Tag Archives: farm

CSA and grocery store giggles.

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The harvests keep on coming.

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Peppers, fennel, radish, celery, bok choy, chard, eggplant, salad greens and spinach.

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Of course it’s fall, so even the eggplants look like pumpkins.

And at the grocery store this week? A run on creamer.

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WTH? Is there a new Covid cure I’m unaware of that requires cream…

Good thing the beer aisle was still fully stocked.

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And if you’re lucky enough to live in an area that stocks Sam Adams? Do yourself a favor and buy their limited edition seasonal. Jack-O Pumpkin is da bomb.

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A four foot rope of sausage? Not so much.

🤢

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Paper towels are still a no go. Except this one lone package… which was on sale. 6 rolls for $13. But look at the regular price. $16. That’s $2.66 a roll!

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With prices like that, is it any wonder people are making their own truck repairs?

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Duct tape. A most versatile product.

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CSA and grocery store weirdos.

 

Swiss chard, celery, onion, basil, radishes, carrots, dill, scallions, tomato, pepper and something I’d never tried before.

A Korean melon.

 

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It’s a delicate flavor, like cantaloupe… with the consistency of a cucumber.

At the store this week –

 

 

A clearance sale on Hostess coffee.

Poor SnoBalls.

Apparently no one likes them in caffeinated liquid form either.

 

 

Italian flour.

WTH?

Do the Irish and French have some as well. And if so, why?

 

 

Gag.

More meatless meat. This time in balls.

So wrong.

 

 

And yes, the brand name toilet paper was still on the shelves.

But right across the aisle?

 

Not a Brawny or Bounty in sight.

Thirsty paper towels?

Trust me, they’re anything but.

I love my town.

I also love all the ridiculous things people post about on its Facebook page.

In case you were wondering, no one volunteered to remove the stinky little bugger and he was released.

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Homeowner-0.

A reasonable response, but hell.

I didn’t even know we had a potato truck!

I showed this to the husband…. but he said there’s no room in the barn.

😡

I don’t know…

Cowbusters?

I hate when someone beats me to the perfect comment, don’t you?

A chicken plucker!

I’m shivering in avian sympathy.

CSA and grocery store chuckles.

 

The summer bounty continues.

 

 

And if you’ve never tried fresh lemon basil?

Please do. It’s wonderful.

 

 

Vegan bratwurst?  Oh, the horror!

Kindly keep your kale out of my artery clogging sausage. If this shows up at the next beer festival I attend….. there will be blood in the streets.

 

 

My only question here is… why?

And for something on the opposite end of the spectrum…..

 

 

Which also makes me ask… why?

 

 

Heritage popcorn?

Proof positive yuppies will buy anything that’s ridiculously overpriced.

 

 

Is it any surprise this was the only bottle left? I think not.

And finally, the real shock of the day.

 

 

Toilet paper is back… and brand names at that!

So if you heard them broadcast a code for ‘crazy lady doing happy dance on aisle 13’?

Pay no attention, the unadulterated joy of not wiping my butt with sandpaper just got away from me for a moment.

CSA, grocery shopping in Maine… and pie.

 

A slightly smaller bounty this week as the neighbor we split with liked more of the offerings than we did.

 

 

But there were fairy tale eggplants, so I should probably start this blog with Once Upon a Time.

Once Upon a Time in Maine…. a local grocery store advertised their weekly ware.

 

 

Squid jigs at the grocery store.

You know you’re in Maine when….

 

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And meanwhile down at the River ranch, there was pie.

 

 

Glorious lattice crust fresh blueberry pie.

 

 

No, I couldn’t wait for it to cool completely.

 

 

And yes, I had pie for breakfast the next morning.

If that’s wrong?

I don’t want to be right.

CSA and grocery store horrors.

 

This week’s offering from our CSA was a little lean on our end because there were a lot of things we don’t eat and elected to let our neighbor take.

 

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Cilantro, bok choi, kale, turnips, spigarello, fennel, and kohlrabi? We passed.

But the chard was rainbow colored…

 

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So there is that.

And in the continuing saga of bizarre grocery items found on my local shelves…..

 

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Every possible mutation of pasta imaginable are still being pushed.

 

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As is the ever present  (and still disgusting)  kale.

Delicious? I doubt it.

Crazy good? Not possible.

Stop the insanity and put kale back where it belongs…. in a rabbit’s colon. Other than the trash can, that’s the only proper place.

 

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Thankfully there was one sane product line of which I took full advantage.

 

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Let the grilling begin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fog

 

Fog is such an ethereal thing…. and for me, it’s usually hard to capture a good photograph.

 

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But the other evening I looked out our front door….

 

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And the strangest low lying patch of fog had enveloped our farming neighbors.

 

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We had none at our house across the street.

 

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But theirs was impressive.

 

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And as the sun started to set…..

 

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The colors began to change.

 

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Orange and yellow fog.

 

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A beautiful sight.

Country living perks.

 

We live in a rural area of Maine…. and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Peace and quiet.

Visiting wildlife.

And beautiful scenery.

Some days more than others…

 

 

Living across the road from an organic vegetable farm has it’s benefits.

 

 

And fresh veggies aren’t the half of it.

 

 

Right now, the poppies are in bloom.

 

 

Glorious, riotous bloom.

 

 

And I’m enjoying every minute of it.

 

 

I mean really….

 

 

How can you not?

 

CSA Week 3 and 4… because I forgot and you probably don’t care anyway.

 

Our half share of the 3rd CSA from our neighbor was a lovely assortment.

 

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Swiss chard, white radishes, green leaf lettuce, carrots, mesclun mix, spinach, cucumber, basil and ….

 

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What I thought was parsley.

 

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But turned out to be chervil. If nothing else, I’m learning a lot about green things this summer.

With those fresh ingredients, it was spinach salad with apples, radish, mushroom and purple onion for dinner.

 

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Yes, I like a little parm on top as well.

 

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A bright berry mixed green salad was dinner the next night.

 

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Week 4 saw the family we split with out of town, so we received the entire share.

 

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And that’s a big bag of veg.

 

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Zucchini, turnip, cucumber, mustard greens, parsley, carrots, mesclun mix, parsnip, spinach, lemon basil, butterhead lettuce and cilantro.

 

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Not being fennel fans, we passed that and the dreaded cilantro off to a friend.

But ooh la la!

 

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Fresh aromatic lemon basil meant from scratch marinade…

 

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For delicious grilled chicken breasts that night.

 

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Recipe below if anyone is interested.

 

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Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum.

 

This was what I’d come to see.

 

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And with a nod to Abe, we entered.

 

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