dagblog - Comments for "My First CSA Box of This Season"

Richard you can also google

trkingmomoe — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 01:08:24 +0000

Richard you can also google for your area for CSA farms. All of them offer a half share or subscription for small families of one or two people. I got a full share and the half share people only pick up every other week because that is way they set it up. But some I have read have weekly half share that gives a smaller amount. There are several types of CSA models according to the Nations CSA Association. The way you pay can be different from the way I had. I could divide mine up in three monthly payments or pay for the whole thing at the beginning of season.

I just googled Upper Michigan

trkingmomoe — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 23:32:19 +0000

In reply to Another great post from you,

I just googled Upper Michigan CSA farm. I got a long list. I also got a long list for North West Michigan so they are around. Most CSA farms have pick up points so you don't have to go to the farm. I just wanted to go to the farm because it was the same distance to a pick up point. I also wanted the fresh herbs. Hunt around on the internet you may find one that might work for you. My CSA is just vegetables but many are co-ops that include fruit.

The squash we are talking

trkingmomoe — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 23:05:09 +0000

In reply to "Actually they did cross

The squash we are talking about is Zephyr squash. I just looked up the growing cycle and it is 54 days to maturity. It was crossed between a yellow summer squash and a winter squash Delectable.

AMAZING! Congrats!

Richard Day — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 20:43:32 +0000

In reply to My First CSA Box of This Season

AMAZING!

Congrats!

Another great post from you,

Ramona — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 18:23:20 +0000

In reply to My First CSA Box of This Season

Another great post from you, Momoe. We don't grow anything but some scraggly cherry tomato plants up here in the woods, but when we lived in the city we always had nice summertime crops.

My husband was the gardener and he really misses his garden. Our biggest problem up here is that we live where the incessant northwest winds blow, and where there are only a few spots that get sun for any length of time. Other people who live farther inland and away from the trees manage to grow some things but they too are limited by short growing seasons.

I love the CSA idea and want to read more about it. Getting your kids to eat the good stuff is a universal problem but you seem to be pretty clever about making everything look like something good to eat.

"Actually they did cross

Donal — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 17:20:57 +0000

In reply to My First CSA Box of This Season

"Actually they did cross breed a yellow squash with another squash to get that 2 tone squash."

Don't tell Richard Cohen ... he'll want to gag or something.

This area has been a major

trkingmomoe — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 17:18:09 +0000

In reply to oregano Oh I forgot about

This area has been a major tomato winter farming for the last 100+ years. Tomato fungus is in the air so you have to stay on top of it if you want tomatoes. I haven't seen any blossom drop.

oregano Oh I forgot about

artappraiser — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 16:33:14 +0000

In reply to This arugula is not the spicy

oregano

Oh I forgot about that. I started a couple years back with one small pot. When I would have to thin out the pot, I'd throw those roots somewhere in the ground or bottom of the pot and now I got it growing allover the goddamn place. I got like 3 years supply of dried, too, don't need no more. 32 degree night killed a lot of stuff but not the oregano....even though I like Italian food, I am not a big fan of oregano...they say mint is invasive, jeez..well, I figure it repels insects...

On arugula

Yeah, I know there are different varieties.

Also I do think the soil and amount of water, sun, etc. can change the strength of the flavor.

I have tried the "wild arugula" seed. The catalogue said it was the true roquet from France and that it was used as an herb, not a salad green. It has much smaller, very serrated skinny leaves. And if you don't pinch it, the leaves continue to come out along the end of the stems until you have an almost vine-like situation. It's much more heat tolerant than the common stuff and the plants last much longer. And it definitely has stronger flavor. It is quite nice for things like a big sprinkle of it on top a sandwich or soup, like you would use sprouts, but bigger than sprouts. Pretty, too. It's a pain to pick but I would still be grateful I had planted it when the regular arugula bed had petered out.

On ice cube method

I do that with stock (which I make with the leftovers from store-bought cooked whole chicken and whatever veggie trimmings are around and, of course, fresh herbs.) And I read about it for herbs when looking up dill methods. But I decided against it because I like to use herbs more in a fresh like state if I can. But then I don't cook as much as you do! I mostly make things stir fry style or pasta salads or sandwich stuff like tuna or chicken salad. I can see how for a dedicated cook, it would be fun to make cube bouquet garni.

I chose to freeze the dill loose on cookie sheets, then transferred to baggies. They turned out looking pretty good, though I haven't used any yet because there still is fresh yet. Remains to be seen if my lousy old freezer that burns not just meat but frozen veggies from the store will keep the sprigs from becoming mush.

On tomatoes-

Ooh, you've got to get that year-round seed! Lucky you that it's possible to do such a thing!

My tomato plants always get some kind of disease or another by the end of the season. I used to spray but now just as often I just give up. Because: they still produce tomatoes! I used to want to keep the plants looking nice for ornamental purposes. But then I discovered if you just cut off the worst infected leaves they will grow new fresh green sprouts and look pretty again in a couple weeks. Over the years I found that the most troublesome disease, especially if you grow in pots, was blossom end rot (with the blackened area at the bottom of the fruit.) I even bought the calcium spray once that claimed to stop it. But then I really researched it and found that it was caused by uneven water at the time fruit was setting. That it's real important not to overwater or underwater but keep water consistent amounts. And ever since I learned that, I don't get the blossom end rot anymore--no more drowning the tomatoes because it's hot nor skipping watering either.

This arugula is not the spicy

trkingmomoe — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 15:37:21 +0000

In reply to You may prefer your Mom's

This arugula is not the spicy one that I have growing in my garden right now. I first thought it was spinach after I got home. I washed some and tasted it. But I looked it up and it was pictured just like what I had but a different type from my garden. It was labeled arugula. I only have a little bit of lettuce that came up and it is still very small.

The basil was included in the box. I have 3 different plants of my own in pots. It is a perennial here and I need to repot a couple of them. When basil goes to seed here, babies come up all over the ground. I have a large pot of mint and spicy oregano that need to be repotted from this year. I clipped the mint back last week and it is hanging in the kitchen drying for Xmas giving. It is already bouncing back with new growth.

I will be able to cut herbs every week. They have planted plenty but they are just too small to cut. This is a long growing season so I am sure there is many kinds to come. I am going to try freezing them in blends in a ice cube tray. There is a you tube out on that. Trader Joe sells frozen cubes of herb blends and this is a DIY recipe. It will be nice to have a baggie of that in the freezer.

My heatmaster tomatoes are just about done for the season. The sungold tomatoes are 6 feet tall and producing right now. My Mr. Stripy has green tomatoes on it. The 2 types of Black Russians are still small. One is a Krimi the other is a Prince. They are a short day tomato plant from Russia for mild weather. They will give me tomatoes in the very early spring, I have small plants of patio tomatoes transplanted now in small pots that I will use later in the season. I did have some fungus but copper spray took care of it. I drove through some farms on my way yesterday that was loaded with tomatoes. These are coastal farms that have hung on and not been developed into McMansions.

I froze my sage. I bought some at the farmers market a couple of months ago that was already cut. I like to mix it with butter to use to roast chicken or turkey. I tuck it under the skin like Martha Steward. When it is frozen it crumbles in the baggie so you don't have to worry about chopping it.

I will have to research how

trkingmomoe — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 14:27:03 +0000

In reply to I could use a nice hot cuppa

I will have to research how to brew lemon balm tea.

Most recipes I see on the first glance of the internet for Asian eggplant is Asian dishes. Vegans like to use eggplant as a main dish so I have to dig around in their recipes for something the kids will eat.

I hope you are feeling better. Buying a CSA share was a real luxury for us. It may turn out to be a better value then I thought. Everything I read said that CSA was not about inexpensive food. When I was first considering doing this, I went to a local organic store call Fresh Market and looked as prices of produce. I was trying to visualize what $26 dollars of produce looked like in vegetables that grow well here in the winter. That is about what it figures out to per week.

I had no idea there was a CSA farm in my area until I stumbles over it on the internet. I had watched a You tube video about Florida tomato growing. There is a native everglade tomato that grows well here year around. I was looking for the seed and instead also found a listing of all the CSA farms in Florida. I never did order the seed but may still do that.