Category: food

  • Spring CSA Box from Full Belly Farm

    I wasn’t going to join a CSA this year. I thought I could get by on harvesting from my own garden and shopping from the local farmers market. But that was before I saw that Full Belly Farm was providing asparagus in their current boxes. Asparagus, is the one vegetable I can’t grow on my…

  • Winter Squash Mania

    Prior to this year, I did not have a lot of exposure to winter squash. My experience was limited to canned pumpkin for Thanksgiving. I never thought to plant any because I assumed they would go to waste. But that was before I was given a few Sweet Dumpling Seeds. I couldn’t resist the temptation…

  • October CSA Shares

    Wow, is it already November? October just seemed to fly by. I received two CSA shares last month. This month reflected the passing of summer and the welcoming of the fall vegetables. In the first half of the month I received tomatoes, basil and peppers, parsley, grapes, and turnips. I also received a new to…

  • CSA Week Two

    Week two of the our CSA box came at just the right time. We were having a brief lull in our tomatoes and our other vegetables were just getting started. This box consisted of several heirloom tomatoes, one honey loup, zucchinis, yellow squash, a much appreciated Stockton yellow onion, eggplant, the cutest tiniest super sweet…

  • When Life Gives You Bad Wine Make Sangria!

    Over the past couple of years, I have really developed a love for wine. I was watching regular episodes of Winelibrarytv.com and learning about different varieties. I love a good Malbec from Spain or Argentina or a nice crisp Savignon Blanc from Washington or Australia. However, I am also a wine lover on a strict…

  • Let’s Talk Cucumbers!

    After we constructed the Earth Trainer for our tomatoes, I was left with half of a storage container. I thought it was best not to waste it and I turned it into a bed for my cucumbers. I placed it next to my raised bed and used one of my old tomato cages as a…

  • Second Week CSA

    Week two had a lot more variety than the prior box. Thankfully, it did not include any mutant root vegetables. This box included the following * Cilantro *Big head of Melody Spinach *Small Bundle of Kale *Eureka lemons *Valencia oranges *Chard (my green vegetable Kryptonite) *Radishes *Red Yugoslavian Lettuce *One normal sized turnip I’m also…

  • Amazing Cabbage Salad

    I recently discovered a great cook book, “Local Flavors,” by Deborah Madison. It’s a collection of recipes created around ingredients found at farmers markets across the United States. My favorite recipe so far is the Napa Cabbage Salad with Peanuts and Cilantro. This recipe was perfect for the the CSA’s giant head of heirloom cabbage.…

  • Let’s Talk Tomatoes

    The temperatures are increasing and the days are getting longer which can only mean one thing. It’s tomato time! There is something instantly gratifying about growing seedlings. Plant, water, and wait for a few days and then little seedlings emerge. This year I’m trying to plant a little wiser. I’m going to grow heirlooms along…

  • White Freesia