Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Bodacious Beet, Batman


Tuesday = Farm Fun.

Yesterday I worked in the non-balmy field planting Zinnias. It was almost chilly on this first day of summer. Of course, that might be because of the rain. Fortunately, the rain was spotty until it was time to drive home, then it was as if someone turned a fire hose on and sprayed it directly at the driver's side of the windshield.

But again, I digress. Yo
u are probably wondering why I'd plant Zinnias at an organic vegetable farm. Congratulations. That was my response. But mine also included a goofy look, probably similar to the ones the dogs wear whenever a human puts food into a plastic bag. Huh?

Zinnias attract pollinators. Honey bees, remember the hive? Apparently they are thriving and helping all the happy plants become productive members of vegetable society. And butterflies. The better the pollination the better the yield. Okay. That makes sense.

So I asked if the Zinnias attracted any negative critters. And I felt almost as if I received a "good question" head pat. That's why we planted near the vegetable garden but not IN it.
They have discovered that creepy crawlies beyond pollinators like Zinnias, too.

Then I had my first real shot at the packing line. I was very, very careful when it came to washing... double checking and avoiding anything that looked like a pea. Fortunately, there were ZERO mishaps. Whew. I was feeling a little nervous. But, I think we cracked it out pretty impressively.

And I am now the owner of a lovely kohlrabi. I'm not sure exactly how we'll eat him. The farmer says we should think jicama. (I'm sure that helps. Ha.Ha.) But once I figure out how to dissect him, I'll share the recipe. Right now, I'm enjoying the whole alien in my refrigerator thing.

And I'm just realizing that there may be something sinister about the kohlrabi...I did absolutely nothing of value last night....except surf Amazon for cookbooks. Weird. Like it's little purple tentacles controlled my actions.