Sustainability tip of the Week 2

Join a CSA
CSA stands for community shared agriculture. Mollie and I support a local vegetable farm named Dayspring Farm between Urbanna and West Point. Charley and Mariam Maloney manage Dayspring and have been located on their property since 1988. Mollie and I pay approx $10 a week for a nice bag of seasonal vegetables from their farm.
(information on Dayspring Farm  )

There are so many benefits about being a CSA member!!

1) Getting the freshest produce possible while supporting the local economy!
Knowing the people who grow you food is a great feeling.  The amazing fresh flavor of the food is a great peace of mind when feeding your children.
2) The education you receive when you visit the farm. 
As gardeners who are on a high learning curve, I always enjoy talking with Charley about the progress the farm is making and share with him problems we are having. He is a very peaceful person who always takes the time to meet with his share holders. His peaceful spirit is inspirational. It inspires me to grow more food on my own to grow my own peaceful spirit.
3) Fun for the kids
Our whole family loves to visit Day Spring to see the farm change throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Abigail and Owen like to visit the animals and eat a berry or two. They also learn where their food comes from.
4) Increase the diversity of your kids tastes
Mollie and I feel that Abigail and Owen are more willing to try different things because they know that the food on there plate came from Dayspring farm. In fact both of them enjoy eating sungold and cherry tomatoes like candy.
5) Push your cooking talents
Each week our bag of vegetables is a mystery. Therefore, Mollie and I have to plan our meals according to our bag versus planning our meals and go find the ingredients. This helps us eat more seasonally and has taught us a greater variety of recipe's.
6) Reduce your carbon footprint
By buying our vegetables locally we get the satisfaction that our food didn't travel halfway across the world and burn tons of fossil fuels along the way.

If you can't find a CSA to join in your area, find a schedule of farmer's markets in your area and help support small local farmers. The relationship is symbiotic and is rewarding for everyone.

Charley Maloney looking at the early tomato plants of spring

Mariam talking to students in the cut flower bed

The shop is coming along!

The biggest project of the summer is coming to an end!! We still have a lot of painting to do on the trim and windows, but we cleared around the shop and put a fresh coat of paint and primer on. This added a new look and many years to the shop's life.

Swiss Chard and cantaloupe climber in the foreground

Cannon Powershot D10

This camera is awesome!!
Cannon Powershot d10
If you are a family who loves the water as much as we do. I highly suggest this waterproof camera. It is small and tough as nails. I use it all the time on and off the water. Here are a few videos of the kids in the pool.

The Garlic is Ready!!!!

Each year we plant garlic in our garden before Oyster Fest in Nov. This is one of my favorite items that we grow in our garden. It doesn't take a lot of space and rewards us with garlic scapes in the spring to use in our cooking. Then, after the garlic is here it makes a great gift to other people's kitchen's and is fantastic in all our recipe's.

After you get started, save several bulbs to divide in the fall and stick in the ground root side down. If you don't have a garden try to find a space in your yard that receives full sun that you can devote to your garlic. Today, while GeeZee and Coolpop visited on their way to the fantasy land of northern Michigan. We pulled our garlic with Abigail and Owen.

When you pull your garlic, don't wash it!!! Hang it in a space to dry and the dirt will bang off of it eventually. Once weather cools, cut the tops off and store inside so the bulbs do not get mushy.
LOVE the Garlic!!

mO's Get's a Face Lift

mO's

Years before Dave and Abigail came to Christchurch, they were living on Tangier Island. One weekend they cam to visit and we were trying to plan activities to do while they were here for a visit. Fishing was out because Dave fished everyday on Tangier....so we had to think of an activity that they were missing. After much deliberation we decided that the next day we would go to Water Country USA and see a little America. (we are all obsessed with people watching)

Well, when we woke up it was pouring rain. Dave and I looked like the two kids staring out of the window in the story Cat in the Hat. So we changed gears and Dave and I decided to build a bar in the garage. (its not easy to get the two of us to stand still). Over the years I had collected a lot of lumber from various jobs and had an interesting collection to think about using in the construction. 

We started at 10 and by 5 we were sitting at the bar which is now mO's. It is named after the Orioles and the fact that I call Mollie; Mo. Over the years people have visited mO's tavern in the garage and have donated items to be used and displayed; big TV, Grateful Dead tape collection, posters, signs, speakers, pictues, t-shirts, hats, stickers, items from my grandfather's bar, furniture, and other voo doo items. 

If you have a garage, consider converting it into a living space to add quality of life. Of course, garages are great for storage and can extend the life of your vehicle. BUT..... it can also be a great place to hang out with friends and talk about life. "What is talked about in mO's, stays in mO's". 

Today, mO's is a second living space that is a great space to watch baseball, entertain, hang out, and is essential for Oyster fest. Each spring, mO's gets a facelift and a purging for the summer. This year, we really moved things around in order to separate living space from all the things the kids have to ride on. If you have been to mO's enjoy the facelift pictures. If you have not been to mO's grab your coozy and we look forward to your visit. Love to all our friends and family. 

Please make your reservations for this years Oyster fest with Becky Calvert, the Oyster Fest cruise director. This year, mO's will have a wood stove so we will be warm in the garage!!!

p.s. we are looking for a full size fridge if you have one to donate to the bar!! 

Dave, we will keep it organized until you get back!

Beyond the chop block, the kids can park all their bikes and things to ride on

mO's!!!!!

Sustainability tip of the Week

Sustainability Tip of the Week is a new label that I am adding and starting this week. Each week I will add a simple thing you can do as a family can to reduce their footprint on the planet. Some of these additions will be ones that you know, some will be reminders, and some will be creative things you may not have thought of before. In addition, I will add things you can do with little ones to help build stewards for the future. Of course the whole blog is dedicated to our children and building their ecological identity.
Week one!!
Hanging clothes on the line! In our houses, the biggest energy hogs are things that either heat or cool. Therefore, whenever you can resist using these comforts helps reduce your impact on the planet, saves your family money, and buys quality of life for our future generations. This summer, Mollie and I are trying to use our clothes line as much as possible to reduce our dryer use. It doesn't take more time, but it does require more effort. But while doing the activity, you are more active and spend more time outside.

Abigail at Swim Team

Abigail and Owen love the water! This year Abigail has left the ranks of kickboard to join the real swimteam. Although she will never have the height to be the next Michael Phelps she certainly has the speed. Watch and enjoy as she burns up the pool.

Adding a Bat House to our Yard

I am Bat Man

Living in Tidewater, VA, we certainly have our share of mosquitos at times. Therefore we decided to do something about it. When we moved into Snuggle Acres there was a telephone pole in the backyard. It is still there but we have had the service turned off to the light. One night, Mollie suggested that we put a bat house on the pole. Genius! (However, it has taken the carpenter several years to follow up on the plan...slacker) Anywho, the job is now done.  Now the waiting game begins to see if any bats find Snuggle Acres. I attached two links that provide bat box management and the bat box plans that I followed. Bring on the creatures of the night!!....just not from Bethpage.. that's another story!!??

Bat Box Management
Bat Box Plans I followed

Bats are the only flying mammals. Their wings are not shaped like a bird's. Their wings do not have lift. Therefore, they have to jump off of things to fly. The bat box needs to have a substantial landing area for the bats to land on. 

One special needed piece of equipment needed to build a bat box was in my shop that came from Oyster Gardening. The bats need something to land on below the box and hold on to once inside the box and you can't use metal screening. I happen to have some plastic screening left over from the construction of the upweller silos on the oyster farm. 

Abigail's Diary From School

Abigail came home from school on Friday with a special gift. Her pages say it all about her life in Urbanna.

"I went to the beach in the summer and I went in the water"

"My garden is pretty and I like it, and it has two flowers and I like it"

"This is my backyard and it is pretty. I like it and I like the flowers"

"I am back from Mimi's. The flowers are daisy's. I see a bird, it is dancing"

"This is my backyard. It has a garden. It is pretty"

"This is my fairy house. I like my fairy house. It is pretty. Fairy's live in it"
I am guessing Abigail Cola is responsible for this one, 

"I see a dolphin and a fish swimming in the sea. Wow, how do they do that?"

"I do swim team. I like swim team. We have fun. I swim the whole pool."
I like the fact that she put 100 degrees in her journal....it was hot!!

Life is Better with Rainbow Chard

This spring has a been a good one for our swiss chard. Chard, along with blueberries are my favorite super foods! I got the seeds in the ground in very early March and we have been eating five color silverbeet since early May. We also had a few rows overwinter in the big garden and have been harvesting it since April. Rainbow chard makes you happy when you see it growing in the garden...red stems, white, pink and my favorite yellow brighten any weedy patch! It actually is a great ground cover and keeps the weeds under control.

In the kitchen I have tried cooking chard with various ingredients. It basically tastes great with anything. Tonight...sauted onions, garlic scapes, yellow squash, tomatoes, and chard. You can even make a great sandwich with chard...saute a little onion with the chopped stems of chard, add chopped leaves with some salt, pepper and Soul Seasoning. Slice muenster cheese and place on bread, add cooked chard and a little seasoning. Makes a delicious grilled cheese and chard sandwich. This will definitely hold me over until tomato sandwich season! In the fall I will cook apples with chard...really anything works with this garden jewel.

So pretty, so tasty and so good for you. I am glad that I discovered chard several years ago when we joined our CSA, Dayspring Farm. Spinach used to be my go to green, but it is tough to grow tender spinach in Tidewater Virginia. Chard doesn't even get very dirty...a quick rinse and it is dirt and grit free. Life is better with rainbow chard.

Relief from Above

After 5 weeks without rain, we finally received some relief from above. It came at a perfect time. The past two days have been brutally hot including one day that hit 100. As the clouds moved across the sun this afternoon, I feel like I felt the earth breathe a sigh of relief. After about a half an hour of thunder raindrops finally begun to fall. We are suppose to receive more storms this weekend and next week is going to stay under 90 degrees.

Ability to Recognize Small Natural Cycles

Hiding from 100 degrees

Mollie and I took the kids to the river to swim after we picked up Abigail from school. It was a scorcher, so no projects were going to happen. The only place to hide was in the river. When we got to the beach, Abigail said,"Yeagh, it's high tide! A good time to swim!" I was floored, thrilled, and speechless! This is a great sign that we are getting our kids in tune with their ecological identity. She not only knew that it was high tide by making an observation at the beach, but she also knew that high tide is a good time to swim! Most kids know the changing of the seasons, but hopefully we can teach our kids about smaller natural cycles, including phases and changes in the moon.

Going on a Fern Hunt

Going on a Fern Hunt!

This weekend we went out to Old Spring Farm in Lynchburg (Daddy and Dorie's house, Dodie and Paw) Saturday morning we went out on the tractor to go on a fern hunt. Riding around the farm with Daddy and Dorie is great for the kids and their step toward understanding the natural world around them. The purpose of the trip is simple... to find plants that we can take back to Snuggle Acres and put in various places in the yard. However, the pay back is much greater than items for landscaping. The kids get a chance to identify the differences between similar looking plants. They helped dig the ferns up and recognized which ferns they thought would look good in their own yard. The kids will notice the plants in the yard and will know where they came from. In the future, Abigail and Owen will have a greater respect for these plants in their yard and in the woods, when they see then again.

Throughout the weekend, the kids got chances to use their observation skills around the farm. Sunday morning they sat with Dodie and Paw on the side porch and observed the different birds that landed on the bird feeders. This is a simple activity but allows the kids to begin to notice the critters that live in their own backyard.

We have our shovels ready!!

Paw knows where the best ones are!!

Cruizin' back in the woods

We found good ones, we will take care of you back at Snuggle Acres

Riding with Dodie

Time to get ready for the ride back to Urbanna

Abigail gets a chance to drive

Summer time croaker tacos!!

Cola's Croaker

During the summer the river is full of Croaker and we love to eat them. However it is always a daunting task of cleaning a pile of croaker after fishing. Plus you always loose a lot of meat when you filet out a croaker. Dave came up with a delicious solution to loosing meat when cleaning. Granted you do not save a lot of time when cleaning, because you do have to scale all the fish. This was the second time this summer we had Cola's croaker and we decided to make Croaker taco's on the patio.
Cola's croaker
1) Scale the fish completely
2) Cut all the way down the belly and remove all insides (return to the bay)
3) Cut out the gills!!
4) Place whole fish on a cookie sheet
5) Get the grill "fired up"
6) make cuts down the sides of the fish (4-5 on each side)
7) oil down the fish with canola oil
8) Season with old bay, blackened fish seasoning, soul seasoning, and pepper
9) Then grill the whole fish (a large spatula is handy)
10) Grill until you can pull the fish apart
11) Picking through a fish is fun and there is a lot less meat wasted when eating this way

Last night dave kept the cookie sheet on the grill and picked through the fish while people put together taco's! On a soft shell we placed cheese, lettuce from the garden, salsa (can't wait till we have our own salsa), avocado, lime, sour cream, and a big scoop of croaker!!! The kids loved it!! It was delicious. The best part... is the process. Hanging out on the patio, thankfully cooler evening, mojito's, kids playing, and people could eat when they were hungry. Eric came over after he and I were unsuccessful catching a carp in Rosegill (he wants to add a carp to his species list of fish caught) He takes off on Tuesday, we are going to miss him, but we will visit him in British Columbia and I hopefully can add salmon to my species list!!! Maybe we will make salmon taco's?

 (See the rest of the dinner photo's using the link below) 

https://picasaweb.google.com/108337845857265033397/CroakerTacoS?authkey=Gv1sRgCOi2k6nIyqiCpQE#slideshow/5614350384039078514

Bass Masters 2011

Bass Tournament After Graduation (click on "Bass Tourney" below to see pics)

Bass Tourney after Graduation

In between Urbanna and School lie two ponds that are not known by many. After graduation, 6 of us headed into the ponds to have a tournament. 6 guys, 3 boats, 3 hours + 100 fish!!!! 1st place Eric and Dave 31 fish and 4 fish in topwater challenge, 2nd place Jeff and Donny 31 fish and 1 fish in topwater challenge, 3rd place Will and Scott 30 FISH, yes we lost by one fish to two boats!!! 0 fish topwater challenge. Anywho, Scott and I caught some nice fish and some of the larger fish we had seen this season. Next time