Tuesday, June 30, 2009

A little of this, and a bit of that.

Last Friday's CSA included escarole, salad mix, sugar snap peas, fennel, arugula, purple scallions. It was also our first week of fruit; I knew we were getting blueberries, but I have to admit to being surprised that it was a full twelve pints of them! DTY sounded very jealous of all the blueberries and I am sure she wishes there was a way I could bring some to her next week when I go out to visit her, but I just can't see how they would survive the trip stuffed in my suitcase. I promised to get her some at the store instead and I think she'll manage with that solution. So far blueberries have been consumed all by themselves, in mixed greens salad, on homemade granola, on Cheerios, and in pie. If there are any left in a day or so they will probably end up in the freezer.
My first foray with fennel last week was to slice it thickly, coat lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, and then roast on a cookie sheet until tender. (I could have done it on the grill, but decided to forgo the lighting of charcoal for just that.) I had been a bit unsure about it, since it tastes kind of like anise/licorice, but it was totally transformed with cooking! This week we sliced it thinly and sautéd it until tender, then tossed in the head of escarole that had been separated into leaves with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a wilted salad. That was also very yum, and Hubband and I both enjoyed the opportunity to try some new food stuffs we have never had before. The arugula has also proven to be tasty, despite my original concerns about the "peppery" taste. (Well, that and the fact that my oldest brother said he didn't particularly care for it. I worry if there is a green leafy food that he doesn't like; it might be dangerous. He has been accused of being part to mostly rabbit by several people.)
 

In the knitting department, I have finished a market bag, which holds a lot of groceries. (I have a five pound bag of flour, a quart of half and half, a pint of cream, and several other things in there, as well as room left over for more stuff if I wanted.) I have also made significant progress on the second Dr. Who Scarf I wave been plugging away at, and another pair of socks about half way done. I hope to have the scarf done before I leave for Portland on Tuesday, but if it isn't, it will be staying home. I will be taking the socks if they aren't done, as well as several other pairs to work on. I am sure there will be a couple of balls of yarn for dishcloths in my bag as well, just in case.
 


I have been doing some more sewing and have finally gotten something made for Hubband. He gets to have my first two zippers on the new machine! This one is the bigger one of the two, at about 7" high and 5" wide;
 


and this one is about 5" high by 4" wide. I was happy with the way they came out and hoped they would be useful to him. He is thrilled with them and that they can clip onto his bag or wherever else he wants. (The clip isn't really visible in the picture, but it is on the loop.)

6 comments:

SissySees said...

Neat! Those little wedge bags are showing up everywhere all of a sudden. I bet they are great for golf stuff.

That's a LOT of blueberries. I think I would have made MJ some blueberry cobbler with that many pints...

Unknown said...

I so wanted to join our local CSA, but they wanted all the money up front rather than weekly. I couldn't afford to fork over the cash up front.

I've been making those little wedges too. I'm going to try a few box bags next and then think about setting up a small store - just to see if things sell. g

Anonymous said...

I like blueberries!!!! How about sharing the wealth?

Bubblesknits said...

Love the little bags. And the market bag looks great!

The hubby saw your pic and now he's drooling over your blueberries. lol

Anita said...

I want to come eat with you guys! Yummy! The hubby is leery about trying new stuff, picky man!

Love the bags!!

bruce said...

I tried fennel parmigiana and it wa sgood. I think roasting mellows the flavor, like grilling onions. Try it the next time you grill.

Arugula is good, but I've mixed it with something else or used it as a wrapper.

That's a lot of blueberries.. I want to make a pie or cobbler now... What about dried blueberries, like craisins?