Edgewater Farm CSA Week 2

Today Marc brought home our second CSA box. Inside we had: rhubarb, scallions, lettuce (green and red leaf), strawberries, garlic scapes, hakurai turnips, and a bag of spinach. We also received the flowers that were left at the farm last week - petunias and impatiens to plant in our garden. 

Violet was very curious about the box and instantly sat down on the floor next to it when I asked her whether she wanted to see what was inside. 

We went through all the names of the vegetables as she pulled them from the box but really she had tunnel vision on the strawberries as soon as she saw them. Lucky for her she and Daddy were allowed to have a couple straight from the box. 

We still have a couple stalks of rhubarb, some basil, one summer squash and two cousa squash leftover from last week. The hits from last week were mozzarella, tomato and basil bites, apple rhubarb crumble and salad. Violet loved the cucumbers and while Marc really enjoyed the Swiss chard, I was not a big fan. 

This week my challenge will be the turnips and the garlic scapes. I'm hopeful we'll be able to use all our produce and get the plants in the ground by next Wednesday! 

Edgewater Farm CSA Week 1

Today we picked up our first CSA box from Edgewater Farm in New Hampshire. In our box we had: rhubarb, Swiss chard, cucumbers, summer squash, cousa squash, scallions, lettuce, basil and these delicious strawberries.

I've never cooked Swiss chard nor rhubarb before so this week will also start our adventures in the kitchen. To be honest I'm a little nervous but definitely excited. I hope I can get Violet a little more excited about the box next week. This week she was way more excited about eating blueberries - what she calls "bleh". 

Chickens - A Spice Girl Update

Two weeks ago Violet and I stopped by the local feed store to pick up our 7 baby chickens (Barred Rock). Violet was more interested in running up and down the aisles then watching the little animals that were making all the noise. But with a little help from the staff we were able to find everything we needed, pick up our chicks and head home.

Once home we transferred them into our DIY brooder - a plastic box with newspaper and paper towels on the bottom, water and feed containers and a heat lamp. They happily chirped from there until the weekend when we found them a larger box to move into. In the larger box we put pine shavings on the bottom and gave them a little roost to rest on. It was really fun to see them wander around with the additional space.

It's amazing to me how much these chicks have changed over the last two weeks. When they first arrived they were covered in black and yellow fuzz, would happily fall asleep in our hands and didn't do much but eat sleep and poop. I called them our baby narcoleptics because they would fall asleep wherever they happened to be when they got tired - head in their feed, on their side with their legs stretched out, standing up beak resting on the ground, and even all piled on top of each other. 

Within the first week they started to get feathers on their wings and now during the second week their wings are more feather then fuzz. Some of them are even starting to get feathers on their tails. Their feet are definitely bigger and they spend some of their day walking around their box and pecking at the pine shavings. They've also started to fly a little and jump up at the side of the box and on top of the water and feed containers. To make sure they don't escape we've put a temporary screen over the top of the box. Although, yesterday when I removed the screen to clean out their water, I returned to find one chicken sitting up on the edge of the box. I guess I won't be leaving the screen off for very long in the future unless I want free range chickens in my dining room. 

I also feel like we are beginning to see the start of their personalities. There's one who will always try to peck you when you reach in but will happily sit in your hands when you hold her. There's one who peeps really loudly when separated from the group or when someone else is doing something she doesn't like. And there's one who seems to be the outsider of the group, although lately she seems to have found a friend. 

We have temporarily named the group the Spice Girls. We intend to trade three chicks for two hens and end up with a flock of 6. Ultimately I hope to name them Poppyseed, Pepper, Fennel and Anise for the young ones and Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary for the older hens - assuming of course I can tell them apart. Initially we had a few differentiating marks in the color of their fuzz but with that rapidly turning into feathers it's becoming a little bit more difficult. I guess we'll have to wait to see the fully feathered to know for sure if we'll be able to tell them apart.

Once the weather gets warm enough outside and our little ladies are fully feathered we'll be able to move them outside. In the meantime Marc has a few more weeks to complete the chicken coop with Violet keeping an eye on construction. The actual coop will be a post for another day.  

Violet - 12 Months

Weight - 22 pounds 6 ounces

Length - 30 1/2 inches

Head Circumference - 18 inches 

Dear Violet,

I know you didn't turn 12 months over night but to be completely honest it still snuck up on me. As I was decorating your high chair last night it hit me - you are a toddler. I remember when your Dad handed you to me to hold for the very first time when you were only seconds old. I remember counting your age in weeks because I felt like I earned every single one. Now you are a one year old. An opinionated, curious, motivated, friendly, cute and boogery one year old.

The best part about being one is that your little personality is really shining through. We see your determination when you crawl across your room to get what you want to play with and slowly drag it with you as you crawl back to us on one elbow. Your sweet and loving side when you hand me your most prized bunny blanket as I say good morning to you everyday. Your mischievousness as you've learned to open and close your drawers, which means socks may or may not be in their drawer, in your t-shirt drawer, in a pile on the floor or hidden somewhere else in your room. Your intelligence as you learn more signs and can now identify where different parts of your body are. And last but not least your opinions - now you will shake your head "no" to let us know if we got it wrong or share your frustrated whine if you're not getting what you want.

You are also really fun to have at the table for meals. So far we're lucky that not only will you sit in your high chair with us during meals but most of the time you will enjoy the food we are eating too. You like to cheers with your sippy cup, you attempt to use a fork and spoon, and you have even mastered sipping from a straw. When asking for more you will point to what you want and if we select the wrong item you will quickly correct us with a shake of your head. You've also gotten three more teeth in that smile of yours.

This month we also started to take you swimming once a month with on of your baby friends. The first time you weren't so sure, probably because it was a brand new environment. But since then you seem to be your normal happy self floating around in the water. Out of the water you have started to take a few steps on your own but you are still mostly happy holding on to one of our hands to walk you around. Two days after your first birthday the switch flipped - in the morning you were holding on to our hands and by the time dad came home from work you were walking all on your own. I have a feeling you will start to "get" things like this more and more over the next year.

We couldn't be more excited with everything you continue to learn and how you continue to grow. Your first year has been so much fun and we can only see how it is going to continue to get better with every passing year. On the one hand, we wish we could keep you little forever but on the other hand we wouldn't want to miss out on all your great accomplishments we have yet to see. Happy First Birthday Violet!

Love,
Your Mom and Dad

Violet - 11 months

Weight - 

Dear Violet,

Today we took your last monthly photo. As I compared it to your previous pictures I was amazed by how much you have grown and changed over the last 11 months. This month has probably been the month we've had the most fun with you yet. You are taking your first steps, you are beginning to communicate and you definitely have your own wants, needs and a spunky personality to go along with it all.

At the beginning of this month you were "walking" around holding on to both of our fingers. By the middle of the month we had convinced you to continue "walking" by holding on to only one of our fingers or our hand. As your confidence grew you started getting stubborn - if I tried to walk in a direction you didn't want to go, you would let go of my hand, drop to your knees and crawl where you wanted to go. By the last day of December you took two steps all by yourself and since then you have worked on putting more steps together. Today you are up to 4 or 5 steps on your own if we are right there in front of you to catch you. I expect your confidence to keep growing and by the end of next month you will probably have it down.

Speaking of confidence your crawling has reached turbo speed. Not only can you go from one end of the house to the other in a heartbeat, you'll now follow us from room to room. If you hear someone in another room you will often crawl off on your own down the hall to figure out where they are. It's really fun to watch your spacial awareness develop and see that you are not afraid to go where you want to go.

Your curiosity has also led you to start opening cabinets and drawers, closing doors and trying to figure out just what the dishwasher is all about. Gravity provides constant entertainment but now instead of dropping food off the edge of your high chair tray you will put it into mine or Daddy's hand. We just have to remember to offer you our hand before you decide to give Gravity another go. Along with handing us food you don't want you've also started handing us your toys, our mail, your bunny and any pieces of dirt or fluff you find on the floor. This is so much better then when you used to put them straight into your mouth without a second thought.

As you are growing bigger your language is also developing. Along with "ba", "ra" and "da" you now also say "na" and "ma". The best part about eavesdropping on you talking is that your baby babble is actually beginning to sound like a conversation. Not only do you have a variety of syllables and noises that you make but you also inject pauses and different intonations into your "words". I can't wait to listen to you when you actually speak English.

While you are working on your English we have found a great intermediary stage in sign language. You now use the "more" sign in reference to food, books and nursing. You use "all done" whenever you are satisfied with your meal. When someone says "yay" your legs kick, your lips stretch into a large smile and you clap your hands together emphatically. This never fails to make us smile right there along with you. It's at this moment that you appear to be beaming with pride. We are too.

Love,
Your Mom and  Dad