Local Veggies

Last entry was about Hayden's birthday - July 12th. This one will take us back to June 13th. So get your time machine started up and come along! :)

I think I've mentioned previously that we are part of a farm share (CSA) program this summer with Mandy and Scott. (for those of you unfamiliar with a CSA or farm share, basically we pay a set amount at the beginning of the summer, and then we are provided with seasonal veggies on a weekly basis for a certain amount of time. Ours goes from late May to early November. What's available varies according to the time of year. Our most recent box (which we got yesterday) had cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, eggplant, a melon, hot peppers, basil, parsley, onions and kale. Quite the assortment!

Back in June, we were invited to their Strawberry Festival, where anyone who's a member can come, participate in a potluck dinner, pick strawberries, and get to know the farm a little better. Never one to pass up an opportunity to pick strawberries (or a potluck for that matter), I signed us up and got Mandy and Scott to join us too. We weren't quite sure what to expect going in to the event - having never been to the farm, seeing their instructions about what to bring (a hot AND cold dish, your own plates/utensils!, shoes for mud, etc). And there was a bit of a worry about to bring to the potluck of a farm share.

• Can you use non-local ingredients that are out of season?
• Would bringing Cheetos or KFC be completely inappropriate?
• How do you bring a hot and cold dish but the meal time wasn't scheduled till 2 hours after the 'start' of the festival?
• What if it's rainy? The weather the week before was SO wet.

Despite all these questions, we managed to pack up all appropriate supplies, including chocolate banana bread and asian pasta salad as our food contributions, and follow the directions to the farm.

Views of the farm

It turned out to be a lot of fun and I'm glad we didn't chicken out. We didn't make it in time for the offical strawberry picking - toddler naps just don't end according to other people's plans. :) But we got there in time to set up a blanket for eating, walk around and check out the creek and then participate in the eating. It was the most healthy potluck I've ever seen! So many homemade dishes with fresh veggies. Jason and Hayden especially enjoyed the strawberry rhubarb ice cream sundae option. After dinner, we went on a hayride tour of the farm and learned so much about our little veggie farm. After the hayride, we wandered over to pick some strawberries (each family got a free pint), and then packed up and headed home. A busy afternoon/evening but we had a good time. We took lots of pictures, which I'll narrate below.

Hayden making a silly face in front of the offical farm truck.

Hayden and Jason enjoying the ice cream sundae dessert option.

The farm had someone come around taking pictures of everyone. Hayden and I were exploring the creek when they first came around, hence the picture of Jason alone. (no wonder he's smiling!) But they got me and Hayden too. And what's funny, is when I clicked on their website shortly after the festival, there was the picture of me and Hayden smiling at me!

Hayden throwing a rock into the creek.
She thinks tossing rocks (and hearing the kerplunk sound) is great!

Hayden and the tractor that took us on a hayride farm tour. Strangely, neither Hayden or Noah wanted to get on the hayride. It was a bit embarassing having both of them fuss as we tried to sit down and get settled, but once it got going, I think they liked it!

The tour! We took lots of pictures, but since they aren't quite the same as actually being there, I'll try to just share a few highlights. :) We got to see the asparagus fields - some were already being let go, others were still growing asparagus. It really is just stalks sticking up out of the ground - crazy!

heading out on the hayride, notice how Hayden and Noah are still pretty serious looking

the asparagus...

the asparagus field - the feathery stuff is the asparagus that has been let growmy favorite part - the blueberry bushes!
Though it turns out, our CSA gets their blueberries from another farm. Because they are organic, they can sell their organic blueberries at ridiculous prices (like $70/flat!) in other markets like DC.

Jason's favorite part - the raspberry bushes. Hopefully we'll be getting some soon!A family photo on the hayride! Hayden and I being silly on the hayride. She's making her "cheese!" face.
Hayden bringing her bucket for strawberry picking after the hayride.

Noah and Hayden get a daddy-ride back to the cars after strawberry picking.
I don't know if they liked the hayride or daddyride better! I'm just happy that after several hours outside in a new place, everyone is still smiling!

So one of the coolest things (as long as I don't think about it too much) is that we got to see some chickens on the hayride. They are kept in this moveable pen, that they rotate around the field to let the chickens live in a pasture and to fertilize the field. These chickens were actually pointed out to us as ones that would be available for purchase in a couple weeks. That's right - fresh pasture-raised chickens for eating. Can't get more fresh and local than that! (another cool thing about our farm is the 'extras' you can order and purchase each week - local meat, additional blueberries, cheese, olive oil, etc ). So we bought one, and roasted it. and it was DELISH! I can't say for sure that it was that much better than a regular chicken since we don't roast chickens all that often. But it was tasty. Even Hayden, who hasn't been eating too much meat lately, kept asking for more chicken. And ate leftovers the next day! Yum!

The moveable chicken coop (it's on wheels!)

Our chicken, prior to roasting.
(Check out our new roasting pan - it might be a little bit big for our cute little chicken.
Thanks Granddad and Grammy for the pan!) The finished product! It really was delicious!

Well, that's my introduction to our CSA. We really enjoy doing it. Thanks Mandy and Scott for splitting with us. (there's no way we could eat all the veggies in a share by ourself). You can tell we had a good time at the strawberry festival, since this family photo was taken right before we headed home. Eat fresh, eat local! :)