Tag Archives: csa

apples

I never got to post my trip to the farm last weekend. This most recent weekend was spent visiting family in Central Pennsylvania. So these photos are old, but I got some great bug shots and still wanted to share. Though I don’t have much to say, so there will be mostly just photos.

 

spider1 spider2

I picking some raspberries and noticed there was a big spider web near my hand. So I searched around for a spider, before I tear down the web to get to more berries. To my surprised there was a HUGE one, with really cool yellow stripes. I knew I had to get my camera and take photos. It took awhile to find him again.

 

berries mysteryberries

I know nothing about wild berries. I should probably start learning, and maybe start foraging. But we all know to be careful since you don’t want to eat those berries, you know, the glitter berries. The first berries came off a bush at my CSA, which was decorative. The second berries was a wild berry growing at an orchard. I got confused at first because it was a vine that was growing up an apple tree. I thought it might of been a new item. Does anyone know what the second berry might be? They just look so cool.

 

chicken chickens2

As I mentioned, we went to a you-pick-your-own style orchard after picking up our CSA share. I love the place since everything is only $1 per pound. Everything is pretty much organic, but not certified. The whole farm is run by one man, who inherited the farm from his mother. By doing pick your own he is able to run it alone, pruning the trees during the off seasons. 

He kept a few chickens for himself. There isn’t ever any eggs available to buy, so I am guessing he keeps them as a hobby.

 

butterfly butterfly2

We walked down the aisles to get to the Asian Pears. His are a little tougher than ones bought in stores. But I guess I can’t complain with the low prices. I noticed this butterfly. There were tons others, but this was the first one that was sitting down long enough for a photo. 

 

house signage


sky

As mentioned before, I took a lot of photos this weekend at my CSA. What I love about my CSA is that they encourage members to walk around the grounds. They have a bed and breakfast that hosts weddings, gardens to explore, some wooded trails, whole sale flowers, and an education center. So there’s a lot to explore.

The weather wasn’t the prettiest. There were gloomy clouds hanging above, telling us of the upcoming rain. There wasn’t a drop the entire morning, which gave some great photos of the animals. It did provide rain while we sat around in our cozy apartment.

 

duck chores

As I mentioned before, our CSA also runs an education center. They host field trips showing kids “farm life.” I use quotes since most of the animals at the farm aren’t being used for their original purpose. No one is milking the cow, goats are kept alive, chicken eggs are not sold at the CSA stores (though the workers might be taking them home).

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store

The summer crops are dwindling.  The farmers recommend that we stock up on peppers as they won’t be around much longer. The tomatillos were a little dry and sparse. There are less tomato varieties from which to pick (slicing, cherry, peach, and plum). The clearest sign that fall crops upon us? Beets and various greens are making it back to the menu. 

beets

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bug

Today is brutal. The weather is unbearably humid and fairly hot. I guess I shouldn’t complain since this summer has been pretty nice to everyone. It didn’t help that we had to park our car farther than usual and I had to carry a dirty wet 25 (and more) pound watermelon a quarter of a mile. My farm grew a record breaking (at least for them) 30 pound watermelon! Eek!

It is so hot that I actually plan on eating out tonight, even though I have more food than what I know what to do with. No way I’m turning an oven on in this small apartment.

welcome

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002

Another week went by. Been busy, but I really can’t say what I have done. Yeah, just one of those weeks. But we should have some fun posts coming up for you guys this week! So stay tuned. In the meantime, here is our next collection of reads (and a watch) for everyone to check out.

gallons

It Takes HOW Much Water to Make Greek Yogurt?!

People rarely actually ask why I don’t eat dairy. Maybe people just assume I am some crazy hippie going through a phase. The biggest reason for not drinking milk is that it isn’t very sustainable. Mother Jones relates milk directly to the drought in California by asking exactly how much water is needed to make a glass of soy milk or your cup of yogurt. 

The article is a few months old, but I only recently stumbled upon it. It is pretty interesting to the visuals of water to compare each item to. But as I a vegan, I find it most interesting how much more water is needed to make almond milk. I love it, and it is so easy to make. But after reading the article I might want to cut back on it.

Vegans Are Not Annoying: Here’s 10 Reasons Why

I am sure you heard the joke- “How can you tell someone is vegan? They’ll tell you they are.” Working in food service, you hear this one all the time. The joke is sad since I do recommend that any vegans, vegetarians, or people with allergies inform us when buying food. That way, we can help and prevent any mistakes or help you avoid ordering food that goes against your diet. But I am getting off topic- vegans and vegetarians are labeled as annoying and preachy. In all my years, I’ve only met one person who fit the “crazy vegan” stereotype.

Kathy comes up with a pretty good list of reason why vegans are actually the opposite of annoying. She points out that vegans are compassionate and will make you food. I think the making you food part is the most important as I am always making baked goods for parties and get togethers. 

Welcome to the C.S.A!

The New Yorker has a humorous post about C.S.A shares. As a C.S.A member, I am glad to say that we never have too many vegetables that we can’t handle, although lately, it’s been a bean overload. I STILL have a frickin radish in the crisper. Oh and kohlrabi. Nobody knows what to do with kohlrabi.

met

MetPublications

This isn’t anything new, but a friend recently informed me that there are many free e-books to download at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website. I am a HUGE Met fan. I’ve written a review one of their books earlier, and I will be writing about my recent visit to the Charles James exhibit. There is something for everyone at the museum, and they do so much to preserve art from the past and today.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art publishes many books relating to their art and their exhibits. Not every single book is available online. Most books that you can download in their entire form are older books currently out of print. New books, such as the new book about the Charles James exhibit, can be read online in a small excerpt (sort of like the previews on Amazon). The Met plans on releasing more of their books, possibly all of them. But for now there are close to 400 titles that are fully available online, so you have a lot to choose from including a book about Ingres that is sitting on my bookshelf.

A League of Condone

My husband told me about this story while driving me to my sister’s house, and I knew I had to post an article talking about it. But then Jon Stewart talked about it in his show instead, which I think does a great summery. I know most health food, book, or fashion nerds are not into football, but I enjoy the sport.

So in a nutshell the NFL is getting a lot of criticism about the minimal punishment they handed down to Ray Rice. The NFL takes great pride in trying to make the sport family friendly and sending positive messages to younger viewers. So hearing that players gets a smaller punishment for domestic violence compared to a misdemeanor such as smoking pot is unsettling. There seems to be more violence-related problems with NFL players than drugs, so maybe the league should start re-evaluating how things work. 

Uggg… what a downer of an ending! I’ll remedy that by showing a video from Eat Your Kimchi of their lazy cat.