Relishments

Savoring life in the Berkshires

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Summer = Fresh Food

Published on June 8, 2010 By Emily. Updated on June 8, 2010

So, mostly I’m ambivalent about summer.  I know, I know…it’s summer and I’m a teacher, so I should be super excited to have the summer off.  Except, and apparently only people who teach are aware of this, I don’t really have the summer off.  Granted, I signed up for everything I’ll be doing and I’m pretty excited about all of them, but let’s abolish the notion that teachers spend the summer with their feet up watching TV.  Plus there’s the heat, as I complained about on Saturday.  I just don’t like summer heat.  I don’t like being sweaty.  I like good nights of sleep.  I’d much, much rather wear pants than shorts.  If I had to choose, it would be fall (like, late September), all year round.

Nevertheless, there are 2 things (besides all my work-related jobs) that I’m really excited about this summer.

1) Our (temporary) CSA membership

Brian and I are really lucky.  A couple of our friends are traveling for the first part of the summer and letting us make use of their CSA share, which means we get a bag full of whatever’s being harvested every week.  We went to the farm a couple weeks ago for orientation and I didn’t want to leave.  It’s beautiful and there’s a ton of variety.  Today was the first distribution day.  Of course, I left my camera in the car (my brain has ceased functioning this week), but there will be pictures of distribution next week, perhaps.  This week’s take included:

Bok choy, rhubarb, radishes, mixed greens (I can’t remember all the names) and a big head of lettuce (not pictured).  I didn’t want to take more than I thought we might consume, though I also felt like we should take as much as possible and worry about what to do with it later.  The farm also has “you pick” herbs and berries, which we may head back for later in the week.  The rhubarb is definitely turning in to a pie this weekend.  I’m hoping as the season progresses that there are more non-leafy vegetables, because I’m not usually a lettuce fan, but at the same time I’m looking forward to loving lettuce more and finding things to do with it.  Yay for fresh, organic, local vegetables.

2) My (itty bitty) container garden

I have been talking about creating a container garden on our balcony/deck (what is the difference?) since the winter and I finally got around to doing something about it last weekend.  I went to the garden center, alone, and got completely overwhelmed.  Purchased a couple plants, then headed to Walmart.  Surprisingly, Walmart seemed to have a lot more individual plants (as opposed to packs of 6), plus easily accessible potting soil and pots.  In the end, I ended up with an herb garden (dill, basil, oregano and chives) and a pair of pepper plants, bell and jalapeno.  Sometime, maybe soon, I’ll start the tomato seeds I bought a month or so ago…

I’m really excited about my little garden (and pleased that I haven’t killed it yet), but I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing.  But you can’t win if you don’t play…if all goes well this year, who knows what I’ll have outside next summer.

What are you excited about this summer?

Related Posts

Saturday at the Troy Winter Farmers’ Market
Meal Plan Thursday (CSA Menu Plan #108)
Enjoying the Bounty (CSA Menu Plan #58)
Analog Menu Planning (CSA Menu Plan #95 + Summer C...
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Filed Under: food, life Tagged With: CSA, gardening, local

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Trackbacks

  1. Relishments » How We Spent Our First CSA Bounty says:
    June 13, 2010 at 7:21 pm

    […] PluginLast week we had the exciting experience of picking up our first week’s worth of produce from our CSA.  I can hardly wait until Tuesday when we get to do it again.  When we picked up our pile of […]

  2. Relishments » Maybe Winter Won’t Be Completely Miserable says:
    November 6, 2010 at 9:05 pm

    […] summer, Brian and I had a lot of fun with our temporary CSA membership at Caretaker Farm.  It was sad when it came to an end (though we’re really glad to have our friends back from […]

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Emily
UPDATE: the giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats @aloh UPDATE: the giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats @alohr3!

 @thelazygenius' second book, The Lazy Genius Kitchen, is finally here and I'm so excited! I don't purchase many books, but I pre-ordered this last July because I knew it would be right up my alley and then I pre-ordered a second copy because I knew that I'd want to give one away.

Author Kendra Adachi has been one of my favorite voices in recent years. Her principles (shared through her first book, The Lazy Genius Podcast and her Instagram) have helped me focus my priorities and give myself more grace. 

This book is NOT a cookbook (it has just 2 recipes), it is a kitchen guide - to help you "have what you need, use what you have, and enjoy it like never before". It is beautiful (full color!) and thoughtful.

I'm very excited to send this book to one of you.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below with one of your greatest kitchen struggles. 
I'll draw a winner at 8 pm on Friday, May 6.
This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram or The Lazy Genius, Kendra Adachi.
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#LazyGenius #KendraAdachi #NameWhatMatters #TheLazyGeniusKitchen #TheLazyGeniusWay #BookGiveaway
This morning we took advantage of @massmoca's Berk This morning we took advantage of @massmoca's Berkshire Teacher and Social Worker Appreciation Day free admission. After enjoying the student Art Invitational exhibit, the 4 of us took in several of the other galleries. Mass MoCA always impresses and it was delightful to be able to be out in the world with my kids.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #MassMoCA #ArtMuseum
Today I finally found my way into @plantconnector, Today I finally found my way into @plantconnector, in its new location on Main Street in North Adams. The shop is incredible - the displays are great and the plants are delightful. There's a refill station with bottles and jars for soaps, detergents and other products, a terrarium bar, and an abundance of sustainable and beautiful products. I'm now in the process of pondering who I can purchase Plant Connector gifts for in the coming months.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #BerkshireMuseum #PittsfieldMA
My January and early February menu plans for my @m My January and early February menu plans for my @mightyfoodfarm vegetables are finally up on the blog. See how we're making use of these beautiful items, as well as the items from the other pick up we made in the past month. 
Link in profile.
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One of my favorite things to do is bake from scrat One of my favorite things to do is bake from scratch.
But, in the interest of full transparency, this pie was made with Pillsbury pie crusts and a $5 bag of Walmart Granny Smiths. I used the recipe on the pie crust box.
I am very excited to eat it.
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#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies
I can't remember the last time I baked bread, some I can't remember the last time I baked bread, something that was part of my routine for a long time. Today school was cancelled due to the extremely cold temperatures outside and I took the opportunity to make 8 loaves - most of which will be put into the freezer until they're needed. Baking more bread was part of my 2022 theme of "resume" and I'm so happy to be back to it.
Recipe, as usual, from @breadin5
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New on the blog: my first posted CSA menu plan sin New on the blog: my first posted CSA menu plan since September! I didn't intend to take so much time off, but I'm looking forward to the meals I've planned over the next 2 weeks using @mightyfoodfarm produce.
Follow the link in my profile to see the post.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
My blog post with my 2022 theme word is now publis My blog post with my 2022 theme word is now published! Click the link in my profile to read more.
Did you choose a theme word for this year? Share it in the comments!
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#2022 #2022Theme #2022ThemeWord #MyOneWord #resolution #Resolutions
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