Home Care In Ringoes, NJ

It was 10:30 a.m. on a stifling Tuesday morning in mid-August, just in time for brunch. Even though I was hungry, it took several minutes before this reporter sat down in the Amwell Valley Diner, which is located on Route 31 in Ringoes, set upon the rolling hills and cornfields of Hunterdon County.

First I spent time chatting with the owners, Aglaia and Simon Siliverdis, whom I hadn’t seen in about eight years. We studied the workmanship of their eatery, built in 1959 by Joe Swingle and his manufacturing company. We admired the beautiful, vintage terrazzo floor, and smiled when we looked at black-and-white photos of the original interior design. These are kept tucked away in a drawer near the cash register.

I took my seat at the booth and asked my lovely wife if she had seen a menu. She said she didn’t need a menu. She had ordered pancakes for herself and “already knew” what I wanted—two eggs over easy with well-done corned beef hash, home fries, wheat toast, and coffee with milk.

Before I could say the words, “Hey, how did you know what I wanted…” I stopped and smiled. Yes, I admitted it was rather predictable. This is a dish I frequently get when visiting almost any diner on almost any morning in almost any town in New Jersey (or elsewhere).

It’s always a treat: delicious and nutritious. Familiarity breeds reassuring pleasure with comfort food. Breakfast any time of the day—it’s a good thing. Many diner owners and waitresses often take pride in anticipating what their regular customers will order as soon as they see them walk through the front door.

Diner menus can be remarkably expansive, however many customers tend to stick with two or three old favorites. But specials of the day, along with featured soups and delicious fresh salads are not to be overlooked. In fact, the weekly lunch specials at the Amwell Valley Diner were colorfully spelled out on the inside window of the vestibule. Each tempting item only $9.99, including soup or salad and one side order. The list included chopped beefsteak on Monday, eggplant parmigiana on Tuesday, meatloaf on Wednesday, beef liver on Thursday, and fried or stuffed flounder on Friday.

Sipping multiple cups of coffee, we convinced ourselves that it was too early to order dessert, but I must say the creamy smooth chocolate layer cake, adorned with chunks of chocolate, seductively sitting in the display case behind the counter, looked mighty good. I took my time as I photographed that decadent little beauty.

The Swingle Diner Manufacturing Company, located in Middlesex, which produced around 145 diners between 1957 and 1989, built the Amwell Valley Diner. Joe Swingle was New Jersey’s much-admired diner Renaissance man during the golden era of the 20th century—when diners were modular, prefabricated, engineered products built in sections inside a factory.

The honorable Mr. Swingle had expertise in all phases of the business: he was a diner sales rep, he ran his own successful Swingle’s “Air Conditioned” Diner on Route 22 in Springfield, and established the diner production company.

The Amwell Valley has a mobile history, an eatery that operated in several locations. It opened as the Tamarack Diner in 1959 on East Main Street in downtown Somerville. Several years later the structure was picked up and moved to West Main Street. It eventually closed and was put into storage.

Ironically, Aglaia worked as an art teacher in the Somerville public school system during this period and often stopped in at the Tamarack for lunch and supper. Little did she know at the time that one day she would be welcoming customers to this establishment.

The diner’s original name referred to the type of wood that was a traditional material of choice to support the hulls of 19th century whaling ships. As such, the diner had an interior that featured hanging ceiling lamps and iconic nautical-style design appointments. It pioneered the family-friendly “colonial” look for diners. Less emphasis was placed on stainless steel in favor of wood, stone, brick and copper trim, inside and out.

In 1982 the Tamarack resurfaced as the Amwell Valley Diner at its current location on Route 31, and was put on the market for sale seven years later. Simon Siliverdis, who had operated diners with his brothers during the 1960s and 1970s, thought it would be fun to run the Amwell Diner “for a few years.” Those few years passed quickly. Members of the Siliverdis family celebrated their silver anniversary of ownership in April 2014 and recently marked their 30th year as owners and operators of the diner.

After finishing brunch followed by a bit more conversation, we bid farewell to Aglaia, Simon and the waitstaff. “See you next time,” we said, well aware that we don’t often pass through this neck of the Jersey woods. Still, the hope is that the “next time” will be less than eight years from now. It was a good thought to consider. We headed towards the artsy village of Lambertville for further Garden State adventures on a stifling Tuesday morning in mid-August.

Amwell Valley Diner and Restaurant 400 Route 31 Ringoes, NJ 609-466-2030

RINGOES — Attention cat lovers!

The cats at Tabby’s Place in Ringoes invite you to join them for an afternoon pure cuteness, self-guided tours and an opportunity to learn more about what the sanctuary does and how you can get involved as a volunteer.

On Saturday, April 22, Tabby’s Place: A Cat Sanctuary, at 1100 Route 202, will host an open house from noon to 4 p.m. where the public can visit the newly renovated facility, and learn about volunteering.

Several existing volunteers will be on hand to talk about the work they do at the cage-free haven for cats.

Tabby’s Place embraces the neediest cats regardless of age, medical issues, or temperament, making it a harbor of hope for the most desperate, with a particular focus on special needs cats.

At any given time, between 30 and 40 percent of cats at Tabby’s Place suffer from chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and paraplegia.

So, follow the paw prints throughout the shelter to see the cat suites, solariums, and other places. Tour guides will introduce you to some of the cats, and tell you their stories.

Take a peek at the first-ever expansion, Quinn’s Corner, a new home for cats with FeLV+ (feline leukemia). This virus can weaken a cat’s immune system and can be passed from cat to cat through casual contact, such as mutual grooming, and sharing water bowls.

Many other shelters are not equipped to take care of cats with feline leukemia, but at Tabby’s Place, there is a place for these animals.

Quinn’s Corner will have its official grand opening this summer.

Refreshments will also be served for both humans and cats.

The Tabby’s Place team strives to each person and cat with respect, compassion, and generosity of spirit. Volunteers are desperately needed.

If you’d like to come to the Open House and if you’re interested in becoming a volunteer, check out the event on its Facebook page, or visit the website.

[email protected]

The musical “Legally Blonde” will be presented this weekend by the Phillipsburg Area Summer Youth Theatre’s Mainstage Productions, with Ringoes resident Allisa Conover in the lead role as Elle Woods.

The shows, directed by Colette Boudreaux, will be held 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Phillipsburg High School, 1 Stateliner Boulevard in Lopatcong Township.

Conover, a rising senior at Hunterdon Central Regional High School, is making her debut with the PASYT and has been a regular cast member with ShowKids Invitational Theatre since she was 4 years old.

The show, based on the novel “Legally Blonde” by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film by the same name, depicts Woods as a California sorority sister who travels east to prove herself as a worthy and “serious” student at Harvard Law School while also in pursuit of ex-boyfriend, Warner Huntington III, who has enrolled at the school.

The musical will feature song-and-dance numbers by 52 Phillipsburg-area cast members, ranging in age from 14 to 22, in the PASYT’s 24th summer season.

Other leading cast members are Gabe Gonzalez as Warner Huntington III, Sal Montero (Emmett Forrest), Marlowe Nagle (Vivienne Kensington), Kali Morgia (Paulette Buonefonte), Hunter Tstensky (Professor Callahan), Ava Rose Dressendofer (Brooke Wyndham) and Aliza Campbell (Enid Hoopes).

An owner of the American Monarch Theatre, Boudreaux directs and choreographs for several theater programs in the Lehigh Valley. She also is a professional actress and director, having most recently appeared in Guys and Dolls at the Shawnee Playhouse.

The show’s music director, Jennifer Cagnassola, is a music teacher in Warren County and the choreographer at Warren Hills High School. She’s worked with the PASYT in the past for the organization’s camp productions.

Brandon Hanks, the choreographer, has directed and choreographed many Northeastern Pennsylvania productions and owns his own theater company in the Poconos.

Show tickets are $15, $10 for students and seniors can be purchased online at pasyt.org through showtix4u or at the door the day of the show.

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Hun-Val Milk label

Hun-Val milk, from Jared Weeks' dairy farm in Ringoes, now carries the Jersey Fresh label. (Photo courtesy Karin Belgrave Photogrpahy)

RINGOES -- The Jersey Fresh logo stamped on the jugs of milk sold by Hun-Val Farm near Ringoes is as fresh as the local, single-source milk inside them.

"It's a marketing tool that lets the public know it's a product produced in New Jersey, and held to a little bit higher standard of quality," Hun-Val owner Jared Weeks says.

The new Jersey Fresh certification means a lot to him, because every bit of support helps when you're among the rare breed of small-dairy farmers in New Jersey.

At 28, Weeks knows about small-dairy farming. "I starting milking on my own right out of high school," he said.

Raised in Bethlehem Township, he lived on a small farm with older sisters who started bringing him along to Mount Airy Dairy Club 4-H meetings. Drawn to dairy farming through his experience in 4-H, in middle school he started working for farmers near his home, milking cows and doing barn chores.

After graduating from North Hunterdon High School, Weeks started his own operation from a rented barn. "I had 12 cows," he said, and each of them was known by name.

He built his barn near Ringoes in 2008, and has slowly grown the herd to about 200, including everything from day-old calves to milking cows. He milks about 50 of them at any one time.

"We have about half Holsteins and have Brown Swiss," Weeks said. Holsteins are heavier producers, giving 80 to 82 pounds a day, while the Brown Swiss' milk has more protein and butterfat.

It's a balancing act, getting the right mix of production and quality, just as it's a balancing act making it in the world of small dairy farming.

"In this business, it's hard to make ends meet," Weeks said. "I wanted to stay small and try to do a good job." He could make more milk by feeding his cows differently, "but I like to see cows go out on grass in the summertime and kick up their heels a bit."

There's something to that talk about happy cows, he said. "If cows are comfortable, they live longer, produce better ... bacteria counts, all that go hand-in-hand with cow comfort."

So for now, the herd of 200 is about all Weeks wants to handle. "You have to be pretty well on top of things to ensure quality," he said. "It's an intense management practice."

A down side of staying small is that "it's harder to get into markets," Weeks said. He counts himself lucky that Readington Farms is nearby in Hunterdon County. "They're one of the few remaining dairies in the state that will buy milk," Weeks said. "And they're a nice dairy to work with. They care about the producers and they care about quality."

Weeks is currently outsourcing the bottling process for his milk bearing the Hun-Val label, which is available at Brick Farm Market in Hopewell Borough.

"It's my milk from our cows, and we're using a bottler as a test run," Weeks said. "We want to see if it's worth doing ourselves. It allows us to get a feel for everything without the financial burden."

It also frees him up to concentrate on what's most important, he said.

"I try to stay focused on the cows."

Ah, wine — red, white, rosé, blush {yes they’re different} ice wine, port… you name it. You may not know it, but New Jersey has some excellent wineries {if you’re willing to take a little drive} that have all of these vinos + more. Being the wine enthusiasts that we are, we recently explored Pour and Pedal Bike Tours, which offer 10-15 mile bike rides through the farmlands of NJ and through some of our state’s best wineries {and every so often GILT offers deals on Pour and Pedal Bike Tour — score}. Being that fall is the perfect season for biking and wining, we wanted to share with you what went down on our tour… besides a lot of wine.

First Stop, Unionville Yards

We arrived at Unionville Vineyards in East Amwell, NJ {about an hour and a half from the Mile Square} around 9:30AM, as instructed on our tickets, and had only a little bit of downtime while waiting for the rest of the tour group to arrive, about 16 people total. We got to pick out our bikes {relatively comfy and in fun colors like pumpkin orange} against the beautiful backdrop of farmhouses and rolling hills before we proceeded to the tasting room to begin our first stop of the tour.

Ok, maybe we were a bit skeptical about wine tasting at 10:30 in the morning {some of us aren’t in our 20s anymore}, but the ambiance and the great experience made us quickly forget about that. We were impressed to learn that Unionville actually owns four vineyards in the East Amwell area and that their wines are classified as being on the drier side, meaning they have less of an oaky taste. Unionville itself is a winery in addition to a vineyard – the difference being that at Unionville, you can taste wine, whereas vineyards are just for grape growing.

With that in mind, we dove right into the whites and rosés. A few of our favorites: the 2014 Unionville Home Vineyard Chardonnay {very light and crisp}, the 2016 Hunterdon Mistral Rosé {a lovely salmon-colored wine that is super light and refreshing with hints of berry}, the Big O {a heavier Bordeaux-style red made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot}, and the 2015 Cool Foxy Lady Ice Wine {a perfect fruity aperitif}. Side note: we may or may not have bought bottles of a few of these for our next Netflix binge.

After a thorough tour at Unionville {though we may have possibly been tipsy}, we proceeded to get on our bikes and ride to our second stop, Old York Cellars. If the idea of riding a bike in an unfamiliar are after doing a little drinking makes you a bit uneasy, we’re happy to tell you that the group often made several stops to make sure that everyone was keeping up and on the right path. All bikes were also outfitted with a large basket in front {with printed directions that outlined our route – a smart move} and was perfect for storing bags, purses, and water for hydrating. While the ride to the winery wasn’t easy, it wasn’t impossible {think a light version of spin class} — there were some large hills, and one of us may have had to walk the bike up a few of them {since some of us still aren’t in our 20s anymore} and we were definitely pretty sweaty by the time we reached our destination, so comfy clothes were a must.

Second Stop, Old York Cellars:

We arrived at Old York Cellars ready for some more wine and lunch, and were pretty impressed with the majestic views and large amount of space that it had to offer. The beautiful outdoor bar at the winery was the perfect setting for the second wine tasting.

We thoroughly enjoyed the 2016 Vidal Blanc {a crisp white}, the What Exit Blush {fresh and fruity}, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon {surprisingly light and yet dry at the same time}, and the 2015 Syrah {wonderfully refreshing and spicy}. Once our tasting was done, our tour group provided us with lunch {which we ordered ahead of time} in the form of sandwiches or salad, a bag of chips and some water to re-fuel. Plus we got to walk around the property and savor the fall weather.

We found the ride back to be a lot easier and shorter than the ride to the winery, which was a relief after all that wine and food. Once we arrived back at Unionville, we were surprised with a Pour and Pedal water bottle, bottle opener, and free wine glass {let’s face it, swag always seals the deal}. We headed back home feeling accomplished — and successful in both a workout and new wine knowledge — not a bad way to spend a day!

Have you been on a Pedal and Pour bike tour? What’d you think?