I should say that things always happen when I'm out of town. So it shouldn't have come as a surprise when Maree called me when I was boarding a plane in Pittsburgh yesterday.
Sitting in the kitchen getting some stuff ready for Satuday's harvest party, Maree and my mom heard an outburst of yips from our neighborhood coyotes, seemingly just outside the patio window. Knowing something was up, my parents and Maree quickly jumped into action, tramping all around a sheep pasture in the middle of the night without a flashlight to ward off the predators. They were a bit confused that they couldn't find the whole flock, but what was one to do at midnight, especially when Mar had to drive into the train station at 2 am to pick me up after a botched MSP connection? They figured they had scared the pack away with all their commotion and went off to bed.
Coyotes, after finding a good source of protein, are pretty persistent I guess as my survey of the pasture this morning uncovered 7 sheep (mainly lambs slated for sale this winter) strewn from the trees down to the pond. With one unaccounted for, losing 8 sheep when you only start with 20 is pretty major. Damn. It always seems that when we feel like all of the balls we're juggling are doing fine, one has to drop. I think this is why country songs are so tragic and sad.
In the box:
Edamame: Edible soybeans - the big messy bunch stuffed into the box. Your job is to take all the pods of the stem and boil them in salted water for a few minutes. All the other stem and leaves can be composted.
A Couple Peppers
A Quart of Tomatoes
Turnips: There are two kinds of turnips in the box, the traditional white and purple ones and these all red ones you may mistake for beets.
Rutabaga: These roots should bigger than the turnips with yellow flesh, although it would be east to confuse the two. Typically turnips are rounder and rutabagas are elongated with a bigger top.
A Couple Yellow Onions
Fresh Rosemary: With all these roots in the box, this would go great with these roasted in the oven.
Pontiac Red Potatoes
Sunshine Kabooca Squash: These orange/red winter squash are a lot like everybody's favorite, buttercup, but better.
Blue Bonnet Hubbard Squash: Since traditional hubbards get to be the weight of a boat anchor, I do these mini hubbards
