It's A Gamble

Last week’s CSA box is going to be the last box for a while; at least until August 22^nd, maybe August 29^th.  We’ve had truly insane amounts of rain in our area, and it has destroyed some of the crops.  They’ve re-planted some, and are hoping for the best.  There will still be about 11 weeks (boxes) to go when it picks back up, and they are hopeful that they will go well.

We knew it was a gamble when we signed up for the CSA; that’s part of the benefit to the farmer - that the consumer shares in some of the risk.  We knew that going in, so it’s not as disappointing as it might have been if they weren’t very up front and honest about that possibility. 

I will miss getting our box for the next few weeks.  I like the market that we pick up from, it’s small but neat and kind of quirky.  We’ve also started to get to know the people from the farm a little bit.  They recognize us on site now, and we’ve met their dog when he came to the market with them.  It’s just a pleasant part of the week, and I will miss that for the next three weeks. 

At this point we’re still planning to join this CSA next year.  I haven’t been very diligent in posting pictures of the boxes, so I’m sharing a few of them in this post.  We’ve received squash, zucchini, blueberries, chard, kale, various lettuces, green beans, peas, tomatoes, kohlrabi, beats, and so much more.  I think (assuming my math is right) that even with missing three weeks of boxes it works out to about $24.00 per box, which is more than we initially thought it would be per box, but I think is still a pretty good deal.  The produce is all organic, and it’s extremely fresh.  I still feel like it’s a good value, and we’re definitely eating more vegetables now, which is worth something in and of itself.  Like I said, it’s a gamble, and we knew that going in.  

Here’s Hoping

My sister, Gabrielle, recently won an award at work.  Apparently this particular award is a big deal; the company is fairly large (located in multiple states) and only three to four people receive this award per year.  This year Gabrielle is one of them. 

It's creative recycling, right?

Based on the number of Friday nights and Saturday afternoons I’ve called her only to learn that she’s at work, I think she really deserves it.  Needless to say, I’m very proud of my little sister.  So I was all set to send her flowers at work to congratulate her on her award, but then I found pajamas I know she really wants. 

I gave her a pair of these pajamas a couple of years ago and she loves them, so much so that they’re looking a little rough from having been worn so much.  She’s a hard to find size, and the store that carries them isn’t local to her.  I’ve been instructed to keep a lookout for them and buy them when I find them. 

I found two pairs, in her size, in patterns I think she will like, the day she received the award, so I decided on congratulatory pajamas instead of flowers.  (Pajamas sort of make sense; she’s worked hard, now it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the award, right?)

I called and told Gabrielle about the pajamas.  We live three hours away from each other, so I was planning to just give them to her whenever we see each other next. Because we’re such patient people in my family, she couldn’t stand the idea of waiting.  So she decided I could send them Fed-Ex because apparently she gets a discount through work. 

Unfortunately, there isn’t a Fed-Ex store near me.  This didn’t deter my sister; she sent me a shipping label to print out, and arranged a pickup from my office.  She assures me that it won’t matter that I don’t have a Fed-Ex box, and that all that matters is that no writing or other company names are visible on the package. 

The pitiful looking box in the picture is what I managed to finagle out of an Amazon box, some paper grocery bags, and a whole lot of tape (she just thought I used a lot of tape on Christmas presents!).  It’s definitely not going to win any awards for being an ascetically pleasing package.  Here’s hoping the Fed-Ex driver will take it tomorrow!