On the brink...

These are images from the week...to the left a Mortgage Lifter just about ready. 

Below, Corno di Toro peppers ... when will they turn red?  Who knows?  But I can't wait to roast some of these sweet Italian babies.

And while I'm not going to eat this guy (yet) I thought I'd include a shot of one of those cute yellow baby ducks all grown up and enjoying a swim in the pool:

 

A zinnia about to unfurl.

And basil flanked by one of Ward's toy trucks.

It's been a great week in the garden.  I've done lots of weeding and mulching, put in some more field peas, squashed a million bugs, and had many glimpses of glory:  harmony among the kids in the shade,  a breeze timed just perfect, mama wolf spider with her turquoise egg sack clutched tight, and the special quality of air that happens just under the squash plants...

I'll be at the South Durham Farmer's Market this weekend with:  Kale Mix, Zucchini (both the ordinary type and a wonderful Italian heirloom called Costata Romanesca), Yellow Squash, Cucumbers, assorted heirloom tomatoes, New Zealand Spinach, basil, flowers, and a limited amount of green beans.

Zucchini

Lots of zucchini coming out of the MamaSprings garden this June.  Here are two of my favorite ways to sneak this vegetable into Ward (and other unsuspecting children):

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home's Muffin Madness

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home's Muffin Madness
  -- Basic Wet Ingredients --
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 - 1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  -- Basic Dry Ingredients --
2 cup unbleached flour (I use whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Choose one of the following combos to add to basic ingredients (the above is NOT a plain muffin recipe, but the base for the following)
Apple muffins: Add 2 cups of grated apple and 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel to wet ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to dry ingredients.
Banana muffins: Add 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana to wet ingredients and 1 cup chopped nuts and/or 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to batter.
Blueberry - lemon muffins: Add 1 1/2 cups of blueberries and 1 tablespoon of grated lemon peel to wet ingredients.
Zucchini muffins: Add 2 cups of grated zucchini to wet ingredients and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom to the dry ingredients. Fold in 1/2 cup of raisins or currants and 3/4 cup of chopped nuts to batter.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine wet ingredients, combine dry ingredients. Add two mixtures together and take care not to overmix. Spoon batter into oiled standard muffins tins and bake for 20-25 minutes (10-15 minutes for mini muffins...that will be eaten by the monsters!) Insert knife into center to check for done-ness.


And secondly, a link to some mad yummy zucchini chocolate chip cookies.

Enjoy!

First week of May 2012

It's been busy week so far....this was our first official week of CSA for the season, though we've had working shares going for several months now and had a few members getting shares as early as three weeks ago.  Still, it was my first Monday of harvesting for all the shares at once and it turned out to be quite a bit of harvesting and washing!

I've been trying to do some catch up weeding, plantings of flowers for cut arrangements (this week I put out foxglove), and get some more of the summer crops in.  So far this week I've put in some amaranth, one from Johnny's, Calaloo Redleaf, and one from my friend Rob, Sahel Leaf Type.  This will be the first time I've tried amaranth and I'm hoping it's as awesome as I've heard it is.  I also put in some Kyona (Mizuna) though I may be a bit late for that.  Additionally, I've put in some Alabama Red Okra.  Now I have lots of bed prepping for the remaining summer crops. 

This week at market I hope to have:  sugar snap peas, romaine, salad mix, arugula, braising mix, kale, swiss chard, herbs, hakurei turnips, and cut flowers.  That's if the extreme heat doesn't cause bolting.  I've been shading my lettuces in hopes to help them through this hot spell.

Here are some photos of the peas:

Here are the romaines that I'm trying desperately to keep shaded:

Additionally, MamaSprings added more livestock to the homestead.  In addition to our Khaki Campbell ducklings, we now have some Pekings.  It's a good thing I have so much gardening to keep me out-of-doors because these babies are C.U.T.E.  I could sit and hold them all day:

Market Opening Day

Yesterday was perhaps one of the most jubilant days of my entire life.  First I should back up a bit.  Last week was hard.  And the months before it, were alternately stressful, joyful, and dreamlike in quality. 

At some point in January, I happened to walk out to my driveway and find laying there, a free Durham Herald.  Now I typically don't read the paper.  Especially now that newspapers just aren't what they were 10 years ago.  Our town's paper has gotten smaller and the quality of the writing has gotten spotty.  But for some reason, I opened this newspaper and there was an article about a new farmer's market coming to South Durham.  This new market was going to be Durham-centric and had a soft spot for new farmer's.  I felt like God was whispering in my ear.  Oh, and by the way, the article was very well written.

I quickly called my pals, Ladybug Farm, and said "Hey, let's apply!"  There were to be cooperative spots for two vendors to share a stall.  So we did apply.  And I went to a few meetings and left all feeling star-struck (these folks weren't playing, they were serious about growing some local food).  And I started working my butt off in the garden way earlier than I typically do.  Then I was inspected by a team of real-deal farmers.  And what do you know, we got a stall!

I have worked like a crazy lady for the past four months.  And so have my friends and family.  I slept little (but like the dead for short stretches) this past week in anticipation and worry:  dreams about flea beetles, harlequin bugs, failing used fridges, wasted produce, failure. I woke up at 2:45 yesterday morning.  I knew it was futile to lay there.  At 6:15 my van was loaded and I was off.  As we set-up and unloaded our shared goods, I was worried:  "We have too much produce."  "People are going to be upset that the flea beetles have chewed the leaves of these Hakurei turnips," I stressed. 

By 9:30, I was fist-bumping with Aaron (LBF).  By 10:30, I was ready to do some damn cartwheels.  We SOLD OUT of vegetables.  SOLD OUT my friends.  And it was so much freaking fun.  I loved talking to customers about our produce.  How I cooked down braising greens for a quick week-night meal.  About different varieties of kale.  About how awesome the South Durham community was and how excited we were to be there.   

Validating.  That's the word for yesterday.  I remember years ago, having had one too many glasses of wine, sick to death of my part-time programming job, saying to my friends of LBF "I've decided I want to grow most of my family's food.  Look at this yard.  I've got the space and I love to garden."  Snapshot of me then.  And above, a snapshot of me now.

A Happy New Year

If I could figure out how to draw all over this and post it, I would. There would be hearts and smiley faces and stars. I have a bit of a crush on Novella Carpenter. She's amazing and way out of my league in terms of local food advocacy and gardening. So to have an interview that shows up on the same website, and right below her headline, wow! A big thanks to Alex Okie for thinking of me and scheming to get my interview on the same week as Novella's episode. I've had a little bounce to my step all day.

Good things are cooking here at MamaSprings. Looking forward to sharing more in 2012.