Week 5

When we arrived at the farm, Farmer Justin was busy attaching a mower to his tractor. The grass is growing fairly high in the fields around the house. The tractor looks like an antique and is definitely worth a photo op. I promise, the next time I visit the farm, I'll bring the camera! I'm curious to know the tractor's history and how Justin acquired it. I remember a Vermont tree farmer once telling me that farmers spend too much money on new machinery—and that's why many find their farms in the red. I don't know if this statement is true or a gross generalization, but it's great to see Justin putting an old machine to good use. Lauren and Will were mesmerized by it.

Today's share included fresh herbs. Unfortunately, we arrived too late in the day, so all the basil was gone (what is it with me and basil these days?), but we were able to bring home dill and cilantro. We were also introduced to an heirloom variety of romaine lettuce called Freckles. True to its name, the lettuce has dark green leaves and red spots. According to Justin, this variety has been around for 200 years. Heirloom vegetables like this one are long-established, but not typically used by commercial farms. Discovering new vegetables is one of many reasons we decided to join a CSA. I've never seen Freckles romaine at the grocery store. The mixed greens at Hannaford's are about as exciting as it gets.

Will and I picked a bouquet of cosmos, braving several bees that were swarming about. My book group comes over for dinner tonight, so I'll have flowers for the table.

As a post script to this entry, Ted made some wonderful quiches this week. One included rosemary from our own garden, sea salt, roasted sweet potatoes and swiss chard—the other cheese, bacon and scallions. We use the Moosewood Cookbook (Mollie Katzen) basic quiche recipe. It's quick and easy to improvise with other ingredients. Quiche is perfect for a fast family meal—we just keep a few store bought crusts in the freezer to have on hand.

Also, does anyone out there have any creative uses for kale? As I mentioned, it's not a favorite in the Hazard household, but I'm told by a friend that vinegar cuts the bitterness. I'm going to do some investigating myself, however, I welcome any advice.