Elderberries or Bust

I have found only one elderberry bush in Manhattan. That is not nearly enough. So I decided to rent a car and travel to Pennsylvania, where I used to pick them in dozens of spots. The day was not an auspicious one since it was supposed to rain but I had arranged to rent the car and for two vacation days a week in advance and I was willing to get wet if necessary. As it was, all the elderberry bushes had vanished, leaving not even dry stems. To salvage something from this disaster, I picked a humungous amount of wild rose hips. Rosa Rugosa, the best. As the rain got more severe, I was forced to stop taking pictures for fear of damaging my camera. I stopped off to see some old friends and acquaintances, like Old Order Mennonite farmers Mark and Maryanne Nolt, purveyors of unpasteurized unhomogenized milk, the most astounding eggs you will ever taste, farm made cheeses and butter. The great taste of their foods comes from the fact that the animals are largely grass fed. Give the Nolts a call at 717-776-3417 for the tastiest beef, chicken, eggs and dairy products. Tell them that Tom Byro sent you. They know me well.

Mark Nolt asked me if I was still with Robin Stahr. I said no, that we split up after she tried to steal my son’s kid by accusing him of molesting her. And then it turned out that the child was molested but by a former boyfriend of Robin’s (according to the child’s own testimony) whom Robin had allowed to babysit the kid. Mark said that Robin had acquired a bad reputation among the Mennonite community for not paying her bills.

I stopped off to see Lucy deFrance and Austin Hertzler who live in a location so remote that I would defy anyone to find it. They live on the way to some of my favorite elderberry stands.

In Harrisburg, I stopped off and bought some Challah from Rebbetzin Varda Gewirtz. She asked me “are you still with “THAT WOMAN”, referring to Robin? I said no and explained why. Robin would seem to have been unpopular with a great number of people. For the best Challah in the known universe, contact VardaChallah@aol.com.

I had tentatively decided to drive to the Catskills and pick blueberries since I had the car for another day. However, I encountered the most monstrous storm I have seen in many a day and decided to cut things short by taking pictures of the area around the old Camp Midvale and heading home

From Elderberries or Bust Aug 2009