I haven't blogged in 2 weeks but I'm still keeping on with my healthy eating and exercise. Tim and I went to the Rockingham County Farmers' Market this morning. Lately, that's a weekly activity for us. Today we bought some October beans, a new bean for us. I also got a butternut squash with the intention of making soup. I've got to get on Epicurious for a recipe. We bought heirloom cherry tomatoes, green beans, yellow squash, egg plant, and cucumbers. We're still getting okra and tomatoes from Tim's garden and we have potatoes and sweet potatoes left from last week.
I'm a little concerned about what we're going to do when the market closes. We've gotten business cards or phone numbers for the vendors selling meat and eggs. Tim has canned tomatoes and frozen some butter beans from our garden. I guess I'll have to buy frozen veggies from the grocery store during the winter months. I think frozen would be more earth friendly, or at the very least tastier and cheaper, than fresh vegetables shipped for thousands of miles.
Today we bought a dozen eggs from A.J. I asked him and his parents if I can do a newspaper column on him and his chickens so I'm looking forward to visiting their farm. On our farm, our duck coop is finished and it is top notch, very sturdy and well built. The ducks are still in a brooder box on our screen porch. They are actually in their 3rd box. The first cardboard box started coming apart near the waterer and they started eating it. We tried a Rubbermaid container for a few days and it just wasn't big enough. Monday I got 2 more cardboard boxes and put them together to make a new box. The ducks are huge now. I think they're about 3 times the size they were when we first got them and I can tell they're darker colored and started to get some feathers.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Lucky Duck
My favorite snack this summer has been a chunked up tomato with a sprinkle of salt. Good thing, because we our tomato basket overfloweth. Tim has canned them a couple of times and this week made a huge pot of spaghetti sauce with home-grown tomatoes, peppers, and shitake mushrooms. Yum-alicious!
The big news for the week is the ducks came in yesterday. The post office called early in the morning and Tim picked them up. They shipped them in a little box, maybe 15” x 15” x 6 or 8” tall with air holes everywhere. They came with instructions, including dipping their bills into their water as they were released into the box so they could find it easily. They ran around, figured out how to eat and drink water, and did a lot of intermittent sleeping. When they sleep, they completely collapse and their heads loll sideways so their box looks like a duck battlefield littered with fuzzy yellow corpses.
I barely stood it through the day at work yesterday, beside myself wanting to get home and see them. And they are adorable (when they’re awake)! In our particular variety of duck, the males have dark bills until they are a few days old. By our count, we have 3 males. We got lucky on the perfect ratio of males to females (1:2 or 3) inspiring the new name for our farm: Lucky Duck Farm. I’ve always wanted to name our place and could never think of one that grabbed me. Lucky Duck grabs me. It’s snappy, descriptive, and I feel lucky to live there. Now, I get to design a logo.
We did have a bit of misfortune, losing one of the females last evening. The rest of the flock seems healthy today so I think she was just a weakling. In fact, Tim did a head count and McMurray Hatchery sent us an extra duck because we still have 10. They must expect some loss. Seems like I read in message boards and maybe even on their site about them throwing in extra chickens with orders. They must do the same with ducks. I have no illusions about naming the ducklings and treating them as pets. Although the ratio of males to females insures that we won’t eat any of the initial flock, there are just so many of them that they look like a swirl of pastel yellow with tiny webbed feet and black eyes. I can’t focus on one, much less name them and figure out who is who.
So that was the week in my little corner of Rockingham County. I plan on getting to the Farmers’ Market early tomorrow to get some more of A.J.’s eggs and veggies other than tomatoes, squash, peppers, and okra (which Tim is harvesting daily from his garden). The weather is blissful and I have a long weekend ahead of me. I’m one lucky duck!
The big news for the week is the ducks came in yesterday. The post office called early in the morning and Tim picked them up. They shipped them in a little box, maybe 15” x 15” x 6 or 8” tall with air holes everywhere. They came with instructions, including dipping their bills into their water as they were released into the box so they could find it easily. They ran around, figured out how to eat and drink water, and did a lot of intermittent sleeping. When they sleep, they completely collapse and their heads loll sideways so their box looks like a duck battlefield littered with fuzzy yellow corpses.
I barely stood it through the day at work yesterday, beside myself wanting to get home and see them. And they are adorable (when they’re awake)! In our particular variety of duck, the males have dark bills until they are a few days old. By our count, we have 3 males. We got lucky on the perfect ratio of males to females (1:2 or 3) inspiring the new name for our farm: Lucky Duck Farm. I’ve always wanted to name our place and could never think of one that grabbed me. Lucky Duck grabs me. It’s snappy, descriptive, and I feel lucky to live there. Now, I get to design a logo.
We did have a bit of misfortune, losing one of the females last evening. The rest of the flock seems healthy today so I think she was just a weakling. In fact, Tim did a head count and McMurray Hatchery sent us an extra duck because we still have 10. They must expect some loss. Seems like I read in message boards and maybe even on their site about them throwing in extra chickens with orders. They must do the same with ducks. I have no illusions about naming the ducklings and treating them as pets. Although the ratio of males to females insures that we won’t eat any of the initial flock, there are just so many of them that they look like a swirl of pastel yellow with tiny webbed feet and black eyes. I can’t focus on one, much less name them and figure out who is who.
So that was the week in my little corner of Rockingham County. I plan on getting to the Farmers’ Market early tomorrow to get some more of A.J.’s eggs and veggies other than tomatoes, squash, peppers, and okra (which Tim is harvesting daily from his garden). The weather is blissful and I have a long weekend ahead of me. I’m one lucky duck!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The Ultimate Test of Willpower (so far)
I passed up dessert tonight at Bistro Sofia. Yeah, I'm pretty proud of myself.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Awaiting Our New Arrivals
I had my 2nd Yoga class tonight. I felt a little more coordinated than I did last Thursday. I can't go back until Thursday week because of grandson duty Thursday and next Monday. I picked up a Yoga DVD at a yard sale a few months ago and never watched it until yesterday. A lot of the poses are the same as we do in class so I'm going to try to follow along with it every couple of days between classes.
In other news, we have the duck brooding box completely set up now, down to water and food, just waiting for the little ducklings to arrive. They could be here as early as tomorrow or as late as Friday. We're both pretty excited even though Tim is acting calm and cool about it.
He's less calm and cool waiting for the bread machine I ordered Saturday from Chef's Catalog to arrive. He was against getting the bread machine because he's doubtful that it will work as promised but I took the chance because the 19 reviews all gave it 5 stars. He wants it to work and he's pumped about trying it, he's just doubtful. I'm optimistic and looking forward to bread costing .60/loaf and being free of preservatives. One more processed food will be eliminated from our diet. :-)
In other news, we have the duck brooding box completely set up now, down to water and food, just waiting for the little ducklings to arrive. They could be here as early as tomorrow or as late as Friday. We're both pretty excited even though Tim is acting calm and cool about it.
He's less calm and cool waiting for the bread machine I ordered Saturday from Chef's Catalog to arrive. He was against getting the bread machine because he's doubtful that it will work as promised but I took the chance because the 19 reviews all gave it 5 stars. He wants it to work and he's pumped about trying it, he's just doubtful. I'm optimistic and looking forward to bread costing .60/loaf and being free of preservatives. One more processed food will be eliminated from our diet. :-)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Visiting the Downtown Reidsville Farmers' Market
This is my column for the paper next Sunday so the writing is a little more formal than my usual blog posts.
At the Downtown Reidsville Farmers’ Market, greetings and hugs seem to be exchanged nearly as often as money and vegetables. In the half hour or so I was there, I witnessed quite a few reunions of folks who hadn’t seen one another in a while and just happened to bump into each other while shopping for fresh, locally grown food. I visited on Saturday, August 29, the first Saturday the farmers were in their new location, Market Square. The structure is beautiful, with its heavy timbers supporting a roof that provides welcome shade on a hot August day.
I enjoyed talking to the vendors. Mattie Watkins of Caswell County had nearly sold out of vegetables by the time I arrived around 10 AM. Her family helps her raise a market garden on 7 acres. She offered green beans, patty pan squash, and green tomatoes. I’ve never seen green tomatoes for sale though I enjoy eating them fried. I thought it was a good novel idea.
At the next table down, Jeff Ward, 23, and Amanda Chriscoe, 22, stood out as the youngest vendors at the market. Both work for High Rock Farms, which mainly sells pecans and chestnuts, but also raises and sells blackberries, watermelons, and cantelopes. Amanda goes to school and works part-time at the farm, baking up goodies to sell, such as oatmeal pecan cookies.
Paul Sutton of Reidsville farms only 2-1/2 acres but grows an unbelievable number of crops that he brings to the market a couple of days a week. He has several varieties of apples and is happy to help customers choose the right ones for baking or fresh eating. He raises potatoes, pears, butter beans, peas, peppers, and raspberries, among other offerings. Paul is also a craftsman. I was so impressed with his solid wood step stools made with dowel construction that I bought one. Now our grandson can reach the sink to wash his hands and I can reach the bowls on the top shelf of the cabinet.
Paul said of the turnout on the first Saturday in the new location, “We’ve had some people who are not regulars and that’s good.” Gayle Niemczura of Reidsville, a regular at the market, was looking over his newly dug potatoes. According to Paul, “If you want choice, be early. If you come real late, you get real good deals.”
I met Marie King of Reidsville who was a first time visitor to the farmers’ market. She was making a trip to the post office when she caught sight of the “wonderful looking eggs” at the Massey Creek Farms table. She stopped to buy a dozen to go in zucchini bread she was baking that afternoon.
At the next table, Sue Barber was selling baked goods, pickles, and desserts while her husband sold fresh produce at the table beside her. Sue has 2 certified kitchens in her home where she bakes homemade treats like cheese basil bread. Stacie Dillard of Eden was shopping at Sue’s table. It was Stacie’s first trip to the market. “I wanted to come and see. I’m using my WIC vouchers.” Sue said, “You should have seen my table early this morning. I had stuff stacked up. I’m nearly out now.” Sue told me that customers show up as the vendors are unloading their wares, looking for the freshest food and best selections. “At the old location, they’d sometimes be there waiting for us when we showed up at 5:30 in the morning.”
The farmers’market in Market Square at 307 S. Scales Street is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from May until November, 6 AM until 1 PM. But get there early for the best selection!
At the Downtown Reidsville Farmers’ Market, greetings and hugs seem to be exchanged nearly as often as money and vegetables. In the half hour or so I was there, I witnessed quite a few reunions of folks who hadn’t seen one another in a while and just happened to bump into each other while shopping for fresh, locally grown food. I visited on Saturday, August 29, the first Saturday the farmers were in their new location, Market Square. The structure is beautiful, with its heavy timbers supporting a roof that provides welcome shade on a hot August day.
I enjoyed talking to the vendors. Mattie Watkins of Caswell County had nearly sold out of vegetables by the time I arrived around 10 AM. Her family helps her raise a market garden on 7 acres. She offered green beans, patty pan squash, and green tomatoes. I’ve never seen green tomatoes for sale though I enjoy eating them fried. I thought it was a good novel idea.
At the next table down, Jeff Ward, 23, and Amanda Chriscoe, 22, stood out as the youngest vendors at the market. Both work for High Rock Farms, which mainly sells pecans and chestnuts, but also raises and sells blackberries, watermelons, and cantelopes. Amanda goes to school and works part-time at the farm, baking up goodies to sell, such as oatmeal pecan cookies.
Paul Sutton of Reidsville farms only 2-1/2 acres but grows an unbelievable number of crops that he brings to the market a couple of days a week. He has several varieties of apples and is happy to help customers choose the right ones for baking or fresh eating. He raises potatoes, pears, butter beans, peas, peppers, and raspberries, among other offerings. Paul is also a craftsman. I was so impressed with his solid wood step stools made with dowel construction that I bought one. Now our grandson can reach the sink to wash his hands and I can reach the bowls on the top shelf of the cabinet.
Paul said of the turnout on the first Saturday in the new location, “We’ve had some people who are not regulars and that’s good.” Gayle Niemczura of Reidsville, a regular at the market, was looking over his newly dug potatoes. According to Paul, “If you want choice, be early. If you come real late, you get real good deals.”
I met Marie King of Reidsville who was a first time visitor to the farmers’ market. She was making a trip to the post office when she caught sight of the “wonderful looking eggs” at the Massey Creek Farms table. She stopped to buy a dozen to go in zucchini bread she was baking that afternoon.
At the next table, Sue Barber was selling baked goods, pickles, and desserts while her husband sold fresh produce at the table beside her. Sue has 2 certified kitchens in her home where she bakes homemade treats like cheese basil bread. Stacie Dillard of Eden was shopping at Sue’s table. It was Stacie’s first trip to the market. “I wanted to come and see. I’m using my WIC vouchers.” Sue said, “You should have seen my table early this morning. I had stuff stacked up. I’m nearly out now.” Sue told me that customers show up as the vendors are unloading their wares, looking for the freshest food and best selections. “At the old location, they’d sometimes be there waiting for us when we showed up at 5:30 in the morning.”
The farmers’market in Market Square at 307 S. Scales Street is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from May until November, 6 AM until 1 PM. But get there early for the best selection!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Belly Breathing
I went to my first Yoga class last night. I don’t bend the way I used to! And the extra inches on my thighs and roll of fat on my abdomen got in the way on some of the poses. So I just did the best I could and kept on going, knowing it will get better as I get thinner and more in shape. A lot of life is like that: do the best you can and keep on going. I liked the class. The instructor (Tabitha at Murphy Street Yoga in Madison), flows from pose to pose effortlessly and talks her students along. I was out of whack with my breathing but she says it will come and the important thing is just to breathe. Yoga requires belly breathing, opposite of what I (and I think most of us) do normally. By the time I spent an hour stretching and focusing on breathing and did the relaxation part at the end, I felt so de-stressed. I went to bed at 10 PM and slept so well last night. Who needs Ambien? Doctors should prescribe Yoga before bed instead.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
12.5 Pounds Down! Much More to Go...
My new lifestyle isn’t about losing weight. I choose honey over Splenda because eating naturally is more important to me than cutting calories. But I do expect exercise and my consumption of vegetables instead of processed foods to ultimately get my weight back to a healthy level. I hadn’t gotten on the scales since my doctor visit on August 6, when I had bronchitis for the 2nd time in 2 months. This morning, I bit the bullet and stepped up there again. It’s been 20 days since that horrible day of peak weight and 2 weeks since my birthday when I resolved to live healthy for myself and the planet. The scale told me that I have lost 12.5 pounds. I stepped off it, wiped my eyes, stepped back on. Yep, 12.5 pounds. I went downstairs and asked Tim if our scales were right. His weight varies little so he knows if the scales are accurate. He said they were within a couple of pounds. Which way? He doesn’t remember. Oh well, does it really matter? The point is, I either weighed at the doctor’s office holding my dog Bill (silly thought but he does weigh about 12.5 pounds) or I’ve lost a chunk of flab bigger than a 10 pound bag of potatoes. I know this kind of weight loss will slow drastically and that most of it was probably fluid but I’m OK with that. The important thing is to feel better and live better. Tonight, I’ll check my blood pressure and see if it’s looking a little better.
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