Swiss Chard

Ok - so the first attempt at a Swiss Chard recipe was a bust for me. It sounded good enough... Saute shallots and garlic in a small amount of oil. Throw in the Chard till it cooked down. Top with goat or feta cheese and serve.

D didn't mind it so much, but not me. It was bitter, and the cheese didn't do much to help out, although it was delicious goat cheese.

Will try again......

AMW

CSA - 2 weeks in

Back at the end of March, I wrote this post about trying out a CSA. Need a moment to catch up? I'll wait.....

Back? Great!

The CSA officially started this past weekend. June 4th. We got the 1/2 share since there are only two of us in the house. We also got an email that we could pick up a "bonus" over Memorial Day weekend. WOOHOO! BONUS!

Here is the list of what we got in bonus basket:

• Beets
• Turnips
• Swiss Chard
• Spinach
• Salad mix (lettuce and radishes)
• Herbs (mint and basil)
• small bag of frozen Peas from last year's harvest

Ok, I'll be honest. I don't eat a lot of veggies. I've gotten a LOT better over the last couple of years.

I've never eaten beets. I've never eaten turnips. I've never eaten Swiss Chard.

Last week, I cooked and ate both beets and turnips. And liked them!!

This first official week is good too! We got:

• Zucchini
• White Squash
• Yellow Squash
• Beets
• Turnips
• Swiss Chard
• Herbs (mint and basil)
• PEACHES!

I see grilled squash and zucchini this week, and I also see a peach cobbler! I also see more beets and mashed turnips.

But can someone please tell me what to do with Swiss Chard???

I have no idea!

And we've got 20 weeks of fresh veggies with different stuff every week!

YEAH!

Please help out with the Swiss Chard, or any other yummy recipes for some of the other items!!!

AMW

Hello??? Is this thing on?

I guess I just haven't had anything interesting to say. Or I just forgot to say it. Who knows....

Been quilting a bit. Got a couple finished up for gifts. And a wall hanging for me. Will post pictures of them after they've been delivered. Got several cut, and bought more fabric for even more.

Finally had to break it all out on the white board in the craft room.

A friend has been in the hospital this week, so I've been running out to visit him on my lunch hour. He's a pretty private person, so he didn't let on that he was in the hospital until he had been there two full days. In ICU. His fiancee lives on the other coast more than 3000 miles away, and his folks are almost nearly as far. Some of his co-workers are keeping an eye on his cat and apartment, but I know he was getting bored in the hospital...

Today I picked him up some boy magazines. Computers, Men's Health, and a puzzle book. I also picked up the newest quilt magazine and stuck it in there. He chuckled, and handed it back to me....

Took an impromptu trip on Memorial Day weekend to check out a casino in WV. Charles Town Races and Slots. Not bad. A bit smokey, but the place was huge! And this summer they are opening table games. Nearby is Harper's Ferry, WV. An adorable town on the AT with a bunch of National Parks around. Really want to get back there.

And remember a LOOOONNGGG time ago, I mentioned that we were going to try a CSA? Well, we had our first couple of baskets. I PROMISE to post an update VERY soon. I even took all the required pics tonight... So it's coming.

And, once again, I'll try to do better about posting. I read other blogs every day, but just can't seem to post. Doesn't seem like I anywhere as interesting as the folks I read....

AMW

Trying a CSA

So, we think we're gonna try a CSA produce subscription. (A whaaat???)

According to Wikipedia:

Community-supported agriculture (in Canada Community Shared Agriculture) (CSA) is a socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. CSAs usually consist of a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables and fruit in a vegetable box scheme, sometimes including dairy products and meat.

In looking around, I found quite a few in the general area, but most weren't close enough to home to be efficient. Most of them had Friday or Saturday pick-ups, which for most would be fine, but for me, it would mean going 20-50 miles out of my and fighting tunnel traffic on a weekend to do it. The prospect of doing that every weekend didn't sound appealing to me.

The season's were quite long (which I guess is a good thing), and moderately expensive for something we had never done before. We really wanted something that we could get our feet wet with.

After looking around for a while longer, I found a farm that was across a tunnel, but the "good" tunnel, could be picked up on any specified day from Thursday to Saturday, and had a shorter season that cost a little less, as well. Sounds like a good "starter" CSA to me.

The season runs 20 weeks from June 1 to October 16th. Here is an example from their website of what they expect to have this season: Asparagus, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cantaloupe, Carrots, Cucumbers, Eggplant, English Peas, Green Beans, Spring Onions, Peaches, Pumpkins, Radish, Southern Peas, Summer Squash, Swiss Chard, Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Peppers, Watermelon, and Zucchini. YUM!

While I'd love to have my own vegetable garden, I don't think I'd be able to grow everything that they are offering, and I certainly don't have the time to put into it like I'd like. This seems like a good alternative.

If I forget, please remind me to update you on how it's going. But I think it will be FUN!

AMW