CSA - Week 2

My littlest one has been miserably ill since Friday with fever, cough, goopy eyes, bloody sneezes and general malaise. This photo pretty much sums it up.

Not even a bottle of Courvoisier could make our 'Ladies Man' feel better. 

While I wasn't able to snap a photo of our share this week, our CSA farmers had one posted on Facebook:

Photo courtesy of Trillium Haven Farm

• 2 heads frisee
• 2 heads green lettuce
• 1 head red lettuce 
• 1 lb spinach
• 1 bunch radishes
• 1 kohl rabi
• 1 bunch scallions
• 1 bunch cilantro

WWAW (What We Ate Wednesday) - Jackfruit 'Carnitas' Tacos

A recap of Sunday's Noshing

Breakfast : A cup of tea and some fruit

My lunch: a fabulous salad and some sunshine. Smoked Tomato Dressing. The Fakin' Bacon was the real show stopper.  

I was going to chop this green pepper for our salad, but Dylan had other plans.

Kids' Lunch: Luke munches on English Muffin Cheese Pizzas while watching Bill Nye.

Afternoon Snack: Cantaloupe. Cukes with salt and a squeeze of lemon.

A little smoothie to hold me over until dinner was ready - I forgot to snap a pic until I was already finished! Frozen banana, soy milk, cocoa powder, PB2 and a drizzle of molasses. Hit the spot!

Crockpot Action: Jackfruit 'Carnitas" 

Dinner: Jackfruit 'Carnitas' Tacos with corn tortilla, cilantro and radish. Bowl of pinto beans cooked with fresh epazote. 

Jackfruit 'Carnitas' Tacos (recipe adapted from TheUrbanHousewife)

2 - 20 oz cans Young Green Jackfruit in brine
1 - 16 oz jar Salsa Verde
2 onions - roughly cut
1 clove elephant garlic (or 2 cloves regular garlic) - roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lime

Spice Blend: I didn't measure these exactly but was heavier on the cumin. I'd say the end result was about 2 Tablespoons of spice blend. Adjust to your preference. 

Cumin
Chile Powder
Black Pepper
Smoked Paprika
Oregano
Thyme

Possible Toppings
Cilantro
Radishes
Lettuce
Tomato
Vegan Sour Cream
Vegan Cheeze

Drain both cans of Jackfruit and soak in large bowl of water for 15 minutes. Discard water and squeeze jackfruit dry with hands before placing in crockpot. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cook in crockpot on low for 6 - 8 hours. When ready, shred the jackfruit with 2 forks and serve on tortillas with toppings of choice.

CSA - Week 1

Last night was our first CSA pick up! This will be our 3rd year participating with Trillium Haven (last year Trillium Haven didn't offer the CSA so that they could focus on the opening of their new restaurant). We are splitting a share with my brother's family to offset the cost (a whopping $600 per share this season) so we will split each week's produce.

Since this is only the first week and the Michigan growing season is not quite in full swing (thanks to the late frost we got last month and loads of rain since), this week's pickup was a little sparse. No worries though, I have high hopes that the farm will be more productive as the season marches on!

This photo doesn't do the green garlic justice, they were over 3.5 feet long!!

This week's share includes:

• 1 head red romaine lettuce
• 1 head green/red romaine lettuce
• 1 head frisee lettuce
• 1 pound of spinach
• 1 bunch of chives
• 1 bunch of scallions
• 3 stalks of green garlic

Typically, every Friday I make the menu plan for the following week, but since our pickups are on Monday, I have to wait to make the schedule until Monday night when I know what veggies we are working with.

Weekly Dinner Menu Plan

Monday - Red Skin Potatoes. Veggie Saute (green garlic, carrots, celery, zucchini, basil, oregano)

Tuesday - Leftovers Salad - Spinach. Red Pepper. Black beans. Leftover Veggie Saute. Nooch. 

Wednesday - Pasta with a Basil/Chive/Green Garlic Tempesto (adapted from this recipe). Tossed salad. 

Thursday - Vindaloo-Style Tofu Scramble (adapted from this recipe). Brown basmati rice. Tossed salad. 

Friday - Loaded Potato Salad (with Fakin' Bacon). Boca burgers. Baked beans. 

Saturday - Mother Earth salad wraps. 

Sunday - Father's Day get together with family :)

Thanks Sayward for the idea for Leftovers Salad :)

Garden Love, Part Two

Looking forward to tonight - our first CSA pickup of the season! In the meantime, enjoy these snapshots :)

Angel Trumpet - Double Yellow Datura - Plant with caution - these guys are poisonous. We plant ours in an area that is off limits to Dylan (the older kids already know its danger). 

Ready to open ...

Our Macintosh apple tree only has one apple this year! Hoping it survives until Fall...

Blooming Weigela

Morning Glory climbing up the gutter spout.

Blooming Columbine 

Herb Garden: Catnip, Thai Basil, a lonely strawberry plant, Thyme, bolting Swiss Chard from last season, Rosemary, Curly Parsley, Epazote and Cilantro. 

Patio plants, including a Salad Bowl for my son to feed his Bearded Dragon.

Garden Love, Part One

My favorite mornings always begin with a cup of tea and taking inventory of my garden. With months of dreaming and planning finally coming to fruition, I bask in the satisfaction of witnessing the magic of nature firsthand. 

My little suburban backyard plot - complete with the tools of toddler entertainment. My favorite addition this year is the DIY chalkboard we've attached to our compost bin. Can you spot R2-D2?

Another angle of the garden, with a closeup of this lovely borage. Can you see Dylan playing in his pool?

My little helper is repurposing his pool water. 

"Look at that mud."

Big flat blossoms on the Purple Cherokee Tomato plant, in addition to lots of cottonwood fluff. 

Our very first cherry tomato of the season! Hurry up and ripen, little one :)

Can you spot the Swallowtail Caterpillar munching away on the dill?

What I am most excited about this year - Broccoli Rabe! Last years crop was a flop, but our little patch is looking amazing!

A little of this, a little of that: Basil, Arugula (2 types), Rutabagas, Yellow Beans

This pic has it all!! Vining Cukes and Morning Glories. Radishes. Red Lettuce. Peas. Kale. Onions. Cranberry Beans. Carrots. These poor little guys are so crowded - thanks to my over-enthusiasm.  

I have delicious plans for these gorgeous blooms - Chive Blossom Vinegar.

Evidence of a squirrel gardening! Someone has been busy at work planting these sunflower seeds all over my yard, as show here between my collards. 

Nasturtiums are one of my garden favorites. I love their resemblance to lily pads.

This spontaneous nasturtium seeding, hiding out amongst my onions and garlic, is a leftover from last season :)

All of my pepper plants have fallen prey to nesting black birds. These babies have been plucked clean!

More squirrel gardening. 

WWAW - (What We Ate Wednesday)

Busy weeknight dinner - in pictures.

Cilantro and arugula from my garden

Busy momma's little helpers - ready to eat vegetarian Indian dishes

Served with basmati rice cooked with fennel seed. Fresh cilantro and arugula garnish. 

Luke wanted a picture of his basmati onigiri creations.

Dylan eating his basmati and kadhi pakodi with "cockships" (chopsticks)

Gearing Up For Summer

Dylan and I, soaking up some sunshine

We are all limping our way through these last 3 days of the school year. Tyler and Jake have been studying hard for their final exams which begin tomorrow. Luke, on the other hand, seems to have checked out completely in advance of his 5th grade graduation on Thursday. In anticipation of the inevitable Summer Boredom, I've compiled a bucket list of activities for the next 3 months.

• Checklist of local parks and nature centers we've never been to 
• Hiking at the Saugatuck Dunes State Park- we did this last summer and the kids loved it. 
• Picnics at Frederik Meijer Gardens for their Tuesday Evening Music Club Series.
• A return visit to the Aquatic Center - their Splash Zone is amazing :)
• Book a camping trip to Sandy Pines Campground - shhhhh, this one is a surprise!
• Weekly visits to Trillium Haven Farm to pick up our CSA share - the kids love the U-pick options. 
• Trips to local farms throughout the summer for strawberry/blueberry/raspberry picking. (And lots of subsequent canning...)
• Participate with Summer Reading Program at our local library. 
• An evening visit to The Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association's James C. Veen Observatory 
• Movie night at the Drive-In Theatre
• Movies in the park, provided by local library
• Pony rides!
• Check out the planes at the Air-Zoo
• Take the kids geocaching
• No summer is complete without a trip to the zoo! Who wants to feed the giraffes?

What activities do you have planned for this summer?