Eat and Run: CSA, Walpole Creamery, and Apple Pie

The Beyrouthy-Kelseys: as American as....

Cedar Circle: My Farm

Friday is my usual day for a blog post, but I'm unsure how strong the Wifi connection will be on the Vermonter, so I decided to do a quick post today.

It seems I've been traveling most weekends, lately. I tell myself that I should cease my roaming— that one of these days, I should stay home and get some work done. But then I realize that this will all happen soon and naturally enough when the snow hits.

So tomorrow, I'll take the train from White River Junction for my annual late-autumn trip to an old high-school pal and her family.

I'll leave the farms and villages and shops of New Hampshire and Vermont for the Cheesecake Factories and malls of suburban Connecticut. I wouldn't want to stay away too long, for sure —but sometimes a dose of civilization, and the opportunity to purchase from a large selection of Gap underwear, is refreshing.

Anyway, a quick update on last week:
CSA Share at Cedar Circle Farm

Last Saturday, I picked up my very first community supported agricultural share (CSA) at Cedar Circle Farm in Thetford, Vermont. I felt like I hit the jackpot when I was able to collect generous quantities of carrots, squash, brussels sprouts, celery, potatoes, onions, garlic, kale, and escarole. M. and I have been having fun thinking of the different ways to use the veggies. I've found that the easiest thing to do is go online and search for recipes by vegetable. I then add the recipes to the Reading List on my Mac. So far, I've made an escarole salad a la Martha Stewart, a California kale salad from Saveur, and a truly delicious apple-cheddar soup from The Food Network. Tonight I'll roast squash with the sweetness of maple syrup and the kick of chili powder (I heard about this trick on "The Splendid Table.") I'll also use a Saveur recipe for sauteed brussels sprouts with pecans.

L.A. Burdick's and Walpole Creamery

A quick note on the rest of my Saturday: we joined friends and went to the Keene Pumpkin Festival, stopping along the way at L.A. Burdick where I got indigestion by drinking their very rich hot cocoa to suppress my hunger (we waited an hour for our lunch to arrive). The tragedy in all of this was that I still was unwell by the time we reached Walpole Creamery, and I actually passed up an opportunity to order chocolate-peanut butter ice cream from one of the milk maids.

Yankee Magazine Apple Pie

On Sunday, I entertained myself by baking an elaborate "blue ribbon" apple pie featured in Yankee Magazine. It was a beautiful and delicious creation. But we still have pounds of apples in the pantry. And that's the problem with all of this direct-from-the-farm-or-orchard abundance: the fear of waste. I now want to make jars of apple butter from the surplus, but I want to find a time when my scientist-husband can consult on the canning and pasteurization process.