Sunday, May 9, 2010

CSA: Week 1

I know I must have had the biggest, goofiest, gleeful smile stretched across my face today when I picked up our first CSA share from the Eaton Farm at the Hyde Park Farmer's Market.


Since the spring has been so kind to us so far, the share pick-ups have started a little earlier than anticipated - fine by me! Each week we receive 8 dry quarts of freshly harvested produce along with half a dozen pastured eggs. This week's share includes:
  • bundle of French Breakfast Radish
  • bundle of green onions
  • head of lettuce (Bibb? Boston?)
  • bag of beet greens
  • head of Chinese cabbage (Green Tower variety?)
  • pint of strawberries!
  • half dozen eggs (HUGE!)
I plan to keep a record each week of our share - I have a feeling we are going to love being members of a CSA.

Today was a beautiful day - very appropriate for Mother's Day. For some reason, I've always "approved" of Mother's Day as a holiday. There are a lot of other holidays that I'm "meh" about, but mothers are always something to celebrate in my book.

I spent the day with family at my grandma's farm in Hamilton. The highlight of the day was getting to plant tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant in her communal garden with my dad, mom, and brother. Dad tilled the soil so it was nice and fine, brother dug the holes, and mom and I planted and watered the plants. We were able to put in the rest of my tomato plants, as well as the rest of my Jimmy Nardello peppers and the lone eggplant. We also put in 18 Better Boy tomatoes. Given a good growing season, this garden should supply our family with plenty of tomatoes for fresh eating and canning.

Having all four of us be in that garden again brought back memories from my childhood. When we were all younger and less busy, our family and the rest of the aunts, uncles, and cousins would come together each summer to plant, tend, harvest, and preserve the bounty of this garden. I have great memories of "assembly line" corn husking, pea shelling, and bean snapping. It was great to be able to share this experience again with my little family, despite all of the changes that the past decade has brought for us.

Happy Mother's Day - I love you Mom!

2 comments:

yul meade said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
yul meade said...

Magnificient!

i will be checking into CSA--looks yummy!