Restraint

One thing I always have to remember is that if I don't eat something, it goes bad. And if I don't actually take something from the farm, it is either sold or donated to families who don't get enough veggies. Yesterday I shorted myself in the fields. We had a bunch of tomatoes go bad...I pick them when they're very very ripe, and sometimes they split and start rotting within 24 hours.

And I was also rushing it, because it was primary day in Massachusetts. There were a couple of races where I wanted to get my say, so I rushed home between the farm and chamber music to get my votes in.

This week's veggie share:

• 1 spaghetti squash! Yay! It's the start of winter squash season. Spaghetti squash are great because you bake them, flip them and fill them with pesto or sausage or whatever, and then use a fork to pull out the long, mild spaghetti strands.
• 1 bag of salad mix, which I skipped because I still had a half bag left from last week.
• 1 head of lettuce.
• 2 tomatoes, as the season wanes.
• 2 bulbs of garlic.
• 10 leaves of kale.
• 1 bag of mix n' match, including peppers, hot peppers, onions, carrots, beets, turnips, and potatoes.
• Pick your own tomatoes, so I took a few little tomatoes.
• Pick your own beans, but I skipped them.
• Pick your own raspberries, so of course I picked a pint. Jean and I made raspberry pancakes!
• Unlimited herbs, but again, I have enough.

(Right?)

And the fruit share included:

• 1 bag of apples.
• 3 peaches.

My farm is offering a winter share. The deal is that it's only two pickups, one in the second half of November and the second in the second half of December. Apparently you get 40-50 pounds of food each share, or at least that's how it was last year. Potatoes, rutabagas, garlic, squash...all the winter veggies. And you get some breads that the farm produces. All for $130. One couple raved about the share during the picnic the farm had this summer. Plus, there was an optional apple share, 20 pounds of apples for $25. I signed up, and can pay in two installments. It's a fun thing to do for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Last year Elena and I were practically dying for local veggies by spring, so hopefully this will stave off the cravings. It's going to be 90 in South Korea this week, so I'm guessing the winter isn't quite as long over there! They have the coolest little peronal-sized melons that I'm jealous of. Lots of fun fruit, and lots of fish. I'm looking forward to visiting!