Scrubbing the Barn: Summer CSA ’11 – Week 15
Sunday afternoon, I threw on overalls, a bandana, and a dust mask and headed toward the blue barn. Mission: Get Barn Party Ready. This is no small endeavor. The older part of barn hasn’t been swept out in probably 70 years. Sunday I swept. Monday afternoon I scraped-up mashed-down hay with a paint scraper, and pulled/pounded in old nails. Next I’ll scrape away any other offending stains with a metal scraper. Then will be dust control with a shop vac and maybe a leaf blower. Last step will be a bleach mop.
The work is extremely satisfying. It’s dirty work yes, but I can’t help suppressing a grin when I stop and survey the progress. It is one of the last major projects to complete on our property since we’ve purchased it. I remember the first time Mike and I stood together on our farm, assessing all the responsibilities we now owned. I cried. I was so unbelievably overwhelmed with the mountain of tasks before us. The dilapidated barn and rusting sheds; the massive silos and creaking windmill; cow manure everywhere; the moldy kitchen ceiling and crumbling plaster walls; the frozen and burst kitchen pipes; the leaking basement, and that 3 inch orange shag carpet (I’m not kidding)€¦ We’ve come so far in just a few years.
Amidst my scraping and scrubbing of the barn, I’ve had a second reason to smile at the work. Just three years ago today, Mike and I were married in his parent’s barn. Jim and Gayle cleaned the barn from top to bottom to prepare for the event. The barn, the tables, the guests, the food, the reason for the party; it was all so beautiful. Some sort of circle has been traversed, and now here I am, a married woman, a farmer, a mom – cleaning out our own barn in preparation for its first party.
So what are the details of this party? Saturday, September 24th. It’s BYO beverages and potluck dish. We’ll have a bunch of Ela Orchard fresh apple cider ” the kid-friendly kind. The potluck will start at 5:30. Then at 7pm a local Madison bluegrass band, Old Cool, will play some tunes for us. They will play two sets. We hope the kids dance and the adults get rowdy! Folks are welcome to camp out at the farm so that they can enjoy some adult beverages, stars, a bonfire, etc.
We have one more CSA box before the party, and hopefully there will still be peppers and tomatoes in it. Frosts are forecasted for later this week. These cool nights signal the beginning of the end of our heat-loving peppers and tomatoes. Savor. Savor. And make soup! I didn’t put this recipe on, but making homemade falafel and garnishing with sweet red peppers and tomatoes is also a lovely dish.
Have a great week & enjoy your veggies! Sincerely, Mike, Cassie, & Zea
In the Box:
- Beets
- Broccoli – EOs
- Carrots
- Green Beans
- Garlic
- Kale
- Leeks – REGs
- Onion, Yellow
- Pepper, Jalapeno
- Pepper, Red Bell
- Pepper, Sweet Red Carmen
- Scallions – EOs
- Potatoes, White – EOs
- Tomatoes -Heirlooms
- Tomatoes- Slicers
REGs = Regular members only EOs = Everyother members only
This Week’s Recipes:
Week 15 – Wednesday, September 14th: Everyother Group A
