Edgewater Farm CSA Week 11

This week Marc was away on a business trip on Wednesday so Violet and I went to the office to pick up the box. The whole drive home and when we entered the house I listened to a chorus of "box, box, box ...". It's amazing how persistent she can be over something she loves. 

Inside our box we had Corn, Cabbage, Carrots, Plum Tomatoes, Melon, Purple Radish, Carmen Pepper, White Pepper, Parsley, and a couple Lisianthus to add to our flower share. 

Once again Violets favorite were the "tatoes!". Although she was intrigued by the purple radishes too. 

Nothing too crazy and exotic in this box but lots of delicious fresh produce. The corn and melons have been exceptionally good so far this year so I'm happy to keep receiving them in our box. We're also finally getting the hang of using everything up before the next box arrives which always feels good. 

All About the Kitchen Sink

The other evening when I entered the kitchen I noticed a small puddle of water below the kitchen sink. I thought to myself, "Hmm, that's strange I don't think I spilled water when I was washing the dishes." And then I did what any normal person would do and wiped up the water and headed on my way. Later that night I needed a plastic bag and when I started rummaging around underneath the sink I realized there was more leaked water.

After calling Marc in to take a look we realized that the washer around the pipe that connected our sink to the drain had rusted through and actually fell off in Marc's hand. So a couple days of not using the right side of the sink and letting the dishwasher fill up and it was off to Home Depot for a replacement part. 

Last night we had the pipe replaced in about 10 minutes. Easy-peasy. But, we figured, while we were messing with the sink we might as well swap out the faucet which we've been wanting to replace since we moved in. The instructions said less then an hour so we were all in. Except our probably 20 year old faucet didn't get that message. 

We first removed the hand sprayer to gain more access to the faucet pieces. In that process we realized that the bolts holding the faucet to the sink were so rusted there was no way for us to unscrew them. Quickly our thoughts spiraled - if we can't take the faucet off the sink, we'll just remove the sink and replace both. But after a quick internet search we realized that our extra large sink is actually quite pricey to replace so for the cost of replacing the sink we could replace the whole countertop. However, I'm pretty sure that removal of the countertop would lead to new cabinets so suddenly we were looking at a kitchen remodel all because we wanted a new faucet. Neither of us were ready for that. 

Thankfully we realized we could cut through the bolts which would allow us to remove the faucet. So after another trip to Home Depot to purchase the right blade to cut through metal and another hour of cutting our way through the bolts in the tight space under the sink we finally had the old faucet removed. 

The rest of the installation was as easy as the instructions had intoned and within half an hour we had our new faucet and soap dispenser up and running. 

I've never been happier to do a pile of dishes then I was today. And the new faucet works like a dream! 

Weekend Away in Montana

One of my closest friends moved from NY to Montana with her husband around the same time we moved from San Diego to Vermont. Ever since her son was born in December I have been counting down the days until I would be able to go out to Montana to visit. The trip was just me and my baby belly. This is the first time I have been away from Violet for more then a night and probably the last time I'll be able to take a trip on my own for a little while.

One of the best parts of traveling is being able to use facetime to check in. Here's a screen shot of the happy little face that was waiting on the other end when it connected.

Once in Missoula I had an amazing time. Kate is awesome at coming up with a winning itinerary of just the right balance of stuff to see and relaxing at home. One of the best parts of visiting friends is that they know how to pick out all the delicious places to eat. Kate and Rob are also great chefs so enjoying dinner in their backyard was just as good as eating out. Over the weekend we went to the Big Dipper for ice cream, the farmers market, a local donut shop, and the fair to get some fried dough (fry bread in Missoula), cheese curds and a tater pig. 

What you've never heard of a tater pig? A tater pig is a baked potato with a sausage stuffed in the middle, topped with butter, cheese and sour cream. It ranked right up there with all the other fair food we enjoyed.

Kate and I were also able to sneak away and enjoy a few hours at the nearby ghost town. It was great to hang out, enjoy the sunshine and just catch up while learning a little about the areas history.

Of course I almost completely forgot to get a picture of me and Kate together, so here's a last minute shot of the two of us as she's dropping me off at the airport. 

Once I was on the plane I couldn't wait to be home to see these two and tell them all about my adventures. 

Edgewater Farm CSA Week 10

Wednesday is quickly becoming my favorite day of the week. Watching Violet's excitement as she sees Marc walk through the door with our CSA box is so much fun. I'm so happy she can be a part of this weekly tradition with us. 

And I love watching her trying to sneak a peak at what's inside by looking at and touching whatever she can through the holes in the box. 

This week we received - corn, lettuce, a large bag of beets, yellow cherry tomatoes, watermelon, KolRabi, cucumbers, a red onion and a couple extra zinnias to go with our flower share.

Violet immediately picked out the "tatoes!" and wouldn't stop saying please until we let her eat some. Admittedly all three of us were happy to sit on the floor and enjoy the sweetness of the yellow cherry tomatoes. 

This is the kohlrabi. I'm not exactly sure what we are going to do with it yet but I'm excited to find something tasty. 

After we put the tomatoes away Violet had a blast tapping the cucumbers together. Can't wait to see what we get next week! 

Edgewater Farm CSA Week 9

Another Wednesday another beautiful bouquet of flowers and a box Violet can't wait to open. This week we received corn, peppers, yellow watermelon, eggplant, purple potatoes, parsley, red leaf lettuce, a fresh onion, cucumbers, and some extra zinnias for our flower bouquet.  

For some reason Violet seemed the most interested in the heaviest items in the box - the bag of potatoes and the watermelon. 

Until she found the corn at the bottom. Corn was by far the favorite from this box. 

We ended up taking a lot of the produce with us on our vacation to cape cod. The watermelon was a big hit with the kids and I found a new way to cook the eggplant that I was actually excited about. I sliced it into long quarter inch thick slices, brushed it with Italian dressing and grilled it. Yum! 

Edgewater Farm CSA Week 8

Violet is definitely getting the hang of the Wednesday CSA box tradition. As soon as Marc put the box down in the kitchen Violet started reaching for it and repeating "box, box, box". She wouldn't even let Marc change out of his work clothes - she wanted to open that box immediately!

In this week's box we received - tomatoes, blueberries, fresh onions, broccoli, melon, peppers (bell and what we think are hot peppers), corn, summer squash and cilantro.

We definitely have all the makings for some delicious salsa although Marc, Violet and I would much rather just slice the tomatoes and enjoy the delicious sun-ripe flavor. There is nothing like the flavor of a farm fresh tomato.

Violet also made sure to smell the melon (Marc and I were both surprised she could hold it without dropping it) and start the husking of the corn so we could eat it right away. It was hard to tell whether it was the blueberries, corn or tomatoes that topped her list this week. 

Last but not least the week wouldn't be complete without another beautiful bouquet of flowers.