CSA Week 4- Lots of Recipes!

Well this week's CSA post is rather late- this past Friday I didn't make it out so my husband made the pickup and WOW! Last week really rocked- can't wait to see what today has in store!

Love when the fridge looks like this!

CSA Week 4

• Beets
• Turnips
• Cabbage
• Fennel
• Escarole
• Lettuce Head
• Braising Mix
• Scallions
• Garlic Scapes
• Broccoli
• Sunflowers
• Fresh Herbs



The Easiest Green Switches You Can Make and shhh... They Can Save You Money!

Ok, so if you are new here you might imagine me as a lifelong green goddess or some super earthy mom and while I have adopted many green changes most of them are very recent- in fact many of them are happening right before your eyes via my blog posts.

Some of the changes are so easy I stop and think, "Why didn't I do this sooner" and some are more of an effort. I decided to share with you the changes that are so easy I think everyone should know about them so that you can *hopefully* choose to try them too. There is a bonus to some of these changes beyond the positive environmental and health impacts- some of these changes save some major money. These may not all fit your life but some just might make you feel like a green goddess too.

Homemade Non-Dairy Milk- Almond and Rice and a Smoothie Recipe

Almond Milk

CSA Friday- Week 3

Photo by Jeff Kelly

Homemade (Crock Pot) Yogurt!

I made yogurt!!! Ok, I am super excited about this because we consume a ton of yogurt, about two of those big containers a week. I buy the organic local yogurt at our CSA for $3 which is a much better quality and price than organic yogurt from our grocery store but it still equals out to about $24 a month. So lets see if I can do better...

Store Bought
Best price for good quality organic yogurt- $3 for 32 oz.
$312 a year on store bought

Homemade
Organic 2% milk- $2.99 for a half gallon (64 oz.) so $1.49 for 32 oz.
$155.48 a year on homemade

Savings
$1.51 per 32 oz.
$3.02 a week
$12.08 a month
$157.04 a year saved making yogurt instead of buying it!

CSA Week 2- Fridge Fail



Frozen almonds from the fridge!

 Well- there are no recipes for week 2- our fridge decided to turn into a freezer and all of our produce froze and (of course) upon thawing was limp. I am trying to see if there is anything that can be salvaged- possibly the broccoli raab or tokyo bekana. What a disappointment and a waste!
I was really looking forward to making a slaw out of the bekana and some shredded carrots. Looks like if I can salvage anything it will have to be a saute of some kind or become an addition to the compost bin.

CSA Friday! Week 2

Well today is CSA Friday and I am pleased to report that I am still happy with our decision to join Red Hill Farm! As a one car family CSA Friday means more than a trip to pick up our produce, it is a full day out and about and I hope that we continue to enjoy our Friday adventures.

Eco Friendly Alternative for Women- and a Coupon Code to Caroline's Creations

 

*This subject may be taboo, most of us don't talk candidly about our cycles, but we should. Please read with an open mind. This isn't just about the environment or saving money, it's about our health.

If you've been following along with the blog you know that I started on my green path with the birth of my first son, Canon, four years ago by deciding to use cloth diapers. I made some easy small changes but didn't fully throw myself into this green mission until my second son was born this past September. I decided to use cloth diapers again and also found that in the interest of being environmentally friendly and cutting costs to help us survive on one salary I wanted to do more.

Something that I had never thought about or even heard of kept grabbing my attention as I was shopping for Colt's cloth diapers -

Step 2 My Clubhouse GIVEAWAY!!

My Clubhouse - Hours of Pretend Play

Mom to Bed by 8 and Mom Does Reviews are happy to bring you this fun My Clubhouse giveaway!

Mission Green Family is happy to be part of another great family giveaway! I know my boys would love to have this great playhouse!

• Features a peephole, chalkboard, picnic table, and secret hiding compartment
• Fabric roof is durable and weather resistant
• Personalize the clubhouse by writing your child's name on the doorway
• Opening side wall for hide and seek fun
• Dining accessories not included
• Adult assembly required

Clubhouse can be used all year long. Bring it inside in the winter so the fun can continue.

Giveaway is open to US residents only ages 18 and over. Giveaway starts June 4th and ends June 25th.

Enter on the easy rafflecopter below. Remember, you can't win if you don't enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CSA Week One- Meal One

After years of wanting to join a CSA we finally did it and although it was a bit of a financial stretch to come up with a lump sum to pay for our share it will (hopefully) be worth it. For those who have not heard of a CSA, don't worry, I didn't know about them until I watched Food, Inc. and started researching fair and organic farming. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, which is basically a prepaid membership into a farm- you pay for a share of the seasons produce ahead of time and you get a percentage of the harvest. I researched many CSA's in our area and found one that I am so happy to have joined, Red Hill Farm in Aston, PA. RHF uses organic practices, though they do not have certification they are very open with their farming practices. This is so major for us as I strive to feed my boys organic, and that can be really expensive! On top of picking up produce and getting the experience of u-pick with herbs, flowers and berries there is the experience of my sons getting a connection of where their food comes from and social events like outdoor movies, happy hours and just the weekly visit to a farm. I am going to do a weekly post of the weekly bounty as well as some recipes on how we utilize our food.