Think inside the box

[I should turn this into a food blog, since I don't blog much about religion any more! :o)]

We picked up our first CSA box delivered from Ewing Family Farm today:

Inside were some green onions, mustard greens, bok choy, assorted lettuce, a half dozen eggs, a quarter of homemade soap and a bag of homemade bath salts (which will probably be given to Erin, since it's her birthday and she likes that kind of thing):

Looks like we'll be having a nice salad for dinner!

My understanding is at a "half share" we'll get a half box every week (a full share would therefore be a full box). Updated May 2, 2010: Actually, the box shown is a half share box, and by the end of summer should be full to overflowing. The full share boxes are twice as big. The box is approximately 12"x24"x6". I think a half share will be plenty, given all the different varieties of food we're going to get, a lot of which I am still wondering how we're going to work into a houseful of picky eaters. That's why I wanted to try a half share as an experiment before investing the money in subscribing to a full share. We'll see how it goes.

But between the CSA and my determination to get a lot more out of the garden this year, we should have some yummy fresh (and organic!) food coming in the months to come.

BTW, for those in Jeff City, we picked our box up at D&D Main Street Market on the corner of W. Main and Dix Road. I'd never been inside before, but noticed they carry a lot of the same bulk spices and herbs that Shirks does, and it's a lot more convenient to get to (although I like Shirks). I am going to have to go back to D&D and check it out.

Let's go to bed

This is one of the two new raised beds, all gridded out for "square foot" gardening. The first two rows on the left have now been planted, half and half with early and late sweet corn. The plan is to plant the next three pairs of rows with the same mix, two weeks apart, for the next month and a half. Hopefully that equates to fresh sweet corn for most of the late summer and early fall!

Yours in experimentation.

Hold the mayo

I bought a corned beef a while back and was going to boil it, but then I got a wild hair and thought, "I wonder what it would taste like smoked?" So Saturday I soaked some hickory overnight, and Sunday I smoked it in my electric smoker over water (with the brine and seasoning packet added). I smoked it for eight hours, then put it on a rack over a pan of water and baked it at 375° for another 75 minutes or so. The results were very good. It was tender and tasty.

Turns out I independently discovered how to make pastrami!

Liquid fire

Ingredients

• 50 ripe Habaneros (give or take)
• white vinegar (enough to completely cover the peppers)
• salt

Directions

Soak habs in vinegar and salt solution in a large jar for at least six months (I poked holes in the peppers before putting them in the solution to let the vinegar work its way inside). Scoop out the habs into a blender using a slotted spoon and add just enough of the brine to barely cover. Blend until smooth. Decant into a bottle, as shown. Made about twice as pictured here. Should last me a few months.

Warning

Depending on your jurisdiction this may require registration with local authorities as either a weapon or a hazardous material. Consult an attorney.