Off the Wagon

Sunday we went off the wagon. We woke up to a muggy hot day and said, “Let’s go for a ride in the air conditioned car for the day." Before you go all greenhouse effect on me, let me explain that the car is a plug-in Prius Hybrid.  Last week the car went 580 miles on a seven gallon tank of gas. So yes, while we did use some gas, we at least weren't riding around in a huge SUV.

We decided to go down to Portsmouth to the Traders Joe’s store. My idea was to check out the organic sugar and flour, and my husband's idea was to get chocolate -- lots of it! Trader Joe's is the only place we can get organic chocolate bars that are reasonably priced. There are, of course, tons of other temptations there as well, and it’s a chain grocery store, albeit a very crunchy granola one. Still we were out of quite a bit of stuff, which was making it hard for everyone to have a happy meal time. We got to the store and went in meaning to stick to the plan we had in mind, which was the flour, sugar, chocolate, and some bottles of vinegar, which  we had seemed to run out of all at once. I knew the minute we got there the plan would tank. Tristan was hungry. When Tristan gets hungry, he gets crabby, -- very crabby, like, throw him a candy bar and step away carefully, crabby.  As a matter of fact we were all hungry. The store was very busy and everyone in it was oblivious to the fact they were not the only ones in the store.

“Let’s make this very quick,” I said.

“You ain’t kiddin'," my husband replied.

We got the chocolate, grabbed the vinegars I wanted, but had no luck in the sugar and flour departments. I like King Arthur organic white flour, because I know the protein content and how it will act in my recipes. I needed to start mixing some white flour into some of the bread recipes I was making to temper the whole wheat, so the boys would actually eat what I made. Our chickens were getting fat from all the tail ends of bread they were tossed. Soaking whole wheat flour overnight in the liquid you use in the bread recipe helps a lot, but Tristan is still calling the pancakes I have been making “fart cakes”, due to the effect they have about 2:00 in the afternoon after he eats them.

There was no flour or sugar that would work. The sugar was organic, but at a much higher price than I would normally pay, so no dice. There is no sense paying more for what I could get at the regular store for about a dollar less a bag. I did get two bags of organic powdered sugar that I would have had to special order online, so that was good.

We threw the stuff in the cart, filled up our organic cotton, reusable shopping bags like good little environmentally conscious people, paid and left. The next step was to feed Tristan before he killed anyone, and for that matter, feed myself, because the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Panera has been a popular place with us ever since one of the drug reps that visits our practice dropped off a big bag of bagels to our staff one day. I took the leftovers home and they were really good. After we visited the one in Concord, we were hooked. I spied a Panera over in the next mall and off we went. Now I know that in our rules we said no chain restaurants, but I can get a pretty decent meal there, like a salad I actually want to eat, and feel like I’m not eating bad food. I think it’s getting to be such a popular place that I want to see if they are a publicly held company, so I can buy their stock.  We all had a good lunch, and with everyone in a better temper, I had one more stop before we went home.

There was a Market Basket grocery store in the same strip mall as Panera. I know what you're saying, "Nooo ... don't do it!" But I had to have sugar for jam and relish making. I decided to do a surgical strike and get the sugar and flour. I just wanted to get in and out. It was okay. It was within the rules. We had talked about it. I left everyone else in the car and went in.

Inside, it was blissfully cold. There were people everywhere. I grabbed a cart and went directly to the baking aisle not looking anywhere but straight ahead. Six bags of flour and the same of sugar, to the checkout and I was out of there. I didn't even think of buying anything else.

We started home and it was still pretty early in the day so we took a detour and went to see if a farm where we used to go to pick peaches and blueberries was still there. Sadly the property had been sold and all the fruit trees cut down. We continue on up the ridge and drove by the Taylor and Brown blueberry fields. This company grows many of the berries sold at farm stands around the area. The berries are the tiny, sweet mountain berries, and they make the most awesome pies. It looked like the berries were just about ready to rake. They had their "No Trespassing" signs out everywhere. No chance of a free sample for us. We went home from there. On the main roads there was too much traffic and too many people. I was glad to get home to our peace and quiet. My husband says I need to get out more. I think I need to stay home more.

Week 5

This has been the weirdest summer of my life. Weather wise we have been in a cool, rainy pattern since spring. While it is officially summer now and after the Fourth of July, it has warmed up only just this week. Many crops are coming in later than usual, or not at all. Hay production has been an ordeal. To get just part of a field in you need three days of clear weather, and four is better. Unfortunately, it seems to rain every other day. Most farms that grow strawberries have had mold problems because of the wet weather. If you like broccoli, you are in luck. It has been an outstanding year for this vegetable. All around, this has been a difficult year for growers.

It has been weird for my family in more ways than the weather. We are doing some renovations on our house which has caused quite a bit of upheaval. Due to the chimney fire we had in the spring, the whole chimney will be torn out in September and redone. Since we rely on the wood stove for our heat and cooking this is making me anxious, because I like things all settled before the cold weather sets in. Our wood supply is not in yet, and we are going into the winter with no cows in milk, which has never happened in the ten years since we have had cows. Also, my whole focus has shifted from outside on the farm to taking on more management responsibilities at the practice. We have taken on an associate veterinarian to help us, and the business is growing fast. I have more responsibilities than I ever dreamed of. None of this is necessarily bad, just different.

What’s this have to do with the blog, you say? Nothing really, but part of the weirdness is the way we are eating, and the project that goes along with it -- the project my husband is now starting to call more often than not “the weird local eating, not going to the store project that my wife is doing.” Tristan calls it “the blog thing.” I am sensing a small loss of interest on their part, and a wish to go back to the store. (Yes, some slight sarcasm here.)  Really, we are not eating that weirdly. We are eating meat, fish, excellent cheeses, a lot of veggies, and our bread products which are all homemade from whole wheat flour. Some of the meals we have are successes and some are complete bombs. The meals that bomb are the reason we have a lot of homemade ice cream in stock. If what I make completely sucks I just tell them you can have ice cream after dinner and the pout faces usually clear up.

But wait. All this food came from New Hampshire, didn’t it? Much of it is also home grown and organic. That is weird. No one eats like that. A month ago I would have said we eat pretty well, I now look back and realize I had no clue. Almost every food item coming into the house now doesn't have a label on it. That is because it is real whole food. The pantry is now down to glass jars filled with what we use. Jars that can go back to the health food store, and be refilled. There are no more jars of stuff from the store. Most of our store-bought can goods are gone except beans, pumpkin and cans of tomatoes. Our freezer is filled with our own meats and berries, and whatever veggies I have started to put up. The fridge has milk, cheese, butter, jam, vegetables and a few stray condiments. There could possibly be a beer or two in there as well. No one is starving. We are now eight hundred dollars ahead in the checking account because I have not been grocery shopping at a “normal” store. I have lost seven pounds. No way in hell am I stopping this little project right now. I just keep saying to myself, “one more week.”

This was week five, and we had wonderful surprises in our veggie box this time. Two eggplants, which I have never cooked with, and some bok choy, also something I have never used. We received two heads of lettuce, which I gave away because we have tons coming in from our garden. Cucumbers! My absolute favorite vegetable of all time. Those I polished off for lunch. Basil and kale -- I knew I would have to deal with it at some point. I have been looking up recipes for the eggplant and I’m thinking Baba Ganoush. I can make some pita breads from our flour share to go with it. For the bok choy I found a recipe for bok choy with garlic sauce. Snow peas -- I forgot about those! These are Tristan’s favorite and he will munch on those raw for snacks. Scallions too, we love them, and three tiny zucchini. A great veggie week. All the vegetables were fresh and clean and well packed, and they came very early.

For dairy we chose two raw milk cheddar and one smoked cheddar, which is the best smoked cheese I have had anywhere. At some point in time we are supposed to get some broiler chickens which we are really starting to look forward to. I think maybe they haven't slaughtered yet. Our one dozen eggs came along with three bags of flour, I didn't get the message to them in time about what kind of flour I wanted. So they sent all three kinds, which was very nice, but I need to send two back. I will call them about this. If they are willing, maybe I can just keep them and not get any more flour until week thirteen. I was going through a lot of flour at first, but now it has slowed down due to the boys waning enthusiasm for whole wheat bread products. Our most fantastic meal of the week was Brookford’s pork chops on the grill with homemade BBQ sauce, and roasted beets with lemon and cultured butter. Sweet beets, and yummy porky goodness. It tasted like a very happy pig.

My next little bit of housekeeping is about the farm’s customer service, their quality, and the flurry of messages on our answering machine. Evidently the employees at Brookford have been reading my blog. (Hi, guys.) I am flattered. Actually quite a lot of people have been reading it. I am surprised. Anyway, I have had a few messages on the machine responding to some of the things I have said here. My understanding is that the managers at the farm are trying very hard to get things under control and are starting to do a good job at getting it all sorted. The quality of the vegetables have improved, and the farm now calls us back if we have a question or problem. It is my understanding that in addition to managing a particular part of the farm’s operation these employees go to farmers’ markets and could possibly be doing some other chores as well. This is possibly the biggest problem they have, if this is true. I have found in a business the manager must do just that, manage. The manager needs to have a working knowledge of all aspects of the business, but not be expected to routinely help with the general operations.

Some of our milkers, enjoying their hay.

After returning phone calls and emails, dealing with customers who are dissatisfied with their products, checking on quality control, meeting with the other heads of departments they must be tired. Is their manager spending anytime visiting drop off sites? Maybe dropping in to the Concord Co-op to see why they are telling customers that they are out of Brookford farm eggs and don't know when there will be more, as we overheard when we were there? Riding along for a day with one of the delivery people? Doing some random calling to families who have the expensive whole diet share to ask how it's going? If the answer to these questions is, "I would but I don't have time because I am going to the Farmers’ market today," then there’s a problem. Maybe a farm is different? No, it shouldn't be. It is first and foremost a small business. A business’ purpose is to make money, and for its employees to be able to earn a living. If a business is also a sustainable farm, that is providing a secure food source for a lot of New Hampshire residents, and providing a source of employment for people whose lifelong ambition is to farm, awesome.

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The front garden, with potatoes, onions, garlic and leaks.

The First Month

A month has passed. For the last four weeks, we have been using up what we had in our household food pantry and freezer. We received a box each week from our CSA farm share and have gotten a fish share from the local fishermen's co-op. At this time we have run out of, or run low on, many items. We need to decide what to buy more of and what we are going to do without. This needs to be a family decision.

After the first month I wanted to go over what we had received from our shares and see if the price we pay each week is comparable to what I would pay if I had just gone out and bought all the stuff. First off, I will say that I am very happy with our fish share. The fish is fresh, of a different variety each week and there is plenty of it. They often give us more than two pounds.The fish always arrives by the time they say it will, packed in plenty of ice in well-labeled bags. signing up for the fish was a good value. I could not get the same thing at the store. This costs us twenty dollars a week.

The CSA from Brookford Farm has been a different story. I will list below what we have received from them this month.

Meat

• 1 rib steak
• 1 small rib steak
• 1 shoulder steak
• 2 lbs. hamburger
• 1 lb. bacon
• 1 lb. pork sausage
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 lb. beef short ribs
• 2 small pork chops
• 1 country sparerib piece

Vegetables

• 7 heads green lettuce
• 3 bunches garlic scapes
• 2 bags of lettuce mix
• 2 quarts strawberries
• 4 6-ounce bags spinach
• 4 summer squash
• 3 zucchini
• 2 bunches swiss chard
• 4 beets
• 1 small bag peas
• 8 bunches of mixed herbs

Dairy and Flour

• 10 6-oz. blocks of cheddar
• 1 6-oz. block bleu cheese
• 1 6-oz. tub butter
• 4 doz. eggs

• 9 lbs. flour
• 8 loaves of bread

All this food is organically produced, and the meat and dairy from grass fed animals. The wheat for the flour is grown by the farm. I have estimated what I would have paid, if I was buying the equivalent at a farm stand.

Meat and bread $151.00  

Veggies  $107.00

Dairy and Flour $159.00  

This comes to $417.00. I have to say I made the prices quite high. I know that I could get some of the things we received for quite a bit less. So what we actually paid for this food this month was $472.00, that is our share price which is $118 a week. Some of the vegetables were not usable. I threw out about half the peas because the were so old and gone by that no one would eat them. I would in no way have bought them in that condition at a farm stand. Some of the strawberries were rotten and some were under ripe. The farm did say that they were having staff problems and it has been a very wet year. All the farms around us are having trouble with their growing conditions. The second bag of lettuce mix was mostly yellow and slimy. Once again nothing I ever would have bought. The squashes were over handled but edible. My husband had a sneaking suspicion that some of this produce had gone out to market and came back unsold, and then went into CSA boxes. Seriously, what are you going to do if you get it in your box, take it back?  The dairy and meat is excellent. We were supposed to get some broiler chickens. Two per month I believe, but we have not received any yet. The eggs are good. The flour works for us. The bread we get with our share is just okay, and I must say I have started to resent it because it is something that I need to find a way to use up. I don't want to eat it and neither does anyone else in the family, but we are stuck with it. I realize that this is a matter of taste, but this bread could be so much better. Yesterday I received an email from the farm in which they went over the problems they were having with their harvests. I know that these things happen, and that is part of the deal of signing up with a CSA. I hope the weather improves and they are able to offer better quality produce. I also hope that they will be more careful with their quality control. After having talked to the farm now a few times, I think they are trying harder, and are aware of the problems.

For us the food bill was paid for a month ago. We went into this with the idea that we would stick out the twenty weeks. Some people have asked why don't we ask for our money back and I have considered this more than once. At this time I consider it an experiment, a project, something we can talk and laugh about. I have already learned so much about us as a family. One of those things is that we have it good. We know how to produce much of our own food. We are lucky to have a farm and be able to eat really well, fairly cheaply. Another is that if we are trying all sorts of new things. New vegetables, different recipes, and we are liking most of them. Tristan has been especially good about trying new things and eating what I ask him to without complaints (not many, anyway). We have all taken this seriously and I think we are all interested to see how it goes for us. I have days when I want to quit. I want to go shopping and get the familiar foods we all want and that are easy.  I know if I do we will go back to our old ways quickly. I want us to change, and not rely on the store so much. I can now see how much money I was wasting by popping into the store  every time I wanted something. I would go in and spend fifty dollars each time. I would try not to, but it just seemed to always happen. In our inventory of food we were overstocked. That’s no way to run a business, and what is a household, but a kind of small business?

A Shopping Trip, and Some Rules.

It has been pointed out to me by my husband -- who can be a smart ass -- that we need some rules in this "eating local" adventure. Sunday morning after waking up to pouring rain and high winds, we decided to go to Concord. Concord is the capital city of New Hampshire and the nearest shopping Mecca. Rob needed some new shirts for work and I wanted to check out the Concord Food Co-op, which is the largest health food store around us. When I mentioned I wanted to go there it went something like this.

“You said we weren’t supposed to go to a store,” my husband said.

“I meant like a big grocery store, like Shaw’s,” I replied.

“The co-op sells groceries,” he said. “I’m pretty sure they sell quite a lot of groceries.”

“Well yes, but they're different groceries,” I countered.

“Oh, different, I see,” he said with that grin he has when he’s teasing me, and which also irritates the crap out of me.

“They have organic stuff I can’t get at Shaw’s, they have a ton of local products and if we shop there we’re supporting a local business, so it’s okay,” I said.

“So what are the rules then, exactly?” he said with the same grin. "I need to be clear on this."

“Well, it’s like ... I don't know, just no big, chain grocery stores, I guess, and no Sam’s club, definitely not Sam’s," I reasoned. "We are still using up some stuff we had so I hadn't really thought about it that much yet."

“Okay, well we need some rules,” he said, rather pompously. “First, no chains, no Sam’s and no Walmart.” he said.

“Okay.” I agreed.

“We can go to any farm stand we want and buy their stuff as long as it’s grown by them," he said.

“Okay,” I said.

“You can buy stuff for canning, as long as it’s organic," he said. "Tristan will have a fit if you don’t make strawberry jam.”

“I didn’t even think of that, actually.” I replied. “So, okay”

“We can go out for an occasional meal as long as we choose the place carefully, no chain restaurants,” he decided.

“Well, we don't do that anyway,” I said.

“I’m just saying," he retorted. "We have to be clear here."

“Okay, what else?” I asked, getting impatient.

“I think that’s about it," he said. "Just when we run out of something, we’ll talk about it and decide what and where to buy.”

“Right,” I answered. It was my turn to grin. I knew he was thinking about his chocolate supply.

We went to the co-op, and there was not really much we needed. I bought a bag of organic lemons and some cheese from a couple of local producers. At our local health food store here in Laconia, I bought a bottle of organic vanilla extract and I will probably go back there for bulk olive oil and organic sugar when we are out.

This week we have had a couple of memorable meals. For our Sunday morning breakfast we had pancakes with the whole wheat pastry flour from the CSA, with some of their bacon. We still have a good supply of our own maple syrup, which we used. With big glasses of strawberry milk along side this was definitely the best meal of the week. I made a casserole of the CSA's ground beef, eggs and cheese. We had this with a side dish of Swiss chard, cooked with garlic and some leftover bacon grease. This was memorable for the fact I didn't like it, but the boys ate it right down, I was just relieved to get through the meal and use up something from our share. Unfortunately we went out to eat too much. The day we went to Concord we ate out at our favorite Mexican place, I knew we would end up there if we were anywhere near Concord. On Tuesday we got take out pizza. Tristan had an opportunity to have a longer riding lesson so by the time we got home it was very late. This often happens on Tuesdays, so I must plan better that day. I keep forgetting that everything takes longer to make. Pretty much all convenience food has now been eliminated from our house so, for instance, if we want tacos, I might have everything to make them but the taco shells, so then I have to make them from scratch, and sometimes it's just too much.

On another note we had an interesting request from Brookford Farm, evidently the woman who is in charge of the CSA at the store where we pick up our stuff, can't handle all the work of the CSA with everything else she does, so we got a call from the farm asking us if we wanted to take over. I said yes because for one thing, I can see how this whole thing works from the farm's side, and I can maybe be better organized (I couldn't be much worse). So of course, today was the week four pick up, and the farm wanted to change the delivery to us right away. I said okay if they could inform the people getting their boxes of the new location. Yes, they said, of course we will! So I arranged everything with our office staff to receive the boxes and get things put away in the fridge and freezer. I checked who would get what from the farm's spread sheets and made sure to go over all the directions the farm emailed me. I found out that there were only three boxes being delivered, one of those ours. So I checked my email this morning first thing to make sure that the farm had informed the people of the new location, but no, I had an email saying the same old thing, which was don't forget to pick up your box at the old location. I can now see what some of the problem is. Then after a talk with the former CSA person at the store I can see we are probably doomed. She can't say enough bad things about the farm, their organisation and their products.. She has put up with three years of the wrong orders, crappy produce and spoiled meat. She actually suggested we try to get our money back. Oh, great.