Harvest Party Meadowlark Farm

Photo credit: Kim Schwaiger

Sunday was the annual harvest party at Meadowlark Farm, a CSA (community-supported agriculture) near Lake Leelanau.   Fresh apple cider was pressed.  Pumpkins were picked.  Michigan beer and wine were enjoyed.  The attendees shared amazingly tasty dishes and kids ran around on the land that fed them oh so well over the summer.  Aside from the enjoyment of the company, the food, and the location, the evening also served to reaffirm my choice to be a member in this CSA.

We all know we should eat more veggies, right?  There are plenty of ways to do that, some requiring more effort than others.  The CSA method reminds me of a sign I saw once at a craft fair next to some simple bird baths made of pots.  It read, “Yes, you could make these; But you won’t”.

Yes, I could go to the farmer’s market bright and early every Saturday morning but there’s a chance (a good one) I’ll instead choose to stay in my pajamas and drink oodles of coffee.  I could head to Oryana and wander around in the veggie aisle, but most likely I will be overwhelmed by the choices, and without having planned out any recipes, I’d probably walk away with a few tomatoes and lettuce.  Being part of a CSA means a box of veggies is delivered with my name on it each week and with it comes the obligation to not let it go to waste.  In an effort to do so I’ve tried things I never would have otherwise; sun pickles to use the gobs of cucumbers and fresh dill…I even learned that ratatouille was not only a Disney movie, but a dish I could make with the eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini and onion in my box!

In exchange for what amounts to about a $30/week investment each Tuesday from June through mid-October I get to open up a box full of fresh, locally-grown, organic vegetables and herbs and do so with the excitement of a child opening a present..wondering about what will be in season that week.

A typical box contains a variety of the standards (washed salad greens, kale, cucumbers, carrots, garlic, bell peppers, beans, tomatoes, basil, potatoes) and added to the mix on occasion some more unusual items like garlic scapes, kohlrabi, sunshine squash, etc. (that thankfully tend to come with a suggested recipe!).

Think you’re ready to try your hand at some sun pickles??  There are many local CSAs to choose from.  You can’t really go wrong with more veggies, more local, and more harvest parties.

Northwest Michigan Fair

When I was young I won a blue ribbon in 4-H sewing at the Northwest Michigan Fair…true-life nerd to swag story.  In my opinion, 4-H pretty much rocks.  It provides kids an avenue to really accomplish something besides a high score in Angry Birds (not to say there won’t be angry birds involved, see sad chicken photo below).  Take time this week to walk around the Northwest Michigan Fairgrounds and check out what these proud kids have been raising and making this past year.   You’ll also probably never see so many cowboy boots in one place in Northern Michigan (huge fan).  Did I mention you can run with the goats at 8:00 each night??  Enough said.