Edgewater Farm CSA Week 4

Another Wednesday, another box! This week we have - strawberries, basil, lettuce, beets, scallions, cucumbers and radishes.

My little berry monster was able to spot the berries in the box even when they were underneath all of that green. And as soon as they were uncovered there was no stopping her. 

I'm super excited about the beets as they are one of my favorites and just as excited about the stash of cucumbers in the box. They will taste delicious with the hummus I made yesterday using some of last weeks parsley. 

The surprising part was just how much Basil we got in our box - it will definitely be pesto week in our house! Violet couldn't even lift it up it was so heavy. 

The lettuce on the other hand was much easier to maneuver. Last weeks hits were a spinach, mushroom, potato breakfast pie (like a quiche); herbed hummus; and white bean garlic scape dip. 

We're finishing up the last of last weeks lettuce tonight and we still have the radishes and a couple scallions to go. My plan this week is to try roasting the radishes and/or making radish chips. I'm not a huge fan of raw radishes in salad. 

Edgewater Farm CSA Week 3

Somebody was itching to open the box as soon as Marc brought it through the front door. She could see the berries through the side and couldn't wait to get her hands on them. "Bock, Bock"

This week our box came with: cousa squash, rhubarb, scallions, lettuce, strawberries, garlic scapes, radishes, and parsley. Basically a bunch of stuff we have had in weeks past minus the stuff I was really hoping we'd get more of, ahem turnips and cucumbers. 

The parsley was mildly entertaining until Violet realized she could get her hands on the berries. After pointing them out she nicely requested "bleh pease". 

From last weeks box we still have some rhubarb, scallions, lettuce and spinach. So I guess overall we didn't do so great at eating everything up. The spinach I am probably going to turn into quiche - just for me since Marc is intolerant to spinach and Violet is allergic to eggs. And the rhubarb will most likely turn into another delicious apple rhubarb crumble. 

The winners from last weeks box were definitely the garlic scapes and the turnips. We made a delicious orichiette dish with mushrooms and garlic scapes and a separate Israeli couscous dish with both roasted turnips and the turnip greens. If I ever come across hakurai turnips again you can bet I am going to roast them. 

Since I've seen everything in this box before I think the challenge will just be eating it all up before next weeks box arrives. 

Munching on berries, pretty sure Marc is wishing he was too.

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.