Building the Ark ...

Land ho!

The floodwaters are receding here in Woodford County, and fortunately we have made it through unscathed. That would not have been the case had we planted our crops in the new rented field adjacent to Walnut Creek. I’m putting in two pictures of the field covered in water – it was a truly impressive amount of water! The other pictures are from local roads and corn fields. The picture of the flooded creek at the bottom needs some context -- that creek is typically about 15 feet across! We were unable to get to our house from several directions on Sunday because water was covering the roads. We had a great time driving around looking at the flood (the Tour de Flood, as we called it). Noah was particularly interested in the flooded pastures. He figured the cow in the picture was thinking "what in the heck happened to my grass?!"

I was down in St. Charles, Missouri on Sunday attempting to run a half marathon. Even through Ike was predicted to bring heavy rain (100% chance!) on the race morning, many people still showed up for the race in their rain ponchos. It was ridiculous. The rain was coming down by the bucketful and everyone was completely soaked within seconds of being outside, poncho notwithstanding. I stayed for about 10 minutes before deciding it was insane. I still got to run one mile in the downpour to get from the shuttle bus to my car! My girlfriend stayed a bit longer (about 45 minutes), and by the time she got back to her car there was standing water in the parking lot up to the bottom of her door. She had to wade in knee-deep water just to get to it! She did have some engine trouble the next day due to the water, but it was pretty cheap to have repaired. Other people weren’t so lucky – the water was up over people’s tires in other parts of the parking lot by the time my girlfriend left. For people who actually ran part of the race (which was cancelled halfway through), I’m sure their cars were even more submerged.

But enough about the weather … let’s talk about bok choi for a minute. We have confirmation from culinary authority Jackie Pope-Ganser (head chef at the Garlic Press Café) that Bill’s bok choi is the best she’s EVER had. She said she steamed it for 2 minutes and it tasted like butter. Another great way to cook it, according to Jackie, is to cut in half lengthwise, drizzle sesame oil on it, and set it on the grill cut side up for about 3 minutes. Enjoy!

I'm also attaching a photo of the boys making tomato sauce. They love using the Victorio strainer -- and I have to do lots less work! I'm so glad to be at the end of the canning season!

That’s all for this week. I’m off to Madison, Wisconsin today for a planning conference. I’m speaking on a panel about LEED-ND, which is a green building rating system that the Town is following for part of the Uptown Normal plan. If you didn’t know it, Normal is pretty progressive on the sustainability front. I can’t wait to get to Madison … it’s where I recharge my liberal batteries. In my job I have to be pretty neutral and keep my political opinions to myself (which is fine and makes my life easier), but it’s really nice every now and then to go somewhere with a bunch of lefties!

Here’s what we’ll be bringing to the market this week:

French Filet Beans
Traditional Green Beans
Eggplant
Beets (Traditional, Golden, and Chioggia)
Kale
Parsley
Basil
Swiss Chard
Summer Squash/Zucchini
Cucumbers
Garlic
Leeks
Cherry Tomatoes
Okra
Head Lettuce
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers
Bok Choi
Arugula
Ruby Streaks
Daikon Radish
Japanese Turnips
Fennel
Pears
Grapes
Tatsoi
Stir Fry Greens

Bill’s now delivering to the Garlic Press in Uptown Normal on Thursdays and to Common Ground in downtown Bloomington on Saturday mornings. So if you miss a market or just run out of veggies, head to Common Ground! And if you need the veggies prepared into a fabulous meal, Garlic Press is right down the road.

We’ll see you at the Downtown Bloomington Farmers Market on Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. – noon. BRING YOUR BAGS!!

Please let your friends know about the blog. Call us at 467-9228 or email us at blueschoolhouse@yahoo.com if you have questions.

Thanks!
Mercy Davison