More on Pick-Up Day at the Farm

With the kids and dog in tow, we all traveled to North Yarmouth to pick up our first share. I hoped for a beautiful sunny day, so we could spend time roaming the fields with Lauren and Will. However, it started raining the minute we arrived. Justin Deri — our farmer — greeted us at the entrance of the round barn. I considered telling him about the blog, but decided against it. No need to make the man nervous on his first CSA day. Justin walked us through the day's offerings and I was pleasantly surprised by what we were getting for our half share: Hakurei (a white salad turnip), kale, swiss chard with vibrantly colored stems, red leaf lettuce, scallions and spinach were arranged buffet style on two tables. So far, it looks like a half-share is plenty for our family of four.

Despite the rain, we visited the pigs who ran to us in hopes of food, which delighted Lauren. Like my daughter, I was just as taken with the pigs the first time we visited the farm. I never realized how affectionate they can be. One of the pigs nuzzled up to Justin just like a loyal dog would to its owner. Hard to think about their imminent fate, but I guess that's the nature of farm life.

We were all getting soaked, so my husband Ted corralled us back to the car. I'm curious what the next harvests will be when the weather gets warmer. And I'm especially looking forward to cutting bouquets from the flower garden. It will be a treat to have fresh flowers on the table each week. And they're free!

Once we arrived home, I arranged our harvest on the kitchen counter so Lauren could see all the vegetables. She and I tried slices of the Hakurei —which looks exactly like a radish, only white in color. It had a peppery taste and to my surprise, Lauren ate all of hers. Our girl loves her veggies.

Ted used the scallions and more of the Hakurei to add some flavor to the hamburger patties he was prepping for dinner. And we decided to try sautéing the kale with garlic and oil. I'm not sure I've ever had kale — maybe in a salad — but it tasted like Thanksgiving turnips to me (which I'm not a fan of). No matter - the good news is we're trying new things, incorporating greens into our meals and (hopefully) adding some much needed vitamins to our diet. Now all I need to do is research some interesting recipes. I'll let you know what I find.