Hace Calor

What we accomplished today, in the 95 degree heat:

Harvested 2 big tubs of chard, and 2 big tubs of kale/collards.
Planted a bed of bok choi and other Asian greens.
Harvested 134 heads of lettuce.
Harvested 5 rows of tomatoes (almost 1000 plants)
Seeded a bed of arugula.
Moved and set up irrigation.
Washed and cooled all produce, sorted tomatoes.
Prepared the share room.
Ate lunch.
Mowed.
Did office work.
Thinned kale.
Seeded a bed of spinach and a bed of lettuce mix.
Seeded 2 beds of peas.
Turned compost.
Covered newly planted bed with row cover.
I'm sure I'm missing a few things.

Now I'm home, feel like I can't do anything.
Seriously, showering is a chore.
And I can't stop eating jelly beans.
I can't imagine how much sugar I just consumed.
Tomorrow is supposed to be 97 degrees.
Pray for us. =)
And if you see me in the grocery store after work, hide the jelly beans!

Punkin

Benefits Shmenefits

Had a benefits meeting at work... not something a lot of farmers deal with. One of the more corporate aspects of our job... both a positive and a negative. But I am so grateful for all the amazing benefits and perks I do get at my work, don't get me wrong.

The meeting, however, was a rude awakening. Suffice to say, going back to work part-time (that's the plan after maternity leave) puts a financial strain on things. And insuring a baby puts a strain on things. And rising insurance costs... they put a strain on things also.

How do families do it? Stay-at-home moms (or dads) with one bread-winner? Working moms and dads, paying for childcare? Insurance costs, rising rents/mortgages, etc. It's all so overwhelming. I know we'll work it out, but jeez.

Does anyone know much about HSAs and high-deductible (low premium) insurance plans?
Holla at me if you do.

Barefoot and Pregnant in the Kitchen

Well I wasn't actually barefoot but I was pregnant and in the kitchen. Gerard and Aby joined me, and we helped execute an amazing Farm to Table Dinner at work today. Got a little wet harvesting this morning, but it was fun! All the produce was provided by our farm, or minorly supplemented by other local farms. We did cut flower bouquets for the tables, etc. Everything was so fresh and good, and the food was well-received. Really neat working in a larger kitchen too... nice big gas stove, huge braiser/skillet, etc. Salad, bruschetta with crostini, a spanikopita with chard instead of spinach, ratatouille, herbed chicken, and a mixed fruit cobber a la mode! Yum! There was even some standing and clapping by diners! Pretty beat now, but it was an another good day for the pregnant farmer.

Brief Updates

Well yesterday was sweltering again. It was rough. But Aby made it all okay with another pie. Blackberry silk pie... so creamy, so amazing!

Today we switched gears a little and did some work on the hoophouse (passively heated greenhouse-type thing). We got a lot done, construction-wise and inside the tunnel, working on the beds. I like that. I like using the drill and taking things apart and rebuilding them. I even did some awesome kung-fu style high kicks during some of the demolition. Yes, I was being careful!! Don't worry! It was the most efficient way to do what I was doing. Kung-fu style, yes indeed. I'm a kung-fu pregnant mama. Amy said it was pretty badass; I'm not the only one who thought so. =)

Baby Quilt

Here's the top piecing for the baby quilt I wrote about a few days ago. I like it a lot, though it's rather bold! Not exactly soothing. Still cool. Gerard and I picked the fabrics together which was fun. Now I will either quilt it myself or have it quilted at the store. If I do the latter, I can have a neat design stitched into the quilting.

Kitchen Catastrophes and Conquests

The jam I made yesterday fermented! We have blackberry-raspberry jam with some kick! Why?!? Based on what I've read, it seems it could be because I reduced the sugar amount... but it was crazy, I didn't want to use that much sugar. I keep trying to figure this jam thing out... to get it to gel the way I want it to, keep trying new things, new recipes. This time I used the pectin, but I screwed up with the sugar. Too many variables!

Other kitchen projects in the making...

A ground pork/roasted poblano cornbread tamale pie/casserole type thing. With sweet plaintains on the side. Yum! We got inspiration from a recipe, but are doing our own thing with it. I think it will be delicious.

Gerard's on the canned pickled beets. A lot of people don't like beets... give fresh homegrown beets a try! They are so good. Even more so in the late fall, after a frost has sweetened them even more. If you're really daring you can shred them raw into salad or with cheese and crostini. I love roasted beets, with rosemary, olive oil, and other root veggies. This season I realized how much I even like boiled beets with a little salt and pepper, maybe a splash of vinegar. And we're fans of the pickled as well.

FYI, at the grocery store today, my impulse buy was jelly beans. I also really wanted to buy pudding, but we're going to look into making it from scratch. =)

Happy Day

Had a great day. Some people think all farmers do is work from dawn to dusk, 7 days a week. But we've created a model that works well for us, that we think may keep us from burning out. It involves working reasonable hours, and limiting weekend work, so that we rest and spend time with friends/family in addition to toiling away at our labor of love.

Woke up, well-rested, made jam. (Though being on my feet wasn't fun.)
Gerard and I went to the farmers' market to pick up our fruit share and a few other things. We got even more fruit than last week! Craziness. Peaches, plums, apples, yum! Stopped by the farm to do some watering and then headed home.

TCB at home and then went to a Union soccer game at the new stadium near us. It was a belated Christmas gift for my brother-in-laws. It was fun. Hadn't seen those boys in while. One quit smoking the night we told him we were pregnant, another just quit about a month ago. My own bro is getting off the nicorette gum. I'm so proud of all of them! That's 3 out of 4 smoking siblings... just one more to go.

Gerard and I got into silly thing b/c I wanted popcorn and he came back with fries without ketchup, etc. etc. but it was no big thing. I'm telling you though, if you're pregnant, and you do have a specific craving, sometimes the only person you can trust to acquire the food needed is yourself. No offense Gerard! Sue and Rob were also at the game and so we met up with them in the 2nd half, which was a good time.

Then dinner at Gerard's work and now, fruit salad and t.v. Definitely busy... but fun-filled. Looking forward to more sleep, and some good cooking/canning in the kitchen tomorrow.

Kingdom Come

I've always been pretty mininimalist when it comes to my bed. We have a full, that just sits on the box spring on the floor. No fancy bedding, 1 pillow a person. That kind of thing.

We've outgrown that bed though. I was getting really bummed as Gerard had to start moving to the futon or the floor, and we were both losing more sleep these past few weeks.

We were in the insane land of Ikea last night, and bought a super comfy KING size mattress and a frame (yay! extra storage under the bed). We are so psyched. I had reservations about a king; it felt so decadent and over-the-top. But it is hard to tell much difference between a full and queen. A queen's actually only 6 inches wider, surprisingly.

I've been taking up more room with my pregant body, plus I have to use all these extra body pillows to help with my aches and pains. There's been lots of tossing and turning on my end. And, we don't really want to cosleep with the baby, but figure he/she will be in the bed a fair amount of the time... so we went for it. I'm also hoping it will be a better mattress for my back/neck. I feel like I'm going to want to live in my new bed, so HAPPY!

Can't wait to set it up! Ger has to put the frame together, and the mattress is outgassing on the balcony, to air out noxious chemicals and odors. The anticipation is killing us both!

Farming Pregnant or Playing Hooky

I had to work late Tuesday night and Friday night this week, plus I have weekend watering, so I decided to take a day off today! It's been a while. I woke up, feeling groggy and like I didn't want a day off. I didn't know what to do with myself.

But I got into working on my baby quilt a bit... it's nearly done! Well the top piecing is anyway. Will post photos soon. And I had a chiropractic appointment. These old bones have been pretty jacked up lately, so that was good. I left feeling like things opened up more, and noticed less back/leg pain as a I walked. Did some grocery shopping. No exciting impulse buys. Got some tamari almonds that are way too soy sauce-y!

When I got home, I made salsa verde for later and continued work on the quilt. Now I'm enjoying an iced decaf with some of the chocolate-mint simple syrup G made. Yum. Gonna head to prenatal yoga soon, while Gerard heads to Dragonboat practice.

All in all, a good day. Taking care of some business, and taking care of myself. Signing off, MM

Lunch & Dinner

Ate lots of delicious junk at the Phillies game today:

Crab fries with cheese, pizza, and soda.

They won by the way! It was really exciting in the beginning.

Then I kind of lost energy as the game went on.

It got pretty close by the end but they pulled it off.

So anyway we're taking it down a notch for dinner:

Hydrating with lots of water with lemon,

enjoying a lovely salad with

heirloom tomato, carrots, pepper, head lettuce, peppercorn cheese

dressed with walnut oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

And a fruit salad with a bunch of fruit from our fruit share/farmers' market:

watermelon, peaches, apples, plums, maple yogurt, honey, and wheat germ.

YUM! I feel better now that I'm putting some good stuff back in my body!
Have a good week, y'all!

Time Flies

Sleeping a little better since I last bloggged. Still get a wake-up at 4 or 4:30 that sometimes I can go back to sleep from, sometimes not. But I've been feeling more well-rested nonetheless.

Today we move into the 3rd trimester! 90 more days till the due date. Crazyness. I can't believe my sister's baby is going to turn 1 in less than a month! It's no joke how fast all this happens! We visited a friend who just had her baby a few weeks ago, and she said she rolled over today!! What?! These kids are doing the darndest things!

The baby's getting fatter and more hairy =) in the 28th week, and the brain is becoming more and more complex, grooves and indentations are forming, and the brain tissues are increasing. Grow, baby, grow!

Tired Tuesday

I couldn't sleep past 3 a.m. last night so my day didn't start off great. I mean, the day wasn't particularly bad, I was just hella tired and I was pretty beat yesterday as well. Amy let me hang in the share room while she did some more of the field work this afternoon, which was really nice and a big help. Thanks Amy!

We've skipped the sleepy teas the past couple nights and I think they make a big difference. Maybe they put the baby to sleep too... his/her incessant kicking doesn't help my sleep situation. =) I have acupuncture tonight which always is quite relaxing, I'm getting the beautiful baby treatment at the acupuncture appointment which happens at the transition between trimesters and is said to ensure a healthy baby and also helps the momma through calming the mind and building the blood. The point is translated as "guest-building," perhaps meaning the little guest inhabiting my body right now, and is stimulated with a golden needle! Very special! So with the acupuncture, plus some hops-mint-lavender sleepy tea Gerard already brewed up, I should be in good shape for a solid rest tonight.

Despite my sleepy stupor, I was still inspired to do a little picking at the farm at the end of the day. Gorgeous cherry tomatoes, raspberries, blackberries, and some really nice sunflowers that just started blooming. Grateful for the work I do, and the abundant beauty I help create and deeply benefit from.

Mr. Softee

It was a good Monday today. Got a lot of work in the office done, while our crew took care of business on the farm. And we did a lot of the final fall seeding in the greenhouse in the afternoon... bok choi, lettuce heads, and pea tranplants.

Then, an ice cream truck came and all employees got free ice cream! Who could ask for anything more? Of course, we all went a little overboard and got sundaes, which ultimately left us feeling a little sick, but still, what a treat!!

Gerard and I also had a prenatal appointment which is always fun (even when I have to get blood drawn like I did today!). We get to ask the midwives any questions/bring up any concerns, listen to the baby's heartbeat, etc. I always leave feeling so healthy, and like everything's progressing so well. It's reassuring. I gained 5 pounds, my blood pressure is great, and all is well. The baby seemed happy too... lots of dancing around in utero all last night, all day today, and during the appointment as well. =)