Heat!

The heat has really come early to Wisconsin.  This past weekend it was close to 90 degrees and, thanks to my friend, I spent most of the time on a boat in the middle of Lake Mendota.  I love being on the boat for many reasons, but the main one is you get to see everything from a new prospective. Until you get on the lake, you never really get to see what the coastline looks like.  I think this is also true of growing vegetables.  We all see the end product at the grocery store but until you grow your own, you don't really get the full picture.  You don't get to experience the little joys like seeing your first buds or watching the branches climb higher and higher.  Well, along with the warmth this weekend, I got to experience a lot of progress with my plants.  It always stuns me how quickly they can grow with a little soil, water and sun!  Here are some pictures of the progress. 

The first little pepper on my Bell Pepper plant

Heirloom tomato plant almost to the first ring!

First flowers on the SunGold Tomato Plant

The SunGold has gotten so big in 2 weeks!!  Hopefully that means lots of tomatoes

And, Bryan will be happy about this one, the first jalapeno

Can you believe how big they have gotten!?  Well, I have gotten a few questions since my first post that I thought I would clear up.

First, how often will I be posting? --  Right now, I am planning on posting about once a week until I start getting the CSA which isn't until mid-June.  I will probably just end up rambling for now about my veggie plants and any other fun food experiences.  Once I start getting the CSA, I thinking I will post 1-2 times a week.  Probably once talking about what I got that week and another with details on what I did with the food and post the recipes I used.  I am very open to recipe suggestions so please feel free to comment with things I should try.

More importantly, I was asked what a CSA even is.  -- I am fairly passionate about this so I will try not to ramble ---  CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  Basically, we pay a set amount up front for a box of veggies/fruit for a set number of weeks from a local farm.  It is important to point out we pay up front.  This means if it is a bad summer for crops we may not get as much food overall, or vice versa.  It is insurance for the local farmers that they will get the money they need to keep running their farm throughout the summer.  The specific farm that we buy from is located in Viroqua, WI and is called Ridgeland Harvest.  It is a couple and their two young children who run and live on the farm.  They also have people that work for food and volunteers to pick, wash and package the crops each week.  The CSA is their main source of income.  They amazingly have 21 drop off sites anywhere from LaCrosse to Madison.  I really can't believe they drive 2-3 hours each week to drop of the food but I am pretty lucky because my pick-up site is only 2 block from my house. Besides the CSA, they also sell their food at the Dane County Farmer's Market on Saturdays.  I really love the relationship you build with the farm through the CSA.  They write a newsletter each week telling us about the farm, their lives, and the challenges they encounter along the way.  We also get great benefits like being able to visit the farm and pick as many raspberries as we want for FREE!  Now, anyone that knows me understands how exciting this is.  Raspberries are my absolute favorite food.  I could probably eat a gallon a day and not get sick of them.  Nummy!!

So, now that I have explained all of the details you are probably wondering how much we really are paying up front.  Well, our specific farm has both Full and Half shares.  This just determines how big of a box you get each week.  We get a Half share since it is only 2 of us and my husband travels most weeks.  We get food from June 15th to Oct 15th for $425 or  $23 a week.  Now, this may seem a little pricey but you have to keep in mind its fresh, Organic, and you are supporting your community.  BUT even better, most health insurances reimburse you for getting a CSA -- usually $100 for one person or $200 for a family.  So, we actually only paid $225 or $13 a week.  Now that's a steal!!  Overall, we get most of the vegetables for the week from the CSA.  We still go to the farmer's market to supplement it with other items we like and we usually need to buy more fruit at the grocery store.  (Our CSA doesn't do a lot of fruit, just a little bit of strawberries and raspberries).  Items like onions, garlic and potatoes, I didn't need to buy again until December.  One week last July I got 10 lbs of heirloom tomatoes.  Those are the weeks that excite me the most! 

If you want more information on CSAs in your area, I highly recommend looking them up on the Internet.  Madison has a CSA Coalition that details out all of the local CSAs and what type of vegetables and fruit they provide.  All farms are different, so you have to find the one that works best for you in size and taste.  We just lucked out with finding the right one for us the first year.

Here is some more information on my farm and CSAs. 

http://www.ridgelandharvest.com/

http://www.csacoalition.org/

Well, its time for me to go pack for my NYC adventure this weekend.  My guess is next week will be more about the delicious food I ate there instead of the plants.  But who knows, with all of the heat maybe we will have some tomatoes when I get back! 

Well, the leaves are fully out, the sun has kissed my skin and the smell of charcoal is in the air.  I think it is finally summer in Wisconsin.  Though, this is a little warmer than normal, I will take it!  All this really does for me is make me excited for all the fresh food we will be consuming in the upcoming months.  Between my own little patio garden, the largest producer-only farmers market down the street and my weekly CSA, its kind of hard for us not to eat healthier and fresher.  I think for me the most exciting part is the challenge this brings for me.  Each week I try to find new recipes to make for the assortment of vegetables that we get delivered.  Honestly, this blog is more for me than anyone else.  I wanted an easy place for me to track what we get each week in the CSA and what I end up doing with it.  I think this will also force me to not throw away things I did last year, like Swiss Chard and Diakon.  Of course, I am open to suggestions if anyone has some.  I will probably also be posing about my patio garden as it comes along.  Last year was pretty successful, so I am hoping this year will be the same. 

Speaking of the garden, I actually planted everything in its pots this weekend.  All my plants are from the Dane County Farmers Market.  Here are some pictures...

Plants and Coffee after the farmer's market

Sungold Tomatoes - So excited for these this year since I didn't really like the type of grape tomato I grew last year. 

Orange Bell Pepper, Jalapeno and German Stripe Heirloom Tomato -- The bell pepper is new for me this year.  We decided to give it a chance since the plant cost less than 1 pepper from the grocery store these days.  My husband insisted on growing jalapenos again this year since he loves anything hot.  I also grew this heirloom tomato last year.  Delicious but I only got 3 tomatoes off of it.  Hopefully it will be a little more prosperous.

Basil, Dill and Green Onions -  I have grown basil for the past 7 years but the dill and green onions are new.  I decided on dill this year since we will be getting quite a few cucumbers in the CSA.  Now I wont have to buy dill to make refrigerator pickles!  Again, my husband insisted on the green onions.  He loves them! --- and I heard they are pretty easy.

My token Dahlia

Thyme and Cilantro - Next weekend I will be adding parsley to this.  I seemed to have forgotten it at the farmers market this weekend.

Well I guess that is all for tonight.

If there is anyone out there actually reading this, besides my mom, hope you enjoy!



Oh! One thing I forgot. I wanted to explain my blog name... Basically, last year was my first expereince with a CSA. Though I consider myself pretty good with vegetables, my CSA introduced me to all sorts of veggies that I have never tried before -- (translate to: my mom never put in front of me as a child). One of my biggest discoveries was that I really like turnips! Kind of a weird discovery, but to me, they are like potatoes with more of a point. They aren't just a vehicle for cheese, butter and sour cream. The Turnip Gratin I made last night was delicious! -- I am sure I will post the recipe later in the summer.