, which was planned and finished in conjunction with the pool to accommodate family and friends during holiday gatherings. In all, Culbertson says they can host more than 20 overnight guests. It’s especially nice for her parents, who can sequester themselves in the one-bedroom structure, away from the chaos of kids overrunning the cabin.

Miles away from the hustle of the family’s life in the city, Culbertson says the biggest benefit of having the vacation home has been the relaxation it brings. “Our cellphones don’t reach when we’re out here,” she says. “No one from work calls. Not many people know how to reach us out here.”

Sure, there is the occasional unexpected surprise—on her most recent visit, Culbertson came home to a hornet’s nest in her patio umbrella and a bird’s nest on the porch’s ceiling fan. But, there are some things you just can’t plan for.—Caite White

Dug by designers

 

“We knew they were architects and we knew they could build, but we didn’t know how much,” say the owners of a Rugby-area house, who hired STOA Design+Construction to turn an underground bomb shelter into a wine cellar with a poolhouse above, “but when they showed up the first day with shovels, we knew we’d made the right choice.”

The clients, who decided to remain anonymous in favor of giving their professional team all the glory—how’s that for a good working relationship?—are referring to Justin Heiser and Mike Savage, STOA architects and builders. The couple settled on STOA after trying for two years to find traditional architects and builders for the job. 

A STOA-built poolhouse blends with a renovated, mid-century home.

“No one would return my calls,” says one of the homeowners. “The project was too small and complicated.”

The complication stemmed from the unknown stability of the 1950s-era bomb shelter that had been filled in and allowed to collect water and debris for decades before the homeowners purchased the house three years ago. Their wish: a modern poolhouse that would blend with their renovated, mid-century home and serve as a contained area for lounging and entertaining, plus a means to hide unsightly pool equipment.  

The STOA team—young, nimble and known for modern work (they’re the folks behind The X Lounge and Zocalo)—was up for the challenge. Savage, for example, wielded a jackhammer for hours to clear the dirt from the bomb shelter. It also helped that their clients had enough confidence in Heiser and Savage to allow them to work out design and build details as they went. 

“It was a very collaborative process,” say the homeowners. Heiser adds, “We worked out a budget and we were always working towards that number.”

After digging out the shelter, the team decided to hire an engineer to design the system for building above it and connecting to it without relying on it for the foundation. In the end they built structural supports around the shelter connected by a bridge. The poolhouse essentially “floats” over the underground wine cellar, accessible by a circular metal staircase from the second level.

In the final result, a bluestone floor and cedar siding blend effortlessly with the outside patio, now wrapped in a new cedar fence, and custom-made glass windows and sliding glass doors open up the space entirely to the backyard—making the transition from inside to outside seamless.—Katherine Ludwig

 

 

 

 It’s been hammered into people’s heads for so long that home ownership is the way to go, that potential buyers forget that’s not always the case. Especially right now, when real estate markets remain shaky in many parts of the country, the home you buy today could fall in value tomorrow.

Of course, the decision to rent versus buy boils down to many factors: how long do you plan to stay in the house? Do you have the required 20 percent down payment? Are you looking for a comfortable retirement home that won’t deplete your life savings? Do you sense housing prices will continue to fall? 

To determine whether it’s more prudent to rent versus buy right now, use the “price-to-rent ratio.” Here’s how it works. Take two houses of similar size and condition—one for sale and one for rent—in the same or comparable neighborhood. Add the total cost of renting the rental property for one year. Divide the price of the home for sale by the annual cost of the rental property. 

If the resulting number is between 1 and 15, it’s much less expensive to own than to rent a home. In other words, the price of the home is most likely near its low, making buying a good choice.  

If the number is between 16 and 20, then buying becomes more expensive than renting (though it still might make financial sense, depending on the situation…keep reading). If the price-to-rent ratio is more than 21, the total costs of owning a home are much greater than the costs of renting. This usually signifies an overheated market where there is a chance the price of housing will fall (maybe, eventually), making renting a better option. 

According to truliablog.com, in the top 10 cities for buying, the price-to-rent ratios range from 8 to 11. Note that a lot of these cities—Miami, Phoenix, Las Vegas—were hit hardest when the housing market collapsed. Subsequently, home prices had to come way down to compete with foreclosures that flooded the market.

In the top 10 cities for renting, ratios range from 33 (New York) to Dallas (19).

So where does our area fall in the rent-versus-buy equation? We looked at a selection of three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes for sale versus rent in Albemarle County. All the homes were roughly the same square footage and built on quarter-acre plots within the last 25 years. The average sale price of the homes was $299,000; the average monthly rent, around $2,400. For all comparisons, the price-to-rent ratio was between 9 and 11, which indicates sale prices are at or near their low, making buying a better option than renting in Albemarle County.  

Of course, the sale price of a home doesn’t reflect the total cost of home ownership, points out Jim Duncan, Realtor at Nest Realty and blogger at realcentralVA.com. “You have to factor in all the transactional costs—Realtor’s commission, attorney fees, state transfer taxes—plus property taxes, and homeowners insurance. These aren’t costs renters have to think about.” But given that the local price-to-rent ratio is on the lower end of the spectrum (hovering between 9 and 11), even when those costs are factored in, buying may still be a better choice than renting.

So when does it make sense to rent versus buy around here? The most obvious: When you can’t afford a down payment. Renting is also smarter if you’re only planning to stay two to four years—which is not enough time to build equity or recoup the transactional costs that come with closing on a property. In other words, you’d be throwing money away.

 

They always say you only get one chance to make a first impression. This old saying not only applies to awkward first dates, but to our humble abodes as well. For many guests, that split-second judgment of our home happens before we even open the front door. When it comes to rentals and homes in general, many of us suffer from poor—or a complete lack of—curb appeal. 

With the dog days of summer upon us, it’s time we paid a little more attention to our outside spaces, whether it be the front porch on a Belmont Victorian, or the 5’x6′ concrete slab at the front door of your Pantops apartment. After all, you wouldn’t show up for a first date with spinach in your teeth and wearing the REO Speedwagon T-shirt you wear to mow the grass.

One quick and inexpensive fix for your curbside dilemma is to spruce up your house or apartment number. After all, giving your house number out is like giving your phone number out on a date: You want people to remember it (most of the time). A lot of rentals come with dated house numbers in basic brass, or whatever’s been on the house or apartment for the last 25-plus years. 

If you’re able to replace your house or apartment number, by all means do so. There are myriad options available, ranging from hand-painted ceramic tiles for the perfect cottage in Ivy, to sleek, stainless steel numbers in bold, sans-serif fonts, suitable for a contemporary downtown condo. 

That being said, many renters won’t have this option, especially those living in apartment complexes. If that’s the case, don’t feel outnumbered.

Try purchasing a large terracotta pot or planter. Using spray paint or exterior paint, paint the pot in a fresh, fun color. (One of my favorite affordable tricks is to purchase the leftover paints and paint samples from home improvement centers that folks discard due to the Goldilocks Syndrome—it wasn’t “just right.”) For a lattice pattern, paint the pot a base color, and once dry, apply strips of painter’s tape in diagonal lines forming Xs. Paint a second, complementary color on top, and remove the tape once dry. Using stencils or freehand, paint your house number on the pot in a bold, contrasting color. Fill the pot with your favorite flowers or plant, and place it outside your door on a plant stand or along your walkway/entrance. 

For an even more noticeable approach, purchase large unfinished numbers from a local store like the Craft House on W. Main Street. Purchase 2- to 3-foot dowel rods (one for each number). Using wood glue, attach the dowel rods to the back of each number. Spray-paint the dowels and numbers in a color complementary to the exterior of your home, and place the dowel rods in a potted plant, planter, or stainless steel bucket full of soil and moss. For additional visual interest, place the dowels in at varying heights. If you have green space, stick the numbers directly into the yard. The mailman and your next houseguests won’t miss your apartment or house from the street.

For some nighttime appeal, tape off old mason jars with stencils of your house number (one jar for each number). Lightly spray the jars with spray glass frosting. Remove the stencils and tape to reveal your house numbers. Fill the jars with LED tea lights for some safe, easy, Southern charm each night. 

Let your number project be the jumping-off point for your summer outdoor spruce-up. If you live in a house or an apartment with a standard 18"x24" mailbox that has seen better days, consider a magnetic monogrammed mailbox cover from companies like www.ewinddesigns.com. The same way you’d accessorize for that all important first date, add things like a nice door mat in a bold, graphic pattern for a pop of color, or some potted plants. As always, you can take everything with you, and the house numbers will serve as a small, affordable memento from your time in the rental. 

With this quick summer spruce-up, you and your humble abode are sure to make the best first impression and get that second glance.—Ed Warwick

 

 

As its name suggests, the utility knife is very, well, useful. Sometimes called a “box cutter” because of its superiority to a pair of scissors for splitting thick packaging tape and cutting open boxes, the utility knife has multiple purposes. The razor blade—most often retractable—can be used for cutting drywall, laminate flooring or carpeting; scraping away old caulk from around the toilet; or cleaning gunk from your putty knife (very carefully). 

Personally, I have two utility knives—one in the kitchen for opening packages and cutting heavier paper and materials for crafts, and another in my garage toolbox for more dangerous house projects that may require safety goggles. Having two in different locations mostly is for convenience, but this also increases the longevity of the blades. 

For serious cutting projects, you’re likely going to need several blades to finish anyway, in which case you should find a knife with a storage compartment on the side or at the bottom for extra blades. Or you could find one of those fancy, newfangled utility knifes that comes with segmented, snap-off blades. In these models, when the edge gets dull, you can snap it off with a pair of pliers and then extend a fresh blade edge. More expensive versions even come with their own attachments for doing the snapping off. 

Whichever kind you use or however many you hoard, treat your utility knife with respect. The sucker is sharp for a reason, so always retract the blade as soon as you’re done cutting, even if you’re going to cut again soon, and use short, slow strokes, pulling the blade toward you, when you cut.—Katherine Ludwig

Terracotta pots can be a medium for creative house numbers; or paint unfinished numbers and attach to dowel rods, then stick directly into the ground. 

 He may have toured Europe and the Caribbean playing bass for bluesman Corey Harris, but Houston Ross is firmly rooted here at home. A Charlottesville native, he lives just over the Fluvanna County line in a small brick house that holds four generations of his family: his mother, his daughter, three grandchildren and a godson—plus a great-grandchild on the way. 

Within this very full house, he has a refuge: a basement bedroom where he can relax, be alone, practice music and ponder. Over the last several years, he’s given up drugs and alcohol and refocused on music and exercise, two of his passions. “Most of my time is spent practicing and sleeping,” he says—because, in a good week, he might have gigs six nights out of seven. He plays regularly at Miller’s and also appears with the Houston Ross Trio and the Powerhouse Trio at places like Michael’s Bistro and Bel Rio. 

For 24 years, this has been his room—so it’s also an archive of his life. Posters of Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and other musical heroes share the space with a big record collection, health magazines and a log of his workouts. “This is a recovery spot,” he says. “The main thing is, I have so much to think about. I have so many places I want to go.”

•

“I grew up in Charlottesville on Georgetown Road. I lived there until I was 30 and we moved here. I’m 54 now. 

“These past few years have been a lot of soul-searching. I spent times in this room where I wouldn’t go out. The only light would be the light from the TV. [Finally I said] it’s time to get clean. Some friends got me out of it.

“Miller’s really saved my life. I didn’t have anywhere else to get work from at the time. They said we’re going to let you have every Monday. I [originally] started playing there in ’83.

“Everything I do, I do in here. [My family and I] have always had each other to depend on. I’ve always come back here.

“This room reflects more of who I was than who I am. These pictures have been on these walls for 20-some years. Jimi’s been a great inspiration to me…more [as in] what you shouldn’t do. And Marvin Gaye—his life was very tragic. But there’s some positive too—Steve Reeves, he was a great bodybuilder. Ron Coleman, he’s tied for the most [wins in] Olympian competitions, which is eight. Arnold Schwarzenegger did seven. Physical fitness is something that means a lot. 

“And the picture of LeRoi [Moore, the late saxophonist for the Dave Matthews Band]—he and I were really close. I met LeRoi around 1976, and he was still in school. Later on we met musically. He was one of my biggest inspirations. He’s in my top five saxophone players of all time. My hero is Junior Walker, of Junior Walker and the All Stars, because I met Junior when I was 11 years old. I was on 10 ½ Street and I heard this horn playing and I said, that sounds like Junior Walker. 

“I just kind of followed the music, and [found them] on a little stage in Madison Bowl. I went on down there. I said, ‘This is Junior Walker playing “Shotgun” and “Pucker up, Buttercup!”’ A student came up and said, ‘You gotta go, you’re too young.’ Junior said ‘No, he’s O.K., he’s my nephew.’ He could see I was a little musician. The cool part was, I was 28 years old and I was opening for him in Richmond, and I said, ‘I know you don’t remember me, but…’ and he said ‘You that little musician! You have a beard now, but you can’t hide that face!’”