Week 4: Forgotten Names

July 2, 2010

Before I show you what we scored this week, I want to introduce you to a few more of the animals who live at Long Meadow Farm.

This is an Angora Goat and I forget his name. He loves camera straps, and does he or does he not look like he's wearing a toupee?

That's right. He absoutely does.

This is a rooster. Don't remember his name either:

This is Fiona and Matilda:

They're Black Angus beef cows.

I know, that seems, just...harsh...and wrong...and sad. But if ever enjoy a burger with fries, even if it's only on occasion, guess what? it used to look like Fiona and Matilda--even if you bought it from the dollar menu at McDonalds.

Before I took a picture of the haul this week, I'd already blanched two bunches of kale and one bunch of beet greens to feeze for the winter. I also grated a big ol' beet for a salad. Ladies and gentlemen, there's no stopping me.

Now that I'm in the swing of things, I've found that our weekly share usually fills three of four reusable grocery bags:

Let's see if I remember everything here:

2 heads of Napa Cabbage

3 bunches of beets with greens

1 big bunch of radishes

3 huge bunches of kale (took an extra from the overflow box)

4 little heads of red leaf lettuce

1 huge bag of snap peas with edible pods

1 bag of broccoli

2 bunches of garlic scapes

2 bunches of green onions

and 2 bunches of this:

In keeping with the theme of the week, I can't remember what it's called. Savoy somethingorother. It's cabbagey.

Check out the beets:

Some old friends from Texas stopped by today and they were completely blown away by the quality and quantity of our CSA. Apparently, their CSA sucks monkey balls. As far as their story goes, in the last four months they've gotten four hundred pounds of kale and two pints of blueberries.

They were so overtake by the beauty of my vegetables, that they lined them up on my counter and took pictures. Then they took pictures of lunch. Then they took pictures of each other.

They never did take any pictures of my kids. Huh.

For lunch we had pasta with garlic scape pesto, and a big salad with red leaf lettuce, shredded beets and a few green onions. I sent them home with a Napa cabbage, one of the mystery dark green things, a bunch of beets (minus the greens because I covet those), and enough garlic scapes to make their own batch of pesto.

I don't know what kind of magic beans Long Meadow Farm is using, but our CSA seems to be unbefreakinglievable. Compared to a lot of other CSAs in New England, it started early--they must have skis on the plow, I really don't know.

But next year, you'd be a fool not to join.