CSA

At the beginning of the year, we signed up for a CSA package.  So far, it's been amazing.  We've eaten more vegetables, more fruit, and different cheeses, we've gotten jars of raw honey and good maple syrup, and locally made tomatillo salsa, and it's been fantastic.

But then it gets overwhelming.  To be fair, it's been kind of a crazy summer, and our ability to stay home has been uncertain to say the least.  I'm trying to keep up with the vegetables, but it hasn't worked well (and that's after two weeks of eating nothing but salads for lunches).

For instance, right now, I have eight ears of corn, eight HUGE zucchini, four cucumbers, a pound of beets, two pounds of green beans, a whole LOT of salad greens, four pounds of peaches, a pound of blueberries, a pound of jalapeños, and a big jar of applesauce that are all gonna go bad if I don't do something soon.  And I don't really have a good kitchen for canning a lot of stuff.

So I broke out my dehydrator.  Right now, the zucchini is in it, and it's full, and I still have one and a half zucchini left to go.  (There's more stuff from above, but if you have a dehydrator, and a small kitchen like I do, you do NOT want to dehydrate four big heads of garlic.  WHOO that gets overwhelming.)

I'll keep the green beans, the corn, and most of the peaches around.  The rest of it is all going to get dried.  I think I'll turn the vegetables into a veggie powder so as to hide it in things like meatballs and soups (THEY WILL EAT THEIR VEGETABLES, BAHAHAHA!).  The applesauce is going to make a fantastic fruit leather.

It's going to take a while to do it, and I'll have to eat some of the salad stuff while I'm at it (that's okay, I know I need to lose weight anyway), but at least it'll all get done.

A side note--I know I'm getting green tomatoes soon, and I know someone with my heritage is supposed to be super pumped about the idea of fried green tomatoes, but...they're not my thing.  What else could I make with them?

Another side note--know what's good with chevre?  EVERYTHING.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your summer so far? Why?
(1=eh and 10=best summer ever)

It's been so full of extremes I don't even know how to answer.  Vacation and getting to see my sister and her family definitely rates a 10.  There's a lot of other things that rated a 1.  As this is supposed to be my attempt to keep on the sunny side, I don't talk about the lows much here.

2. July 26th is National Aunts and Uncles Day. Did you have many aunts and uncles growing up? Were you especially close to any one or maybe all of them? Are you an aunt? (or uncle for the men who join here on Wednesdays) Share a favorite memory relating to one of your own aunts or uncles or relating to a niece or nephew who call you Aunt (or Uncle).

I wouldn't say I had many.  I had three uncles and two aunts, and I wouldn't say I was particularly close to any--we had one that was around more than the rest, and I always thought he was pretty cool (most people think he's weird, and he is, but he's friendly and he's fun and he's definitely his own person).  I am an aunt, I have three beautiful nieces and I adore them.  

A favorite memory is a little hard to come by, but I'll go with one from when I went back home for my grandmother's funeral earlier this year.  My sister was kind enough to let me stay at her place, and early the next morning I heard tiny footsteps accompanied by "Do you think Aunt B is awake yet? Let's go see!" and giggles.  

The joke was on them--I was indeed awake, and ready to surprise them.  :)

3. What's your favorite food dipped in chocolate? What's your favorite food dipped in cheese?

Dipped in chocolate: strawberries, or pretzels.  Dipped in cheese: probably bread chunks. 

4. When were you last astonished by something? Explain.

Scout has been honing his cooking skills.  The other night, he made pancakes for everyone for dinner.  Start to finish.  I didn't stir, I didn't pour, I didn't flip, all I did was get out an egg for him.  He did the rest, including the recipe tweaks (which pretty much amount to a splash of vanilla and a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar).  They came out really good and I'm really proud of him.

5. Surf board, paddle board, ironing board, Pinterest board, score board, clip board, bulletin board...which board have you most recently encountered?

Well I tripped over the ironing board this morning, does that count?

6. What's your favorite story from scripture? Why that story?

Jesus heals on the Sabbath.  The reason why is best summed up in Luke 6:9--Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

7. If you were to travel from the east coast to the west coast in your own country, which five cities would you most want to see?

Wow, just five cities...it's a big country!  But I choose Juneau, Alaska; Denver, Colorado; Chicago, Illinois; Nashville, Tennessee; and Charlotte, North Carolina.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm ready for cooler weather!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Pokemon Go...your thoughts? Are you playing? Do you even know what it is?
NO.  I do know what it is, but I am not interested in fighting people I don't know for cartoon animals to have more fights.  If I want to interact with strangers, I'll go to the coffee shop and talk to people in person instead of trying to steal their turtles or whatever.  (And I do that on a regular basis, when it isn't summer.)

2. What was something you collected as a child? Do you still have that collection? If you're a parent what's something your own children collected? Have you ever camped out, stood in a crazy long queue, or paid a ridiculous sum for a 'collectible'?

This one's tough.  I collected little miniature animal figurines for a while, but that collection is long gone.  My daughter seems to collect stuffed animals and My Little Pony figurines.  My son collected Legos for a time, but that seems to be fading.  I have never done anything crazy for a "collectible".  My scrapbooking hobby is expensive enough without adding a collection of anything to my world.

3. "Collect moments, not things"...tell us about a moment you've added to your collection this summer.

Visiting my sister and her family.  The conversation in one particular moment was when my niece crawled int my husband's lap and said, "I love you, Uncle L!" which was almost immediately followed by "Can I have some Cheez-its?"  Our nieces are so adorable.  (Uncle L caved almost immediately.)

4.  What's something collecting dust in your home right now? Any plans to do something about it?

Everything?  Oh that isn't what you meant.  But seriously, everything.  We are currently in the middle of throwing out a great many things.  I like to think I'm not terribly materialistic, and I'm tired of the stuff that seems to accumulate.

5. A favorite song relating to time?

Turn Turn Turn by the Byrds.  I tried to link a video but it wouldn't let me.  :(

6. What's been your most frightening or your most interesting encounter with wildlife?

Hm...probably the night (it was about 3 a.m.) when my son was a young child.  He'd left his pacifier downstairs, and had started crying for it, so I went to get it, and on my way back upstairs, something swooped past my head.  We were no strangers to birds getting into our house, so I assumed it was a bird and woke my husband up to get help in dealing with it.  Turns out, it was actually a bat.

7.  On July 20, 1969 Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong set his foot down on the moon. If you could travel to the moon would you go? Why or why not?

NOOOO.  No no no no.  My fear of flying notwithstanding, I have no interest in the current dangers of space travel.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

It isn't that I'm trying to rush through summer or watching my children grow, but I'm looking forward to the quiet moments that will happen once school starts...

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. How did you welcome the month of July, and tell us one fun thing you did to celebrate the 4th. (or the weekend for any non-USA residents playing along today)

I welcomed the month of July by packing for my daughter and me to go to camp.  Am I the only one who keeps saying things like "Great, one thing left and I'm done!  Just three more things and we'll be ready to go.  Yup, nineteen more things to cram (oof) into this (grr) suitcase..."

As a result, we spent the fourth celebrating at Sunshine's favorite place: church camp.

(the view from our "home" in the forest)

2. Right now..what's your favorite red thing? white thing? blue thing? 

Red thing: strawberries.

White thing:  um...ice cream?

Blue thing:  the sky.

3. Wave the white flag, raise a red flag, fly your freak flag...which 'flag' have you flown most recently? Explain. 

waving the white flag.  This year has been an overwhelming one, and I've had to let go of control over a lot of things.

4. According to Cond Nast Traveler these are the seven best places to visit in July-

a boat safari in Botswanna's Okavango Delta, Riviera Maya Mexico (it's whale shark season and apparently you can swim with them), Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, Pamploma Spain, St. Petersburg Russia, the Fuji Rock Festival at Mount Naeba Japan, the Salzburg Festival in Salzburg Austria

If time and money weren't factors would you want to see any/all of these? Which would you most like to see and why? 

Riviera Maya.  I love, love, love Mexico.  Other than that, I would love to see St. Petersburg, but I think I'll wait till the political climate changes.  (Can I say that out loud?)

5. Grilled cheese, pimento cheese, or mac and cheese...your favorite from the cheesy treats listed? 

Grilled cheese.  With just a little bit of grilled onions.  But seriously, grilled cheese.

6. What makes you sweat? 

Apparently, hiking up the side of the mountain in the fog when it's overwhelmingly humid.

7. Your favorite movie with a 'patriotic' theme of some sort?

I actually really liked Patton and is anyone gonna think it's ridiculous if I add Independence Day  to the list?

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

One of our favorite games from camp was a human version of Hungry Hungry Hippos: