Buttercup Farms

Buttercup Farms was the next CSA I was going to try out, because they are super local and it looked like their weekly boxes may have been the same amount as Doorstep Farmers at 2/3rds the cost.  I haven't been able to get in contact with them through their website, which said the CSA was to start in early June... but the website looked suspiciously outdated. 

I checked my local farmer's market's Facebook page right before heading out to visit it, and saw a post saying that Buttercup Farms was starting a booth there!  Awesome!  I rushed down to meet them.

I chatted with the lady, which was hilarious to me because I felt all giddy and excited as though I was meeting a celebrity.  Unfortunately there is no CSA right now.  If they start one, they will advertise it at their booth, but for now their plan is to just do the farmer's market every week.  I can deal with that!  There's something romantic about getting a mystery box of mixed veggies, but I'm getting better at convincing myself to spend money at the farmer's market so it's not that big of a deal to just gather as much variety as I can.

While the other veggie booths only had the normal type of red beet, Buttercup Farms had 3 types:  regular, golden, and some long thin red ones (which taste less earthy and more warm-spicy!).  The booth did look a bit picked over and empty, so next time I'll have to come earlier before the horde of hungry hippies descends upon the market!

On my way home I stopped at the local plant nursery to pick up a creeping thyme.  I told the lady about Buttercup Farms, and she excitedly said that she lives up near there, and her son had only yesterday completed a volunteer project with them!

Stay tuned for more on today's great farmer's market veggie haul...

Confessions, dreams, and tummy time talents

I must be trying to tell myself something.

Last night I had dream after horrible dream:

• I was a nurse, and had stolen a baby from the hospital and after a few blissful months had forgotten that he wasn't really mine.  Police showed up and took him away.
• Child services came to my door and explained that my baby had been switched with another at birth, so they had to take Torin away to his real family.  My real baby had died at the hospital, so I was left with nothing.
• I was a sacred whore in an ancient brothel-temple and my baby's father came to take him away because prostitutes weren't allowed to keep their babies longer than a few months.  (In retrospect, how did he know he was the father?  Hahaha.)
• I went to pick Torin up from preschool, and was told by staff at the school, "No worries, his real mom picked him up 10 minutes ago.  You aren't needed anymore... don't come back."
• Etc, etc.

Are you sensing a theme here?  I'm sensing a theme.

After thinking about it all day, I am pretty sure that my subconscious is beating me up over Torin's physical therapy milestones.  He's been in PT for about a month because he's lagging physically... or not lagging, according to his physical therapist grandpa, because all the kids on that side of the family are very long (Torin's still in the 95th percentile for length) and are therefore late bloomers physically.  I like to think that he's moving at his own gangly pace... he's been in 12-month clothes for a month already and I imagine it's hard to keep up!

In any case, the past 4 weeks have been grueling, because his prescription has been to do a few exercises plus most of his time spent on his belly.  His diagnosis was that he had 4-5 month tummy time skills with a 6+ month brain.  The physical therapist's tummy time joke was "nobody ever got anywhere laying on their back!"  I opened my mouth to mention high-class prostitutes, but closed it without saying anything because I didn't want to imply that I was planning to limit Torin's choice of professions.

Let me tell you, this is a kid who despises tummy time.  My days have been filled with making Torin unhappy by enforcing his exercises as much as he can handle without crying (we're up to 3.5 hours per day now in tiny chunks), which means I listen to his complainy whine all day.  He has all the recommended toys (yeah, I broke down and got the noise/light-makers!) and then some, he has 3 tummy time stations throughout the house, and he has all of my attention.  I do everything I can to make him laugh and smile and think the exercises are play.

ALL the toys.  Torin even has Torin the T-Rex!

He's made so much progress!  

So far, he's learned to:

• Stand when supported (this took only 3 days, and was the main reason I took him to PT)
• Prop up on his elbows during tummy time (instead of doing the "superman")
• Reach forward and up during tummy time
• Roll over from stomach to back in both directions
• Roll over from back to stomach in both directions (though rarely, as he hates being on his belly)
• Sit well with support

However... it's still not quite enough to catch up to his age.

He still needs to: 

• Push up onto his hands regularly during tummy time
• Bend backward from right above his hips rather than higher up his back during tummy time
• Sit unassisted.  (I wasn't explicitly told this, but he just turned 7 months yesterday and it's a general rule that they sit by now.  He has done it for about 20 seconds before realizing I wasn't supporting him and throwing himself backward in protest.)

These are the precursors to crawling.  I was really hoping he'd catch up in a month, but my hopes were just a liiiiittle too optimistic.


Hence the dreams.

The nightmares of last night came soon after I realized that he just had 4 more days until his second physical therapy appointment, where he'd (or I'd) be evaluated for progress, and it triggered my perfectionism.  I must subconsciously feel like a bad mom or a fraud... for his seemingly endless whining, for the failure to catch up to his peers.

Whoa, Nelly!  I mean Kendra.  Whoa, Kendra.  Stop right there, 'cause you have a few decades of parental worry ahead of you.  There's no reason to start giving the poor boy anxiety over his "grades" yet, or over how they reflect your parenting.  He's healthy, he's happy, and his weird parents will keep his life interesting until he goes off to explore weirdness of his own... that's more important than not sitting according to schedule.

Torin must have felt my mood after those dreams, because he cuddled me at every opportunity today.  This is why I shared my friend's blog post's quote earlier:

 ... I love my little demon. 

The farmer's market haul

This is what I found at the farmer's market:

Plus a pretty sword fern from the garden club's yearly plant sale.

• Beets with tops, 1 bunch:  1lb 7.8oz
• Rainbow chard, 1 bunch:  15.3oz
• 5 tomatoes:  2lb 1.8oz
• Brussels sprouts:  1lb 1.2oz
• Radishes, 1 bunch:  10.2oz
• Cilantro, 1 bunch:  3oz
• Asparagus:  1lb 0.3oz

Total:  7.5 pounds 


How does this compare to the previous CSA?


This time I spent $19 instead of the $29 for Doorstep Farmers.  If I had purchased the same exact mix of stuff for $29, I would have ended up with 11.4 pounds.  Doorstep Farmers gave me 8.6, 10, and 7 pounds for this cost.

Doorstep farmers worked out to be $4.14-$2.90 per pound, while the farmer's market was $2.54.  This is SO much closer to my goal of $2.50 or less. 

The winner here is clearly the farmer's market!



Is this an accurate representation of the farmer's market?

Not quite.  The lady selling jewelry claimed that several farmers backed out of the market at the last minute due to not quite being ready to sell produce, which is why there was so little variety... but they should be back next week, including a "huge" veggie stall.

This means that next week there should be more variety... and possibly some competition to keep prices down.

This week I chose produce based on getting the most variety, but also on getting stuff that was not already in the fridge or pantry, and I did not look at prices.  Next week I'll do the same, but the amount of veggies in the fridge will be reduced so I'll end up buying more... and I'll be able to compare prices amongst the more plentiful vendors.

Rats!

An unwelcome visitor approaches.

I set up the bird feeder for the season this week, and as of 2 days ago we have been having some regular visitors... a say's phoebe with a little poofy crest on his head, and a set of male and female house finches.  The male house finch has the cutest blush of red over his face and chest, and has been fun to watch. 

As a side note, whatbird is great for helping figure out what birds you are seeing.  

This morning we had another visitor, picking up the extra seed that'd been sprayed about by the enthusiastic finches... a rat.  Oh yeah, I forgot that this was the reason I stopped filling the bird feeder a year or two ago.  *sigh*  Rats!  When I had the bird feeder up, I'd hear them run back and forth over the roof at dawn. 

I let Stormy out to go rodent-hunting while I searched for items to fix the situation. 


Solution Part 1:  The live trap from my grandpa. 

I've tried peanut butter, birdseed, chocolate, all sorts of random food items, and they've never come to take the bait.  I even SAW a rat pluck off an heirloom cherokee purple tomato last year and take a big bite... I chased it off, and put that tomato in as bait.  Still didn't work... it was left untouched.  So, after some more research on other types of bait, I placed some gristly meat leftovers from last night's steak inside.  Please work? 


Solution Part 2:  Reduce waste from the bird feeder. 

I came up with this temporary fix, made out of a hanging plastic pot and a plastic plant dish.  Unfortunately it means that I can't see the bottom two feeding perches... but it'll work for now until I come up with a better plan.  Hopefully the birds aren't put off by the strange new addition. 

Maybe it doubles as a really awesome new perch.

Wish me luck!  How have you gotten rid of rats?  I can't use poison or snap/electric traps due to the dog.

Doorstep Farmers... the final decision.

The only solution is to stop using their service. 

I was reimbursed $5 for the 2 missing avocados from earlier in the week, which I appreciate.  I was not reimbursed $18 for receiving the incorrect poundage and therefore the wrong size box for 3 weeks, which is what I expected. 

The customer service reply says that their website is correct about the amount of produce I should be expecting.  Yet they essentially said that what I am experiencing will not change, which is what I needed to know.  Their explanation for my 6-pound box is that I opted out of potatoes and they replaced it with lettuce.  Let's break this down...

• My box was 6.75 pounds, if you count the 0.75 pounds of missing avocados.  
• Regular boxes got 1.25 pounds of potatoes.  Since I get a veggie-only box, let's say that they doubled that, for 2.5 pounds.
• I received two lettuces for a total of almost 2 pounds, so I'll give the benefit of the doubt and say that 2.5 pounds of potatoes was replaced with 1 pound of lettuce.
• This means that my 6.75-pound box would have normally been (+2.5 potato, -1 lettuce) 1.5 pounds more, or 8.25 pounds.  That is still not the minimum of 10 pounds.
• Considering that the first box (both fruit and veggie, and a normal weight for what everyone received) was 8.7 pounds, and the second box was 10 pounds, the pattern suggests that I should expect to only receive the minimum advertised amount at the most. 

I might have loved them.  The produce is high quality and very fresh, and I'd recommend it on those terms.  The delivery guy actually shuts the gate on his way out... thank you awesome delivery guy!  The customer service replies are prompt, friendly, and easy. 

I just think I would have preferred them more if I was not a scientist with a frugal streak and an unbending sense of justice/fairness, because I would not have been weighing everything to figure out if I was getting what I was paying for... which I am not.  Doorstep Farmers doesn't help me complete my goal of finding a variety of affordable-for-us organic produce, and the falseness in advertising is the same as a lie to me.

So long, but thanks for all the beets.


The other options may be better?

Doorstep Farmers was $29 for the 6.75 to 10 pounds I was getting delivered. 

For $20 at the local farmer's market and a 1-mile drive or walk this weekend, or $20 for the Buttercup CSA plus 1 mile of travel next month, I can't wait to see what I find.


What have I taken away from this?

In any case, I have learned my lessons: 

1)  If I want to increase my organic veggie intake and variety, a CSA is a really fun option.

2)  Don't just assume that a company is giving you what they claim to be giving you. 

3)  Science makes me unable to be blissfully ignorant at times... it is probably for the best, but can ruin a fun thing. 

4)  I love steamed beets!

Doorstep Farmers... 3rd box

Here was yesterday's veggie-only box: 

• Carrots with tops x2 bunches:  1 lb 5.5oz
• Chard x2 bunches:  1lb 2.5oz
• Beet without tops x4:  1lb 7.6oz
• Redleaf lettuce x2:  1lb 15.8oz

Total:   5.96 pounds.  Wait, is that correct?
I weighed everything twice to make sure I was not mistaken.  I shook the box, knowing it was empty but hoping the avocados would magically fall out.  I was certainly charged for avocados according to the receipt and the label on the box.


How does this box measure up?

Unfortunately, this is HALF of the 10-13lbs that the website claims for the box.  The lettuces are pretty fluffy, so they do take up a lot of space in the box.  But where are the avocados that were available in every box this week?  I dunno, I'm more than underwhelmed this time.  So far I've been happy with 1 out of 3 boxes... those aren't very good odds.  I feel like I've given this CSA a pretty good chance of seeing what their average boxes look like over the past 5 weeks.

I've emailed customer service about the missing produce, and also to see whether the poundage I've been getting is something I should expect or if it gets better as the season progresses.

I could potentially see staying with them if they refund me for the avocados and for the correct box size... I've been paying for the regular box, and basically getting the cheaper senior/student box amount, although this time the 6 pounds doesn't even qualify as any box size.  I would also need to get the correct amount from now on so that I am paying the advertised $2.50 per pound. 


What happens next?


This Saturday the local farmer's market finally opens, so I'm taking a week's worth of Doorstep Farmers' cost in cash and seeing what I can bring home.  It'll be the deciding factor... possibly the nail in the coffin?

That is... it'll be the deciding factor until June, when a farm close to me opens up its CSA for the summer! 

The Buttercup CSA is not customizable and there's no door-to-door delivery... but it is 2/3rds the cost for theoretically the same amount of produce, and the farm is so ridiculously local that it seems preposterous that I didn't know it existed, and their drop-off point is just a mile from our house, and they trade produce for volunteer work.  I'm waiting on a reply from them to see if I can test it out for a few weeks before joining for the whole season. 

A change to our definition of "camping."

We just brought home a little 18-foot travel trailer bunkhouse. 

As a 2014 model, it was very lightly used before the original owners decided to trade it in for something bigger... so it lost a lot of its original value and dropped into our price range even though the first owners added lots of upgrades.  Hooray for buying practically new used stuff from rich people!

Can you feel the fun?

We've been planning on getting one or renting one for a few weeks' trip later in summer... but renting is ridiculously expensive, enough that 10 weeks of renting would pay for the trailer (this equation does not work out for the larger types that are far more expensive).  We'd definitely be getting more than 10 weeks' worth of use out of it in the next few years.

It is super small yet somehow retains a roomy-enough feel, and has bunk beds (or storage space) tucked away in the back that Torin and his future sibling will enjoy.  Visions of family vacations have been dancing through our heads for a while, and it was so lucky that we found THE perfect one for us on a whim on a way back from a day trip. 

The bunk beds

"Glamping" is for wimps?

There's a big part of me... the nature-loving, girl scout part... that is ashamed of camping without a tent.  I mean, isn't that the whole point of camping, to get fully submersed in nature?

There is also a big part of camping that I hate:  sleeping.  I shiver on nights that others consider "nice," even in a sleeping bag meant to withstand freezing temperatures.  I always wake up after 2-3 hours of sleep over the whole night, having covered myself and my pile of blankets with all the coats, sweaters, and towels I can find in my bags.  I am a big whiny baby when it comes to chilly nights, and they impact my energy and ability to fully enjoy the next day. 

And then there's the freezing treks from the camping site to the bathrooms in the middle of the night.  And the lack of showers.  And my hips and back are tortured by sleeping on the ground, even on air mattresses... apparently my "old" started at 28.  And having to leave the tent before getting a toasty beverage to warm my bones is less than convenient.  And using an ice chest instead of a fridge and inevitably getting water in your cheese is really annoying.  And I can never leave camp without obsessing that someone's going to take the tent and sleeping bags and such. 

You know, it doesn't sound too bad.  Less of the suffering.  More of the fun.  It might make camping much easier with a baby and a dog.  I'm just gonna embrace my wimpiness and enjoy the perks of air conditioning and heaters and a locking door! 


We're a bunch o' noobs at this.

Do you have any travel-trailer-camping tips for us?  I lived in a larger trailer for a year as a child while our house was being built, and also visited my grandparents in their trailer on the coast every summer... but I've never traveled in one, and I've never lived in one while it was my responsibility to maintain it.

So far the tips I have collected are along the lines of:

• Get a very large outdoor rug to keep most dirt out of the trailer
• Fill the poop tank most of the way before you flush it
• Get some wheel chocks and leveling boards
• Cover the wheels from sunlight during storage
• Practice hooking it up and backing it up
• Bring folding chairs and a folding table for outside
• Start chilling the fridge the night before the trip (we got the power adaptor already)
• Get melamine dishes, and try to keep everything light weight 
• Check for leaks in the seals on top of the trailer every spring and fall
• Say hi to your neighbors because everyone forms an informal "neighborhood watch" 

What has made trailer/RV camping fun for you?  Where do you like to go?  What do you bring along?

Buddha's hand blossoms

The Buddha's hand tree is flowering!

C'mon bees... all that pollen is yours!

The flowers smell amazing... like an orange tree blossom, but a little more crisp.  This year I put the Buddha's hand into a half wine barrel with lots of fresh soil and a bit of fertilizer.  Perhaps this time the flowers will not all fall and leave me fruitless?  I still really want to make some Buddha's hand infused vodka.

Usually 5 petals, but sometimes 4.

Please, please let there be some fruit this year...

Mantii in the garden again

On our last trip to the hardware store, we decided to pick up some ornamental grasses.  One was a purple society garlic... decorative, yet edible.

I tipped the plant upside down and began tapping and shaking it to loosen the pot from the roots, and out tumbled some baby praying mantises!  Or preying mantii?  Anyway, I was very delighted to find them, and placed each one in a different spot in the garden... distance helps keep them from eating each other.  Luckily for them, I already have aphids and thrip everywhere, so they will have full bellies in this predator's paradise. 

These leaves are about 1/4th of an inch wide.

I've hatched a mantis ootheca once before, so I could tell that these babies were only about 2 days old.

Happy bug-eating, little guy!