So I got my second basket of produce on Saturday afternoon and I made the mistake of not putting it away in the fridge fast enough (give me a break, my bananas from last week's basket just barely got ripe!). Anyway, I went to put them in the fridge Sunday morning and the strawberries and Swiss chard were already moldy! Snapdragon!
I'm not good with produce. I end up throwing most of it away because I don't eat it fast enough or it never gets ripe or I picked a bad one to begin with.
I give up.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Vegging Out
On a friend's recommendation, I tried out this produce co-op . It costs $16.50 a basket (plus a one-time $3.00 sign-up charge) and this is what I got:
1 bag cherries
10 bananas
1 bag grapes
1 cantaloupe
11 peaches
17 small plums
4 tomatoes
3 avocados
2 stalks broccoli
1 bag baby carrots
1 large head romaine lettuce
1 small bag green beans
I can't get my kids to stop eating the grapes and cherries (I'm finding cherry pits all over the house). The bananas and avocados still need to ripen, so it'll be a while before we can eat those. The cantaloupe was delicious (we ate it as part of our Father's Day breakfast). The broccoli was great (I used it in our Father's Day chicken divan recipe). The romaine lettuce, baby carrots and tomatoes are good (used in our Father's Day salad). We're looking forward to using the green beans (along with potatoes and onions) in a German recipe that Nigel is famous for.
So here's my predicament: the peaches and plums aren't even close to being ripe (and they don't ripen if you just let them sit out -- they'll get softer, but not sweeter). So I'm going to have to cook them to use them up. I know that I can make a good peach cobbler, but what should I do with the plums? Any ideas?
1 bag cherries
10 bananas
1 bag grapes
1 cantaloupe
11 peaches
17 small plums
4 tomatoes
3 avocados
2 stalks broccoli
1 bag baby carrots
1 large head romaine lettuce
1 small bag green beans
I can't get my kids to stop eating the grapes and cherries (I'm finding cherry pits all over the house). The bananas and avocados still need to ripen, so it'll be a while before we can eat those. The cantaloupe was delicious (we ate it as part of our Father's Day breakfast). The broccoli was great (I used it in our Father's Day chicken divan recipe). The romaine lettuce, baby carrots and tomatoes are good (used in our Father's Day salad). We're looking forward to using the green beans (along with potatoes and onions) in a German recipe that Nigel is famous for.
So here's my predicament: the peaches and plums aren't even close to being ripe (and they don't ripen if you just let them sit out -- they'll get softer, but not sweeter). So I'm going to have to cook them to use them up. I know that I can make a good peach cobbler, but what should I do with the plums? Any ideas?
Monday, June 14, 2010
"Running" a 5K
A few days ago I "ran" a 5K.
You'll notice that the word "ran" is in quotes because let's be honest, there's very little running going on when I'm doing it. It's more like a slow, agonizing jog or a very fast walk.
And this was a very BIG race with actual numbers on our chests and timers on our shoes. Very high tech. The best part is that I finished in about 6 1/2 minutes UNDER my goal time and I saw lots of my friends in the race (mostly I saw them as they were all PASSING me by).
Nigel and the kids were there to cheer me on and it was a lot of fun. We've decided that next time we'll ALL run/jog/walk together as a family.
The last time I did one was in 1985. I thought this would hold me for another 25 years, but it was so much fun, I can't wait to do another.
You'll notice that the word "ran" is in quotes because let's be honest, there's very little running going on when I'm doing it. It's more like a slow, agonizing jog or a very fast walk.
And this was a very BIG race with actual numbers on our chests and timers on our shoes. Very high tech. The best part is that I finished in about 6 1/2 minutes UNDER my goal time and I saw lots of my friends in the race (mostly I saw them as they were all PASSING me by).
Nigel and the kids were there to cheer me on and it was a lot of fun. We've decided that next time we'll ALL run/jog/walk together as a family.
The last time I did one was in 1985. I thought this would hold me for another 25 years, but it was so much fun, I can't wait to do another.
Monday, June 7, 2010
You can take the girl out of food storage, but you can't take food storage out of the girl
So it's finally June and I can go back to the grocery store!
A few days ago I had my first shopping outing and I was envisioning a shopping cart overflowing with delicious easy-to-prepare items.
Not quite.
After hitting the much-missed produce section, my mind was a complete blank on what to buy! I realized that most of what I buy I don't really need and left the store with only two bags.
Even yesterday, I made sloppy Joes with freeze-dried chicken chunks, canned sauce, freeze-dried mozzarella cheese and some hamburger buns that were left over from a neighborhood barbecue.
Oh well.
A few days ago I had my first shopping outing and I was envisioning a shopping cart overflowing with delicious easy-to-prepare items.
Not quite.
After hitting the much-missed produce section, my mind was a complete blank on what to buy! I realized that most of what I buy I don't really need and left the store with only two bags.
Even yesterday, I made sloppy Joes with freeze-dried chicken chunks, canned sauce, freeze-dried mozzarella cheese and some hamburger buns that were left over from a neighborhood barbecue.
Oh well.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Final Analysis Revisited
I can't believe I forgot the two most important things I learned in my "living off my food storage for the month of May" experiment:
-- Even though making a bed out of #10 cans seems like a good way of storing your supplies in a small space, GETTING at them is a whole other story. After a few days of getting all the stuffed animals off the bed, moving the mattress (is there anything harder to maneuver than a mattress?), tackling the bed board, then trying to remember where that specific can is (even though I had made a map beforehand, it was still horrible), I decided it was easier just to go hungry.
-- Make sure to include some snacks in your food storage plan (cookies, crackers, fruit snacks, etc.). Making dinner takes a LOT longer when everything's from scratch (including grinding your own flour) and your kids will eventually sneak into your pantry and eat your entire supply of chocolate chips if you don't have some quick snacks on hand.
-- Even though making a bed out of #10 cans seems like a good way of storing your supplies in a small space, GETTING at them is a whole other story. After a few days of getting all the stuffed animals off the bed, moving the mattress (is there anything harder to maneuver than a mattress?), tackling the bed board, then trying to remember where that specific can is (even though I had made a map beforehand, it was still horrible), I decided it was easier just to go hungry.
-- Make sure to include some snacks in your food storage plan (cookies, crackers, fruit snacks, etc.). Making dinner takes a LOT longer when everything's from scratch (including grinding your own flour) and your kids will eventually sneak into your pantry and eat your entire supply of chocolate chips if you don't have some quick snacks on hand.
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