August is here...finally?!

 

I don't know about you, but I cannot believe it is actually August. You know what they say, time flies when you're having fun, or in my case working really hard and sweating like crazy, while having fun. I am excited it is August, but also somewhat scared. It is hard to believe that I have already been working here for a little more than four months, and in about four months from now my apprenticeship on the farm will be over. :(

 

The exciting thing is that I feel very confident now in my understanding and knowledge about what it takes to run a small organic farm. The scary thing is not knowing exactly what I will be doing come thanksgiving. Some of you may know a little bit about my background, but in case you don't here are a few sentences, which might help you understand me better.

 

I am 23, turning 24 this october :), yes I am excited about getting older. I graduated last year from the College of Charleston in Charleston Sc, majored in Bus. Admin. minored in Finance, who would of thought I would be farming now?! One thing I have found I enjoy is moving to new places. I was born and raised in Michigan, until I decided out of no where I wanted to move to Charleston after highschool, long story. Anyways, I spent five years in Charleston and made a great life for myself, considering I didn't know a soul when I moved there. At the end of last year I decided I needed a change, so I found this internship and here I am.  I have always felt like I have been searching for something, probably why my blog is titled dreaming of happiness. For the first time in my life I feel like I am being drawn backwards instead of somewhere else. I never thought I would ever contemplate moving back to MI, but I am. I am hoping if I cross my fingers long enough something will pan out in Charleston, and I can move back there and start my own farm. I promise to keep you updated, and of course if you know anyone with an organic farm in the Charleston area who needs a hand next year, let me know.

 

Besides all the thinking lately I have been doing about my future, I have also been thinking about how much I love going to the city on Tuesdays. Gretchen and I rotate who goes to city, many of you have probably caught on to this. I am in the city whenever full shares and half shares pick up, and Gretchen goes to the city when it is just full-share week in the city.

 

Tuesdays are my favorite, not just because it's a break from the fields, but because I love prepping all our awesome veggies so we can share them with you and local restaurants, and because its the one day a week besides saturday market, that I get to interact with people besides Gretchen, Justin, Paige, and John. Before this I have always worked in food and bev, mainly serving, and I miss interacting with customers, which is why tuesdays and saturdays are awesome!

Tuesdays, are our longest work days, which I suppose is why some tuesdays I may not be as wide eyed and cheerful as others. This is what a typical tuesday entails to prepare Gretchen and I to go to the city:

 

Wake up at 6, get to the farm by 6:30. Harvest greens and herbs, and other veggies in the morning for CSA and restaurants. Spend the next few hours, washing, counting, and bunching everything. Have everything packed up and ready to go by noonish. Lets just say somedays its a little crazier than others at the wash station. We get an hour lunch, and leave around one with the van packed up and ready to go. The contents of the van: 15 bins for the Ansley Park csa drop-off, 20 bins for strong box west csa, numerous boxes for rest. orders, usually around 15 or so, and tables, etc, lots to carry. Drop off ansley, then rest. orders, then arrive to strongbox by 3. Set-up, greet all our lovely csa members till 6:30, pack-up and head home. I usually walk in the front door by 8:15, and go straight to bed!

 

For those of you who pick up at Strongbox West, you understand how nice it is to be in the air conditioning, and not outside, as in years past. I would like to take a moment to thank Rick and Amy, who own and operate Strongbox, for letting us use their lobby every Tuesday.

 

On sidenote, we have a couple who are csa members; Greg Smith, and Maggie Rentz who will be parking their awesome ice cream truck outside strongbox every tuesday. Their ice cream is made with milk from local dairies, and is all natural. They are just starting up, and will be doing some of the farmers markets, currently the one in sandy springs. Hopefully they will be good competition for the King of Pops! So if you happen to be hot and craving some icecream around csa pick-up time, stop by the truck and support Greg and Maggie.

 

This week everyone will be receiving green tomatoes. I posted two recipes on the blog, one for the standard fried green tomato, and another for green tomato relish. Hopefully sometime soon, farmer paige will put up her amazing green tomato gazpacho recipe.

 

Unripe green tomatoes taste quite different their fully ripened counterpart. They lack the unmistakable tomato flavor, and are actually crunchy and slightly tart. So bear this in mind when cooking with them.

 

Cheers!

 

Ashley