"My mell Taty an Abigae-o"
"You smell Katy and Abigail?"
"Yah"
"What do they smell like?"
"Nanas"
"Bananas?"
"An my mell Abigae-o's mommy."
"Really? What does Abigail's mommy smell like?"
"Co-co"
"An my mell Abigae-o's daddy."
"What does he smell like?"
"Budder toath."
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Overheard
Justin (3 yrs old) pulls a few coins out of his pocket and picks up a quarter. He pinches it between his thumb and pointer and carefully holds it close to Alice's face.
"Aliss, wahss diss?"
Alice looks up briefly from the flashlight that Justin has just loaned her.
"Dat uh torder."
Unimpressed, she immediately returns her attention to the flashlight. Justin shakes his head and replies.
"No. Issa borter!"
This isn't the first time Justin and Alice haven't understood each others' English dialects. I remember an especially "Abbott and Costello" moment when Justin was talking about fire ("by-uh") and Alice didn't understand. I translated for her and then SHE started talking about fire ("wy-er"). Justin was trying to understand where Alice was seeing all the wires and Alice was frustrated that Justin was saying "wire" when she was trying to communicate "fire" ("wy-er"). She kept trying to "correct" his misunderstanding by shouting, "No, wy-er!" He would reply "Where the wire?" I was caught in the middle, trying to help them understand each other for several minutes, until I finally thought to change the subject..."Ready for snack?"
"Aliss, wahss diss?"
Alice looks up briefly from the flashlight that Justin has just loaned her.
"Dat uh torder."
Unimpressed, she immediately returns her attention to the flashlight. Justin shakes his head and replies.
"No. Issa borter!"
This isn't the first time Justin and Alice haven't understood each others' English dialects. I remember an especially "Abbott and Costello" moment when Justin was talking about fire ("by-uh") and Alice didn't understand. I translated for her and then SHE started talking about fire ("wy-er"). Justin was trying to understand where Alice was seeing all the wires and Alice was frustrated that Justin was saying "wire" when she was trying to communicate "fire" ("wy-er"). She kept trying to "correct" his misunderstanding by shouting, "No, wy-er!" He would reply "Where the wire?" I was caught in the middle, trying to help them understand each other for several minutes, until I finally thought to change the subject..."Ready for snack?"
Bobby's Sunday Summary
This week felt very busy but it probably was all because of yesterday. Yesterday was the annual Apple and Pork Festival. We went in the morning and got there about 11:00. It was also a bit overcast, but not bad. Both of these made it so it wasn't nearly as crowded when we showed up for lunch. We ate BBQ Pork sandwiches, apple cider, apple cake, and kettle corn.
We also did some activities. They had both a petting zoo and a pony ride. We had Alice pick between the two of them. The pony ride was very tempting...
But the petting zoo won.
In addition to the pig and goats, there were lots of sheep, a lama, a pony, and some rabbits.
While there we got to see rope making
Alice was not that interested. We also saw a bunch of antique farm equipment, some of it even being used to grind corn meal. We saw a black smith making nails, some wood turners making bowls and tops, and a man making benches using hand tools and some logs. There were also lots of arts and craft booths, and a flea market. We avoided the flea market. It was a lot of fun. I also have to say that Alice was fabulous during the whole thing. She did not really want to go home at the end but she did not throw a fit when we did go.
That would have made for a full day, but we did a lot more yesterday too. After we got home we were exhausted, but Susan had a church conference to go to, that lasted from 3 to 8. It was quite the event, as Alice and I hung out. We went to the library, played, had a bath. She started to get very grumpy, but it was because she was tired. She went to bed at 7 and she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Slurred speech
Just thought I'd throw these little gems out there and see how you manage to interpret them:
mag-zuh-WEEN
SPARE-guh-russ
SKYOO-mee
SPARE-guh-russ
SKYOO-mee
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Nesting instinct
I'm calling the baby a "he" today.
I've had several non-sick days this week, which means I've been able to work on "nesting" projects. The office/storage room may be the baby's new room. If so, the new babe will enjoy the unique feature of a stimulating and well-placed curtain to mask his view of hundreds of pounds of food storage and a shelf full of flashing, whirring electronics. The two kids will share a room once the new babe is sleeping well through the night (Did I just curse myself by saying that?).
Last night, Alice broke the news to Baby Cow about the baby in her tummy and the baby in my tummy. She told Baby Cow that the baby will come after Christmas and after her birthday. I asked her (through Baby Cow) what she will do when the baby comes. She said she will snuggle him and hug him and put him to bed. She giggled as she talked about it.
It occurred to me at that moment that perhaps this whole sibling relationship thing has already begun. Maybe these two kids can actually develop a positive relationship without my constant help? Maybe I was over-thinking this whole sibling thing? (*LOL* If you know me well, this behavior is no surprise)
Alice then announced that her baby and Mommy's baby were going to come tonight, instead. Baby Cow was concerned that it was too early for Mommy's baby to come (i.e. the baby didn't even have hair yet and he was just learning how to wiggle around). The notion of such profound immaturity seemed to intrigue Alice. Baby Cow explained that the baby would get bigger and bigger until Alice could finally feel him kicking around inside Mommy's tummy. I don't think she completely believed him, but she giggled again, probably at the idea that the baby was kicking and kicking with impunity. She finds other peoples' light physical pain hilarious. Real pain is NOT funny, but a bonk here and a trip there is side-splitting.
I am heartened by the ease with which Alice has taken to this baby. She seems to understand and anticipate his arrival with excitement. I have breathed several sighs of relief ever since. The worst may come yet, but the situation is already better than I had feared ;)
I've had several non-sick days this week, which means I've been able to work on "nesting" projects. The office/storage room may be the baby's new room. If so, the new babe will enjoy the unique feature of a stimulating and well-placed curtain to mask his view of hundreds of pounds of food storage and a shelf full of flashing, whirring electronics. The two kids will share a room once the new babe is sleeping well through the night (Did I just curse myself by saying that?).
Last night, Alice broke the news to Baby Cow about the baby in her tummy and the baby in my tummy. She told Baby Cow that the baby will come after Christmas and after her birthday. I asked her (through Baby Cow) what she will do when the baby comes. She said she will snuggle him and hug him and put him to bed. She giggled as she talked about it.
It occurred to me at that moment that perhaps this whole sibling relationship thing has already begun. Maybe these two kids can actually develop a positive relationship without my constant help? Maybe I was over-thinking this whole sibling thing? (*LOL* If you know me well, this behavior is no surprise)
Alice then announced that her baby and Mommy's baby were going to come tonight, instead. Baby Cow was concerned that it was too early for Mommy's baby to come (i.e. the baby didn't even have hair yet and he was just learning how to wiggle around). The notion of such profound immaturity seemed to intrigue Alice. Baby Cow explained that the baby would get bigger and bigger until Alice could finally feel him kicking around inside Mommy's tummy. I don't think she completely believed him, but she giggled again, probably at the idea that the baby was kicking and kicking with impunity. She finds other peoples' light physical pain hilarious. Real pain is NOT funny, but a bonk here and a trip there is side-splitting.
I am heartened by the ease with which Alice has taken to this baby. She seems to understand and anticipate his arrival with excitement. I have breathed several sighs of relief ever since. The worst may come yet, but the situation is already better than I had feared ;)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Familiar, and yet so different this time
We're expecting! I'm still working through the tail end of the nausea, but I see light at the end of the tunnel. He/she is slated to arrive the first week of April in the middle of General Conference and Easter Sunday. I, personally, am hoping for a slightly early arrival like Alice managed to pull off. Unfortunately, this pregnancy has already proved quite a bit different from Alice's, so I can't allow myself to hope for that TOO openly.
I find myself with a few more mixed feelings this time around. I'm worried about how the whole sibling thing works out. I wonder how my love and life will expand to meet the needs of this new little person. I've seen it done, yes, but I've never done it myself. I wonder how well I will navigate the choices (i.e. sacrifices) that I will need to make to accommodate this growing family.
It took us a year to get pregnant this time. That whole year, I was pleading for the opportunity to have another child. And when I realized it had finally happened, fear crept in. I'm a teeny bit wiser of a mother than I was before Alice was born. I have a better idea of how much this little baby will change my universe for the first few months. I wonder if this baby will kick the tar out of me as badly as Alice did. I remember how hard I fell in love with that baby, how she crowded out everything and everyone else in the universe, how I lived and breathed according to her needs, and how that made me go crazy for a little while. Heck, I'm still a little obsessed with her, to be completely honest ;)
This baby will develop at lightning speed now that there's a peer to emulate. I wonder if I will be able to love their differences without comparing them to each other all the time. I wonder if they'll even get along...they'll be pretty far apart, but not far enough to avoid the bulk of that sibling rivalry baggage that we all drag into adulthood. Perhaps "baggage" is too strong a word. It's actually a very valuable experience. I grew up the 8th of 9 kids, and I loved that position in my family. I still do, actually. It's a wonderful view from way down here, learning from others' experiences long before I am asked to make those choices myself. And all those struggles I wrote about in my childhood journal (the ones in red capital letters are the most passionate) actually helped me become a better adult. That friction early on has shaped me into a better woman. I really believe that, which is why I wanted more than one child so desperately.
Perhaps being 2nd isn't so bad in the long run. It's clear that #2 will not grow up as Alice has. It's clear that Alice will no longer grow up as she has, either. They will now grow together. I can't try to treat them as two only children. Perhaps a more realistic goal for me as the mom is to mediate their growth and interdependence as a family, accepting the truth that all are capable of finding a unique and loved place in the group.
That is certainly a less guilt-ridden goal, and probably even attainable with an incredible amount of work and love and patience and all those wonderful things I learned from my siblings growing up :)
I find myself with a few more mixed feelings this time around. I'm worried about how the whole sibling thing works out. I wonder how my love and life will expand to meet the needs of this new little person. I've seen it done, yes, but I've never done it myself. I wonder how well I will navigate the choices (i.e. sacrifices) that I will need to make to accommodate this growing family.
It took us a year to get pregnant this time. That whole year, I was pleading for the opportunity to have another child. And when I realized it had finally happened, fear crept in. I'm a teeny bit wiser of a mother than I was before Alice was born. I have a better idea of how much this little baby will change my universe for the first few months. I wonder if this baby will kick the tar out of me as badly as Alice did. I remember how hard I fell in love with that baby, how she crowded out everything and everyone else in the universe, how I lived and breathed according to her needs, and how that made me go crazy for a little while. Heck, I'm still a little obsessed with her, to be completely honest ;)
This baby will develop at lightning speed now that there's a peer to emulate. I wonder if I will be able to love their differences without comparing them to each other all the time. I wonder if they'll even get along...they'll be pretty far apart, but not far enough to avoid the bulk of that sibling rivalry baggage that we all drag into adulthood. Perhaps "baggage" is too strong a word. It's actually a very valuable experience. I grew up the 8th of 9 kids, and I loved that position in my family. I still do, actually. It's a wonderful view from way down here, learning from others' experiences long before I am asked to make those choices myself. And all those struggles I wrote about in my childhood journal (the ones in red capital letters are the most passionate) actually helped me become a better adult. That friction early on has shaped me into a better woman. I really believe that, which is why I wanted more than one child so desperately.
Perhaps being 2nd isn't so bad in the long run. It's clear that #2 will not grow up as Alice has. It's clear that Alice will no longer grow up as she has, either. They will now grow together. I can't try to treat them as two only children. Perhaps a more realistic goal for me as the mom is to mediate their growth and interdependence as a family, accepting the truth that all are capable of finding a unique and loved place in the group.
That is certainly a less guilt-ridden goal, and probably even attainable with an incredible amount of work and love and patience and all those wonderful things I learned from my siblings growing up :)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Bobby's Sunday Summary
This week was a bit of a slow week, at least for me, and I think we needed it.
Friday night Susan and I went on a date. We haven't been on a real date in a long time. We went to go see 9. It was good, but I keep finding more and more that I tend to be disappointed with Sci-Fi. I guess I just have too high of expectations. For some reason I expect the movie to be consistent throughout, answer all of the major questions that pop in my head during the movie or not answer them on purpose. For some reason I am willing to suspend these for an action/adventure movie with sci-fi themes. But not a Sci-fi movie with action/adventure. I know it is a subtle difference.
On a different note I said recently that about a year and a half ago we bought a 1/4 cow. Well, we ran out of chili a while ago and this week we roasted up the last of the roasts from the cow, and made 8 quarts of chili. Sadly one of the quart jars broke in the canning process.
And that is what happened this week.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Home decor help
Soooooo, we have some termite damage on two of our kitchen walls. The termite problem has been dealt with thoroughly, but the damage remains. My parents are coming out here in October to help assess the damage and help us rebuild as necessary. Most of our time will be spent putting up drywall, I suspect, but it occurred to me today that this might be a FORCED (and timely) opportunity to redecorate the kitchen.
I am paralyzed with fear, yet eager to finally displace those orange-peach walls and ceiling.
Any tips on where to start looking for ideas?
We have oak-colored cabinets, black granite-patterned counter tops, a snazzy little tile highlight (tan, brown, white) above the sink, and appliances in both white and black finishes...all of these kitchen features are slated to stay just the way they are until we move out whenever.
If color wheels and coordinating window treatments prove too much for me, I can always turn to white...nice, safe, neutral, boring, stress-free white. I'd like to give the designer bit a try first, though.
I am paralyzed with fear, yet eager to finally displace those orange-peach walls and ceiling.
Any tips on where to start looking for ideas?
We have oak-colored cabinets, black granite-patterned counter tops, a snazzy little tile highlight (tan, brown, white) above the sink, and appliances in both white and black finishes...all of these kitchen features are slated to stay just the way they are until we move out whenever.
If color wheels and coordinating window treatments prove too much for me, I can always turn to white...nice, safe, neutral, boring, stress-free white. I'd like to give the designer bit a try first, though.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Bobby's Sunday Summary
This week feels like a long one. About a year and a half ago we bought about quarter of a cow. We are not huge beef eaters, and had 5 filet mignons so in celebration of my brother passing his qualifying exams we decided to have them over for a filet mignon cookout. It turned out fairly well.
On Tuesday Susan had a genealogy class that she taught, on Thursday she had enrichment, and Saturday morning she went to a class on green building. So in reality Susan had a busy week, while I watched Alice for a lot of it.
Saturday I decided that I was going to make ribs as Susan had found some on sale. As I was making the rub I mistakenly grabbed the rock salt instead of kosher salt. I thought that it would not be that big of a difference, especially because it did not look like that much salt. Boy was I wrong. Those are some very salty ribs, but still delicious.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Bobby's Sunday Summary
Susan has already mentioned various aspects of Alice's development. I do have to add that she is a very loving person. Yesterday we went to the cheese festival in Arthur IL. Sadly, the cheese curling was rained out, but if you are interested you you can relive last year. I will try and update the picture. Our old account finally shut down, and I have not updated all of the picture links yet. Well back to Alice we still met up with our friends there yesterday and Alice grabbed one of her friends and smothered him with hugs and kisses. She even held his hand for like 10 min. It appears we have a boy kisser on our hands. She also got to go on a cart and buggy ride.
This week at work has been a bit hectic. We are finishing up a release and everything went fine with it, but my manager gets to be a bit of a micro-manager when she gets nervous.
On tuesday we went to the temple. It was rather relaxing, but ended up being a very long day. We switched baby sitting with another couple in our ward. While they were working we went to the Magic House. It was lots of fun to see Alice exploring and having fun herself.
And me too
The saturday before that there was a baptism in the ward. I am the ward mission leader so I ended up being rather heavily involved with it. On Sunday I go sick with something. I really don't know what it was but I felt miserable for a couple of hours and it took me a few days to completely recover. That is why there was no message last week.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Click!
Bobby used his snazzy new phone to snap this photo of Alice pretending to take a picture of the St. Louis Temple. She holds her hands up as if she has a camera and says, "Tick!"
Ratatouille
Yeah, I made it. It was AWESOME. Totally surprised myself. Wouldn't have made it at all if it weren't for a pile of eggplant, summer squash, and green peppers hanging out in my fridge from my CSA. Nor would I have had the courage to attempt it for anything less than a ladies' potluck lunch where I knew people would try it and serve it to their kids even if it was simply out of curiosity and/or courtesy. Thanks, Lunch Bunch!
I'm citing the source for my recipe as I post it here (my comments are in italics):
Local Food Recipe: RATATOUILLE
Jessy Ruddell, Produce Manager, Common Ground Food Co-op, Urbana, IL
1 large or several small eggplants, cubed (I peeled them, too)
salt
olive oil
3 red onions, coarsely chopped (I only had 2 yellow onions)
3 bell peppers, cut into one-inch chunks (I only had 1 large one)
1 small head garlic, cloves peeled and minced
4-5 zucchini or other summer squash, cut into one-inch chunks
5-6 very ripe tomatoes, cubed
lots of fresh basil, chopped (I used 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley and 2 tsp dried basil)
black pepper
(3 tsp chicken soup base + ~2 cups water)
Place eggplant chunks in a colander and salt generously. (Don't worry about adding too much salt; it will be rinsed off later.) Let stand in the sink while you prepare the other ingredients, or about 30 minutes. Rinse the eggplant and dry well with a kitchen towel.
In a wide pan, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and fry eggplant until golden brown on all sides. (My eggplant got squishy and stuck to the bottom of the pan, making a yummy, brown crust that gave a good flavor to the stew) Remove from the pan and set aside. Add a few more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan (don't be shy!), then fry the onions until soft and translucent. Now add the peppers and sauté until limp. Add the garlic and squash and cook until the squash pieces are lightly browned. (Again, no browning happened. I got bits stuck to the bottom which turned out nicely anyway. I think I cooked it all too hot.)
Return the eggplant to the pan, and add the tomatoes, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to stew for 20-30 minutes.
My favorite way to eat ratatouille is over fresh egg noodles, sprinkled with Parmigiano-Reggiano or Prairie Fruits Farm goat cheese; it also makes a totally fab lasagne filling and tastes delicious at any temperature.
I'm citing the source for my recipe as I post it here (my comments are in italics):
Local Food Recipe: RATATOUILLE
Jessy Ruddell, Produce Manager, Common Ground Food Co-op, Urbana, IL
1 large or several small eggplants, cubed (I peeled them, too)
salt
olive oil
3 red onions, coarsely chopped (I only had 2 yellow onions)
3 bell peppers, cut into one-inch chunks (I only had 1 large one)
1 small head garlic, cloves peeled and minced
4-5 zucchini or other summer squash, cut into one-inch chunks
5-6 very ripe tomatoes, cubed
lots of fresh basil, chopped (I used 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley and 2 tsp dried basil)
black pepper
(3 tsp chicken soup base + ~2 cups water)
Place eggplant chunks in a colander and salt generously. (Don't worry about adding too much salt; it will be rinsed off later.) Let stand in the sink while you prepare the other ingredients, or about 30 minutes. Rinse the eggplant and dry well with a kitchen towel.
In a wide pan, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and fry eggplant until golden brown on all sides. (My eggplant got squishy and stuck to the bottom of the pan, making a yummy, brown crust that gave a good flavor to the stew) Remove from the pan and set aside. Add a few more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan (don't be shy!), then fry the onions until soft and translucent. Now add the peppers and sauté until limp. Add the garlic and squash and cook until the squash pieces are lightly browned. (Again, no browning happened. I got bits stuck to the bottom which turned out nicely anyway. I think I cooked it all too hot.)
Return the eggplant to the pan, and add the tomatoes, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to stew for 20-30 minutes.
My favorite way to eat ratatouille is over fresh egg noodles, sprinkled with Parmigiano-Reggiano or Prairie Fruits Farm goat cheese; it also makes a totally fab lasagne filling and tastes delicious at any temperature.
Alice Puppets
Alice is doing that "growing spurt" thing again. Body and mind and spirit are exploding into a little personality all at once. Her latest tricks include turning her arms and legs into people whenever she needs a extra playmates. We'll be driving in the car when she suddenly starts making funny voices and putting "kids" in time out for instant sins (hitting, throwing toys at people, and the newest sin of leaving the church building without an adult). The kids are her hands and feet. This girl doesn't get many time outs, but they're apparently something she wishes to understand better.
Then at home, when washing her hands, she'll decide the "baby needs a bath" and she'll rub soap all the way up to her left elbow. The "baby" sometimes talks back to her asking for more bubbles, commenting on the temperature of the water, and/or crying for fear the water will get in its eyes. She speaks to it like we speak to her, usually, minus all the choices, "Dat's okay, Baby. Yook up and noooooo water in yers face. See?"
Alice made a hand puppet the other day. All by herself. I was distracted with the computer, Bobby was working in the back, and Alice happened upon a piece of junk mail. The trifolded piece of paper inspired her, I guess. She colored on it, deciding it was a letter for Grandpa, then refolded it and suddenly got excited. She asked for tape. I asked her how many pieces she would like. She replied, "Yots! My make puppet!" My raised eyebrow didn't seem to deter her. Thirteen pieces of tape later, she took it for a test run by putting her hand into the trifolded tube and bending it over...sort of like a puppet you make with a paper bag. The tape was placed NOWHERE helpful to keep the tube closed and she got very frustrated. She demanded more tape. I told her she had enough tape already and that made her even MORE frustrated. Bobby intervened in a very diplomatic way, asking each of us to explain our reasoning before he found an excellent middle ground (i.e. he helped her move the 13 pieces of tape from useless places to helpful places).
Alice was tickled to see the puppet work, and I was blown away at her creative spatial reasoning. It scared me a little, actually, to see her turn a 2-dimensional object into a 3-dimensional object with voice and personality (no surprise that it was an "eating puppet", though, voraciously chomping whatever looked tasty). A flood of questions soon followed: What other skills of hers am I underestimating? How can I assist her growth without artificially pressuring it? She's still so young, but I see her growing capable of more every week. Do I expect too much of her in some skills (i.e. recognizing letters and numbers, personal/social interaction) while neglecting other skills (i.e. art, music, motor skills)?
These aren't guilty thoughts, but curious ones. I generally feel like I am a good parent providing a generally good environment for my child to grow in. It's moments like these, though, when she totally surprises me with some new skill or behavior, that I decide it's time to pay close attention for a while. Time to shut off auto-pilot and reassess this little creature's life and habits. Time to watch her play. Just get to know her again.
Then at home, when washing her hands, she'll decide the "baby needs a bath" and she'll rub soap all the way up to her left elbow. The "baby" sometimes talks back to her asking for more bubbles, commenting on the temperature of the water, and/or crying for fear the water will get in its eyes. She speaks to it like we speak to her, usually, minus all the choices, "Dat's okay, Baby. Yook up and noooooo water in yers face. See?"
Alice made a hand puppet the other day. All by herself. I was distracted with the computer, Bobby was working in the back, and Alice happened upon a piece of junk mail. The trifolded piece of paper inspired her, I guess. She colored on it, deciding it was a letter for Grandpa, then refolded it and suddenly got excited. She asked for tape. I asked her how many pieces she would like. She replied, "Yots! My make puppet!" My raised eyebrow didn't seem to deter her. Thirteen pieces of tape later, she took it for a test run by putting her hand into the trifolded tube and bending it over...sort of like a puppet you make with a paper bag. The tape was placed NOWHERE helpful to keep the tube closed and she got very frustrated. She demanded more tape. I told her she had enough tape already and that made her even MORE frustrated. Bobby intervened in a very diplomatic way, asking each of us to explain our reasoning before he found an excellent middle ground (i.e. he helped her move the 13 pieces of tape from useless places to helpful places).
Alice was tickled to see the puppet work, and I was blown away at her creative spatial reasoning. It scared me a little, actually, to see her turn a 2-dimensional object into a 3-dimensional object with voice and personality (no surprise that it was an "eating puppet", though, voraciously chomping whatever looked tasty). A flood of questions soon followed: What other skills of hers am I underestimating? How can I assist her growth without artificially pressuring it? She's still so young, but I see her growing capable of more every week. Do I expect too much of her in some skills (i.e. recognizing letters and numbers, personal/social interaction) while neglecting other skills (i.e. art, music, motor skills)?
These aren't guilty thoughts, but curious ones. I generally feel like I am a good parent providing a generally good environment for my child to grow in. It's moments like these, though, when she totally surprises me with some new skill or behavior, that I decide it's time to pay close attention for a while. Time to shut off auto-pilot and reassess this little creature's life and habits. Time to watch her play. Just get to know her again.
CSA Share---August 19th
Peak season! Another 2-sack day.
1.5# green beans (beautiful!)
6 ears sweet corn (starchy! starchy!)
1 bell pepper
1 cubanelle pepper
1 huge jalepeno pepper
4 small eggplant
1 bunch fennel fern
2 cucumbers
9 teeny summer squash
1 large head green lettuce (bitter!)
1 dozen eggs
They sent eggs this week because their outdoor tomatoes weren't quite ready. They were giving us greenhouse tomatoes up until now. We left the fennel there this time. I'm not feeling adventurous this week. The green beans are blanched for 3 minutes and then frozen in quart-size freezer bags. I love, love, love garden green beans, even when slightly slimy and limp from freezing. The flavor can't be beat.
I learned something interesting about green bean flavor this week. The seeds inside make a real difference. I picked my own garden's green beans long before the seeds developed. The CSA beans were WAY overripe with plump green seeds inside the pods...or so I thought. Then I blanched the two batches and tasted each. What a difference! The plump CSA beans had a richer, green-beanier flavor that I actually preferred over the delicate, bland, skinny ones. Well, I actually like them both very much. I will enjoy both of them all winter, but now I have a choice between delicate and robust flavors :)
Confession: I haven't eaten any squash over the last 3 weeks. Terrible, huh? Just don't feel like cooking it or eating it by myself. It's been rotting in my fridge :( Same with the eggplant, mostly. I did saute and puree some squash and eggplant to put into a spaghetti sauce. That worked REALLY well because Bobby ended up eating some of it, too (along with the 4 missionaries we were feeding for dinner).
It's been a blessing that my tomatoes haven't produced one ripe tomato yet. I need the canning break.
1.5# green beans (beautiful!)
6 ears sweet corn (starchy! starchy!)
1 bell pepper
1 cubanelle pepper
1 huge jalepeno pepper
4 small eggplant
1 bunch fennel fern
2 cucumbers
9 teeny summer squash
1 large head green lettuce (bitter!)
1 dozen eggs
They sent eggs this week because their outdoor tomatoes weren't quite ready. They were giving us greenhouse tomatoes up until now. We left the fennel there this time. I'm not feeling adventurous this week. The green beans are blanched for 3 minutes and then frozen in quart-size freezer bags. I love, love, love garden green beans, even when slightly slimy and limp from freezing. The flavor can't be beat.
I learned something interesting about green bean flavor this week. The seeds inside make a real difference. I picked my own garden's green beans long before the seeds developed. The CSA beans were WAY overripe with plump green seeds inside the pods...or so I thought. Then I blanched the two batches and tasted each. What a difference! The plump CSA beans had a richer, green-beanier flavor that I actually preferred over the delicate, bland, skinny ones. Well, I actually like them both very much. I will enjoy both of them all winter, but now I have a choice between delicate and robust flavors :)
Confession: I haven't eaten any squash over the last 3 weeks. Terrible, huh? Just don't feel like cooking it or eating it by myself. It's been rotting in my fridge :( Same with the eggplant, mostly. I did saute and puree some squash and eggplant to put into a spaghetti sauce. That worked REALLY well because Bobby ended up eating some of it, too (along with the 4 missionaries we were feeding for dinner).
It's been a blessing that my tomatoes haven't produced one ripe tomato yet. I need the canning break.
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