THINKLIA

High-res CSA: Week 1 This past Saturday was our first CSA pickup of the year from Colvin Family Farm. Brandon and I joined the Colvin’s CSA program last year after getting a chance to “test drive” a friend’s share the year before and loving the experience (and the challenge).  So here’s what we got in our box (which is a large share): Two gorgeous, gigantic heads of lettuce A big head of bok choy Green onions Swiss chard Cauliflower Two heads of broccoli Garlic Strawberries (not pictured… because they were being eaten) In addition to supporting local farmers and getting to eat the freshest and most flavorful produce, what also excites me about our CSA is the chance to try out new veggies and recipes. I’ll be relying heavily on Food Network and Epicurious for inspiration. Our goal this year is to eat as much of our share every week as we possibly can, and to preserve (can or freeze) what we can’t eat. We did a pretty decent job last year, considering it was our first time. (But we did end up losing a lot of the vegetables that we froze when we lost power at our house due to the tornadoes that left us without electricity for several days.) I can’t even explain how excited we are about getting our first share for 2012. We’ve been counting the weeks until pickup day at the Market Square Farmers Market since the CSA season ended late last fall. And now it’s here! Is it weird to be this enthusiastic about vegetables? :)

CSA: Week 1

This past Saturday was our first CSA pickup of the year from Colvin Family Farm. Brandon and I joined the Colvin’s CSA program last year after getting a chance to “test drive” a friend’s share the year before and loving the experience (and the challenge). 

So here’s what we got in our box (which is a large share):

  • Two gorgeous, gigantic heads of lettuce
  • A big head of bok choy
  • Green onions
  • Swiss chard
  • Cauliflower
  • Two heads of broccoli
  • Garlic
  • Strawberries (not pictured… because they were being eaten)

In addition to supporting local farmers and getting to eat the freshest and most flavorful produce, what also excites me about our CSA is the chance to try out new veggies and recipes. I’ll be relying heavily on Food Network and Epicurious for inspiration.

Our goal this year is to eat as much of our share every week as we possibly can, and to preserve (can or freeze) what we can’t eat. We did a pretty decent job last year, considering it was our first time. (But we did end up losing a lot of the vegetables that we froze when we lost power at our house due to the tornadoes that left us without electricity for several days.)

I can’t even explain how excited we are about getting our first share for 2012. We’ve been counting the weeks until pickup day at the Market Square Farmers Market since the CSA season ended late last fall. And now it’s here!

Is it weird to be this enthusiastic about vegetables? :)

Blackberry Farm

I’ve lived in East Tennessee for more than 20 years, and I finally had the chance last week to visit and experience Blackberry Farm — a luxury resort in Walland, Tennessee (less than 45 minutes away from my house). It was recently recognized in the June 2012 issue of Travel + Leisure as the number one resort in the U.S. and Canada for its world-class service. And now I know why.

Blackberry is simple and beautiful. It’s nestled in the Smokies and surrounded by gorgeous green fields, forests, and rolling hills. The houses and cottages on the property are cozy and intimate. The air is sweet smelling. The staff is super attentive and takes care of you from the very second you check-in. And the food… Oh, the food… The food is amazingly delicious. And so are the drinks.

Let me take a second to list/brag about the breakfast and lunch that I had one day:

For breakfast I had farm fresh eggs (straight from Blackberry Farm chickens) with Benton’s bacon (the best bacon ever!), toast and homemade jam, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. For lunch I started off with a chilled strawberry and beet soup with lime crema and then devoured red snapper with crawfish in a coconut sauce. I chased it down with mint raspberry tea, and finished the meal with homemade cookies. (I’m drooling as I type this.)

I spent some time in the afternoon exploring the property, thanks to a friendly fly fishing guide I met as I was wandering from the main house to the boathouse. I greeted chickens as they were crossing the road, went to the horse stables, moseyed along river banks, visited a chapel in the middle of a field, and more. After my little adventure, I went back to the main house and sat in a rocker facing the mountains with a refreshing blackberry mojito in hand. Talk about a great day.

I’d love to be able to go back to Blackberry again someday. It’s a lovely and relaxing place, and it reminds me why East Tennessee is so special.

High-res A photo of me at Grotto Falls by brandon.ballentine on Flickr. We went on a little hike a couple of weekends ago to Grotto Falls in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The walk was short and sweet and coordinated by my sister, who found a Grotto Falls poster at a local Goodwill in Wilmington, North Carolina, and decided it would be fun to visit. Below are some more pictures from Brandon, including one of me that my sister lovingly photobombed. 

A photo of me at Grotto Falls by brandon.ballentine on Flickr.

We went on a little hike a couple of weekends ago to Grotto Falls in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The walk was short and sweet and coordinated by my sister, who found a Grotto Falls poster at a local Goodwill in Wilmington, North Carolina, and decided it would be fun to visit.

Below are some more pictures from Brandon, including one of me that my sister lovingly photobombed. 

Our 2012 Garden

We filled up our raised beds this weekend with all kinds of goodies. Brandon has one entire bed dedicated to his super hot peppers, and in the other beds we have a bunch of greens, herbs, and tomatoes. Because we’re participating in a CSA program again this year, we decided to cut down on the amount of veggies that we’re growing at home. (There’s only so much squash you can take.)

And although I’m not a flower person, I bought a dahlia and some celosias to add a bit of color to the front of the house.

High-res Even though today was much cooler than the days before, the recent warm and sunny weather has put me in a “fruity drink” mood. So this evening I made my first pitcher of sangria of the season. I used a bottle of Gnarly Head Cabernet, some Paul Masson brandy, a bit of Triple Sec and cut up Granny Smith apples and sliced oranges. Dee-lish!

Even though today was much cooler than the days before, the recent warm and sunny weather has put me in a “fruity drink” mood. So this evening I made my first pitcher of sangria of the season. I used a bottle of Gnarly Head Cabernet, some Paul Masson brandy, a bit of Triple Sec and cut up Granny Smith apples and sliced oranges. Dee-lish!