Sunday, May 18, 2014

Gathering at the Strawberry Patch


We lucked out with lovely weather this morning and picked several buckets full.  We ate several buckets full too, I'm pretty sure, but they didn't weigh the kids before or after.  Slushies were fantastic, and a cool picnic lunch on the porch when we were done.  I really enjoy the Fruit and Berry Patch location, and they have something to pick nearly all of the grow-season.
Soon to be incoming kindergartners





Eating strawberries is hard work!


What do strawberries need to grow?
Rain, Sun, Bees, Dirt, Thunderstorms, Turnips, and Songs.
...or something to that effect.

Cool picnic lunch and fresh fruit slushies

Freezer full of Strawb's awaiting future smoothies.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Lighthouse Tea and Coffee

A few of us enjoyed the new Lighthouse Tea and Coffee shop at the Dixie Lee Farmer's Market Saturday morning.  I would like to encourage this place to be a rolling venue for our group, as interest goes.  Indoor, outdoor seating.  An extremely good (and bottomless) cup of coffee for $2, fair trade tea and coffee.  I can be there many Saturdays, and even if I'm not, we can use the email list to announce if you're likely to be there.  There's also nothing upsetting about a warm mug in solitude if by chance you find yourself the only one to arrive.

This week, we met at 8:00 (they open at 7:30) and my husband and kids came to join me around 9:30 to do some produce shopping....and fresh baked goodness.


Saturday, May 3, 2014

First Watch

A group of us enjoyed a carafe of coffee and some extremely delicious breakfast plates at First Watch in Turkey Creek.  Being the first day of the Dixie Lee Farmer's Market, the topic gravitated towards what we do as families to instill a sense of "green" or awareness of where our food comes from with our kids.  There are classmates that may not know that turkey comes from somewhere before or outside of the grocery store.  I personally insist that my kids know that there are farmers and farmland involved. This sentiment seemed to be shared at the table.

Here were some ideas:

  • Behaving with habits that are "green" are likely the most influential.  Rather than talking about a garden, growing one, or growing something in pots.
  • Conversation at meal times about where the food may have come from, and whom was involved in getting it to the table (including the chef).
  • Taking kids to the farmer's market, if that's important to you.
  • Visit U-pick places.
  • Compost kitchen and yard scraps, if that is appealing to you.  Most of us at the table had tried and been marginally successful, but open to learning more about it.
  • Talking about how garbage is a flower and a flower is garbage.  Composting helps with this, to visualize that with the beauty and impermanence of a flower is also the decomposition and dirt of the ground, and visa versa.
Please share other ideas you may have about how you behave like or teach "green" within your family.