Cooking with CSA

For those of you who don't know what CSA stands for, it stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It is a great way to eat healthy foods, at a good price, and also support your local farms. The way it works is that you purchase a share (or half share as I did) of produce for a season. You pay ahead of time, the farms can use your money to put in their seeds, do their work, etc and you get a share of the produce throughout the growing season. There are winter harvests, summer harvests, and some even have spring and fall ones. Every week from June through October I will be getting a box of fresh produce from several different local farms. (My CSA is part of a co-op). There is a risk involved....if the farm suffers from weather problems, etc, you may lose your part of that harvest too. However, by joining a co-op, my risk is spread among a number of farms. Some CSAs also have meat, egg, and dairy options as well.

The photo above is my first take of the summer. Pictured are radishes, turnips, rhubarb, mixed salad greens, green onions, strawberries, and spearmint. I was also given a small tomato plant. I haven't cooked with most of those things before, so this is a great learning experience for me as well.

On my menu tonight....
Grilled Salmon
Grilled Radishes
Mixed Green Salad
Cheesy Carrot and Turnips
Rhubarb Pie

I'll let you know how it turns out....and if it is good, I'll post a few recipes. I'll even let you know what my kids think of it. I'm sure that I will hear the following...."Gwoss Momma" and "I want chicken nuggets". :)

Go Ahead

For anyone who is dealing with a friend who has lost a baby, or a child, here is a poem I found....


Go ahead and mention my child,
The one that died, you know.
Don't worry about hurting me further.
The depth of my pain doesn't show.
Don't worry about making me cry.
I'm already crying inside.
Help me to heal by releasing
The tears that I try to hide.
I'm hurt when you just keep silent,
Pretending she didn't exist.
I'd rather you mention my child,
Knowing that she has been missed.
You asked me how I was doing.
I say "pretty good" or "fine".
But healing is something ongoing
I feel it will take a lifetime.
~ Elizabeth Dent ~

I have found through going through my own pain of losing a pregnacy....of losing a baby....that the most help that anyone can give me is to allow me to talk about the baby and the loss. I have a friend who is going through a very painful loss of a sibling this year, and she says the same thing.....talking helps the most. So many people don't know what to say, so they think the best thing to do is not bring up the topic at all. Or if I bring it up, they quickly change the subject. They don't want to hurt me by contributing to the conversation. So for all you out there....if your friend has suffered a miscarriage, if they are going through a divorce, if someone close to them has died, ask them about it. Talk through your uncomfortableness and their pain. It is the best thing you can do for them!

I want to win!

I am posting this because I selfishly want to win this fantastic burlap table runner. I've seen the burlap stuffall over the internet, and I think it is gorgeous. Who knew?!?

I found out about the contest on one of my favorite blogs, The Lettered Cottage. Go and check out her gorgeous blog!

The burlap table runner is from Grace's Etsy shop....go and check it out too! She has great stuff.

Good luck to anyone else doing the contest...but I really hope I win. :)

On a Shelf...

One of my favorite blogs is This Young House and today they had a post about what a bookshelf can say about you. They asked their readers to describe 3-5 things that is on a bookshelf in their house, and explain their significance. I'm doing one better...I posted a picture and now will tell you about the stuff on the shelf.

1. See that teapot in the upper left hand corner? It belonged to Brad's grandparents. I don't have things in my side of the family that have been passed down, so I am thrilled to have something from his side to pass on to my children. Plus it is pretty.
   
2. The blue pitcher on the second shelf from the top on the left hand side...the one that goes from light blue to dark blue...I bought at Campbell Run Pottery. My mom and my sister and I took a road trip one day several years ago. We had no plans, no time-frame, nothing we had to do...we just started driving. We talked, we laughed, we cried, we ate some fantastic pie, and we ended up at that pottery store. My mom gave me $50 to spend on whatever I wanted to remind me of that day, and I bought that, plus two little bowls and saucers to use as a cream and sugar set. My cat knocked one of the bowls off of the sideboard when we first moved into this house, so now I only have one...but the memories still remain of that day.
3. The little gold rocking horse on the right hand 2nd shelf from the top belonged to my Mamaw. When I helped clear out her house after her funeral last summer, I chose that to keep. I never remember seeing it in her house as a child, but then again, seeing ANYTHING in her house would have been a miracle. After washing years of cigarette smoke and dust off of it, I found that I rather like it.
   
4. There is a book on the 3rd shelf on right hand side that says "Bolivia" on it. That is a picture book of Bolivia, South America. I spend most of my childhood there, and it holds such a special place in my heart. My heart feels at home there.
   
5. Waaaaay down on the bottom left hand shelf is a row of dark blue books. They are the entire works of Shakespeare, including his sonnets. I love me some Shakespeare. :)

So there you have it....a glimpse into my life via my bookshelf. How about you? What do your bookshelves say about you?

Welcome to My Home

I have been an avid follower of a number of home decorating/design sites, and have decided that now is the time for me to have a blog about my home. I call my house my "Wee Little Cottage". This is where I will be journaling my home decorating projects, my diy projects, and the things I do to make a home (this may include recipes...who knows!). I'll be posting pictures of my house in a bit.