Pumpkin Patch

Joshua got to visit the pumpkin patch for the first time today. He's watched his sister and brother do this every year with their preschool classes and finally got to experience it for himself. He loved petting the animals and picking his own vegetables. He loved the tractor ride and running through the pumpkin patch. We had a fun afternoon!

The Farm Box

For the last few months, I've been splitting a Community Supported Agriculture Box from Tanaka Farms with a friend. The box contains organic fruits and vegetables that are so fresh there is still dirt on the vegetables and a few stones in the box! Now, you never know what you're going to get so for some, that might be a bit scary but for me, it's fun! It forces me to try new recipes and find new ways of hiding "that green stuff" so the kids eat it.

Today's box contained 2 different kinds of lettuce, carrots, a bag of tangerines, some oranges, avocados, spinach, a container of the sweetest strawberries around, brociflower, snow peas, and swiss chard.

What is swiss chard you ask? Well, here's a picture:

It's a giant leafy green that really looks scary to cook. But it wasn't difficult at all. The kids kept saying, "Mommy, are we going to eat that?"

So, once all the vegetables from my box were washed, it was time to surf the net for a swiss chard recipe. I found this one and I figured if this chef on food network used swiss chard, this recipe must be good.

Once I had everything assembled and it was in the oven, I went outside and cut these roses. Aren't they beautiful?


The buzzer rang on the oven, I pulled out the dish and waited a few minutes for it to cool. Took one bite and truth be told, it was excellent!

The kids liked it, even with all the "green stuff" in it.

Go, find yourself some obscure vegetable and cook it! You'll probably be surprised at how good it is!