Farm Share Friday & Roasted Kohlrabi Recipe

Hi friends! We are in the midst of an intense heat wave here in Iowa, which gives me time to catch up on all the things indoors!

With no share box the week of July 4th, and a busier than normal last week, I am finally able to update you on produce we received and recipes we love! Part of the fun of participating in a farm share or CSA program is experiencing produce that you might otherwise not purchase, example: Kohlrabi.

Prior to this past week, I had never bought, cooked with, or eaten kohlrabi, but I was determined to find a use for it. With some simple searching online, I found an easy roasted kohlrabi recipe that turned out amazing (and approved by the 1 year old!).

It turns out that kohlrabi tastes like a cross between a potato and an artichoke. This simple recipe calls for roasting with some salt/pepper/olive oil and topping with Parmesan cheese, ta-da! Instant side dish or snack! Here is what mine looked like.

Click here to see the recipe I used

Now for next week, I have quite the variety to work with and I couldn’t help but snap a few pictures of all the color! Here are a few pictures of what arrived fresh this week.

Fresh sage drying in the kitchen!

I am glad the larger vegetables are starting to be in season, but I do need to get creative with all of these zucchini! I pinned a few different dishes/casseroles that call for zucchini and corn, so I might have to track down some sweet corn and see what I can come up with to share with you next week.

That’s all I have for today, and if you are local to Iowa make sure to stay safe during this intense heat wave! I will see you all soon!

DIY - Bug Repellent Mason Jar Lanterns

Hi friends! Today I have a really easy DIY for the outdoors! Gnats and mosquitoes can really put a damper on outside activities, and bug spray works great for an individual person but I wanted to find a solution for a larger area such as driveway/garage.

I did a bit of research and trial and error, and the results are these cute little mason jar lanterns. They are super easy to make, and extremely budget friendly. I have tested them out myself and can personally say they do actually work, and last quite a long time.

Step by step instructions are below, or feel free to click on any picture to pin this post for later!

First, gather your materials!

You will need:

-A mason jar of any size, complete with lid

-Rope wick

-Liquid bug repellent

I grabbed a few different jars that I had laying around, and then went to Target for the rest of the materials. They are currently having a decent sale on their patio/outdoor items so I was able to pick up the rope wick (came in a package of two) and the liquid bug repellent for under $10 total. I chose the ‘clean burn’ version of the liquid repellent, which has less smoke/flame but maintains the same effectiveness of the standard version. You could use any bug repellent/torch fuel that is designed to be burned in this manner.

Next, its time for assembly!

I had Adam use a drill bit to puncture a hole in the mason jar lid, and fed the rope wick through the opening. You could probably use a hole punch too, but I just didn’t have one on hand. Then I filled the jar about 1/4 of the way and trimmed the wick so it was just a couple inches tall. It took a few minutes for the wick to soak up enough of the liquid to ignite, but once it did I snapped this picture…

I really like that there is no smoke/soot coming from this ‘clean burning’ torch fuel, as that was one of my biggest hesitations to ever investing in the traditional ‘tiki torches’.

Last step…Enjoy!

I made a few different lanterns with a few different sizes and colors of mason jars, and set them out on the front porch when we were out there the other night. Not only did they look cute, but they served a great purpose too!

Quick safety note, these jars do get warm after being lit for a long period of time, so be sure to let them cool before handling them. Also, I like to put them in a metal tray or on concrete (or anything non-flammable) just in case they were to be tipped over.

That’s all I have for you today! I hope you are enjoying those long summer evenings and if you are having a biting insect problem like we were, you might give these lanterns a whirl! As always, thanks for stopping by the blog today!

Farm Share Friday - Week 5

Hello friends!

It’s Friday and that means we have not only made it to the end of the week, but it’s also time for #farmsharefriday! Today’s post is going to be super quick since I don’t have any new recipes to share with you from last week’s box and I am on a time crunch this afternoon while writing this (can we say last minute?). Again, these posts are not sponsored and just my personal experiences and opinions with a local farm share program.

Alright, let’s get to it!

This week’s box contents:

1 doz eggs

2 heads of lettuce

1 bag of spinach

1 very large bunch of basil

Radishes

Beets

Now I consider myself a very non-picky eater and will try almost anything several times before determining I do or do not like it, however I can confidently say I am not a fan of beets. We did receive a few of them this week and luckily I have some coworkers that can take them off my hands.

Well speaking of work, I have to get ready and head there this evening. If you follow us on Instagram you occasionally see some story posts from my real job as a 911 dispatcher. I always thought that job title was mysterious so I try and share as much as I can about it to those curious.

See you soon friends!

Farm Share Friday - Week 4

It’s time to see what we received in our weekly share box from our local farm!

These posts are not sponsored! Just a little insight from me on how these programs work.

Yay for Friday! We made it!

This week for #farmsharefriday I have a really great recipe for greens, one that the entire family enjoyed! I also have so much produce from the box this week that I couldn’t squeeze it all into one photo. As the weather continues to improve, I have a feeling our share boxes will continue to reflect that!

First up, this super easy collard greens recipe…1.5 year old approved! I love fast recipes with minimal prep time and this recipe was perfect!

https://cookieandkate.com/quick-collard-greens-recipe/

Next up, I have a photo of some of the contents from our share box this week! I left out of the photo the rest of the turnips, and opted to show you just one of each so the picture wasn’t too cluttered, you get the idea!

2 large heads of lettuce

1 bunch asparagus

1 dozen eggs

1 bunch collard greens

1 bunch each red and white turnips

1 bunch parsley

1 bunch green onions

I am excited to have more collard greens for dinner tonight! I will be back next week to share what we loved and the contents of our next box. Follow along on Instagram for all of our decor/renovation/building projects, there’s always something happening!

Thank you for stopping by the blog today!

Farm Share Friday - Week 3

It’s already that time of the week again, my favorite day (for many reasons)! We finally have the hot and humid Iowa weather that we are used to, and that means all sorts of goodies are popping up out of the ground, especially the herbs! We had a lot of leafy greens in our delivery last week, and I want to share a juicing recipe for anyone looking to add a little greenery to their diet. And don’t worry, my 1.5 yr old enjoyed it with me, so it can’t be that bad!

Green Juice

-2 green apples

-handful of each: kale, spinach, lettuce

-4 stalks celery

-1 Lemon (peel removed)

If you have never juiced anything before, read the directions for the machine you are using as they are all a bit different. I really like to juice vegetables because it’s easier than eating them and still provides all the health benefits! This recipe was perfect for all of the leafy greens we had in our share box last week.

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Ok, on to this week’s box contents!

-Fresh flowers for planting

-Blueberries

-Green Tomatoes

-Eggs

-Radishes

-Sage

-Two heads of lettuce

-Greens

I have never tried fried green tomatoes, and it looks like this week I might have to! I better run and finish my outdoor work before it storms again, you can definitely tell it’s spring time in the Midwest lately! As always, thank you for stopping by the blog today!

Farm Share Friday - Week 1

Hello! It’s time for our first edition of #farmsharefriday that I introduced last week. This is a weekly look at what we received in our share box from our local CSA farm. Not sure what a farm share is or have questions about the risks and benefits of joining? Check out my last post here.

It has been a very wet and cold Spring here in Iowa, so I was very surprised when I opened my box of goodies this week and saw everything. I have a quick video up on Instagram stories if you want to check out the un-boxing, but here is a photo of everything that was included this week.

Week 1 Share Box Contents

-Eggs

-Rhubarb

-Green Onions

-Asparagus

-Radishes - two varieties

-Turnips

-Homemade Jam and Honey

These veggies not only smell like they are straight from the garden (you know what I’m talking about!) but some of them actually still have dirt on them….I mean, it doesn’t get much fresher than that!

I am not sure that I have ever eaten a turnip, but this week I will be trying a recipe for turnip crisp (and if it’s amazing I will share it next week). I am also looking forward to making some asparagus risotto and rhubarb crisp. I will be the first to admit I am not much of a cook, but I find that is mostly because I make the same few items over and over. This farm share program forces me to think outside the box and research recipes that will work with the food I have on hand. It might be a bit of a challenge, but I am up for it!

While we are at it, can we take a look at these eggs? I love all the color variety!

That is all I have for now, check back with us next Friday to see how we used this share box and what the contents are of our next one! Thanks for stopping by today!