This week in pictures: drippy and dreamy

Spring is a photographer’s dream. Everywhere there is colour, contrast, interesting shapes – and it is SO welcome after months of winter’s monochromatic greys and dirty whites.

Even the dandelions are beautiful!

Dreamy dandelion

I like this one of the orange tulips in my garden because I think the orange pops against the green and I like the painterly look of the bokeh (the out of focus parts in the background.) The repeating shapes of the tulip are evocative of an echo, don’t you think?

Tulippy

And then in rained. For days, which seemed like weeks. (And my grass grew about two inches this week!) I love the colour in these tulips I found in a bed downtown, with that weird streak of purple against the orange.

Drippy tulip

I’d gone looking for a foggy picture early one morning, but the fog wasn’t dense enough to make the dramatic picture I was looking for. It was, however, wet enough to make these amazing, jewel-like dew-drops on a spider web. I took this with my iPhone because I wanted to get as close as possible (my 50mm lens’s minimum focus distance is something like 30 cm or more) and because I like the black and white film look from the app I was using. But, I was trying to hunker down and balance on my toes while holding the camera steady, and a breeze kept making the web dance. All that to say, it’s not nearly as sharp as I wanted it to be — but I love the refraction in the drops. It’s 80% of where it could have been, but still not bad for something I almost walked right past!

A web of drops

This is not what I set out to do with the sea glass. It’s part (a pretty small part, actually) of our collection from Nova Scotia. I don’t know exactly what I was intending to do, but by the time I’d finished this I’d run out of time for playing with the camera, so this ended up as the photo of the day. I heart sea glass!

I heart seaglass

Sometimes, I just can’t resist the light. Don’t you wish your breakfast tasted this good?

Breakfast

And finally, a bit of a cheat. I was looking for something to submit to a photo challenge on Flickr, and it had to be something I took after April 2. I started playing with the photos from the red balloon session and ended up liking this out-take a lot more than I liked the photos I posted at the time. And then, in classic fashion, I again found I’d run out of my allotment of daily photo time, so this month-old (but admittedly adorable!) picture is yesterday’s photo of the day.

Red balloons revisited

And speaking of re-runs, remember I mentioned a while back that a Flickr contact had seen the use of my infamous puddle jumping picture on a flyer in a grocery store in Scotland? Look what arrived in my mail box from over the puddle, erm, I mean ocean, this week!

Found in the wild - Sainsbury's

How funny is it to know that this picture is in grocery stores all over the UK?

I’ve got two families coming out for porch portraits this week, so it should be a fantastically photogenic week. Hope yours is filled with beauty, too!

This may be the most excited I’ve ever been about vegetables

I‘ve been hearing about community supported agriculture (CSA) for quite some time, and meaning to do it for a while. The way it works is that you buy a “share” in a local farm early in the year, and then you get a regular selection of the fruits and/or vegetables harvested from the farm at a lesser price than you’d pay at the farmer’s market or roadside stand.

I am a strong believer in buying local food. I’ve blogged before about how much I like the Manotick Butcher for their local, sustainably-raised meat. I will drive out of my way for SunTech cherry tomatoes (oh my, have you tried them? They’re like candy!) But I have been reluctant to get involved with CSA before now for one reason: we are not adventurous eaters. I really don’t know what I’d do with a box of kale.

I’ve been hearing about Roots and Shoots farm since we moved to Manotick (they’re also behind the new Manotick farmer’s market I mentioned earlier), and a few times I stopped by their weekly farm stand in the village. It was serendipitous clicking that brought me to their website on the weekend, where I finally dispelled the “box of kale” myth by reading the anticipated contents of a weekly share in July: arugula (ok), pak choy (um, what?), beets (Beloved and my mother love ’em), carrots (check!), Swiss chard (sure, why not?), radish (yes please!), green onions (yum!), zucchini (love it!), peas (see above reference re: candy), lettuce (mmmm) and herbs.

Nothing too intimidating there, and it only gets better in August (add cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and beans to the mix) and September (add spinach, potatoes, and mini-watermelons to the mix). Yummity yum yum.

I love this for so many reasons. First and foremost, I love the idea of having a steady supply of fresh, local healthy produce for the summer. There are enough familiar foods to satisfy my comfort level, and enough new foods that I won’t be too intimidated to try something new.

I’ve been struggling with one boy in particular who doesn’t like vegetables, and I think this is a terrific way to engage him. I don’t seem to be quite organized enough to build that backyard vegetable patch I’ve been dreaming of, but this may be the next best thing. How fun is it to be driving past “our” farm regularly, talking about what’s growing and anticipating harvest time? And Roots and Shoots is open to visits, so we can bring the boys to see where and how the vegetables actually grow.

245:365 Summer harvest

As if fresh, nutritious foods that come with built-in teachable moments is not enough, I have to give props to Roots and Shoots for following organic farming processes: “Certified Organic protects not only the health of the consumer, but also the health of the farmer, the ecosystems that produce the food, the waterways on the farm, and the biodiversity of the farm. It is for this reason that Roots and Shoots Farm supports and adheres to Certified Organic standards.”

Although we’re pretty excited about our farm share, we simply weren’t sure if we’d be able to consume the full weekly share of produce. Lucky for us, there’s also a half-share option. With a full share option, you get a share of produce each week for the 16 week harvest season. We chose the half share, so we get one share every two weeks. At $290 for the summer, I think that’s an amazing deal.

Aside from everything above, I think it’s the idea of co-commitment that most enamours me. From the share contract:

You as the Shareholder, commit to understanding the challenges of growing seasonal vegetables. If the forces of nature make certain crops less available, you will accept that with grace and understanding. We the farmers commit to working with a large variety of vegetables so as to minimize any potential effects of losing a crop or two. We commit to using our many years of experience, good techniques and equipment to provide you with the best quality of vegetables for the duration of the season.

You as the Shareholder, commit to reading all of the CSA information found on this website, to educate yourself about what being part of a CSA is like. We the farmers commit to providing you with information from the farm throughout the season through weekly newsletters. We commit to providing you with opportunities to visit the farm and take part in vegetable growing should you want to.

Together we commit to contributing to a more healthy, safe and sustainable food system that is locally-oriented, and that inspires community interaction around food. We, the farmers, look forward to getting to know you and enjoying the season together.

And very best of all, it provides me with a season worth of blog fodder! Come along for the ride as we answer pressing questions like “what exactly is pak choy and what do you do with it” and “who will win the dinnertime bean battle”? I’m thinking we need a new category for these posts, but my Muse must be out hoeing the back 40. Feeling inspired, bloggy peeps? What can I call a series of posts based reaping the benefits of a CSA harvest?

Signs of Spring in Manotick

It started a few weeks ago when Fitz’s Fries on Bridge Street opened for the season, and I noticed that the deck chairs and lifeguard stands are out at the Long Island Aquatic Club. Now I’m excited! This Saturday, spring officially arrives in Manotick!

149:365 One morning in Manotick

First, Watson’s Mill opens for the summer season on Saturday. Throughout the day there will be historical interpreters and milling demonstrations, and a BBQ from 11:45 to 1:30 pm. The Mill is raising funds this summer to replace its leaky roof, so some local politicians will be on hand to support the Raise the Roof campaign.

And when the Mill is open, so is the terrific little used book sale in the carriage house building across the street. We spent a lot of time perusing its stacks last summer and have been waiting patiently through the long winter for it to re-open. If you’ve made the trip out, wander a block or two south on Dickinson to Tighe Street and check out My Toy Shop and maybe get an ice cream at the delightful HodgePodge Shoppe.

189:365 Ice cream at the Hodge Podge Shoppe

Edited to add: Was just out and about and noticed that also on Saturday, the Hodge Podge Shoppe is celebrating their 1st anniversary with door prizes, balloons, Dino Reptiles and the Junkyard Symphony. Fun!

Did you hear that there will be a new farmer’s market in Manotick this summer?

The farmers’ market is sponsored by Watson’s Mill and will be held in Dickinson Square outside the museum from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday morning beginning June 23. This year’s market is a pilot project run by volunteers rather than the usual board of directors, and could expand in the future if it goes well.

Although the details haven’t been ironed out, Roots and Shoots Farm proprietor Robin Turner, who spearheaded the idea with several local farmers, said the market will offer a beneficial alternative for residents.

“We’re gearing to make it a market where people can get a good part of their groceries for the week,” including vegetables, fruits, cheese, eggs, meats and baked goods, he said.

It will be a “producer market” meaning the vendors actually produce the food they sell, Turner added.

“There’s no reselling allowed, which means its all going to be local products. There’s an emphasis on finding producers who are as close to Manotick as possible,” he said.

I don’t know whether I’m more excited about this – a two-minute walk from my house, no less! – or the new CSA share I just signed up for from Roots and Shoots farm – which I’ll blog about as soon as I find another minute or two.

It’s shaping up to be a terrific summer in Manotick!