Monthly Archives: May 2021

Daily Catskills: 05/29/21

Heavy rain all morning and cold, rising to a high of only 46F, low of 41F. Mist in the valleys mid-afternoon. Intermittent rain in the afternoon. Chilly.

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Daily Catskills: 05/28/21

Getting chillier: dull and overcast for most of the day with a grubby, matte blanket of cloud. A high of 54F and afternoon rain continuing into the evening. Overnight low of 41F.

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Daily Catskills: 05/26/21

A hot start to the day, 73F by 9.30am, rising to a high of 86F: the afternoon sky looking like it was stolen from a film set. Much-needed rain begins at 5pm and continues intermittently until just after sunset.

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Lilac Lemonade

There are all manner of syrups and mixers that you can make with spring blooms: but one plant we haven’t covered here is lilac because it has such a short window of blossoming. It has reached its prime in the last week here in the Catskills. Lilac has such a distinctive, unique flavor and pairs well with any citrus, but tastes better in lemonade. To add a little body, add some thyme to the mix to make this a mixer that works better with gin.

For A Lilac Lemonade (with or without thyme)

Pick a ziplock bag of blooms for every mason jar. Cut them off the stalks. Stuff only half of them in the mason jar if you’re adding thyme. Add a quarter cup of freshly picked thyme, then add the other half of the bag of blooms. Steep in the fridge overnight and strain in the morning. It will go bright pink.

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Daily Catskills: 05/23/21

More gorgeousness. A high of 81F with a mix of sun and clouds, early evening rain and fog on the peaks. A sultry day. Grasses are high and filled with ticks. Hay season on the horizon.

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Daily Catskills: 05/21/21

A bright morning warming up to a sweltering high of 87F, well, sweltering for this time of year. Bees doing their first swarm of the season (the dark mass at top right).

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Daily Catskills: 05/17/21

A warm morning, mostly sunny and a high of 73F. Brief mid-afternoon rain with the cloud cover breaking up into jigsaw puzzle pieces at sunset.

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Daily Catskills: 05/14/21

Clear skies all morning with the odd faraway cloud and a hazy horizon, with clouds moving in mid-afternoon. Warm and humid with a high of 69F. Fields full of new white wild flowers to take over from the dandelions. Lilac budding. Brief early evening rain produces a double rainbow.

Daily Catskills: 05/13/21

Balmy, with huge clouds looking like an armada of space ships and a high of 64F. Rivers still running high and spruce tips busting out.

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Daily Catskills: 05/08/21

Humid and overcast with rain for most of the day, ending just before dusk. A high of 48F. Fields of dandelions closed for the day.

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Daily Catskills: 05/04/21

Humid and overcast with fog curled snugly over the peaks. Some rain and a high of 71F. All colors of green budding in the lush forest. Gorgeous.

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Daily Catskills: 05/03/21

Overcast and humid, rising to 61F by mid-afternoon with a light breeze. Sprinkles of warm rain at noon turn heavier by mid-afternoon. Heavy rain and fog for the rest of the day.

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Daily Catskills: 05/02/21

A cold start to the day rising to 73F by noon with blazing sunshine and billowing clouds. Trees budding. Tractors out. A great day for planting.

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Daily Catskills: 05/01/21

Spring in the Catskills: “frostbite in the morning, sunburn in the afternoon”. Overnight snow on the peaks and overcast with a bitter wind, rising to 60F and sunny by mid-afternoon with fat cotton wool clouds.

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