peacefrog's lilypad

Today there was horrible news on the farm share front that I'm not going to get into right now because I'm too distraught. I get way too emotionally invested in my produce. So for now, this is all about last week.

• 1 lb red tomatoes
• 2 lbs green tomatoes
• 2 lbs apples
• 1 bunch giant turnips
• 4 green peppers
• 2 bunches radishes
• 2 cucumbers
• 1 bunch mizuna
• 1 bunch arugala
• 1 bag baby lettuce
  --
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 bunch lettuce
• 8 oz mixed baby lettuce
• 2.5 lb red peppers
• 2.5 lb potatoes (I took purple)
• 8 oz carrots
• 1 winter squash (spaghetti)
• 1 bulb garlic
• 2 tomatoes (1 big, 1 small)
  --
• 1/2 peck apples

On the preservation front:
Canned: peach jam, slices peaches
Pickled: radishes
Fermented: confetti mix of shredded carrot, turnip, and beet
Froze: roasted tomato sauce
Dried: cantaloupe, honeydew, tomatoes, tomato powder, oregano, sage, chives, parsley, rosemary

So it's the morning after and boy, do I hurt. I don't even know where to begin in dealing with it other than to take some ibu and wait for things to feel better. Besides the blister on the ball of my foot that I dealt with during the race (note to self: get serious socks), I discovered last night that I had two huge blisters at the back of my heel, covering quite a large area and sticking out over a quarter-inch. I'm baffled because it's the same foot I'd already been dealing with, and I did feel there was *something* going on, but I thought it was just the sock bunching slightly, yet I failed to notice it en route. Probably just as well. I lanced them last night, and there was so much there that the result was a fountain spraying a foot into the air. Sadly, no video.

Walking hurts. Bending hurts. One calf is a brick, the other rubble. Coming down the stairs was pretty bad. I have some odd chafing on one arm where it rubbed against the inside seam of the t-shirt. And I'd totally do it again, and will further do my best to recruit some of y'all as well. Had I actually trained properly, I'm sure I wouldn't be quite so bad today, too.

I'm still sorting through all the comments on yesterday's posts. FYI, when I wondered if anyone was reading them, it wasn't because I didn't think anybody cared. It was because I couldn't actually check myself (I was posting via SMS), so I simply didn't know if anybody was there. It was a beautiful Sunday, after all, so I couldn't assume folks were at computers, especially starting at 7am. I ended up calling Mark a couple of times, who read us the comments over the phone. It was inspirational (and often amusing) getting them en route, so big thanks to all! :)

Big appreciation also to my teammates. Luba was a trooper, pushing it to the halfway point despite clearly hurting. I'm still really glad she was there for as long as she was. And of course, anomie666, the center of our team and master of the long walk, without whom the rest of us probably wouldn't have gotten a mile in. He probably could have done another 26.2 after we were done, too.

I'm really glad to have done the Marathon route so I have some familiarity now, but I find it sort of odd that it passes so little of interest. There is so much cultural and historical awesomeness in eastern Mass, but the route manages to avoid pretty much all of it. I wonder why that is.

Weirdest sight of the day, which had nothing to do with the Walk, was a nearly-naked guy with a long white beard (he was wearing something that looked like a loincloth) driving by on a scooter. One of my favorite things was the "20.8" flag on a house at the relevant point. I wonder if they keep that up all the time.

Lacking a "limping around in pain" userpic, Treadmill Cat will have to do.

Passing Fenway (Sox won). So close I can taste it. Or that might just be sweat. Aiiiii!!

Neverending Newton. So close yet so far. The 5milers have jumped in- we hates them. Someone collapsed by the last rest area.

Escaped Wellesley, in Newton. Have struck Green Line - more seductive than commuter rail.

Halfway. Hope I can make it. Thinking about loved ones lost to cancer and those who survived - a much bigger number.

Passed through Ashland into Framingham (inc 1700! Who knew?). Local residents starting to get up and lots more cars on the road.

At the start area. Got our shirts, now we find coffee.

Yields are really kicking into high gear everywhere and this week's take was just fabulous. Also, I recently added new CSA-related tags including individual tags for each year as well as each week number, which means you can click the latter to see what the yield was every year on a given week if you're curious how things compare season to season.

( Week 12 )

The garden is also producing like mad, and I am once again open to trades if other people have different things in abundance (or an alternate offer). Things I have to swap include: kale, blackberries, grapes, apples, and basil. Let me know if you're interested. I'm also making sundried tomatoes, including harvesting a friend's garden and then keeping some of the results, and am open to more of that sort of thing.

I can't post today without a nod to Ted Kennedy, senator of awesomeness, but others have already better said everything I was thinking. Rest in peace.

--

That said, could folks use some dairy?

3 qts half-and-half
* 2 quarts heavy whipping cream
2 quarts light cream
2 pints heavy cream
1 gallon (minus ~1 cup) whole milk
2 cans whipped cream
18 organic brown eggs
1 open (but full) jar caramel (flavor) topping

* claimed
- picked up

I have returned! I assume few of you had any idea I was gone, but in any case, after a week of no phone or net, it's good and bad to have them back.

Obviously I can't catch up on everything, but if you did post something that you'd like me to see, please let me know. It doesn't have to only be something important -- odds are I'll be flattered that you want me to read it, whatever it is and for whatever reason (unless it's a rant about me, in which case I'd have preferred email).

( One photo (of one of my favorite bridges) )

Late summer and harvest really kicks into high gear! Meanwhile, Red Fire reports that they've already lost 1/4 of their (HUGE, so there's still plenty left) tomato crop to the Blight. Hopefully the rest will be safe, but I fear for future updates. Steve tells me his crop is still clear and hopefully it will stay that way.

In urban homesteading news, my tomatoes are still thriving and we ate the first one of the season this weekend! If the Blight hit, it would absolutely break my heart and I really feel for the hundreds of farmers and thousands of home gardeners who have lost all or part of their crop. None of mine are from big box stores, but neither were the acres of fields lost by local farmers, of course, and I have no idea where the neighbors got their plants. The rest of the garden is also doing great.

Late last week, with Mark's invaluable help, I started a half-bushel of cucumbers on their journey toward half-sour dill picklehood. Real, fermented, old-school pickles, which I will soon taste to see how they're doing. And for those who might be wondering, that's about 25 pounds, which is a LOT. I turned the ones that didn't make the cut into Sweet Swedish Refrigerator Pickles.

Finally, I racked the hefeweizen onto blackberries (harvested from the backyard and frozen in earlier years, then thawed and pureed) and it is a lovely shade of purplish-pink. I also received my scores from the Sam Adams Long Shot contest. I submitted my dunkelweizen (Froggy's Slam Dunk) and I think I did pretty well: 34.5, which is on the high end of the "Very Good" category. Given the obvious flaw (I underfilled the bottles and it ended up a bit undercarbonated), I am very happy with that result, and judges' comments were generally quite positive. I've never entered a homebrew contest before so I don't really have anything else to go on. Seems okay to me, anyway. Maybe I'll scan and post the sheets.

• 1 bunch spring onions
• 1/2 bunch beets
• 1 lb new potatoes
• 1 summer squash
• 1/2 bunch arugula
• 1 cucumber
• 1 mini red cabbage
• 1/2 head bibb lettuce
• 1/2 pound cauliflower
• 1/2 bunch basil
  --
• 1/2 bunch scallions
• 1/2 bunch yellow chard
• 3 ears corn
• 1/2 lb carrots
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce
• 1 tomato
• 2 zucchinis
• 1 cucumber
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 1/2 head cabbage
  --
• 1/2 pint blueberries
• 1/2 small watermelon

As is my unfortunate habit, I'm not sure I've mentioned (except for announcing auditions) that, for the first time ever, I have taken on the theatrical role of director. And my show opened last night!

I am directing a one-act as part of Festival@First6: Tables Turned. It's called Not Funny, written by the wonderful Chris Lockheardt. I sum it up thusly:

Stabbing is no laughing matter, except when it is. Emily and Brad work out some relationship issues while he exsanguinates. It's funnier than you think.

There are still plenty of tickets for the rest of this weekend, and I urge you to get in while you can, since next weekend will almost certainly sell out. Last night was an amazing opener and I am so super proud of my fabulous cast, Elizabeth and Michael (are they on LJ? I don't actually know). They are both new faces to T@F and have stepped up admirably. I had a lot of qualms about doing this, both beforehand and every step along the way, concerns that I was basically superfluous, couldn't really affect the outcome, etc, but it's not only come together really well, but I actually feel like I can take some responsibility for that, which is pretty awesome.

Knives! Blood! You have to see it. :)

PS: There are also seven other playlets, including (most significantly and awesomely), one written and directed by plumtreeblossom. But there are too many names to list, and besides, I'm a little focused... :)

I've been lax in mentioning it, but this September I will be doing the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. It's a 26.2 miles charity walk on the Marathon route and I'm quite excited to participate. The fabulous anomie666 and I formed a team (The Somervillains) and have two additional teammates but would certainly welcome more if anyone else would like to walk the walk.

If you aren't walking but would still like to help, I would very much appreciate any donations to help me reach my fundraising goal. Contributions can be made online. Thank you so much to those who have already given.

In addition, training moves on, and if you'd like to join me/us on our walks, we have been posting them to the davis_ramblers community and will be doing so more often in the coming months. Our next planned walk, as posted, is 4 miles Sunday morning.

Thanks for listening.

Forgot to post this last week, but better late than never.

• 1 bunch chard
• 1 bunch carrots
• 1/2 bunch red russian kale
• 1 head red lettuce
• 1/2 lb green beans
• 1 lb fava beans
• 1/2 bunch baby fennel
• 1/2 bunch purple kohlrabi with greens
  --
• 12 oz cucumbers
• 12 oz summer squash
• 1 lb baby potatoes
• 1/2 bunch dill
• 1/2 bunch carrots
• 1/2 head red lettuce
• 1/2 bunch kale
• 1 head new garlic (with stalk)
• small amount (~2 oz) basil
  --
• 1/2 pint blueberries

I've also been eating from the garden: lettuce, parsley, basil, thyme, mint, and kale are among the harvestables. And there have been sour cherries and mulberries from public trees as well as wild blueberries in the woods. [ETA: And blueberries from the yard, too! How could I forget those?] And the most recent kraut (extra big batch) turned out great.

The lettuce is already dwindling: a mere 2.5 head total for me this week, though there are plenty of other leafy greens. It's been a great week for urban homesteading though. Activities have included starting new batches of both vanilla-chocolate porter and apfelwein, canning the best jam ever, and my very first kraut, which turned out amazing and inspired all sorts of additional cooking so that I could make a reuben for lunch, which was possibly the best sandwich I've ever made.

The kraut contained much of the previous haul: Napa cabbage, bok choy, collard greens, kohlrabi, hakurei turnips, beets, and carrots. I should really take a picture because it's so absurdly colorful. I am totally hooked and have already started a new batch with the Napa I got from C&A and this week's bok choy and mustard greens.

To avoid last week's confusion, I will be dividing the list: Parker, then Red Fire, then the RF fruit share, but be aware this is just *my* take-home, not the total, and of course many of the measurements are very fudge-y. This week, Parker was about twice as big as Red Fire.

• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 1 head red leaf lettuce
• 1 head chicory
• 1 pound sugar snap peas
• 1/2 bunch carrot
• 1/2 bunch hakurei turnips
• 1/2 bunch mustard greens
• 1/2 bunch chard
• 1 head broccoli
• 1 bunch arugula
• 1/2 head bok choi
  --
• 1/2 head green leaf lettuce
• 1 bunch dill
• 6 garlic scapes
• 2 hakurei turnips
• 1 lb summer squash (1 zucchini, 1 yellow)
• 1/2 bunch baby white onions
• 1/2 bunch purple kale
• 1/2 head broccoli
• 1 head cabbage
  --
• 1 pint strawberries

The list is long, the bounty is huge!

• 1 pint strawberries
  
• 1 bunch Russian red kale
  
• 1 bunch Swiss chard
  
• 1 head Napa cabbage
  
• 1 head Bibb (is that also a place?) lettuce
  
• 1 bunch collard greens
  
• 1 head escarole
  
• 1/3 lb mesclun
  
• 1/4 lb spinach
  
• 1 purple kohlrabi
  
• 2 (maybe 3?) Hakurei turnips
  
• 1 zucchini
  
• 1/2 bunch (baby?) scallions
  
• 5 small carrots
  
• 1/6 lb garlic scapes
  
• 1/2 bunch dill
  
• 1/2 stalk broccoli

One of last week's experiments was spinach paratha, which was fantastic and will certainly be made again.

Well, yesterday was the first night of auditions for this summer's one-acts, and for the first time ever, I have to pick a cast! Eek! I'm still quite nervous about the whole process, but feel better than I did before having seen people read. I didn't get to see everyone I would've liked to read my play (there's just no way to manage that), which certainly adds to the challenge.

There are still two more nights of auditions with plenty of open slots, so if you already know you're interested in acting, or if you're not sure, sign up and give it a go. Actings in the festival is a very small time commitment since each person is only in one 10-15 minute short, so it's great for folks who want to do theater but don't have the spare time for a real rehearsal schedule.

Check it out and come on down!

I am directing Not Funny by Chris Lockheardt. After some struggling (those of you who asked me about the play early on may recall my stumbling over trying to explain it), I finally came up with something I feel not only sums it up nicely, but also includes one of my favorite words: Stabbing is no laughing matter, except when it is. Emily and Brad work out some relationship issues while he exsanguinates. It's funnier than you think.

So I saw the Star Trek flick last night. It was largely fun, and I mostly enjoyed it while watching (in part due to misguided optimism).

What I liked a lot included excellent special effects and fun action scenes, but especially lots and lots of pandering to the original. There were many references, back-filled explanations, and just a lot of fun stuff. The fun stuff was, imho, the best part of this movie, and there was a lot of it.

What I didn't like, hated, in fact, was their handling of women. Women existed to give birth, to die, and drape themselves on men. That was it. At the least, they had an opportunity to take a crew member and make her into something, and they chose to make her even less relevant than she was in the original. Oh yeah, and she was also the only black character, as I recall.

I realize I'm going against every other review I've read (not a single one of which even mentioned the above issue, which kind of horrifies me), but I can't really recommend this movie. I also realize my opinion doesn't mean jack, but I figure there's got to be at least one other person out there who feels similarly and might be glad to know they're not the only one. (I already know I'm not since two people in my extended group were also annoyed by it.)

The weather seems excellent for running 26.2 miles, if that's what happens to be in your plans for the day. Me, I'll be at the finish line collecting timing chips and giving out medals to lots and lots of people who can do something I can't even approach. At least for now. Maybe next year I'll be receiving one myself.

Best of luck to all the runners, and a Happy Patriot's Day to everyone!