Since learning about CSAs from a fellow master food preserver a few
years ago, I’ve been interested in the program, but never took the next step to
join until May 1st. If you’re not familiar with the concept, it’s a
cooperative-type venture primarily for local farmers to sell their seasonal
produce directly to consumers. The
farmers pay to join and volunteer their time to help manage the program, which
includes distributing the produce each week. Consumers pay a much smaller membership
fee each year and commit to buying weekly or bi-weekly boxes of seasonal produce.
Besides developing a direct relationship with our local farmers, Verne and I
have found the process to be inspiring as we’ve been challenged to use foods in
our cooking that are either new to us, like turnips, or we rarely use because
they aren’t typically available at our grocery stores, like fava beans, pea
shoots, sugar peas, garlic scapes, and sorrel to name a few.
Back to turnips. Verne and I have had limited exposure to turnips, both
as children when the food choices were made for us (apparently, they were not
household favorites because neither of us have very clear memories of being
served turnips, mashed or otherwise) and as adults when we have consciously
passed by the turnips and its cousin, rutabagas, at our grocery store without a
second glance. Well, we learned a couple of things about turnips during our
first month as CSA members. In our region, their season is the month of May. I
know that because they were included in our box every week last month.
Secondly, turnips store really, really well. I can attest to the fact they will
remain firm and fresh in your fridge for up to a month, because it took us just
about that long to muster the courage to eat them.
When we finally agreed to cook the darn things (and either eat them or
give them to the chickens), we were pleasantly surprised. Actually, it was love
at first taste and thanks to our local CSA we have a new favorite spring veggie.
The recipe we used, which we both take credit for finding, was from an old Bon
Appetit magazine. In hope that it may convert other
turnip-haters, as it has us, just ask me for the recipe (Skillet Turnips and Potatoes with Bacon) and you shall receive. It is excellent served with a
salad for dinner or topped with a soft-cooked egg for breakfast. According to
Lauren, it’s also the perfect work-lunch.
On to the wedding. Vera Marie Allen has had a special place in our
family and our hearts for almost as long as we’ve lived in Amador County. We
are “Unk” and “Auntie” to Vera, given those endearing names when Jana first
brought her junior high school best friend home for a sleepover. I have enough
stories about Vera to fill a book, but I’ll just leave it at this…Vera is a
remarkable young woman and our lives have been enriched by having known her.
Against all odds, Vera followed in her grandmother’s footsteps and attended UC
Berkeley, graduating in 2013. She returned to Amador County with her mind set
on finding a job and “finding herself a local cowboy.” She worked her plan,
first landing one of the better jobs in our small, rural town as the 4-H
Coordinator for Amador and El Dorado Counties, and secondly, marrying William
Bullard. Just as the Allen’s have had a presence in our county for five or six
generations, the Bullard’s are a large, multi-generational family in the area.
Thus, when you know everyone in town, it makes for a very large wedding. Large
enough that it was held at the Amador County Fairgrounds. From beginning to end,
it was perfect.
Vera and Will marriage vows
Portland and Los Angeles have become our go-to places when we get a
little antsy and need a road trip (and, of course, are missing our daughters).
So it was that we drove to Portland to enjoy the Memorial weekend with Lauren.
Besides keeping a list of DIYs (the “Yourself” in that acronym is “Daddy”), she
has a long list of restaurants she’d like us to try and ideas for
entertainment. We managed to check off a few items this trip, beginning with a
DIY project to bleach and refinish a small wood deck, help clean her upstairs
deck, and another DIY project to change her shower heads, part of an ongoing
effort to Go Green and save our
environment.
As always, Dad's doing all the work!
With the work done, we’d earned an entire day of fun on Saturday that
began with a drive through the Columbia Gorge to the Western Antique Aeroplane and
Automobile Museum (WAAAM) in the beautiful town of Hood River, Oregon. The
living museum has one of the largest collections (about 250) of antique planes
and old cars in the world. It’s called a “living” museum because everything is
fully restored to original and works. On the second Saturday of every month
they fly the planes, glide the gliders, and drive the old cars and motorcycles.
It was impressive and, because it wasn’t the second Saturday of the month (which
draws large crowds), we had it to ourselves and the full attention of the
docents, who were knowledgeable in all things related to transportation.
WAAAM in Hood River, OR
Planes, trains (NOT), and automobiles
Inspired by Amelia Earhart
On our return drive through the Gorge, we stopped at Cascade Locks
Marine Park and toured the historic lock tender’s home and saw the Oregon Pony
steam locomotive, which is kept in a climate controlled exhibition building
next to the museum. The Oregon Pony was used to transport people and goods past
a couple of miles of treacherous rapids on the Columbia River, known as the
Cascade Rapids, until the late 1800s when the Cascade Locks were built. In 1938
the Bonneville Lock and Dam (a tour we decided to save for another day) was
completed. The rising waters from the dam submerged the historic canal and
locks, leaving just a small portion that can be seen from the park and from the
beautiful Bridge of the Gods that spans the Columbia from Oregon to the
Washington side of the river.
The balance of our day was spent at an old favorite, OMSI (Oregon
Museum of Science and Industry where Lauren is a tour guide for the USS
Blueback submarine), enjoying a special LEGO art exhibit called The Art of the
Brick by Nathan Sawaya. Named one of the top ten Global Must-See Exhibitions, it
had been at OMSI since January and continued to draw large crowds through its
final day, which, unbeknownst to us, happened to be the day we attended. On
earlier Portland trips, we’d decided to skip the exhibit because we thought it
was geared towards kids. Little did we know! It was incredible! It was so good
that I could have walked through the exhibit multiple times. Much of the art
was in the form of 3-dimensional sculptures and installations; some of it was
2-dimensional; all of it was created from LEGOs. It was unique to say the
least. I doubt that anyone besides Nathan Sawaya has considered using LEGOs as
an art medium and he has pushed it to the limit.
The Thinkers
"Hugman"
Dinosaur with over 80,000 pieces
"Yellow"
We finished the day with an excellent movie, Hidden Figures. If you
haven’t watched it, do so. It is about three remarkable African-American women
who were crucial to the success of the Apollo 11 mission, but largely
overlooked at the time. Great finish to a great day and weekend!
