CSA Tuesday

Another Tuesday, another CSA!

Today’s bounty is very, very green.

I received collard greens, kale, lettuce, parsley and swiss chard. I also, like the past 2 weeks, can go pick a quart each of peas and strawberries, and I’m looking forward to doing this on Sunday.

There is always recipes included with our share and this week one of the recipes was for a kale and white bean soup. Conveniently, I had all the ingredients and in the pot they all went. About an hour later, I had the most tasty soup. With a bit of bread and some parmesan cheese, nomnom.

My version of the white bean and kale soup:

In a big pot, cook a small onion’s worth (white and/or red onion), red pepper flakes and 2 minced garlic cloves in some olive oil.
Add 4 cups worth of chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to a boil.
Add 5 to 10 chopped kale leaves, bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes until the kale becomes tender.
Add 2-3 cans of drained white beans, cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes
Season to taste
Serve over a slice of crusty bread and garnish with some grated parmesan cheese
Enjoy the deliciousness

Tomorrow I’m looking forward to another delicious green salad with some lettuce, spinach and some radishes!

WIP Wednesday

Two posts in a row!

Even though I haven’t been posting about my knitting much lately (last time was June 8!), I have been knitting, a little bit.

Since my poll about the Sock Hop sock, I decided to rip down to the toe and start anew. I decided to go in plain stockinette this time.

This sock is my traveling sock, so it doesn’t see much action. But I’ll get it done eventually.

My at-home sock is Pomatomus sock #2. I only work on it while watching TV, and I haven’t been watching much TV lately so it’s going along slowly. I’m more than halfway through the foot already though so hopefully I’ll have it done sooner than later.

Especially since I have some sock yarn lined up for my next pair!

That right there, is one gorgeous skein of Madelinetosh Sock in Black Currant, from yarn4socks of course. I’m going to be doing a Knitspot pattern with it, but I just can’t decide which one. Any suggestions?

And now, to distract you a bit from staring at the yarn, here’s something else that’s pretty to look at. And definitely delicious to eat:

This is what I call a salad. My kind of salad. With fresh picked CSA greens, radishes, tomatoes and avocado. Homemade dressing, bread and butter. Best kind of meal! Click on the photo for more details and my salad dressing recipe.

CSA Tuesday Week 2

It’s a good thing there’s CSA Tuesday, or I’d never be posting anymore! I’m so sorry I haven’t been posting much lately but I’m around, just really busy. Hopefully things will calm down a bit sooner than later and I’ll go back to blogging more regularly.

I know you came here for some vegetable eye candy, so here it is:

Today’s CSA was again on the small side, except for the radishes. We got a bit of 2 different kinds of lettuce, some more spinach, some dill and 2 bunches of the biggest radishes I’ve ever seen. These things are at least 1.5 inches to 2 inches long. But they’re delicious with bread and butter (thank you Deb for the tip!), yummy in salads and very good boiled.

On Sunday morning, DH and I went to pick our quart of strawberries and peas that were part of last week’s share. Even though it was rainy and gray, we had quite a good time. The strawberries are delicious and I am looking forward to cooking the peas. This week again we can go pick a quart of strawberries and peas, hopefully we’ll have better weather this Sunday.

See you next week for another CSA Tuesday if not before!

CSA Tuesday

This spring, I signed DH and I up for a CSA. I found a farm on my way to and from work that was doing a CSA for its first time and I thought it would great if we could participate. This week was the first week and it will run for another 9 or 10 weeks. Each share is targeted for a family of 4 so I have a feeling that some weeks I will find myself with a bit too much but I am looking forward to pushing myself to cook everything and eat everything. I decided that on every pick up night I would have a cooking evening and get all the food processed, frozen or cooked so that it would make a lot of good meals.

So tonight I stopped by the farm and picked up our first share. It was a bit less than I thought, but it’s just the beginning of the season so it’s not too surprising.

I received some lettuce, spinach, radish, baby onions and some rhubarb. I’m also entitled to a quart strawberries and peas but these are pick your own, so I’ll be doing that over the weekend. The ones you see in the picture I bought at their farm stand since I really wanted some fresh strawberries!

So tonight I made compote with the rhubarb and some of the strawberries. I chopped up the rest of the strawberries and we will be eating those later. I’m saving the lettuce, spinach, baby onions and some radishes for a big salad for later this week too.

I hope you will enjoy sharing this CSA Tuesday with me this summer!

What looks like a very good mail week

• Tons of lovely fabrics to play with

Can you tell I’ve been on a mushroom kick lately?

Sheep, deer, hedgehogs! And I’ve got elephants coming too!

• Lots of pretty new zippers

• Time to sew: too little

At least these guys were finished in time for their big launch day!

You can see a picture of each bag  right here.

Things that make me happy Monday

• Freshly picked peonies

My favorite flowers

• A brand new pair of socks

Spring Forward socks knit in Tricoquelicot [Ravelry details]

• A wonderful prize from cocoknits

Some lovely cashmere and Rowan Cocoon that will make yummy cowls and some lovely yarn that will make gorgeous shawls. Thank you Nicole!

• Mysterious Genevieve

My first Black Apple print, surely not the last.

What makes you happy this Monday?

ETA: Something that would make next Monday super happy: winning the contest over at The Fabric Shopper! You can win your own fat quarter bundle from Whipstitch Fabrics. How could I pass that up? : )

Sew, Mama, Sew Sewing Machine Meme

The Sew, Mama, Sew! Blog has started a Sewing Machine Meme in order to collect reviews on different types of machines in one place. I’m participating to help others out, and if you sew, I encourage you to do the same. If you don’t sew, I’d suggest to move along, as you’ll most likely get bored. If you’re ever planning on getting a sewing machine, read on!

What brand and model do you have?
I have a Pfaff Expression 2036

How long have you had it?
Less than 24 hours. Last night I traded in my Pfaff Select 3.0 for the Expression 2036. I had the Select 3.0 for a little over a year.

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?
I bought the Expression used, it’s a 2 year old machine and it was $750. New it maybe worth $900-$1000, but am not sure. Thankfully I didn’t pay as much since I got some money for my trade in.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?
I sew quilts, bags, box bags, some home dec like pillows, no clothing yet but am planning to.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?
I’ve been sewing pretty much every day for the last couple months. But usually I sew at least once or twice a week. Especially when there’s a quilt I want to finish!

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?
I really liked my Select 3.0, even if it didn’t have everything I wanted. My new machine has a couple of the features I didn’t have in my old one so I think I’ll like it even more! She doesn’t have a name yet, I’ll have to think about it.

What features does your machine have that work well for you?
I love, love the IDT, something particular to only Pfaff sewing machine. IDT is an integrated walking foot, so no matter what foot you’re using or what type of stitch, you have the dual traction. It’s really a awesome feature and would never go to another type of machine because of that.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?
I don’t think there is, but then again, I haven’t had it for very long!

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!
None about the new machine, but one day, the foot pedal on my old machine went bonkers. Whatever was inside the pedal that creates the tension that makes it go faster, slower or stop was broken. So basically, if the machine was on, it was going, and fast. There was nothing else to do but go to the store and get another foot pedal.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?
I would definitely recommend any Pfaff machine, they’re very good machine and the added IDT is again, the awesomest feature.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?
Buy your machine from a local quilt store with friendly staff because they’re the ones that are going to be helping you out if you have a problem. They’ll give you classes on your machine, etc. Also, buy the best you can afford and make sure to try it out as well as others to see what you like best. If you’re in the Boston area, the Button Box is an awesome quilt shop, I definitely recommend checking out their Pfaff selection.

Do you have a dream machine?
I have my eye on the Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.0… One day!

Meeting Kaffe

A couple weeks ago, my friend Carol mentioned that Kaffe Fassett was going to be speaking in nearby Nashua, that she was going and did I want to go with her. Now Carol is a huge Kaffe Fan, like gigantic huge. I, for my part, am  a fan,  I love a lot of his quilting fabrics and most of his quilt patterns but not as much as Carol!

So Carol and I drove up to where Westminster Fibers was organizing the event. Around the room you could see sweaters, stoles and coats knit from Kaffe’s patterns.

I love this stole, but could never bear all this intarsia!

2 versions of the Foolish Virgins

There were also a few of Kaffe’s quilts made in his fabrics.

I love this fabric, I think I need to get some before it goes out of print!

Before Kaffe’s speech I got to meet Brandon Mably, Kaffe’s work partner and designer in his own right.

I wish I’d gotten a picture of the back of his vest, it had heraldic lions. But the front is pretty cool looking too! [Carol: what’s the name of this pattern?)

The speech was really awesome. Kaffe Fassett is an inspiration. His work, in knitting, quilting, fabric designing, painting, stitching and tons of other stuff is amazing. His use of color is unbelievable, it was amazing seeing how he works and what he’s done in the past 30+ years.

He’s around 70, and I’ve got to say, he really looks great! Too bad the photo is so fuzzy!

Whether you’re a knitter or a quilter, a fan or not a fan, if you get a chance to hear him speak at some point, I would say that you should definitely try, it will be more than worth it.

A few more pictures here.