Inspiration

((pictured: sauteed red potatoes with leeks and summer squash; sauteed radicchio with garlic and leeks and lemon juice (thanks Farmer Teresa!) Amish corn and the best little rib eye ever!! Thanks Hubby!))

You may recall my CSA rant back in May.  No? Well, then: http://sonowiknow.blogspot.com/2011/05/community-supported-agriculture-joys.html.

My Wednesdays have become my menu base this summer.  Hubby and I wait for the knock on the door when the CSA Fairies deliver their wonderfulness (Thank you ever so, Jogging Jean,  Kool Kortni, and Running Mama for your efforts!)  Then the fun begins!  Plotting and planning our dinner and making sure we have enough garlic and olive oil to do it up grand.

This week, as Hubby and I cooked up the summer squash and leeks for lunch, I had a scathingly brilliant idea. Our dining room overlooks our garden.  Or jungle depending on your viewpoint.  These past few years, I just haven't given the attention to my flowers like I need to in order to make the back yard wonderful.  Between the Call of the Sewing Room and the Quest for Fun, I am just not interested much in my in ground flowers anymore.

But I'll tell you what, I am really interested in aiding my CSA for next year with my own produce in the place formerly known as my flower garden.

While Hubby and I noshed away on our vegetabley goodness, we discussed what to do with our mass of echinacea: (Lovely Wife and Eldest Admin) and the nicest little natural fence on our north side.  Our perennials; Move to the front.  This summer, we bought a composter as a preparation for this shift to our own little back to nature movement.

Hubby hates outdoor work.  He supplanted our early married income with lawn mowing and I believe he burned out (literally) any interest in all things out doors.

However.

Hubby retires this December.

You see where this is going, right?

With half the income and twice the fun, the two of us mini farmers are going to go organic in our yard with vegetables to share and can and freeze.

Our voices got higher as we tried to top the other on superbly fresh ideas for our retirement days.

It sound terribly cliche and trite but oh so lovely to these two elder farmer wannabees.  If we could talk Neighbor Nancy into raising the chickens, we would have it made.

You heard it here first.  Keep me on task and when the dark of winter oppresses us, check with the two retirees regarding their 'Farming Plans' and make sure that we are on it.

I must go cut into my CSA cantaloupe and wish you were here to share it with me......

Community Supported Agriculture Joys!

 Hello.  My name is Deb and I am a CSA Newbie.
My Eldest Daughter has preached organic for years and my Baby Girl and Her Hubby has shown me just how accessible good, fresh, pesticide free produce is.
Then, Running Mom posted a facebook status about her favorite CSA taking reservations.http://www.localharvest.org/heartland-family-farm-M9428
Running Mom can just about say anything and because she is so amazing, I would sign on.
She is years younger than me, but I want to be her when I grow up.
So I did what all Running Mom Wannabes do; I signed up with her CSA for the growing season.

 And today came(delivered by her friend because RM is so responsible and she couldn't pick up so she arranged for mine to be picked up along with hers.  See? Amazing.)
Anyway.
Hear me when I say that I have never been so overwhelmed with the beauty, freshness and tastefulness of simple produce.  I had company when the delivery arrived and I wanted to stop the conversation just so I could photograph the loveliness.  But I didn't; I was polite and did so immediately after my visitor left.  Immediately.

 I had to go to school for my last day of tutoring otherwise I do believe I would have skipped school just so I could make a salad.
Two minutes upon returning home, I was able to put together a salad containing, are you ready for this:,

Tiny baby salad mix, spinach, green onions, radishes, Oska Purple mustard, Blue Scotch kale, peas shoots and 

 TA DA!  Fresh, fresh, beautiful strawberries!!  I have recently been using a most tasty salad dressing that I found in my Christies's cook book.http://www.christiesonsalemsquare.com/.  Light, fresh ingredients completely complimented the perfect first spring salad mixture. You need very little dressing; the salad truly stands alone.  Three helpings of this ambrosia.  Yep.

But I could not leave the strawbabies alone.
Recipe for instant strawberry shortcake?  Clean strawberries and several (ahem) shortbread cookies.  I did share with Hubby.  Some.

So, thank you RF for introducing me to the joy of CSA's and to my girlies for being such  good examples. And  to Heart Land Family Farms for bringing good, fresh things to this ol' lady.......!~