I’m reading Animal, Vegetable, Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver at the moment and not that I think I have the will to go completely local like she did in the book, but I do try to make a conscious and conscientious effort to buy locally.  And one of those decisions led to us joining the CSA at a farm in town.   Well, one of my friends went away this week and I got to reap the rewards.  I got her CSA bin.  And this week’s bin was chocka-block full of kale, basil, green beans, purple beans, sugar snap peas, mustard greens, arugula, kohlrabi, beets, green onions, herbs and flowers.  So many delicious fresh vegetables!  Actually a bit too many for us to use while fresh and lovely with all that is planned, so I gave some arugula to another friend. 

I decided to continue on my buying-local streak since I needed some eggs and milk so I went to our regular egg farm, Stietzel’s but it just closed so I rushed up to another wonderful farm, Holbrook’s, before they shut. Problem is when I go here it’s like I’m in a local produce and dairy shopaholic’s heaven.  Sort of like when I go shoe shopping. I need to just back away from those gorgeous gladiator sandals that I can’t afford right now.  I don’t need them.  Just like, I didn’t need all the offerings at Holbrook Farm—and they have a lot to offer. 

Since I had my bounty of veggies from the CSA, I wasn’t tempted by the vegetables here, but I got some local milk, sausage, yogurt, and I really went a little overboard and bought a chicken from them.  Not that I don’t want to buy local or didn’t want to buy a chicken, but i was shopping for that night’s dinner.  I thought I’ll roast it (it was raining and seemed like the perfect thing to make for dinner on a dreary night) EXCEPT that it was already past 6 when we got there.  I don’t know what I was thinking.  By the time we got home, dressed the chicken, etc… Needless to say, we ate very late.

I was lucky enough to get a headless chicken so preparing it was relatively easy.  I stuffed the cavity with celery and garlic scapes.  I put sea salt, pepper, chopped fresh sage (about 1 Tbsp), chopped fresh thyme (about 1 Tbsp) and olive oil on the chicken.  Then I lay it on a bed of garlic scapes and put it in a 450 F preheated oven for 20 minutes.  I turned the oven to 325F and it continued for about an hour plus until it read 165F with instant-read thermometer.   

I threw in some new potatoes to the roasting dish about 45 minutes into it. They were simply coated in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Well, I had this gorgeous bunch of kale to start.  Last few weeks there hasn’t been enough of it to feed 4 or 5 of us so I add it to other things, but this week there was heaps and I got the added benefit of my friends harvest.  I stripped the leaves off the stalks with finesse, I had the steamer all ready, but once it was in, I got a little distracted by one of my sons and I overcooked it.  Kale Fail!  Kale takes longer than spinach, chard, beet greens to cook, but I mean when the lovely silver-sage green is now a khaki olive-brown you know it’s long gone.   I tried fixing it with some soy and sesame which my eldest took to, but my youngest two hated it and I don’t blame them, so did I. 

At least my kids enjoyed the chicken, beans and roasted potatoes.  They went to bed very late but we had a great dinner all from local farms (ok, the kale wasn’t so great). 

Note to self: Next time, save the roasting chicken for when there’s time and pay attention to the kale!