The CSA: Update

Around mid-August I blogged about our joining a CSA and our fearful anticipation of cooking the vegetables each week. I want to provide an update, since we have received three weeks of vegetables: they come on a Wednesday.

A quick aside: I was chatting about this in Sunday School today with some friends who heard me bemoaning the CSA at a birthday party yesterday, and my dear friend Heidi said, "but it's great! It's the way we're supposed to live, eating what's in season."

I said, "yes, but it's kicking my ass."

So now, for The Update:

The first week went pretty well -- we had a great deal of squash and zucchini which we sauted with onions once, and I made a squash-rice casserole of the rest. I cooked the field peas according to directions given to me by a colleague; I did however forget to actually wash them first. Well, they were in a baggie and looked ready to go. Oops. They were still eaten, so I guess all's well that end's well. We had some cucumbers, and oh, right: The Peanuts. We gave them to Mary Anne Dewitt to boil, she's a master boiled peanut maker. But our schedules never allowed us to retrieve them, so then came week two: more peanuts. The pattypan squash I affectionately call "UFO Squash" sat in the fridge for another week.

Week two brought a fun bartering session between The Smoaks and The Cannons. This past Sunday (not today) Kate and I worked on the veggies at Great Falls....make another two squash-rice casseroles to keep in the freezer there, and also washed and bagged everything. Kate has become our expert at unloading the green bins, washing the veggies, and bagging items we'll wash later. I mean, she really is proficient at this and I give her complete ownership. As a reward, I let her peel and slice her own cucumber and eat it....and she got to use a real knife! I mean, what's the worst that can go wrong -- cut herself?

Anyway.....peanuts. I emailed Kelley Cannon to see if they wanted some, so on our way home from GF we stop by, and she has all kinds of produce as well, different stuff! So I offload a couple of squash, cucumbers and peanuts, and in return I get a bag of already boiled peanuts!, grapes, and the most amazing mountain apples I have ever had. I think I ate them all that week myself. Had you added a mean girl named Nelly, we were right off of Little House on the Prairie.


Week three has photos to accompany them. Again, Kate unloaded and washed the veggies today. I had already unloaded the biggest zuchinni of my life, washed it, and we made zuchinni bread Saturday. Kate grated the entire zucchini herself! It turned out delightful!


Okay, back to today: after the veggies were washed and corn shucked, I started to work on eggplant parmesean. However, Scott came home and I had to leave for yoga before the meal was finished, so after I dredged the slices in egg/water and dipped into The Panko (which BTW, Panko rocks!) he broiled them on both sides, and then put them into the baking dish with sauce and cheese. I had some when I got home: delicious! Eating leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Scott also made pickled beets, his first real involvement with The CSA veggies on an intimate level. His next job will be the mustard greens and yet the final bag of green peanuts. It still leaves us some peppers, radishes, roma tomatoes and a butternut squash (which I know how to cook!)

What else did I do this weekend? Not much. When you're in a relationship, it takes a great deal of your time and attention and you feel tired for little else. So until the fall is over, I'm committed.

Move over Clark Griswold

The day before Kate and I were to leave for the beach, I got a call from Steve Senn that indeed he had decided to work Saturday, and thus, Mom could reschedule her perm from September 26 to September 5 – very desirable for The Mimi. Kate spent the morning at the across-the-street neighbors’ house, Scott packed, and I took Mom and ran errands – the longest of which was to retrieve her refills from the PX refill pharmacy at Fort Jackson.

Packing for the beach took a backseat.

When I finally got home (having gathered up piles of clothes for me and Kate earlier but not really remembering what was in there), I quickly finished packing and loaded the car. We decided to wait for Mike (my brother) to get there since he was only 30 minutes away. We did, visited for all of 20 minutes (within that timeframe he was able to launch into his worry that he’ll lose his healthcare because of Obama) and left. I was really tired – maybe even too tired to go. But faced with the prospect of staying home, I moved on.

Kate was pretty happy in the car, coloring, playing with her Leapster and doing well traveling. I was zoned out completely but thinking of being on the beach with a mimosa (which ended up being champagne and Juicy Juice because it was all we had!) and as a result, realized I was driving in the complete wrong direction. We were in Clinton, SC.

We turned around.

Once in the correct direction, Kate and I both recovered: her, from her whining about it taking too long, and me from a brief yelling through my teeth moment.

We pulled up to the Shem Creek Inn. I had only made my reservation on Thursday – we had never stayed there, but because we eat in that area when in Charleston, it seemed like a reasonable choice. The room was, well, worn. It wasn’t bad – had a garden tub, but was a little tired of seeing tourists over the years. We changed, ate dinner at the Water’s Edge (which I forgot had white tablecloths but proved to be a great time for Kate to learn how to use a bread plate), had a great meal, and went back to the hotel. Kate was hell bent to go swimming, so we put on our suits and headed to the unlit pool area.

We were the only ones in the pool area, although en route to the pool I noticed a young girl drinking coffee by herself in a swimsuit, and she joined us. She was 10 (but looked much younger) named Sydney, from Greer. Unsupervised. So now I’m in a pool that is dark, with an unsupervised 10-year-old girl. Kate asked her where her Mom was, and I think I heard her say, “at the bottle store.” Perhaps I heard wrong, but when I did finally see her Mom walk into Sydney’s room later, I was pretty sure I heard it right. Sydney played with Kate wonderfully, but it got too cold so we left and luckily Sydney did too. Whew. Sydney’s mom could not have been over 25. Sydney had two older sisters and a younger brother.

That night, I was so tired I could not do one thing but go to sleep. Once we got settled, we become extremely cold. So cold I was practically laying on top of Kate for warmth…….you know how you get so cold that the LAST thing you can do is get OUT of the bed? Painfully cold, miserably cold.

So I ran for the thermostat and realized it was set on “on” and not “auto” – so even set at 75 degrees, it was much, much too cold…….once I thawed out, sleep was interrupted at times by heavy walking above our heads (we were on the bottom floor) and hoots and hollers from the parking lot (which our window overlooked). Hoots and hollers at 3 am. Seems that the Shem Creek area on a Saturday night is party central. Who would’ ve thunk it.

The next morning we got up and headed to the continental breakfast. Kate spilled an entire cup on water on the table in the lobby, so we decided to go outside by the pool, which overlooks the creek – lots of cool shrimp boats, etc.. I had to work on U101 journals, but once outside, dew kept everything so wet that we couldn’t really spend much time out there. Kate wanted to look into the creek at the boats, and no sooner had she stood up on a chair then a seagull swooped at her head, missed her, but landed right by the pool. He peed on the concrete, hopped into the pool, and took a drink. Kate was traumatized by the bird, so we went back to our room. I finished journals, she watched TV and we finally packed to head to Folly Beach to spend the day with Kate’s friend Lawton Powers and his family. As we were getting into the car, Kate's lollygagging around somehow managed to open the car door too wide, leaving a nice small mark on a champagne colored Lexus. I left a note, being inspired by a friend whose daughter did the same thing at church, but I think to a worse degree.

Anyway, we love the Powers. Spending time at the beach with them was one of the highlights of the weekend. Kate and Lawton played in the ocean for almost five hours, and I got to visit with Kathryn, Law, and friends Ray and David. We sat on the beach and drank beer, laughed, ate Cheese Its…..a very fun time.

After our long day, we went up to see Ray and David’s new condo, and Kate got a bath with Lawton and Layne (she’s two). I had no clothes for her to change into, so she wore one of Lawton’s wife beater tank tops and a pair of boxers. At least she was clean!

We drove back to Shem Creek, and found Scott there…..so we got ready to eat dinner. We let Scott pick – he chose a favorite place of his, The Wreck. After it took us a bit to find it (they’ve built these million dollar homes along the road and we couldn’t find it), we arrived to a one-hour wait (which I doubted anyway). First thing I notice when I leave our name with the hostess: “no Sunday alcohol sales.” That flattened my sails a bit. As we waited it hit me: if they don’t have Sunday alcohol, then do they even take credit cards?

No, they don’t. And we didn’t have a lick of cash.

But I inquired about checks – they would take our personal check. Thank heavens because by this time, we are hungry.

We order our food and are looking forward to our meal, and when it is finally served, I said to our server, “and my she-crab soup?”

“Oh, right, we’re out of it. Sorry. Just remind me to take it off the bill.” Which she didn’t, and we had to wait for her to adjust…….

The food was really good and different from most other places. Incredibly down home (read: dirty but charming) and delicious for certain.

When I begin to write my check, I write $75 in the little box (instead of $65, which included a nice tip of $19 for two meals since Kate and I shared one), and then I write VOID through it, cross it out, and realize…….

You got it. It was my last check.

After scratching out and initialing through all my VOID and whatnot, I had to be content with leaving a bit larger tip than I expected to. Otherwise, we would not be able to pay. Nice……I just kept thinking how much our server would be delighted with it! We get Starbucks, head to the room, and settle in. Then, once asleep The Dream comes. I dream that we’re outside of our house and we’re talking with some expert bug guy because we’re having bug problems. Our problem is that Madagascar hissing roaches are trying to get into our house from the front door, and some lady at our door is beating them back with a broom. And she’s having to really beat them because they are the size of a dog, like as big and as long as a daschund. And the guy is telling us we HAVE to get them out because if they bite us, they’re poisonous. Not that I really want them in there anyway. Truly, I can even remember in my dream that they are layered looking, like a roly poly. So, I wake up and the dream is so real I struggle to get to sleep.

The next day works out nicely – Kate and Scott swim before we head downtown to eat lunch at Andolini’s (who does take debit), Scott and Kate took a carriage ride, and we peeked around downtown…..went to the outlets briefly and the salesperson at Brookstone is so awful she even says to Scott, “I’m sorry if I was abrupt” – she was horribly abrupt, but we could laugh about it because it was the thematic nature of our weekend away. The highlight was my remembering to bring USC shirts for me and Kate so we could get free Chickfila on the way home Monday……

Potatoes?

Kate has started kindergarten, and her new school focuses on public speaking. Between now and the end of September, she'll do Share Time three different days....the children (two per day) stand up, tell about the item they've brought, and call on three different friends to ask questions.

Kate wants to bring crusty bugs. You know what they are....the creepy exoskeletons of cicadas left clinging violently to trees, leaves, and most anything organic.

She'll touch them and for that I am proud; I would avoid these like the plague as a child. So tonight we needed to head outside, collect some crusty bugs, and come back in for supper.

The Mimi asked where we were going and I told her -- to pick off some shells of Cicadas.

"Potatoes?" she asked.

"SUH - KAY - DUHS" I just about shouted. And by the time I hit the door, I was giggling. Scott knew something had been Lost in Translation. Recounting the brief exchange, we both got a huge belly laugh out this.

Potatoes....cicadas....whatever.

The CSA

It was a mere week ago that I joined a CSA under the influence of a glass of prosecco, and I cannot quite stop thinking about what that First Box might bring. Scott and I have often pondered the idea of a CSA, community supported agriculture, where you buy a share of a farmer's harvest for a season. While enjoying a wonderful, end-of-summer night with our friends The Powers (K/L...we have other friends The Powers, S/T), we joined. They had recently joined Pinckney's Produce. With a glass in hand and laptop on the counter, I committed our family to an almost $200 season of vegetables, some of which I've never purchased or prepared! Now, I must learn to fraternize with new fruits and vegetables, such as the beet. Really, beets? Broccoli...no worries, broccoli and I are well acquainted. Same with cantaloupe, squash....and oh, sweet corn! I love you! But green peanuts and peas? I hesitate. We still have more time to google recipes before The Box is ready to pick up. We'll return to a time when preparing food -- straight from the ground -- was absolutely second nature. Yet, buying out of season, buying for preference, for specific tastes has been our nature. It will be a challenge, but exciting, to reconnect with generations gone by.

Idyllic

Idyllic.....summer days are often called this. I have not been able to relate to this word in quite some time.....over the past couple of years our days have become so full with tasks and responsibilities that we forgot what relaxing was or meant. This weekend, like the week we spent at the beach in June, has been a nice exception. This July 4th weekend, we've chosen to homebase it out of Great Falls since one of my brothers is in Columbia for a week. As I type this, I'm drinking bottled sangria and eating a piece of Trader Joe's sourdough toast with butter. Scott and Kate are outside in the vastness of the green grass of the church property on a not-so-hot summer day. Friday, we drove to Charlotte and Concord and visited Trader Joe's, introduced to me during my recent Charlotte yoga immersion weekends. We ate at The Open Kitchen, a 50-year-old Italian eatery, and spent the rest of the afternoon with our friends the Bryants: Jeanne, Mark, and Griffin, who is now 7. Miniature golf, ice cream and a wonderful July 4th festival (rides, fried food) provided the context for catching up with dear friends who also have an "only." Today, we drove to Fort Mill and watched our friend Austin play travel team baseball with another family who is close to our heart. We love to watch baseball, and seeing Austin play having known him since he was a toddler is ideal. For lunch, we met Alexa, Harman and newly-three Simran (July 3 birthday and also an "only") for lunch. This family was the first set of friends to come to Great Falls for church. We love them too, and Alexa and I loved catching up at the park while the dads watched the girls climb. And tomorrow, Michael and Mary Anne Dewitt will come to church and stay for lunch. Kate summed it up in the car today: "friends, and more friends, and more friends, and more friends." Idyllic in the lounging around eating bon-bons in St. Lucia kind of way? No. It's been relaxing in our ability to not worry about The Mimi's breathing, what she has eaten, how messy the house is or how many projects have been left undone. It has taken us a while to rediscover ourselves outside of the harried and hurried schedules we keep, and I appreciate this reintroduction. Hello self!

Playing Doctor

Kate loves to play doctor, in fact, she would like to be a rock star and a doctor when she grows up. Little does she know, there are rock star doctors such as Paul Farmer, but I digress....tonight it was Scott's turn to play doctor.

First, let me say I do have the greatest husband in the world. I often do not tell him this, but I do think the world of him. Especially tonight. He played podiatrist with The Mimi. He cut her toenails, a task that I refuse to do. I do a great deal for The Mimi: set up her coffee, wash her clothes, put the toilet paper on the wall, open her food containers, and other even more intimate duties when she's sick. But I cannot cut her toenails. Period.

She asked Scott to cut them a while back, and with little hesitation, he dove in. Tonight was the second appointment. They got to use the new $13 fancy toenail scissors from Walgreens. They were both borderline giddy. Until the blood came. Using the old-style clippers to start, a small knick became a wet washcloth inducing pressure point (that I got to hold) while Scott cleaned a small pool of blood. With The Mimi's Plavix, her blood runs freely to avoid the strokes she has suffered in the past. I interrupted my ironing at 10:15 pm to assist in the kitchen-ER, and once under control, I finished up Scott's two shirts and a dress of Kate's. After the appointment was complete, they debriefed the experience: the cut, the successfully clipping. Scott mentioned he needed to get a "mortar board" (he knew he had the wrong term, but I HAD to include that in here)....emery board..... Kate slept through the ordeal that we'll have to caution ourselves not to mention tomorrow....she loves an adventure, and this certainly counts as one. Peace and sweet dreams.....

It's been too long......

It has been forever since I have blogged -- I knew it had been, but November? Really? I will post too, to catch up on life and other humorous oddities.

But for now, I have found a fun hobby: couponing on steroids with a site called SouthernSavers.com. My pal Kim sent me the link. Scott and I agreed: it's worth a shot. We divided and conquered five stores. Here is our savings:

Week of February 23:

CVS: spent $2.03 ….saved $5.99 on two items
The Pig: spent $18.99……saved $5.74 on 7 items
Rite Aid: spent $0.25…..saved .75 on one item
Publix: spent $105.21…..saved $68.95 on 61 items (bought several items not on sale)
Koger: spent $39.26…...$14.50 saved on 22 items

Total Savings: $ 95.93.......................Grand Total: $165.74

Not bad for a new couponer. All of this, and I didn't even take any Tic Tacs. Imagine.