Movie Viewing...Foodie Style!

Today, John and I finally viewed the movie "Food, Inc." after hearing much about it. Let's just say that it lived up to its billing! I didn't learn anything new, but the movie itself was well put together and very informative. Our food supply is precarious and Food Inc. illustrates that point...to the point! It further reinforced my desire to start seed saving and I'm working to find heirloom and open pollinated varieties to do just that! If you care about food or if you eat...see this movie!

Today I'm thankful for....PIE!!!

There are a LOT of things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving day, too numerous to even begin to list. So I'll focus on one...PIE!

Here are the Top Ten things for which I am thankful (with regard to pie):
1. I am thankful for the garden space and the ability to grow my own pumpkins.
2. I am thankful for parents who were leaving for the winter and "gave" me a whole box of apples. (I refuse to say I stole them, the box honestly would never have fit in their vehicle.)
3. I am thankful for a mother-in-law who shared her "apple pie in a jar" recipe.
4. I am thankful for a husband who has graciously eaten all of my pie making attempts in the past, even the one that started on fire!
5. I am thankful for my sister who shared the buttermilk pie crust recipe that has made me into a good pie maker.
6. I am thankful for a mother who is the epitome of pie making and the very reason I could never bring myself to buy a pie crust from the grocery store. Rather than send her to an early grave if she ever found out it was a store-bought pie crust, I forced myself to conquer the pie.
7. I am thankful for a daughter who may not help me make pie, but was right there cheering me on and sorting through the spices.
8. I am thankful for a husband who did not sample any of the Thanksgiving pies. He showed such restraint! (Perhaps the distraction of a pan of chocolate revel bars was enough.)
9. I am thankful for wonderful friends who will share in these pies later today. We may not be family in the blood sense, but we're family in Christ.
10. I am thankful for a oven to bake my pies in (even if it is a 1970's era, harvest gold model), a house to cover my oven (even if it does need new siding and windows), a farm that grows our food (even if there are some weeds and John's junk cars) and especially a God who has provided our family with it all. Praise be to God, indeed!

A November Update

WOW! It's been over a month since I've last blogged. Simple neglect is my only excuse. The weather has been absolutely wonderful! I must confess that the early October snowfall had me worried about another winter like last year, it started early and stayed late. But it all melted within a day and we have enjoyed unseasonably warm temperatures since. I'd like to be able to stay that I've gotten a ton of work done in the gardens, but I cannot. I've spent a lot of the time with my kiddos, outside and in. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing that I left "undone", but there are a few tasks that could be done either this fall or in the spring.

Seed catalogs have started arriving in my mailbox, three just yesterday! I'll be spending time pouring over them with a cup of homemade hot chocolate in one hand and my trusty pen in the other, making notes and plans for next season. We've had a lot of interest in memberships for next year which is great as we are looking to double our membership to 15 for 2010. I'll be sending out the new (and improved) brochures this week just in time for Thanksgiving.

John and I have been so blessed in the past year! With the arrival of our son and a successful (and educational) first CSA season. Yes, we certainly have much to be thankful for this year. We are celebrating Thanksgiving with a number of friends who are without family this day. I'm providing many things from our garden: squash, green beans, pumpkin, apples (from a neighbor), beets, pickles, carrots. I'll also be baking some bread....definitely a local meal!

Enjoy this time and be thankful!

Goodbye to an old friend!

This week I bid a tearful goodbye to my faithful friends. They've seen me through many, many years. I bought them on clearance for $3 at an end of the season sale my sophomore year in college. These babies have done rounds in Sevrinson and Weible halls, ran out to start a car at the apartment in Bismarck, walked the dog miles and miles in Wilton. Not to mentioned being worn to and from every garden I've ever worked. They've gone into malls, stores and markets. And coached many a basketball and track practice.

After 13 years of dedicated and faithful service, the side blew out on the left one. I repaired it with the "handyman's secret weapon" (aka duct tape) but even that wore through and I was forced to part with my dear friends. Thirteen years is a good run for any footwear, but I nominate these babies for some sort of longevity versus money invested award!

So I bid my beloved sandals a fond farewell and thank them for many years of comfortable wear!!!

And now the search begins for a new pair...there's some big sandals to fill!

Week Fifteen CSA Boxes

Ahhh, the last week is upon us! I cannot believe how fast the season has gone. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end. Here is the last box for 2009:


KALE
CHARD
PUMPKINS
POTATOES
TOMATOES
PARSLEY/BASIL
CABBAGE
ONION
CARROTS
PEPPERS
SUMMER SQUASH
ZUCCHINI
GOURDS (decorative only)

also, GREEN TOMATOES


Thank you to everyone who participated this year! We appreciate you trusting us with growing your food.

Week Fourteen CSA Boxes

Time certainly got away from me and I didn't get these posted last week. Here was the box for week fourteen!



BUTTERCUP SQUASH
PUMPKIN
PICKLE RELISH
CHERRY TOMATOES
EGGPLANT
POTATOES
CHARD
KALE
PEPPERS
CARROTS
ZUCCHINI
SUMMER SQUASH
TOMATOES
CABBAGE
CUCUMBERS
BASIL
PARSLEY

Beautiful, almost Bountiful, Tomatoes

It's been a long, cold struggle to get to the ripe tomato stage, but the weather the past two weeks has significantly helped the ripening process! This week I made 14 quarts of vegetable soup: tomato base, peppers, onions, kale, potatoes, corn, cabbage, carrots...all picked fresh from the garden that morning. The corn was the 9 ears of sweetcorn we actually grew ourselves this (pitiful corn-growing) season. It was a long hard day of cleaning and chopping vegetables but the 14 beautiful jars of soup that stand on my counter are a great reminder that it was all worth it! They will be a wonderful taste of summer in the dead of winter, a bowl of hot soup and some crusty homemade bread...now that's a great meal that Campbell's just can't come close to!

Week Thirteen CSA Boxes

What a great week of weather and the gardens have continued to respond! We have a wonderful variety of vegetables for you to enjoy this week:

POTATOES
CHARD
KALE
BROCCOLI
CABBAGE
TOMATOES
CHERRY TOMATOES
BASIL
PARSLEY
BANANA PEPPERS
JALAPENO PEPPERS
BELL PEPPERS
CARROTS
ONION
SUMMER SQUASH
ZUCCHINI
CHOKECHERRY JELLY
and not pictured, CUCUMBERS and FRESH FLOWERS!

Week Twelve CSA Boxes

The end of the season is in sight, but still so much food to put in the boxes. Here is what we have this week:

KALE
CHARD
ZUCCHINI
BELL PEPPERS
BANANA PEPPERS
JALAPENO PEPPERS
ONION
CHERRY TOMATOES
LETTUCE
CABBAGE
TOMATOES
BROCCOLI
CUCUMBERS
POTATOES
CARROTS
SWEET CORN

Enjoy!!

Another Great Homegrown Dish

Some of my CSA customers have asked "What do I do with chard?" Here's a great way to eat it! Chop up some onion, zucchini or summer squash. Strip the leaves of the chard from the stems. Tear into rough pieces. Saute the onions and squashes in a couple tablespoons butter or olive oil until almost tender. Add chard and cook until wilted. DELICIOUS!

Pinto Beans

This year I tried to grow pinto beans. I bought a 1/2 pound of seed and planted them next to my green and yellow bush beans in a brand new garden space. We did do some battles with grass infestation but when it was all said and done, I yielded a half bushel of unshelled beans.


The shelling process was tedious. John remarked "Don't they have combines to do this?" Actual yield was about 12 cups of pinto beans.


I shared these beans with my CSA members along with a refried beans recipe...much better than ANYTHING in a can!

Week Eleven CSA Boxes

Here are the box contents for this week:
SWEET CORN
TOMATO
CHERRY TOMATOES
BROCCOLI
SUMMER SQUASH
LETTUCE
ZUCCHINI
POTATOES
CARROTS
CUCUMBERS
BANANA (OR BELL) PEPPERS
JALAPENO PEPPERS

Not pictured but still in the box:
ONIONS
PINTO BEANS
CHARD
KALE

Hopefully, those four items have learned their lesson and will not be late for any more group photos!!

Our Local Meal

This was our supper tonight, Fry Bread Tacos! The dough is from an artisan bread recipe I have that allows me to make a big batch of dough, keep it in the refrigerator and then use it as needed for homemade bread. My oven quit on Friday so I couldn't pop a loaf in the oven. Onto the stovetop it went! The dough has taken on a sourdough flavor and was delicious just by itself. The beef was locally grown from a friend of ours that we traded some work from us for beef from them. The tomatoes were the first of the season and they were wonderful! The lettuce, onions and jalapenos were fresh picked from the garden minutes before we ate them. The only thing in our tacos that wasn't homegrown was the cheese. But I told John, "Give me a year or two with goats and we'll have the cheese too!"