spring CSA, week 8

The people at Breezy Willow have been working on an addition to their CSA shed for months, and this week it finally got its grand opening. It’s screened on three sides, so the beautiful fresh air flows in, and it’s big and airy, so there’s plenty of room to circle around and collect veggies, without having to wait outside while the people inside finish up. I love it. It’ll be beautiful in the summer. Maybe a little chilly in late autumn, but we’ll all be bundled up in coats and scarves anyway.

This week’s pickup: sweet potatoes, onions, oranges, zucchini, radishes, spring mix, spinach, green beans, garlic, and bread (Great Harvest whole wheat). This was a “bonus item” week, so we could pick from preserves or cheese (or ask for eggs if we really wanted them). I was tempted by the cherry amaretto jam but I went with “strawberry fields”. It’s spring and I’m really looking forward to strawberry picking.

spring CSA, week 8

The oranges are a real treat, since citrus has been kind of scant this spring. In past years we used to get huge bags of citrus every week, but now the occasional orange or grapefruit is a nice surprise. It seems there was unpredictable weather in Florida and the citrus crop suffered as a result. Thank goodness Breezy Willow CSA is a co-op and other farms could step in to pick up the slack.

I also picked up some sheep’s cheese to try. This is from Shepherd’s Manor Creamery (though now I’m unsure as to whether their name should be “Shepard”, or whether the label is mispelled). RJ’s been talking up the cheese in the weekly email bulletins, so I figured I’d try it. It looks spreadable, like cream cheese. I’ll let you know what I think.

strawberry jam and sheep's milk cheese

Though for $8.50 per small tub, let’s hope I don’t get addicted.

There’s a lot going on this weekend; my alma mater is hosting Maryland Day on Saturday, promising fun and learning for all ages. I’m interested in the research greenhouse and a lot of the engineering displays, and if the kid is feeling perky, we might take him to see some of the livestock. (I usually also love going to the free concerts, but that sort of thing is dicier with a one-year-old.)

Also this coming weekend, Savage Mill (always one of my favorite places to hang out) is hosting their Cherrybration and sidewalk sale. Hopefully the weather stays nice!