Life Lyn Style

Geauga Family Farms CSA–summer week 7

Jul 172012

It’s week 7 of our Geauga Family Farms CSA. We made our pick up at Whole Foods and headed home as quickly as possible since it’s 97 degrees outside.

Here’s what we received in our small share this week:

tomatoes, pickling cucumbers

onions, cucumbers

zucchini, cherry tomatoes

beets, lettuce

green beans

I think we’ve passed the heavy greens part of the season with all of the heat lately. I suspect, we’ll see more greens when the weather cools toward the end of the CSA season. The tomatoes will be great for salads. Stephen and Nick like them. Sally and I do not. If anyone has any tips on learning to like the texture of tomatoes, please let me know.

I’m going to make refrigerator pickles with both types of cucumbers this week. I need to slice the onion for a cabbage dish that I am going to make. I used the reserved onions in tonight’s dinner, so I need to replenish. I had some squash grilled at an event this past weekend, so I decided to just make zucchini straight up tonight. I’m not sure what I don’t eat it like that more often. This week’s zucchini will be eaten with minimal preparation.

I’m going to venture out of my comfort zone on the beets and try to use one raw on some salad. I may also use some on a quesadilla of sorts. I’ll let you know how it turns out. The beet greens weren’t worth keeping this week.

The lettuce will go to salad and the beans will be a great side dish in the next day or two. I was sad that we didn’t receive any fruit this week. I was expecting blueberries. The ones we received the last couple of weeks were so good. I have plans to go picking on Thursday, so I’ll be able to replenish our supply then.

With all of my preparations over the weekend, I feel very caught up in the kitchen and ready to tackle this week’s share.

Fenwick Island Farmers’ Market, Delaware

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Jul 162012

On Monday of the week we were at the beach house, I planned to go to the Farmers’ Market at Bethany Beach. The only problem with that is that it had happened on Sunday – OOPS! So, Stephen checked around and found this market for us.

It took us about 20 minutes to drive there from Rehoboth. We were mostly hoping that we beat the storm that was coming.

Turns out this was a very small market. I think there were about 12 vendors.

Parking was really close to the vendors. It was actually kind of dangerous. Cars and pedestrians don’t mix well. It wasn’t crowded at all.

We picked up a few small things. Nick picked out some pita chips and Stephen and I picked out croissants. My favorite was Sally picking out cucumbers. Both kids really like spending money at the markets.

I like that with each trip to a market, they get to practice naming all of the vegetables that we see. It’s also interesting to see the seasonality of produce in the different climates. We were in DE in June and peaches and corn were already in season. Generally, they are 2-4 weeks ahead of Ohio.

Taste of Tremont

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Jul 152012

Today, I worked the Fresh Fork CSA booth at Taste of Tremont. I was able to park near Tremont and College streets. I was told to look for the smoke. It was easy to spot.

I met up with some of the other crew and got to work. It’s always nice to see Allison and Kelly. In the background the roasting of corn had begun.

Fresh Fork displayed some products for sale. Mostly, we sold corn on the cob and pig roast platters.

There were a couple of downpours, but it was hot and sunny most of the day.

I think Trevor enjoyed a couple minutes away from the grill during one of rains. Bean was a big help, but after a few hours started to get bored. Later in the day, it was time for the second pig.

It was fun to be a part of the crew today. Maybe in a future year, I’ll visit a few of the other vendors. This was the tenth year for the event which draws 20,000 people each year.

Making Vanilla

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Jul 142012

I’ve wanted to make vanilla for a long time. Recently, I read a post about it and decided that it was a good time to order some beans and start some for holiday gifts.

Stephen volunteered to slice the vanilla beans open.

They were put into a 1/2 gallon canning jar. Vodka was added.

We make 2 jars worth and it’s sitting in our canned cupboard.

We’re supposed to give it a shake every once in a while. Hopefully at the end of the year, we’ll have great vanilla to use as gifts.

Fresh Fork Market 2012 Summer CSA–week 6

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Jul 132012

Due to some other plans today, we picked up our bag yesterday. The flexibility is awesome.

WOW, I need to get a better photo set up as I am having trouble fitting everything in one frame! This week’s bag is great. I’m still getting used to the vast amount of stuff in a large vs. the small that we subscribed to last year. I’d never go back to the small.

Here’s my attempt at a group shot.

Here’s what we were expecting to receive:

1 whole chicken
1 pint blueberries
1 head leaf lettuce
2 ct cucumbers
2-3 zucchini/squash
1 head red cabbage
About 3 tomatoes, depending on size
1 lb. apricots
1 bunch beets or 1 bunch carrots (rotating for the next two weeks, everyone will get each)
2 lbs. peaches
1 bunch green onions
1 lb. green beans
1 package of ravioli
1 bunch Swiss chard

Our chicken was partially thawed. I’m guessing that was due to the excessive heat yesterday. So, instead of putting it straight in the freezer, it’s thawing in our fridge. That made fitting everything in the fridge a bit challenging, but we managed. I’m hoping to cut it up and have Stephen grill it for dinner tomorrow. We’ll see how that goes. Usually, I roast them whole. I’m going to cut the onions up and freeze them.

I’m not sure about the red cabbage. I may use some of it in a slaw, but I need to do a bit more research. The cucumbers have been great for salads and snacking. I keep thinking about making some pickles, but they keep disappearing.

We’ll grill the zucchini with the chicken. The apricots almost didn’t make it through dinner. After packing lunches today, there’s one left.

The peaches have been great for snacking or in our oatmeal. These need another day or two to ripen. With our abundance of lettuce, the tomatoes will be great in the salads (for Nick and Stephen).

I made a simple white sauce to go with the spinach and garlic scape pasta last night. The pasta was on the strong side, but it was definitely tasty. You can’t really tell from this photo, but this is the biggest head of lettuce ever.

After going to the Beet class last week, I’m excited to make puree and freeze it for future pizza! These are the best beet greens that I’ve ever seen. I’m going to use them tomorrow so I can enjoy them. The four of us finished the blueberries this morning at breakfast. It’s a good thing that I picked 15 pounds for the freezer this week.

The green beans have been tasty this year. These will make a great side dish with one of our chicken meals. I’ll probably use the Swiss chard in some eggs for breakfast tomorrow.

This weekend is all about using up the bulk. Our fridge is overflowing with fresh goodness. Hopefully, by Sunday night, we’ll have it a bit more under control.

U-Pick Tour–Wintergreen Tree Farm–2012 blueberries take 2

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Jul 122012

Yep, after our visit to Wintergreen Tree Farm on Tuesday, Sally and I headed back to Mantua today. Once we checked in, we headed to almost the last row of bushes. Then, we headed to the back of the row. At times, it was hard to get through the aisle. I knew if we kept going, the picking was going to be great. The berries did not let us down. Even though Sally can walk on her own, I don’t know if I can go blueberry picking without a stroller. It’s nice to have a place for all of our stuff.

Sally has been really enjoying my attention since Nick’s been at camp this week. I kept catching her eating blueberries out of the big bucket. My response was usually for her to pick her own if she was hungry.

Back at the shed, Hannah checked us out. We picked almost 9 pounds! I didn’t get a photo of our crop, but our buckets was just a couple of inches from the top. Again, I put them in containers and they went straight to our freezer.

I talk to Hannah about the crop. She guesses that there’s about 2 weeks of picking left. I’m hoping to take my niece and nephew when they come to town. It’s going to be tight. My niece really wants to go blueberry picking.

Sally posed with Hannah. It was a great day for picking!

U-Pick Tour–Wintergreen Tree Farm, Mantua Ohio–2012 blueberries

Adventures with Nick and Sally, U-Pick 1 Response »

Jul 112012

It’s blueberry time! Blueberry picking is one of my favorite u-pick crops. It’s not as easy to fill a pail like apples or peaches, but it’s so rewarding.

We really like Wintergreen Tree Farm for blueberries. Here’s a photo of one of the rows that we picked in yesterday. The bushes are tall enough that you aren’t even in full sun.

Since Nick is enjoying camp this week, Sally and I headed out to the farm. I wasn’t sure how it would be to have a toddler to entertain while I picked. She did great. It took her about 2 seconds to pick and eat a blueberry. I love the guilty look on her face. There’s a reason she’s in a purple shirt.

The bushes were loaded with blueberries. Picking was especially good yesterday. It was even better if you took time to walk to the back of the row and pick. It’s hard to walk by ripe berries, but it’s usually worth waiting for the superb picking. I generally will walk to the end of the row and then work my way back to the front. I start out meticulously picking and then as the little ones get tired, I do some picking, walking, picking, walking routine until we get back to the parking area.

Even though Sally can definitely walk, we took the stroller. I had planned to use it for gear and berries, but she actually sat in it off and on. It worked out just fine. Last year, the kids and I fell in love with Julie. She’s moved on from working at this farm and Hannah has taken over. She was nice enough to let me take a photo of her. She’s worked chestnuts and Christmas Trees here before, so she’s not new to the farm.

This is a photo of the little shed where you start and end picking. There’s a port-a-jon and two picnic tables. They also sell cold drinks at the shed. I ended up picking just over 7 pounds of berries. $11.50 was our total.

I put the berries into these containers, delivered one to a friend, one to the fridge and the rest to our freezer. Some people lay berries out on a cookie sheet to freeze first, but as long as the berries are dry, I just freeze them in the containers. If I start running out of containers, I’ll sometimes pour them into resealable plastic bags once they are frozen. That way, they don’t get squashed.

The photo on the right is to show the great color on the berries. We’re hoping to go picking a few more times this season. I haven’t decided if we’ll try any other farms this year.

Geauga Family Farms CSA–summer week 6

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Jul 102012

Today, we had pick up number 6 for our Geauga Family Farms CSA. The Whole Food pick up has been different this year. There’s not one person from Whole Foods manning the pick up. It’s more of a self serve in the back room and stop at the desk to check off your name. It’s fine in the back room, the kids and I miss seeing Andrew.

Here’s what we received this week:

cherry tomatoes, blueberries

tomato, squash (yellow squash and zucchini)

cucumber, onion

lettuce, cauliflower

green beans, basil

Stephen and Nick will probably eat all of the cherry tomatoes tomorrow. I’m glad that’s one item that I never have to worry about. We are also going to get some out of our garden this year. We’re psyched about that. The blueberries made me smile. I picked 7 pounds of blueberries today, so this container doesn’t seem like much to me. I froze most of what I picked already. These will be used on cereal at breakfast or snacks tomorrow. Nick is in camp this week and has to pack a snack and lunch. I’ve been trying to give him as many good local items as possible.

I’m going to try squash chips with the squash this week. I’ve read a few recipes on line and will create my own version of them. I hope that I can get enough moisture out of them to make them crunchy. The tomato and lettuce will go in salads. The cucumber will be chopped up for snacks.

We have quite a bit of onion at the moment. I’ll try to make fajitas this week. We still have pepper strips frozen that need used up anyway. I’m in the mood for homemade whole wheat tortillas so that will work out well.

We’ll have the cauliflower as a side dish one day this week. We had the beans with dinner tonight. They were absolutely delicious and there’s just enough left to put a few in Stephen’s lunch tomorrow.

The basil looks a bit tired, but I’m sure it will be tasty. I’m going to make a vinaigrette dressing with it.

I haven’t really tried many actual recipes lately. I’m planning to carve out some more time for cooking in the next couple of weeks. I feel like I’m still adjusting from being away on vacation. I’m already looking forward to next week’s share.

Allentown Farmer’s Market

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Jul 092012

While we were traveling, we stopped at a travel plaza in Allentown PA. They had a Farmer’s Market which is always exciting for me. The kids get excited too. I knew there wasn’t much chance of purchasing anything, but we took a look anyway.

Here’s an overview photo. Turns out this market was put on by one group, Haas Produce. It’s unclear if they are growers or not. My guess is that they grow some items and source the rest.

Nick’s learning that his role is to practice naming all of the fruits and vegetable he sees.

Sally helps too. She’s starting to try and name items before Nick. Sadly, this market consisted of locally grown as well as items acquired from elsewhere (other states). All of the products were labeled. So, if you wanted to truly buy locally grown you could. We did get stumped on the “fresh” designation that didn’t state where it was from. After we checked out the produce, Stephen helped the kids stretch.

And then we let them race up and down the sidewalk. Sitting in the car all day doesn’t use up much energy.

I’m always glad to stop at a new market. I was also glad that they wasn’t anything that I wanted to buy since I didn’t have any room in the cooler for produce.

Fresh Fork Warehouse

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Jul 082012

A few weeks back, I had the opportunity to see the new Fresh Fork CSA office and warehouse space. Since I used to have my own warehouse, I always enjoy checking them out.

I rang the bell. Fresh Fork occupies a small part of the office space near ISP. Here’s a photo of Robert on the phone. I think he spends most of his day answering the phones, especially at the beginning of the season.

Unlike the old space, there are plenty of docks to share with other tenants. On the right, a freezer full of chickens. These were the chickens that we received in our bag the first week.

I also visited the cooler where I saw all of this delicious Snowville Creamery milk.

Since deliveries hadn’t started yet, there wasn’t too much in the warehouse, but it was still fun to look around. Someday, I’ll visit when the trucks are in action. But for now, I’ll just keep enjoying my bag each week.

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