Tag: Farm

All I Wanted for My Birthday was Virus Protection

All I Wanted for My Birthday was Virus Protection

Happy 2012 everyone! I'm sorry I've been out of commission lately.  It appears as though some little cyberbeast decided to take up residence in my computer and now that it's fixed, I can get back to business.  Luckily, I only have to trade foodstuffs for top-notch tech work and with lots of time on my hands right now, I can cook up a storm (thank you Fletch)! Oh yeah, and I also celebrated my 29th birthday! Yes, again.  Shut up.  We had a wonderful night and Thomas got to experience 'hibachi' for the first time.   If you could have seen his eyes...Read More
Something Old, Something New… yada, yada, yada

Something Old, Something New… yada, yada, yada

We celebrated Thomas'  birthday a few weeks ago - no surprise he's a Taurus, huh? Full of  the bull, my boy is. On his birthday proper, I brought cupcakes to school so his class could celebrate this momentous occasion.  If he can't lose a tooth in first grade, at least he can turn 7.  I didn't want to buy canned frosting, although that would have been easier and the rugrats wouldn't have minded one bit, I'm sure.  I just felt all weird since I'm pretty much a 'from scratch' kinda gal. I did a little research and nothing tickled my fancy.  I have...Read More
The Colors of Christmas

The Colors of Christmas

Not the garishly bright Crayola red and green, either... I'm talking deep crimson red and asparagus green and crisp white.  Mother Nature has created such gorgeous colors that no factory (even Crayola) can reproduce them.  So, in keeping with the color theme for the season, I'm offering up a salad that will wow your guests this holiday season.    Not only is it impressive in terms of appearance, it's EASY FOR THE COOK!  Double bonus! If you're anything like me, you're probably just now realizing that Christmas is a mere 12 days away (which is why my original title for this post was...Read More
Brrrr!  Where are My Fuzzy Slippers?

Brrrr! Where are My Fuzzy Slippers?

'Cause it's getting REALLY cold out here on the farm! [caption id="attachment_973" align="alignright" width="240"] Good Morning, Sunshine![/caption] Temps have been consistently in the 30s each morning, but the frost lingered until long past the time when I usually take Thomas out for the bus today.   Amazingly enough, very few of the green items we have at market right now are from the greenhouse.  Most, like spinach, kale(s), collards, turnips, brussels sprouts, lettuce and bok choy, are still being harvested from the fields weekly. As long as the weather isn't too harsh right away, the plants become accustomed to the weather and actually thrive. ...Read More
Breaking News….

Breaking News….

  [caption id="attachment_921" align="alignright" width="180"] Mmmm.... Limey![/caption] FarmGirl Stabs Self in Hand with Steak Knife.  Was Sandwich Worth Bloodshed? No.  It wasn't. But the fact that my darling boy had just gotten off the school bus in a pissy mood and was bitching and whining about lunch AS I IMPALED MYSELF led him to feel the most tremendous guilt I've ever seen in a 6-yr-old.  It was amazing.  He danced around like the floor was made of hot coals while offering up bandaids. He was so overcome by emotion that he actually started to tear up.  He KNEW that his yapping distracted me, and although...Read More
C’mon Daddy, Light My Fire!

C’mon Daddy, Light My Fire!

[caption id="attachment_861" align="alignright" width="158"] The Tools of the Trade (meaning, I trade food for repairs): note the all-important cigar (Fletch!)[/caption] Ok, so my dad doesn’t look like Jim Morrison… OR Val Kilmer…  But he IS handy with doors, as he fixed mine only a few short months ago.  The fact that in a previous life The Doors provided good make-out music probably should have led me to a different title, but eh.  I’ve never been known for being PC. And since I’ve got this horrific earworm now, so should you!  <insert evil cackle here> Many thanks to Dad  who re-lit my...Read More

Life Happens

[caption id="attachment_597" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Chilly Walk at Sunset"][/caption] I had lots of ideas in my head and planned to write up some new recipes this week, but sometimes, as we all know, things don't go as planned. Too much going on farmwise - we had a light and scattered frost on Tuesday morning.  That means the 15-minute Tuesday drive around the farm took about 40 minutes instead.  Dad and I always take a ride around checking out which crops (or plantings of multiple crops) are ready for harvest each week.   So we hopped in the Jeep Wrangler (Mom's baby from 1987.... still with...Read More

The Little Black Dress in the Kitchen

 * So here I am trying to type and post these recipe ideas and The Boy is being very affectionate and needy.  He's wonderfully happy, and ridiculously talkative, as any young man would be after riding along with Papa in the John Deere for the last hour.  He is emptying the contents of his piggy bank (ie coffee can with slit in lid) on my desk between me and my keyboard.  He reminds me of my cat (RIP, Miss Book), climbing all over me 'in the heat of the moment' like nothing important is going on (no comment) and why can't I interrupt?  This is...Read More
Afternoon Delight… Or Love Apples, the Stinking Rose, and… Crest?

Afternoon Delight… Or Love Apples, the Stinking Rose, and… Crest?

[caption id="attachment_242" align="alignright" width="225"] SunGold Low-acid Cherry Tomatoes[/caption] Afternoon Delight, Tomatoes, Homegrown and Full of Summer The calendar turns to June and people's tongues start hanging for a real, vine-ripened, homegrown tomatoes.  Anyone who has lived in the Northeast for more than a few growing seasons KNOWS that you will NOT find a local tomato in June, but we can hope... and crave... and dream a little. We farmers aren't immune to the siren song of the Love Apple either.   Why 'love apple', you ask?  It is, according to Food Lover's Companion, "a tomato moniker that originated in the 16th...Read More

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

...or,  Watch what you do and say because your child WILL repeat EVERYTHING, both good and bad. [caption id="attachment_155" align="alignright" width="112" caption="Cucumber Tendrils"][/caption] The plan was for Thomas to go to The Shore with his dad for a few days, so we went 'shopping' in the fields for snacks for the trip. Kirby cucumbers, baby carrots and green beans are all great raw and hardy enough to store in a cooler bag for 2 days plus they have the added benefit of being the few veggies the boy will eat these days. I've given up trying to figure out what his...Read More