So, with all the weddings done and summer coming to a close, I’ve been trying to keep busy with other things besides work. My latest adventure? Cooking. We got so many neat kitchen and cooking gifts for our wedding, and I’ve been trying to put them to good use. My favorite is the box of Penzeys Spices we got from Boone’s old co-workers at MSOE. There are lots of grilling, dressing, and pasta spices to try out.

We are also part of a CSA (Community Support Agriculture) and get a box of veggies every two weeks. If you are not familiar with CSA here’s how it works: a regional farm grows local fruits and veggies, packs them, and sends them to local communities. The veggies are organic, it supports local farmers, and reduces our use of gas (you don’t need to ship veggies across the country in trucks). Our CSA program is Harmony Valley in Viroqua, WI and they ship to West and South WI, and the cities. They also have a stand at the Dane County Farmer’s Market and are always busy. The best things we have gotten are the sweet corn, edamame, and asparagus, but we also get tomatoes, strawberries, peas, cucumber, raspberries, and others. The veggies are really fresh, and sometimes we get some weird stuff that we aren’t use to cooking with, so it’s been interesting to try to come up with ways to use them. Luckily this farm sends a newsletter with recipes and tips with the boxes, so I at least have a place to start with my kitchen adventures.