Another week, another box.  Now that summer is in full swing, I am having a ball with all of the yummy surprises.  Planning everything out like this helps ensure nothing is lost in the back of the fridge, but it isn't set in stone.  I change it up if the mood strikes!

If you missed the past pickups, you can read about them HERE.  This week we received:

• Peaches Sustainable
• Plums Sustainable
• Carrots Sustainable
• Arugula Certified Organic
• Bell Peppers Sustainable
• Hot Peppers Sustainable
• Radishes Certified Organic
• Basil Certified Organic
• Sicilian Eggplant Sustainable
• Purple Eggplant Sustainable
• Cucumbers Sustainable
• Green Beans Sustainable
• Scallions Sustainable
• Swiss Chard Sustainable
• Garlic Sustainable
• Tomatoes Sustainable
• BONUS!! Extra Peaches!!

We have two little berry fanatics on our hands.  We cannot keep enough berries in our house!  Luckily, we get quite a few from our CSA every week.  In addition, my parents have a raspberry patch in their backyard.  One HUNGRY little girl eats them all before we can take any home, but she enjoys them.  We planted a blackberry plant behind our house a few years ago, but the deer enjoyed it so much it was down to a stub.  We transplanted it to our garden, protected by the fence.  Last year it gave us a handful of berries, but this year it is dripping with 'em!  They will be ripe pretty soon, and we can't wait!

In the meantime, we have been picking some wild berries that grow in our neighborhood.

Wild Wineberries

We have a few patches on our property, and they are not hard to find elsewhere.  Every morning during the baby's nap Jemma and I have been going picking.


We received a new (to us) berry recently from our CSA, the red currant.  After John explained that it is a CURR-ent, not a curr-ONT like I've been saying it. Jemma and I plucked them from their stem.

Red Currants

They look like little rubies!!!  They were delish with granola and a little coconut.

Barley with berries and pecans

Couscous with strawberries and honey

What's your favorite berry?  Do you grow any?

This post was shared on Fat Tuesday!

I have jumped back into fermenting things with two feet.  I pulled out a jar of lactofermented radishes that I made a few weeks ago and gave them to the girls.  They LOVED them.  Jemma asked to drink the radish "juice," the liquid it fermented in.  I watered it down 50-50 with water and she guzzled it in minutes!  I gave it to the baby, too.  She finished it, and cried for more.  Within 2 days they drank almost the whole jar!  I made a new batch, but I also started some dilly kohlrabi.

I don't really have a recipe for it.  I just sliced the kohlrabi into thick matchsticks, tucked them into a jar, and topped it with lots of fresh dill, some whey, sea salt, and filtered water.




It waited on the counter for a week, until it was nice and bubbly.  We have been munching on it ever since.  John even declared, "This is better than pickled cucumbers!"  The girls both adore them, too.  Juliet points at them and squeals every time they are on the table.  There is only one thing I will do differently next time.  I will peel them.  The insides softened nicely, but the skin stayed super tough.  Not a big deal, but something I would improve next time.

What is your favorite thing to ferment?  Do your kids eat them?

This post was shared on Fat Tuesday.

John picked up another CSA box this week.  The girls and I were in Rhode Island, so there are no pictures of our haul.  We're just grateful he braved the traffic to pick it up after work for us!  If you missed the past pickups, you can read about them HERE.  This week we received:

• Plums Sustainable
• Blueberries Sustainable
• Peaches Sustainable
• Apricots Sustainable
• Scallions Sustainable
• Basil Sustainable
• Broccoli Sustainable
• Cauliflower Sustainable
• Collards Sustainable
• Carrots Sustainable
• Radishes Certified Organic
• Arugula Certified Organic
• Beans Sustainable
• Bell Peppers Sustainable
• Cucumbers Sustainable
• Tomatoes Sustainable
• Cabbage Sustainable
• Eggplants Sustainable
• Onions Sustainable 
• Garlic Sustainable

When I was a kid, one of my favorite breakfasts was something my dad made called "Australian Eggs."  I finally asked him where the name came from.  He said they ate them like that when he was a kid, and one day his sister-in-law (who is Australian) said she was going to make a fancy breakfast for them, called Australian Eggs.  The name stuck!

As much as I loved them, I never made them.  Ever.  Why?  Because I couldn't boil an egg.

There.  I said it.

Yes, I can bake bread.  I'm no stranger to fermenting and I'm not scared of  screwing up a time or two.  Somehow, boiling eggs terrified me and was beyond my skill set.

Until now.  Enter THIS:

http://greatist.com/eat/perfect-boiled-eggs-tips

I finally had the nerve to try it, so I decided to take Jemma along for the ride.  You know, to save her from my issues.

To make Australian Eggs, You boil some eggs, butter (or coconut oil for those of us who are dairy free) some toast, and mix them all together with a little salt and pepper.  The trick is you MUST mix it all together by hand.  I don't know what it is about it, but you can't just toss it.  You have to tear the bread up with your hands and mix it all together.

Jemma helped by:

• Putting the eggs in the cold pot of water
• Peeling the eggs once they were boiled and cool
• Tearing up the bread
• Mixing it all together

GENTLY placing the eggs in the water

Cracking...

Peeling...

Pre-Smush

Smushed!

Well, we picked up another CSA box this week.  If you missed the past pickups, you can read about them HERE.  This week we received:

• Blueberries – Sustainable*
• Broccoli – Sustainable
• Lettuce – Sustainable
• Garlic – Sustainable
• Sweet Corn– Sustainable
• Lodi Apples– Sustainable
• Beets with Greens– Sustainable
• Raspberries – Sustainable
• Kale – Sustainable
• Collards – Sustainable
• Cucumbers– Sustainable
• Basil– Sustainable
• Green Beans – Sustainable
• Onions – Sustainable
• Yellow Squash – Sustainable

Have I mentioned that we *finally* got a dehydrator?  It was an amazing Christmas gift that we have been putting to work.  One of Juliet's favorite snacks is kale chips.  I have to say, they are super crumbly and messy, so it isn't great for on the go.  It is VERY easy to make, and there are recipes for it virtually everywhere, so I won't bore you with that.  Basically?  Massage olive oil, salt, and whatever spices you want in to the leaves, and dehydrate them.

Washed kale leaves, torn into pieces

Massaged with olive oil and salt

Dehydrated and enjoyed!

This particular batch was plain, but I really like it with a little apple cider vinegar mixed into the oil.  Then again, I like ANYTHING with a little (or a lot!) of vinegar mixed in!

How to you do YOUR kale chips?

Scrambed Eggs.  Another of our favorite, easy breakfasts.  Right now the baby and I can't eat dairy, so this is another recipe that we simplified to just the basics.

I try to incorporate fresh produce into every meal.  Today, we sauteed garlic scapes from our CSA in olive oil first.  Jemma wasn't in the mood to put anything else in the eggs, so we had a tomato salad on the side.  The eggs themselves were just scrambled with a little salt and pepper.

Jemma helps by:

• Cutting the garlic scapes
• Cracking the eggs
• Scrambling the eggs
• Seasoning the eggs
• Pouring the egg mixture into the pan
• Keeping the eggs moving in the pan

Cutting garlic scapes with scissors

Cracking the eggs

Seasoned to perfection!

Mixing the eggs up

Pouring... carefully!

Keeping them moving

 Yes, she is wearing her baby doll while she cooks.  I wind up wearing Juliet while I'm cooking about 80% of the time.  I guess she picked up on it!



What delicious foods do you add into your scrambled eggs?

Well, we picked up another CSA box this week.  If you missed last week's pickup, you can read it HERE.  This week we received:

• Blueberries – Sustainable*
• Broccoli – Sustainable
• Lettuce – Sustainable
• Radishes – Sustainable
• Kohlrabi – Sustainable
• Turnips – Sustainable
• Currants – Sustainable
• Raspberries – Sustainable
• Kale – Sustainable
• Collards – Sustainable
• Cherries – Sustainable
• Cauliflower – Sustainable
• Green Beans – Sustainable
• Onions – Sustainable
• Yellow Squash – Sustainable
• Cabbage – Sustainable

Here at Crest Cottage we loooooove smoothies.  98% of the time they have a leafy green base, so they don't always LOOK as appetizing as they taste.  This particular smoothie concoction was developed after I was reminiscing on the black forest milkshakes I used to drink in high school.  There was a Carvel next door to my school (the my best friend worked at for a while, bonus!).  Some days we would walk over and pick out something sweet to enjoy.  I ALWAYS got a black forest milkshake without whipped cream.  This smoothie has similar flavors, and is delish!

All of our smoothies start with leafy greens.  Lately I've been favoring spinach, especially if the finished product has no banana.  I mix the leafy greens with the liquid first.  I've found that helps them break into the smallest pieces.  Maybe someday we'll have a Vitamix, but until then, doing it this way works.  Once the spinach is broken up, we added in frozen cherries and cocoa powder.  The cherries were sweet enough, so we didn't need to add any maple syrup or honey.  Then, we blended it up and enjoyed!

Jemma helps by:

• Filling the  blender with spinach
• Turning all the buttons on and off (she's three, buttons are super fun!)
• Adding the cherries and cocoa powder (she needs extra supervision here... unless we want it to be alllllll cocoa powder)
• Pouring into the cups

Adding Spinach

Blending spinach and water

The spinach/water base is ready!

Adding frozen cherries...

... and cocoa powder!