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On Wednesday we went with Angela and Wesley to the Boggy Creek Farmer’s Market.  It is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9-1.  They say to come early for the best selection.  We were there about 9:45 and there was a lot of everything but lettuce and tomatoes.  They were all gone.

The boys carried the bags while Angela and I filled them up.  Angela got some eggplant, peppers, onions, and potatoes.  I got some pears, and onion and half dozen fresh hen eggs.

After we got our veggies the kids headed over to the baby chickens.  They were so sweet talking and pointing to the chicks.

Next we went over to the hen house.  This is were the eggs I bought were laid and collected.  There were a lot of hens and a rooster or two.  The kids did not see the rooster, but Wesley heard it and got really excited.  He started saying cock-a -doodle-do over and over.

Next to the hen house is a dirt pit/pile and some trucks.  What kid can resist that?  Wesley spent his hole time there.  He was uninterested in the big chickens, but Wesley Owen and Jillian thought they were pretty neat.

After our visit with the hens and a tour of the farm, (The boys thought it was cool to see where the produce was grown.  They also liked the rows of dirt that were tilled over for the next crop to go into.) we sat down on the benches and had some goats milk ice cream.  Wesley Owen had chocolate and I got Ambrosia (pineapple, coconut and vanilla flavor) for Wesley and Jillian.  Jillian loved it - Wesley did not.  Wesley Own shared a bit of his chocolate and Wesley loved it.  So we went and got him Turtle Chocolate.  Once everyone was happy with their flavors, they sat and enjoyed the ice cream and made a pretty big mess on the bench and on their clothes.

Then it was time to leave the farm.  Angela and I had no real plans for the rest of the day.  We were planning on heading back to her place and letting the kids play.  But she got a call from the her friend the owner of Los Portales asking her to come and work the lunch shift.  So we headed over there for lunch.  The kids ate their tacos and ate queso and chips.  Wesley was dipping queso on a chip for Jillian and feeding it to her.  It was pretty cute.  Then I noticed there was salsa in the queso.  And then I looked at Jillian.  Wesley gave her the salsa too!  It was hot for me so I was worried that she would be crying.  She just looked up at me and gave me a look like “huh.  My mouth is hot.” and then took a sip of her milk and she was just fine.  She is like her daddy.  Likes it hot!

It was a fun day.  It is nice that Angela lets me tag along with her.  As she pulls away from my house she always says - the bus is on the move…  Wesley now calls our car a bus too.  It is pretty sweet.

We are looking forward to our next excursion out with the Wesley Owen.

Epicurious has released a neat little interactive map that shows you what is in season for each month of the year for each state.  A handy little tool when we get produce that looks good, but tastes like cardboard filling our supermarkets yearround.  It is especially helpful when you say, I don’t know, move across the country to Texas and you don’t have a clue when anything is actually ripe.  It isn’t perfect, for instance it never lists Strawberries in Washington despite the fact that I have many friends who picked these summer after summer, but it is worth a look.

Epicurious “Peak-Season Map”

Yesterday was Lou’s birthday.  Lou is Amber’s dad and we miss him quite a bit.  He died a few years ago during a period of time when Amber was having a hard time reconciling her feelings about him.  It has been rough at times.  We have celebrated his birthday each year since in a special and somewhat unusual way.

Amber has memories of Lou waking up and cooking food in the middle of the night.  One of his favorites had been fried ravioli.  So each year on his birthday we celebrate with Midnight Ravioli.  It isn’t a complicated recipe.  Just heat up a bit of oil in a frying pan, throw in some cheese ravioli (I think fresh works best), flipping once and cooking until the ravioli are warmed through.  They get browned, slightly crisp and a little puffy.  The cheese gets warm and melted and they are absolutely delicious.  We finish them off by dipping in some red sauce.

I’m glad we’ve chosen to remember his birth and not his death as some family members have.  It is nice to have a simple yet meaningful ritual that helps us keep him in our hearts  Soon we’ll be able to involve Wesley and Jillian in a happy event and teach them a bit about their grandpa.  Happy birthday Lou!  We won’t forget you so long as we have midnight ravioli.