K Curriculum is Here!

This has been a great day! The coldframe is finally sheltering some greens and the remainder of my curriculum arrived. Here is my spread minus our 'home library' and art supplies:

NOW WHAT!?!

Just kidding, but in all honesty I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. I love, love, love the Singapore Math workbooks, but the Scince is a bit elementary in my opinion. Probably more geared towards Pre-K. No problems there thanks to all our books and encyclopedias, luckily for Shaun his Mom is a Science geek. :) The Critical Thinking workbooks are also impressive, I want to order some for myself! Check out their site if you are looking for some stimulating material for the kids. I hope this jumble of hand picked curriculum doesn't leave anything out. Thank-you all for the wonderful support over the past couple of months, this has been a tough decision, and now my little man and I must relax and enjoy this opportunity.

This week was the last CSA pick-up for the year. I will miss it, though I am still undecided as to what to do next year. We are still waiting for the first frost to come and the leaves are really beginning to fall now. Plans to expand the garden, or at a minimum the fence, are in the works. Thomas has me longing for more crisp garden greens and hoop houses.

I was approached by a company to purchase a photo of mine for their upcoming catalog this week, did anyone else have this same experience? I am under the impression they were blog browsing. Anyway, my Cipollini Onions photo will be featured if all goes as planned and I was tickled pink by the request....this is exciting stuff for a stay-at-home-mom! I hope everyone is staying healthy or is on the mend. Hold onto those hoes, this is going to be one wild winter!

Honey Bear

This little squash is recent product of breeding out of UNH, a personal size acorn that was a 2009 AAS winner. The fruits are small, around 4 inches according to sources, but my first little Honey Bear didn't quite make the mark. (It doesn't require any curing and should be enjoyed within a few months of harvesting, no problems there.)

I split this little gem in half and filled it with butter, brown sugar, sage, rosemary, and a sprinkling of sea salt and pepper. It was a tasty treat but I could have eaten three of them since I shared it with my husband. I hope the rest of the squash make it to 4 inches. The plant will average three or four fruits per plant so I am trying to decide if it is worth it...... the vine is quite compact making it a perfect variety for small spaces, containers, and square foot gardens which does detract some negativity from the few servings one would get out of the plant. Next year I plan on growing Sweet Dumpling as well. The fruit size is equal to that of Honey Bear but the vines are larger, thus they will need trellising, but will also put out 8-10 fruits per plant according to Johnny's. Here is a picture of the acorn before it went in the oven, pleasing to the eye for presentation on the plate, but not much to it.

For comparison's sake here is what I believe to be a Sweet Dumpling that I purchased from the CSA this week; A healthy sized squash, and what the Honey Bear should be. I placed a baseball next to it as it resembles my first Honey Bear in size. Quite a difference!

If the flavor is similar it will be a tough choice deciding between the two. Knowing me I will just grow both.

Yesterday was CSA day, here are the items included in the share:

• 4 ears of corn
• 2 tomatoes (small)
• 2 Asian Pears
• 2 apples
• 1 cuke
• 2 summer squash
• 1 lb. potatoes
• grapes (small portion, maybe 20 in all)

I really liked the variety in yesterday's pick-up and it was fun to have locally grown grapes for the first time.

Potato Scurf; CSA Share

I think I have the above pictured diseases (courtesy of Michigan Potato Diseases)on my potatoes. The Yukon Gold tubers had some occasional Black Surf for sure. (Otherwise known as Rizoctonia Canker.) A couple of the Red Cloud spuds that were pulled up yesterday have both Black and Silver Scurf.

This is a bit frustrating since it is the first time potatoes have been grown in the soil (at least in my garden), and I purchased certified seed potatoes. The good news is that it is generally a cosmetic problem only, though yields can be reduced. I am thinking the rest of the potatoes may need to be dug and stored as frozen mashers to limit any further disease spread. I think the disease will unfortunately remain in the soil for years to come which is problematic in my otherwise shallow square foot gardening beds.

Is it time to try making some of those frozen chunks of mashed taters? Mm Hm I think it is!

(B.T.W., those Red Clouds are as good as Moose Tubers claimed them to be: Red Cloud red skin, white flesh What a joy to dig Red Cloud as lots of intensely red tubers emerge! Snow-white flesh, a little drier than most reds, makes the most marvelous fluffy mashed potatoes. Named after the great Oglala Sioux chief who lived in Nebraska and South Dakota. Highly resistant to scab, resists early blight and hollow heart, heat stress and drought. Very long dormancy for exceptional storage. Medium-sized spreading plant with dark violet flowers. Very limited supply; order early. 7390 Red Cloud organic, 21/2# $8.00; 5# $13.00; 20# $45.00)

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Yesterday's CSA 1/2 Share from Silverbrook Farm:

• 2 zucchini (small)
• 2 apples
• 1 lb potatoes (3 large)
• 1/2 lb onions
• 3 tomatoes
• 3 ears of corn
• 1/3 lb pursulane (we left that one behind)

Not even close to $17.00 worth of produce in my opinion. Yet another pet peeve of mine, when I ask what variety something is ( for example, potatoes) they don't know the answer 80% of the time. AARRGG!! Once again, the fruit is the best part. I don't even want to eat the apples, then I won't be able to smell them anymore!!! (Me singing)....Apple season is coming, apple season is coming. 8)

Bean Bugs, CSA, and Sunflowers

I have been picking these fuzzy things off my beans by the dozen. May be time for some spray action.

The first sunflower, "Bashful", a dwarf variety from Johnny's Seeds. Next year I will be sure to buy some with more color to add to the mix in the whiskey barrels. These are in with the nasturtium and winter squash, described here in an older post.

CSA pick-up yesterday, I haven't been keeping up with my weekly records here.... the share has been a let down the last couple of weeks though it was better this time. I don't know that I will be doing a share at this farm next year, though I will consider doing one elsewhere. Last week my basil was bad the day after pick-up, and I have the same problem with other items in the past. The last two pick-ups were coming in at a $14.00 value at market by my calculations, way under the $19/week average I pay for the season......AND they charge you their market price for any extras you pick-up, so much for a share-holder's discount. The positives have been good tasting berries and a nice variety of produce (not all greens, kale, etc..)

Today's share:

• pint blueberries
• sm. container cherry tomatoes (1/2 pint?)
• corn, 3 ears
• 1 summer squash
• 1/4 lb greens
• spring onions, 1 bunch
• bunch of parsley
• 1 cuke
• 3 peaches

Oh, and I made oven-dried tomatoes yesterday with the cherries and plums from the garden. They look yummy, I am really wishing I had a Food Saver right now to pack them for the freezer. I am too lazy (hot) to post a picture right now.

CSA share

• 2 pieces patty pan squash
• 1/4 lb field greens
• 1 head lettuce
• 1 head broccoli
• spring onions, 1 bunch
• scallions, 1 bunch
• 1 bunch basil
• 1 bunch parsley
• 1 quart blueberries

I also picked up a dozen eggs for $4.00.

'Would-Have-Been' Potatoes; CSA Pick-Up

OK, well, I can't upload images to blogger right now or I would show you the misery. My potato patch is being decimated by something- blight? I now have a huge empty spot in the patch (insert photo here) because I had to rip all this wilted, mushy, withered material out (insert photo here). So then I dug, all the while going deeper and saying a prayer to the Potato Gods that maybe, just maybe I could salvage something from all of this mess.....and this was what I got: (insert photos 1 and 2 here). Sigh. *EDIT: PHOTOS IN POST BELOW*

Today's 1/2 share included:

• loaf of bread or pint of blueberries
• 1/2 lb kale
• head of lettuce
• bunch of spring onions
• 2 pieces of summer squash

(The full share folks also received mixed greens, currants, 2 bunches of herbs and an additional 2 squash)

Beach Crabs and Compost, CSA

Today the half share included the following:

• Jam or Bread (I chose Raisin Bread)
• 1 bunch Spring Onions
• 1 head of Lettuce
• Strawberries, 1 pint
• sm bunch of Kale (.5 lb)
• sm bunch Chard (.5 lb)

I also picked up 2 lbs of yellow and green Summer Squash @ 2/lb. The share was light this week. (Full share members had Scallions and Field Greens as well.)

Last week I cooked down the chopped Kale in a bit of Olive Oil and mixed it with some of the Sweet Onion Preserves as a pizza topping along with some locally made Feta. It is my new favorite pizza, I can't wait to make it again!!

While at the beach today I collected some seaweed and crab shells to mulch with, or add to the compost pile. I have to do some research and see which would be more beneficial. There are so many things I overlook when composting, some of which are in this list of 163 Things You Can Compost. This is one crab that won't be making it to the compost pile!

The Life of Cheese

"Remember, cheese is a living thing!" say the Shy Brothers' who will be providing their delicious Hannabells for our CSA share next week. This 'living thing' is a debated topic. The milk which cheese is made of is clearly not alive, however, many cheeses have live cultures added which will continue to flourish and enhance the flavor of the cheese as it ages, and in this case the Shy Brothers' add two. Either way this Wisconsin girl got her cheese on at a young age and just couldn't imagine life with out it.

Picture a hilltop.....where the Shy Brothers' story begins. They make some delicious cheese, the little bells come in many flavors, my two favorites are Rosemary and Shallot. The rosemary is especially good with a bit of honey drizzled on top and makes a wonderful addition to any cheese plate. Locally I pick it up at Lee's Market or the Westport Farmer's Market but they will ship from the farm as well. http://www.shybrothersfarm.com/the-cheese.htm

Cheese Serving and Storage Tips (courtesy of cheese.com)
Unpasteurised cheese with a range of flavours should not be sliced until purchase otherwise it will start to lose its subtlety and aroma.
Keep the cheese in conditions in which it matures. Hard, semi-hard and semi-soft cheeses are stored in the temperatures from around 8 - 13 C.
Keep the cheese wrapped in the waxed paper and place it in a loose-fitting food-bag not to lose humidity and maintain the circulation of air.
Wrap blue cheeses all over as mould spores spread readily not only to other cheeses but also to everything near.
Chilled cheeses should be taken out of the refrigerator one and a half or two hours before serving.
Cheeses contain living organisms that must not be cut off from air, yet it is important not to let a cheese dry out.
Do not store cheese with other strong-smelling foods. As a cheese breathes it will absorb other aromas and may spoil.
Wrap soft cheeses loosely. Use waxed or greaseproof paper rather than cling film.
Let cold cheese warm up for about half an hour before eating to allow the flavour and aroma to develop.

CSA Starts Next Week!

Our 1/2 share CSA pick-up begins next week. This size share is listed as feeding 1-2 people (example of 1 week's 1/2 share in photo), I have often regretted not getting a full share for our family, BUT I am the only true veggie lover and we will have some produce from the kitchen garden if all goes well......so a 1/2 share it is. They have unfortunately decided not to do bread this year due to all of the special requests from past shareholders, I guess some people just can't be happy with a homemade loaf, go figure. Next week's pick-up will include the following:

• fresh, free range eggs
• salad greens
• strawberries
• kale
• cheese
• kohl rabi

I need to do some investigating on the kohl rabi, that will be a first for our household. This is where I am hoping all of those vegetarian and seasonal ingredients based cookbooks I have acquired will come in handy. I will of course post any recipes I find interesting or 'taste test approved' for my own future reference and for you few fab followers out there.