Week Nine CSA Boxes

There are 21 different items (varieties) in this weeks box...that's the biggest yet!

Taking it from the top:
KALE
CHARD
BEETS
POTATOES
GREEN & YELLOW BEANS
CHERRY TOMATOES
LETTUCE
CAULIFLOWER
CARROTS
KOHLRABI
ONIONS
PEPPERS (BELL, BANANA, JALAPENO)
CUCUMBERS
ZUCCHINI
SUMMER SQUASH

Wow, that's a lot of food! Plus, more fresh-cut flowers. Enjoy it all!!

Week Eight CSA Boxes

Ahhhh, just over the halfway point of the season already! Couple of new items in the boxes this week...


From the top:
POTATOES
BEETS
BROCCOLI
GREEN AND YELLOW BEANS
LETTUCE
KOHLRABI
CAULIFLOWER
CARROTS
ONIONS
BELL PEPPERS
BANANA PEPPERS
SUMMER SQUASH
ZUCCHINI

And a special treat this week...fresh flowers!



Each box will receive a small bundle of my two favorite flowers, zinnia and bells of ireland!!

Week Seven CSA Boxes

Complete negligence on my part that didn't get the picture of last week's (8/11) box up here. I guess, as the saying goes, better late than never...



From the left, top row:
BEETS - red and yellow
POTATOES - gold russet and viking
LETTUCE
KOHLRABI
YELLOW BEANS
TURNIPS
GREEN BEANS
SWISS CHARD
KALE
bottom row:
CARROTS
ONIONS
CABBAGE
ZUCCHINI/SUMMER SQUASH
BROCCOLI

Canning-palooza 2009

Canning season has begun here on the farm. I love to pressure can produce and this year I started with a bushel of peas. Literally, a bushel of them! As much as we love to eat fresh peas, a bushel is a bit much for this recently expanded family of four to consume! I would like to give credit where credit is due. Because I was in no shape to bend over for hours and pick peas, my husband and mother in law picked all these peas, bless them!!! Here are the peas post-picking:


Do you have any idea how long it takes to shell a bushel of peas? About 5 hours for this experienced pea-sheller...and no, I'm not available for hire, but I do train new shellers! Here are the peas awaiting packing:


Now the fun part! Pressure canning at 10 pounds for 40 minutes (for both pints and quarts):


From the bushel of peas, I produced 10 quarts and 5 pints of peas. (Not all are pictured here.) Now we will be enjoying garden fresh taste in the middle of winter!


And, I couldn't talk about peas without including a photo of the sweetest pea of all...our new son, Henry!

Week Six CSA Boxes

The boxes are beginning to overflow with fresh garden goodness!



In the boxes this week are from the left:
BROCCOLI - Huge heads this year, John says he's never seen broccoli that big in the store...YEAH!
SWISS CHARD - lots of "bright lights" chard to munch on
KALE - beautiful curly-leafed goodness
TURNIPS - 5-6 turnips per box this week
CABBAGE - the first cabbages of the season, I can taste the coleslaw now!
POTATOES - (in the brown bags) both Gold Russets and Viking potatoes
PEAS - the last of the shell peas...sniff, sniff
BEETS - 8 red beets and 2 yellow beets
KOHLRABI - 2 kohlrabies
SQUASHES - a mix of both zucchini and summer squashes
BEANS - both green and yellow beans
CARROTS - 5-6 carrots
LETTUCE - crunchy Romaine lettuce
ONIONS - the onions didn't make it into the photo, but my members know they always get onions!

Thanks to everyone! But especially my husband and my mother-in-law for helping me harvest, package and deliver boxes the past two weeks. All they demand is to be paid in produce...can't ask for better help than that! Have a great week!

Week Five CSA Boxes

The boxes keep getting heavier! This week we have 11 different varieties of vegetables to enjoy!
SNOW PEAS - another 2 pounds of snow peas
TURNIPS - 3 turnips
ZUCCHINI & SUMMER SQUASH - this is the first week for these garden beauties, so there are just a couple in each box. But as the season continues, there will be more!
CARROTS - the very first carrots, just three in each box for now
BEETS - 6 red beets and 2 yellow beets
ONIONS - the traditional 2 onions
SHELL PEAS - a whopping 3 pounds of shell peas (about all the bag could hold!)
ROMAINE LETTUCE - the heat tolerant lettuce is ready and crunchy
SWISS CHARD - the bright lights variety has white, red, yellow and orange stems
KALE - a big bunch to try and savor

Enjoy your fresh produce!

Week Four CSA Boxes

We have a great box this week! So much fresh goodness that there wasn't room for an extra!
From the left:
MESCLUN SALAD MIX - more high end restaurant fare
KOHLRABI - only enough for one this week, hopefully the others mature quickly
SHELL PEAS - a different variety this week, you can tell the shells are a LOT bigger
TURNIPS - two turnips to sample this week, we'll have more next week
ONIONS
SNOW PEAS - these are getting so sweet, just like candy!
BEETS - a half dozen small to medium beets, tender and delicious
SPINACH - this is the last week for spinach

Have a wonderful week!