Ladies and gentlemen – start your vegetables!
Today I raced to Allandale Farm at lunchtime to pick up my first share (really a half-share) of the season.
Good doggy.
I parked next to a car with a very cute car alarm.
The farm, and a row of carts
The farm was a sea of green. I stopped in the shop to figure out where to pick up my veggies. They directed me around the back. A girl working in the shop stepped away from the register and took a nut caramel from a penny candy jar before going back to her post.
Rows of starter veggies
I guess it’s not too late to start a little garden. The seedlings look so tempting. Maybe I’ll have herb planters again.
Still life with tank
They gave me my own half-bushel box. Half share, half bushel. They do want their box back. They also gave me an ID card for the CSA, good for 10% off any other purchases made at the farm on my pickup day.
In the fields at 6:30am. In my CSA box by 12:30pm.
I couldn’t resist peeking into my box before driving back to work. I see green, green, green. And those radishes.
The dog in the car next to mine started yapping again. A woman who had been standing next to the car looked up suddenly and said, “Wrong car!” and walked toward another red car (sans doggy alarm).
First CSA share of 2009
Today’s share, from upper left: one large bag of spinach, one large flowery head of red-tinged lettuce, one bunch radishes, one small bunch arugula, one rib of rhubarb (challenge vegetable!), one German Extra Hardy garlic (so they say! I’ve never seen garlic look so leek-y before), one large bag mesclun mix.
That looks just right, quantity-wise, for me and my husband. We’ll have salad or spinach salad for the rest of the week; I’ll probably serve the arugula in salad or as a zingy topping for sandwiches. My husband won’t eat the radishes (mine!). As for the mystery garlic bulb and the single rib of rhubarb… I’ll think of something. Maybe I can cook the rhubarb with some strawberries and sugar, and mix it with yogurt.
June 10, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Did you manage to use all the veggies? What did you ever end up doing with the rhubarb?
June 10, 2009 at 4:50 pm
That rhubarb still gazes at me reproachfully when I open the fridge. That and most of the spring garlic (the leek-like thing) are all that remain from last week. For the rest and for this week’s share, stay tuned!