20 – support a local CSA

check, done, in the process.

Lesley and I signed up for a CSA earlier this year. We did a farm visit and loved the place and after talking to the owner took one of the few open spots. The farm is the Poplar Ridge Farm in Waxhaw, NC. They  are a certified organic farm by the USDA. We wanted to do this for a few reasons. We both believe in supporting local businesses and local farmers, we both thought we should be eating better and instead of going to the farmers market every week and forgetting some weeks, we opted to have the boxes delivered right to the front door. We believe in trying to eat locally and cutting some of the petroleum out of our diet, meaning less shipping costs. Also we think the seasons are there for a reason, so why not eat with them. Of course we will stray and eat from the super market in the winter, but we are really trying to eat what is in season, when it is in season. 

So this is the 3d week of deliveries. We have had a huge box each week filled with vegetables, both new and familiar. Some we know by sight, others we are thankful for Google. Others we just don’t know.  We are getting carrots that are so good. Radishes were a new one to me…well of course, I’ve heard of radishes, but I am new to eating them. Purple Kohlrabi, Pak Choi, both of the cabbage family. Greens like you wouldn’t believe - Bright Lights Swiss Chard, Red Giant Mustards, Red Russian Kale, Encore Lettuce, Bilko Cabbage, Flash Collards, Beet Greens, etc,etc. Also some Renegade Spinach, Arugula, mesclun mix, micro greens (baby shoots of different vegetables that are intense in flavor and nutrients in tiny packages of goodness), and Nevada Head Lettuce. Some leeks, some spring onions, and some regular onions. Seriously. This stuff is all so good. We have tried to eat it all and have tried quite a few new recipes, like Chard and Prosciutto Risotto and Scrambled Pasta with Spring Greens. We have frozen some carrots and sautéed some kale.

The farm partners up with some other like-minded farms and also offers as add-ons organic free range pork and chicken, all harvested the week of delivery, eggs, bread, other produce that they are not growing and flowers. This week we ordered a flower order, and it is just amazing…$15 bux and has to be a 10 inch bundle. And this will go on for 23 more weeks! We can’t wait.

When the first box came, I decided to lay everything out and take a photo This of course led me to start looking at the rest of the veggies individually, and then I took photos of them by themselves. I did it again for week 2 and then again today. I am going to try and do this every week, just to keep a record and to keep me shooting and to help build a stock of vegetable photos. I will post here sporadically, but am trying to post to Facebook every week.

So here are some pix………

week one full delivery.

week 2 full delivery.

week 3 full delivery.

Carrots.

Purple Kohlrabi.

Micro Greens.

Spring Onions, Scallions.

Easter Egg Radishes.

Leeks.

Nevada Head Lettuce.

Pak Choi.

Bright Lights Swiss Chard.

Beets.

Flowers.

Flowers.

Flowers.

Green Leafy Lettuce.

White Onions.

Peas.

No idea. If you know, please tell us!

Again, no idea. If you know, please tell us!

So a couple of weeks ago I was feeling upset that I hadn’t been able to find the time to shoot my dogwood photos for the year and it was getting warm already and the ones I was finding were already dropping petals and getting spots on the remaining ones, just looking like the end of their cycle. I try to shoot dogwoods every year, I think it is the prettiest flower and a wonderful tree. Last year I was able to shoot them on my parents property and you can see them here . This year I drove by them all over the place and just never had the time or the inspiration to stop and do the shots. It was really starting to bug me. Then I was doing a quick shoot for Rodale Publishing in a park here in Charlotte and as I was leaving decided to drive thru the park and came across this awesome dogwood tree, one of the biggest I have seen with more blooms than I could even hope for. Many of the blooms were starting to turn, but I found more than a few that were perfect, or at least perfect for me.

So here they are for 2009, the dogwoods…..

Like many photographers I am drawn to empty places, used places, abandoned places, forgotten space. I am not sure what it is that attracts me to it, but I can’t drive by an abandoned store or house without taking a long look at it. Most times I keep driving and always wonder what surprises I just passed. Sometimes I turn around, other times I brake to a stop in the middle of the road. I have been in empty mills, steel mills, textile mills, empty homes, small and big stores, hotels, motels, factories. Often these places are in rougher areas of towns and I have to take that into consideration. I’ve often seen signs of people using these spaces as a place to sleep or do drugs, but I have never ran into anyone while exploring. I like the industrial spaces the most, especially if the equipment is still there. I always try to picture the factory running at full speed, employees running around and machines humming. I wonder what happened, why is it empty, how many people lost their jobs. I try to think of the excitement of when the smelter or the tool benches or the weavers were first installed or fired up. In homes, I picture family dinners and holidays. With the economy the way it is these days, I’ve been keeping my eyes open for places here in Charlotte that I can  photograph and tie into current affairs. An empty auto lot, a floor of empty cubicles, homes with foreclosure signs. I have found an auto lot and the empty floors in the high rises, well, I need some help for those. 

The following photos were taken last summer on my way to the beach in the town of Florence SC. I drove past this hotel, and then just had to turn around, there was no fence ( often a barrier that I rarely cross ) and it was certainly abandoned. This is what I saw.