5% Day

What's Growing in My Garden

I decided to forgo flowers in this post and focus simply on the fruits and veggies (except for where the veggies are blossoming).

Little pepinos -- baby pickling cucumbers

Sugar snap peas

Straight-necked yellow squash blossoms

Yes, a lemon, too (actually, there are 3 on the tree!)

Little fuzzy peaches

...and more peaches -- from the tree we planted last year

Baby lettuces

Colourful swiss chard

My garden is still having its troubles and trials (we did lose a good number of plants to some multi-legged critters), but every time another little vegetable plant does something amazing, like poke out of the ground after having been a seed or push out a brilliant blossom or even grow another leaf, I get so happy.


(Some plants, like the arugula and onions and leggy spinach failed to make the cut after today's photo shoot....)

CSA: The Kitchen Garden

Yesterday was part 2 of my CSA visits for Open CSA week, and Mr Madley and I visited The Kitchen Garden on Rocky Hill Road.  The Kitchen Garden is relatively new at its Hadley location (previously having been home to Stone Soup Farm), and is still under a little construction (the barn should be finished within the next few weeks).  Most of the farming and crop-growing is done in Sunderland on Silver Lane, but the Hadley location has pick-ups, a wonderful assortment of chatty chickens, and pick-you-own gardens.  Plus, a few of the farmers were there unloading the beautiful produce from the van for distribution.

Flowers, eggs, bags, an informational card, and a sign-in welcomed members and guests;

The white-board listed today's share portions.

Beautiful bunches of radishes (3 kinds) were part of this week's vegetable share,

as were garlic scapes, swiss chard, lettuces, bok choy, and kohlrabi (I don't think I'd ever seen kohlrabi before -- pretty!).

 

The farm offers different kinds of shares and add-ons -- vegetable shares, fruit shares, and egg shares; plus, special winter and spring shares and market shares. 
Strawberries and rhubarb were part of this week's fruit share.

Happy chickens lay tastier eggs for the egg share.

 

The Kitchen Garden produce is also available at farmer's markets in the area, including the Wednesday Market at Kendrick Park (which I'm really hoping to get to go to soon).  If you're looking for more information, take a gander at their website -- it's loaded with information on the farm, CSA shares, farmers markets, the produce they produce (storage tips, recipes, etc.), restaurants, and the farm philosophy.

Another fantastic CSA opportunity right here in Hadley.  

CSAs are a wonderful way to participate in the local farming industry and to support the local community.  Open CSA week is now over for the year, and I've highlighted two local CSAs.  If you have hesitations about joining a CSA, start by visiting the farmers markets and farm stands in the area.  Don't miss out on your opportunity to partake of the fresh, delicious produce grown here in the Valley and to sustain the local agriculture that has built the foundation of our community.  Enjoy those fresh summer crops!

CSA: Next Barn Over

It's open CSA week, and I took an opportunity to visit Next Barn Over CSA after work today during their open hours.



When I arrived, people with shares were happily picking strawberries in the open strawberry field.

I made my way past some fields of young vegetables,

and on to the barn to check out what was inside.  Inside the barn I found shelves of jams, sauces, honey, and popcorn, as well as a cooler with yogurt and cheese, and a rack of bread and coffee.

 

I turned the corner and discovered the greens selection.  All kinds of things, from garlic scapes to boston lettuce to kale.  It was a beautiful sight (and it smelled so green and fresh). 
I really like the paintings on the walls.

 

Back to my car.  And I passed my favourite part of all -- the rows and rows of sugar snap peas, of which members can partake, and which might just be enough to convince me that this is the CSA for me.  (I LOVE sugar snap peas!)

If you're interested in learning more about Next Barn Over, visit their website or visit their CSA on a pickup day (Mon/Wed 2-7, Fri 12-4) and pick up an informational flier at the entry to the barn.  This is great stuff.

Farmers Markets, CSAs, & More

Fresh local produce is bounteous in Western Massachusetts, and while I do try to keep a list of farm stands in the area, CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) does a better job of it than I do.  CISA keeps a list of farmers markets, farm stands, CSAs, and pick-your-own farms.  It also tracks what's available when on a wonderful harvest calendar.  CISA is a great resource -- use it frequently!

Open CSA week is coming soon, and both The Kitchen Garden and The Next Barn Over in Hadley are participating. 
Visit this informational page for details.

 

Daytripping: Ashfield

The area of the Pioneer Valley and surrounding Western Mass is rife with lovely little towns to visit and spend a day -- we love to make the occasional jaunt to Shelburne Falls and Brattleboro.  A few weekends ago we made the short trip to Ashfield, where we spent the better part of the afternoon and evening.
In the autumn, Ashfield has a lively fall festival full of crafts, foods, music, dancing, tag sales, and feats of agriculture.  But there is definitely more to Ashfield than just their fall festival.

Chapel Brook & Pony Mountain: Ashfield is home to some beautiful falls & hiking trails along Chapel Brook and Pony Mountain.  Trails run along the brook, and in the brook there are falls to splash under, pools to cool off in, rocks to sit on, and natural water slides.

Elmer's Store: If you're looking for a snack or a morning meal, don't miss out on Elmer's Store. It boasts daily breakfast and lunch and a Friday night dinner, but it's also a corner store with a bakery, some pantry basics, local art and music, and occasional events.  Call or stop in for info -- the website is not updated regularly.

Ashfield Lake: The lake sports a couple of beaches, one of which is reserved for residents and one of which is open to the general public.  It's a large lake with plenty of room for swimming, kayaking, canoeing, or just wading around.

Ashfield Lakehouse: Right on the lake is a restaurant that looks to have been there for years and years.  It has outdoor deck dining with great lake views, a bar, a piano, pinball machines, and regular live music.  The online menu prices are a little out of date, but the burgers and fries were pretty good.

Belding Memorial Library: Open 3 days a week, this old library is a beauty.  Sit on the wood benches in the front lawn or enjoy the relaxing field-and-forest view from the stone bench behind the library.  If it's open, be sure to take a look inside.

If you're out for a stroll while in town, try not to miss the amazing Japanese lilac at the Inn at Norton Hill across the street from Elmer's or the classic hardware store on the main drag.
(There are lots of other places to go and things to see in Ashfield, but these were the highlights of one afternoon's visit.)

You Eat Ferns?!

Fiddlehead ferns are in season, and their season is short, so get some while you can.  You may have seen them in the markets, for sale in the local vegetable section for $4.99-5.99/lb, and thought "what am I supposed to do with those?"  Well, you are definitely supposed to eat them.
Cook them up like you would asparagus (a little olive oil, salt, and pepper) and enjoy them as one of your vegetables at dinner.  Before cooking them, however, be sure to soak or blanch them before cooking to get the brown papery covering and little fern pieces out of the frond; it's good to snip off the brown ends, as well.

Fiddleheads, rinsed and ready for cooking.

For more information, this page on Valley Locavore has some great info.  You might also be able to get a flier at Atkins Market (where I originally got my information a couple of years ago), or there's an article from the DHGazette titled "Fresh from the Valley" (from just April 9 -- and I started drafting this article on Sunday...).

Happy fern foraging & feasting -- they really are quite tasty!

Winter Farmers Market: Amherst

Saturday I made my first trip to the Amherst Winter Market at the Amherst Middle School.  A little late, I know, but it was definitely worth the trip, and I look forward to going back.  Many local farms, bakeries, and artisans were represented at the market, and just about everything and anything was being sold -- from grass-fed beef (King Creek Farm) to popcorn sprouts (Astarte Farm) to rainbow carrots (Winter Moon Farm) to sheepskin (Balky Farm) to shares in CSAs (Simple Gifts Farm) to whimsical animal art (artbug) to fresh baked bread (The Black Sheep) and more (like soap, cheese, eggs...).

The pictures below should give a good feel for the market, though not every table was photographed (note the student art on the walls). 

Yarns and woolens from Balky Farm.

Delicious breads from El Jardin Bakery.

Organic sprouts from Astarte Farm.

Rainbow carrots and an irresistible sales girl from Winter Moon Farm.

More from Winter Moon Farm (beets, radishes, parsnips).

Bags of carrots and potatoes by Atlas Farm.

Whimsical animal art by Chaldea Emerson: artbug.

With a little music (musicians were setting up just as I was leaving), tables where one could sit and eat and visit, fresh local foods, and enthusiastic members of the community, there aren't many better places to spend a wintry Saturday morning.

Debit/credit is now accepted, making purchasing much easier, especially for those who don't tend to carry much cash.

For more information about the Amherst Winter Market, visit: http://www.amherstwintermarket.com/

Aldi's is Almost Here

The other day while running errands, I noticed that the Aldi store in the Home Depot lot is almost complete.  And then upon returning home that very afternoon I received a postcard with coupons in the mail announcing that the store would open December 13.  That's next week.  Wow.  I remember when they were just breaking ground -- it wasn't that long ago.

I've never been to an Aldi store, though my parents have.  They use Aldi products to stock the shelves their food storage.  They love the canned chicken, and one year for Christmas they gave me a case of Aldi's canned cherry pie filling.  (Yes, it was a good gift -- I truly love cherry pie filling.)  And so, in light of the cherry pie filling, I admit I'm the slightest bit excited. 
But a little disappointed, too -- another big chain store in our lovely little Hadley town.  Another mass of of lights on Rt 9.  Another draw for traffic.  Another big chain store.