What Did She Do Today?

She Darned A Sock January 26, 2011

Honestly, I was pretty okay with the idea when I realized it would necessitate a trip to the antique store, maybe even a couple.  Add in my favorite handmade socks have a hole in the pad of the foot, and there was no turning back.  It did take a couple stops, but in the end Union Street Antiques in Rochester, NH had just the most darling darning mushroom and tonight I found a video with folks with British accents (very cool) and great close up video of how to darn a sock, so friends, tonight I darned a sock.

It's really not all that hard or time consuming.  I have no idea why folks speak of sock darning with such disdain.  Not, mind you that I hear of sock darning often, but when I do, it's not with kind words.  I enjoyed it, and am very willing to do it again, should my handmade socks need the attention.

For my first attempt, I think it came out pretty well.  I went with nylon sock enforcing thread, doubled, instead of using the original yarn. I figured that it would be more sturdy that way, and since it's the bottom of my foot, there was no need to worry about it matching, or showing.  Looking at it, I think I would have done myself a favor by going wider than the actual hole, as the yarn seems a little thin across the whole pad, not just where the hole formed, but they are wearable again, and if another hole shows itself, I'm confident in my ability to thwart it's expansion!

She Canned More Food October 13, 2010

Apple Sauce (24)

Grape Juice (39)

More Canning.  The grapes were done by putting 1 cup of squished grapes into a quart jar, adding 1/4 cup honey, filling with boiling water, then put in a Water Bath for 25 minutes.  These will sit on the shelf until January, giving the grape flavor time to develop.

We did our applesauce differently this time, and decided, after weighing the pros and cons we will be going back to our "normal" method.  Usually we peel, core, slice apples, place in big buckets and cook until soft and stir until broken up.  This gives a nice flavor, chucky texture, and golden color, all hallmarks of the perfect sauce in the minds of Jessica and myself. 

Today we borrowed a food processor item, a Victorio Food Strainer/Sauce Maker, from Virginia.  We quartered and cored the apples, cooked them for about 1/2 hour, until softened, then ran them through the Vicotorio, placed sauce in hot jars and then into a Water Bath.  The sauce is smooth, light in color and due to the lack of long simmer time, is not as rich in flavor.  We added cinnamon and hope with the time in the Canner with the spice, a richer flavor will develop.  We decided to put the rest of the puree on the stove and simmer overnight.  I will be canning the rest tomorrow, but I think I might do up some more apples, as we usually do, to add to the apple sauce puree we have now, so we can get the texture back, too. 

I guess we are just old school, Jessica and I, and we like our paring knives and peelers.  But, about the Victorio...It's brilliant.  It worked just like it should.  The mechanism is smooth, it separates the seeds, skins and such accurately, and the puree is very smooth and consistant.  I used it with my autumn olives and it was the best puree I've made with those berries.  I was quite impressed.  Virginia used it for tomatoes, and I imagine it would be brilliant for that, and that alone would make it worth picking up, as it cuts out the need to peel them by blanching.  It did work great with the apples, and if we were very short on time, or weren't such picky chicks, it would have been just fine.  This is making it my "things to consider for next year to make life a little easier" list.

63 More Quarts of food put away.  Oh, and many of those quart jars were among those we picked up this morning from a fella in Barrington who was selling a whole bunch of jars for are mere $10.00, via Craig's list.  Virginia got 1 dozen Quarts, there were about 4 dozen for us, and a bunch of 1/2 pints.  Great Deal!

She Found Some Beautiful Antiques July 20, 2010

First, the canned tomatoes from last night were delicious.  I took the 1 pint, dumped it in a pan, added 1 pound of fish, salt and pepper, covered and let it bubble and simmer until the fish was done.  Broke the fish up, served in a low bowl, topped with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and a little piece of focacia bread on the side.  Oh, my!  I'm so thrilled, and am now anticipating the joy of opening those jars in January!

Still no horn worms, though I'm obsessively checking...

The other day I ended up in my Great Grandparents old shop looking for a couple random things, but stumbling across some real treasures.  I knew Gram had some old aluminum pots that I could use for a music wall for the girls, more on that when I make it, and I did find some great things for that project, but look what else I found...and my sweet dad gave me permission to keep, as my very own!

 

That red stool is amazing with it's lovely crackle. I can't tell you how many stores I searched through while on a quest for a stool exactly like that.  Great Grammie's Pie Basket, so beautiful, well made and in perfect shape.  I am pretty sure it is the one I remember from 4th of July.  A vintage bed sheet for another project I have up my sleeve.  The slicer is so cool, a white marbled lucite.  I Love it!  The blue and green fabric in front is just a small piece of fabric, but it's so cool, and will become something lovely in the future.  I've been looking for metal ice trays!!  Now I have one.  And how adorable are those chicken salt and pepper shakers?  Seriously, so adorable!  My two favorite pieces are the HANDSTITCHED, like EVERY stitch is hand stitched, quilt, and the fabulous butter mold.

I'm going to see if Grammy knows anything about the quilt, like who made it, or when, as dad didn't know. But he did tell me all about butter making.  He thought all the molds were given to the Strafford Historical Society years ago, since who would have thought that making your own butter would come back around?  Great Gram had a couple butter churns and other molds.  Dad said she and Mrs. Styles would get together, when the cream started piling up at their respective dairy farms, and make butter all day long.  Dad said Gram had a long butter churn that had a crank handle on the side, and thinks that one worked the best, as it was used most often.  This one little cow butter mold remained, and I'm over the moon that it did.  I'm planning on making some more butter just so I can stamp it with this adorable cow, just like Great Grammy used to do.

She Heard the First Ping of the Season July 19, 2010

Dad and I were chatting today, and both agree, we wouldn't mind one bit if it was March 2010, instead of July.  This year is going far too fast, for either of us.  But it's July, so onward we go, and must simply try to make the most of each of the remaining days.

Today was a rather productive one.  I weeded, put more hay down, pruned and checked over my tomato plants.  I had heard rumor that the tomato hornworms are out and about, but I found none.  This made me mildly nervous, until my dad came down with about 40-50 of them, to feed the chickens.  His garden, next door was crawling with them!  Now I'm just on pins and needles.  I want to go outside every few minutes to check the status.  This is nerve wracking, especially since I am going to be out of town for 5-7 days next week!  Eeek.  I knew I was asking for trouble with my fragile tomato crop when I agreed to this work engagement.  I guess Mini is going to learn pretty quick, what a tomato hornworm looks like so she and Husband can keep them from annihilating the plants while I'm gone. 

I pruned the tomatoes for the first time in my life.  I had no idea, but you are supposed to prune them to make them more productive.  Cut all the leaves below the first fruit set, then remove all the suckers.  The task started out a little gingerly, but by the end I was cutting branches that even had a little fruit set already!  This is supposed to concentrate the energy of the plant to the business of making fruit, instead of leaves.  This is an ongoing thing that you need to keep doing as the plant grows.  I'm hoping I chose well, and they produce boldly this year!

As if pruning, and keeping the hay stocked, and pulling bugs off isn't enough, there is a confirmed case of Late Blight in Maine!  It's a gardener, and I have no more details than that.  Seems everything wants my tomatoes.

Speaking of tomatoes...I canned my first batch tonight.  I had a box from a friend, they were green house tomatoes, nothing exciting, or heirloom, but the price was right and it gave me a guarantee of tomatoes on the shelves come fall...Bird in the hand beats two in the bush after all.

I put some basil leaves and garlic flower bulbs in each jar, with a little extra lemon juice. I wanted the basil and garlic for flavor, since the tomatoes, while yummy enough, are not super flavorful.  I hope my little experiment worked,  but there are 6 quarts and a pint resting on my counter calming my tomato frenzied nerves, at least a smidge.

Canning tomatoes requires the removal of skin, which was made a lot easier due to my awesome find of a $4.00 colander that is the size of my large canning bowl!  I placed the colander in the bowl of cold water, added ice, then once the tomatoes had been heated in boiling water a couple minutes, I scooped them into the colander and, once cool enough, simply lifted the colander out, dumped the tomatoes into a bucket to work with them, and replaced the colander, added a bit more ice and repeated the process.  It was so fast, clean and easy.  Yay!

 

I took all that skin, placed it in my Vitamix, and blended them to pulp.  This is in my refrigerator awaiting the moment that I have enough free time to turn it into ketchup!  I'll let you know how that goes in the coming days.

She is hay rich! July 16, 2010

You'll remember, maybe, a while back that I went to help a local farmer unload their load of hay. I think there were about 300 bales, and the farmer kept saying she felt "hay rich".  Today I drove to the "Big City" of Salem NH to pick up the Second Cut Alfalfa that just came down from Canada! 

Bringing home a sweet smelling truck, full of hay, felt very comforting and cozy.  I only have 11 bales, but considering how much is there and how much they eat, this might be enough for a year of rabbit feed hay.  I am still working on raising them on real food, that is free of GMO's.  They receive a tuna can of a mix of oat and barley in the morning, a nice bunch of greens from the garden, or the property (parsley, carrot tops, beet tops, cabbage, raspberry branches,  plantain, and more).  In the evening they receive hay.  Until now, I haven't had access to alfalfa hay, which has the most protein, but have been feeding a mix of timothy, alfalfa and clover.  I'm hoping they enjoy, and prosper with, the addition of straight alfalfa.  

On the way to Salem, over an hour drive, in a truck without air conditioning, I felt there needed to be a little something to make the trip more tolerable.  What could do that better than the stop at a couple antique stores?  Nothing, that I could think of.  I found a fabulous plate that I kicked myself for passing up when I found it a few months ago in another store.  So exciting to be given a second chance!  And oh the kitchen towels!  They are beautiful, and so lovely to touch.  You can feel the amazing absorbency ability when you touch the cotton!  I tried very hard to look only mildly interested in these until I found out the price, for if I showed my true enthusiasm the owner of the shop would surely have seen my vulnerability and padded the amount.  The price was right so I took all 5.  They are even RED!  How cool.

In another shop that I adore in part because I'm always in awe of their prices.  They are the most reasonable antique shop in the whole area.  Honestly, sometimes they border on yard sale prices.  Like this fabulous (see the red again) pot holder.  Only $1.50.  I see them in other shops for $5-$9, and in no better condition.  

On the home front, I finally harvested the last of my garlic scapes.  I harvested a bunch a couple weeks back, when they were tender and lovely for making garlic scape pesto.  I left a bunch to flower, because I so love using the little cloves from the flower to toss into things.  You don't have to peel them, so they are perfect for tossing!  I can't believe how large the flower cloves are on this variety.  They are in some cases almost as large as a bulb clove!  I will finish pulling them all out and then figure out how to preserve them.  

In my crafting life, I had the brilliant idea of how to make small glass buttons for clothing.  I have made large focal buttons before, but have never had much luck in making smaller button for either children's clothing or multi button sweater fronts.  I think I've figured it out and I'm over the moon!  I made a couple adorable, whimsical, yellow buttons for Mini's new knitted dress, and a couple more that came out great.  I have all kinds of ideas swimming around in my mind now, and I'm excited for more time at the torch.  I made these with sweat dripping off my nose due to the outside temps coupled with the 2000 degree torch I was sitting behind, but I had so much fun I didn't even care!  I've been waiting for that!  

She Has Chicks Hatching May 13, 2010

Life has been pretty uneventful.  I have done a lot of yard cleanup, some planting (mostly comfrey*), and animal care.  Nothing really worthy of telling you about.  My camera has been repaired (not replaced...oh well, at least it will work and cost me nothing for the repairs), so soon I shall have pictures on here again.

The bunnies are all doing well, and Hyacinth should start nesting soon for a littler to be born early in the week.  There are chicks hatching inside, so the older chicks are going out tomorrow to the home I've cleaned and readied for them.  There are Muscovy Ducks hatching with the Mama outside, so they should be all hatched by tomorrow.

All, in all, things are going pretty well here.  I finished knitting pants for the baby.  I think I'm going to start a shawl for myself now, while I'm on the lookout for the perfect something to start for Mini.  

*I've become rather obsessed with planting comfrey.  It's such an amazing and useful plant.  All the books I've been reading, about raising chickens and rabbits, says to feed them comfrey.  It's a great source of protein and nutrients.  It can also stop diarrhea and other health concerns in the animals.  Add to that it's amazing fertilizer abilities in the garden!  It contains all of the things you want in a fertilizer, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potash.  Just put the leaves in a bucket of rain water, cover, let steep for 3-4 weeks, and then it can be used as a fertilizer tea.  I've been planting comfrey around the coops and rabbit housing and am going to plant another bed of it tomorrow.  I've been very fortunate to find folks who have a lot that they want to break up or clear out of an area, so I'm getting it for free1  Very cool.

Oh, speaking of free, I had a very fun, free day the other day.  I got two large clumps of Comfrey and a used Utility sink.  The sink will be set up outside to make clean-up/gardening/animal care all easier, and keep it all outside, instead of in the house!  I'd been looking for one for a while, so finding a free one was very exciting! 

She Was Sadly Surprised February 11, 2010

I had a wonderful time away with Husband, but before I share some of that with you, I'll share the bad news.  I went to Concord today.  The issues to be discussed were as follows:

NH House Bill # 1172  Label seeds with Genetically Modified Organisms

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More and more people raise their own food in NH to insure quality, purity and to save money. How do they know if their seeds contain genetically modified organisms or not if the seeds they buy are not labeled?  This bill asks that the time-honored consumer’s right-to-know be extended to seed labeling.

 

NH House Bill # 1388  Give farmers the right to seek damages if their crops are contaminated by genetic drift

 

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Genetic drift is proving to be a huge problem for farmers that do not purposefully raise crops that have been genetically engineered.  If a farmer’s crop becomes contaminated with GMOs through pollen drift, the farmer can be sued by the manufacturer of those genetically engineered seed, most often by Monsanto. This bill gives the farmer the right to seek damages if genetic contamination occurs. 

 Why was I Sadly Surprised...I knew there would be opposition to the bill.  I had even heard that Monsanto Reps might be among those in attendance, but those who opposed were among the Department of Agriculture, and the Farm Bureau.  They weren't just concerned about the language, legalities, or enforcement of the laws, should the bills be passed.  No, they were in opposition to the essence of the bills.  What I took from their comments, they don't seem concerned about the possible negative effects that GMO seeds can have on the Agriculture of NH. 

These are not elected officials, mind you, but they are the bureaucrats who make the decisions about our Agriculture, so in effect our food system.  It was very sad, and discouraging to see.  It means,  those of us who care, really need to make a concerted effort to contact our local ELECTED officials and let them know how we, citizens of this State feel about GMO's.  If you want to do that, you can find the contact information for your reps and send them a letter, email, or give them a call.  As an aside, I was pleased to see my State Senator, Jacalyn Cilley, was passionately and intelligently able to address the committee, letting them know of her personal support of both bills.  I thanked her for making this a priority.

Oh, the highlight, beyond listening to Joseph Marquette of Yellow House Farm give a powerful message of how fundamental our food is to our survival, so should be protected, was our local lunch!  Just a quick walk from the State House is The Barley House, which serves a few local items, this time of year.  We were assured their menu boasts more when the season is in full swing, but our party of 4 all enjoyed Buffalo Burgers from Warner NH.  Yum!

Okay, on to the fun.

Husband is fabulous.  We had a delightful time.  The inn was wonderful.  We stayed in Dover NH at the Silver Fountain Inn.  The building was beautiful, the room was comfortable, and very well decorated, the hostess was quite pleasant.  It was just a wonderful place to stay.  They had Portsmouth Tea, Cookies and fruit available at all times, which was delightful, and helpful for the head cold I developed in the hours before leaving the house.  I didn't let it slow me down though, and the tea helped a lot.

We enjoyed an amazing dinner of local fare at Black Trumpet Bistro, in Portsmouth.  I'd eaten there before with a few gal friends, but this was Husband's first time.  We dined on Rabbit, Maine Scallops and Sweetbreads, all sourced locally in New England.  The Chef makes a great effort to source local ingredients whenever possible, including the greens we enjoyed from Backriver Farm.  Yay!  A great local dining spot.

 

The next day we hit the stores on Antique Alley in Northwood.  It was so fun to poke around, talking, and just enjoying each other's company, like back in the day before children.  I found a great little item at Eagle Antiques.  An old Butter mold!  It's in perfect working order and was at a great price!   Brookford has started selling cream by the 1/2 gallon, so I think it's time I started making my own butter.  I've heard it's not too hard, with a trusty kitchen aid at your side, so I'm going to give it a try.  The Yogurt Cream Cheese Success empowered me!  Oh, and a fun little side note on the Butter Mold, Dad said it looks just like the one my Great Grammy used to have.  That makes it even cooler!

 

We missed the girls, but I think it's healthy to have a chance to miss your kids on occasion.  It was  very nice to be focused on each other, without distractions.  Our plan for coming home to tuck The Baby in, was perfect, it worked well for all of us and The Baby was in great need of some Mama love when we arrived.  We had a great time and decided we need to not wait too long to do this again.

She Got a Fabulous New (Old) Book January 29, 2010

I'm over the moon about the mail that arrived today.  First, I got this adorable postcard from my friend, Maggie.  Isn't that great!?  Thank you for thinking of me Miss Maggie!

I also received an amazing little treasure.  First, I do A LOT of stuff online, I do watch a little TV, I google EVERYTHING, I read blogs, I run an online business, I shop, I social network, I do A LOT online, I even do read online, so when I found "A Little Journey Among Anconas", by H Cecil Sheppard in full print online, via Google Books, I was giddy.  I'm raising a small flock of Anconas and to find a book written by a hard core breeder from 1922 was right up my alley.  But let's be honest, touching a book, especially an old book, with a cloth bound cover, and delightful pictures beats, hands down, any online reading!

So when I found a copy of this very sweet little book online, I had to snatch it up.  It was a little more pricey than I would pay for most books, but I regret not one cent, of this purchase.  It's in perfect condition.  I wonder if it's even ever been read. 

A lovely quote:

"Because of their naturally hardy constitutions, Anconas don't need to be pampered, milk-fed, and babied.  They thrive under sever conditions, where other birds would keel up their toes and die.  They lay eggs in cold, drafty ramshackle houses, when heavier birds would merely exist.  but my experience has shown me that under certain sets of conditions, Anconas will produce maximum.  And I am very glad to pass along to you folks who are taking this little journey some of my thoughts..."  - H Cecil Sheppard.

 

The Caption reads "She Loves Anconas"

A cart of Eggs...I have almost that many...

okay, not really, but it feels like that.

You can purchase this book in a modern reprint  from Amazon, if you are interested in raising Anconas and want to see what Sheppard learned about the breed .  A Little Journey Among Anconas: -1919

She Made Plant Stakes for her Future Herb Garden January 25, 2009

Well, with 6 days to spare I got the stuff to the accountant!  So some thrifting was in order.  While wandering around Lucky Finds in East Rochester I ran into Virginia, a fellow, local blogger.  We chatted around the store, where she helped me find a great crock. Thank you Virginia, good eyes!

 

I also found some fun old spoons for a little project that I'll share in a minute.  From there we headed over to another place called Trinkets and Treasures, or something like that, it's on the road that Lone Oak Ice Cream is on...if you're local.  It's a great little spot, and I picked up some vintage Pyrex custard cups, An enamel pasta canister, a pastry fork, a very cool old spatula and a slotted spoon...I'm a real sucker for vintage kitchen utensils.  The basket was a great find when I stopped in a different shop a few days ago, but it goes with the other items, so nicely.

I started the process to tan the rabbit hides.  They've been in the freezer for the past couple weeks while I got the alum I needed to tan them.  Basically it's a salting process, so they are currently soaking in a solution of 2 gallons of water, 1 cup of salt, and 1 cup of alum.  They will be there for 2 days, while I stir them a couple times a day.  Then I change the solution and do a couple things, after which they will soak for 7 more days.  So in a little over a week I will have 3 tanned rabbit hides...if all goes well. 

I'm pretty excited.  I find this one of the cool things about raising the rabbits for meat.  The chicken feathers are useless...well beyond the fact they can be composted.  Some of the duck feathers can be cleaned and used, but most are composted, but the rabbit fir can be tanned and sold, or used.  I'm think that is pretty cool.  I found the information on how to tan them, using the salt method, which is one of many, on the Mother Earth News Website.  I love that site, and magazine.  

The other project I did tonight involved those spoons.  I had seen this idea in a magazine so started looking for the spoons and getting the necessary equipment together.  It's a perfect combo of the old things I love, and an adorably practical application.  Little herb labels for the garden.

 

I worked up the Sage, Basil, Thyme, Oregano and Rosemary.  I'm not sure what else I'm going to grow, but I have a few more spoons for when I figure it out.  I am working on my seed order and hope to be done tomorrow.  My goal for this year is to really concentrate on the garden, both to beautify the space and make it more productive.  I am going to devote one raised bed to some herbs, and maybe cutting flowers, and I think these will be great.  For now the Rosemary is hanging out in the Rosemary plant I have on my window sill.

Another little addition, that I'm considering for the garden, is ducks.  I might get some mini ducks and have them reside in the garden.  Mini ducks are great foragers, and will eat the many annoying bugs in the garden, but they don't tend to eat the plants, and unlike chickens, they don't scratch, so they shouldn't cause much damage, though I'm expecting some is likely.  I also think it would be fun to have the silly little things to hang out with while I tend to the garden.

I'm still researching to see if this idea is sound...not all my ideas do pan out.  I'm looking at the Silver Headed Australian Spotted Mini Duck.  Of all the mini, or bantam, ducks they lay the most eggs, which is about 50-120 per year, and I love the coloring.  I'm going to call Holderread Waterfowl Farm and find out if they have experience to share concerning ducks in the garden.  I'm also curious what size eggs these little ducks lay.  Aren't they adorable!

These are ducks at Poor Ridge Ranch

She Started Strong, but May Have Gotten Herself into a Mess December 12, 2009

I bought a new sink at the Restore in Dover.  I've wanted a Cast Iron Enamel Sink for a while, and when I found a great one for only $32.00, how could I pass it up?  Well, I couldn't. 

• Disconnect Faucet - Check
• Remove Faucet and soap pump - Check
• Disconnect Sink - Check
• Remove Sink - Check
• Caulk and Replace Sink - Check
• Reinstall Faucet - Check

This is where things get dicey.  The distance between the two sink exits are not the same as the old set up, the sink hole for the trap is closer to the wall than the old sink, the water pipe for the hot water is too long...Sink not replumbed, so while it looks great, and it does, look great, it's not funtional...at all.  I am going to pick up parts at the hardware store tomorrow, but I'm thinking this might be above my pay grade.  Any plumbers (or anyone with moderate plumbing skills) out there that have pity on an over industrious, over her head, gal?  I can pay in Heritage Poultry...Chickens...maybe a duck...if you don't mind waiting a couple months for payment, I could pay in a Rabbit...I could even throw in a bag of frozen Apple Cider, or a Quart or 2 of Canned Peaches.  For this I'd even be willing to knit a Hat.

If there are no takers, I'm going to give it a shot, and if I really can't pull it off, I'll call a "professional" on Monday.

I had a great time at the Farmer's Market in Exeter today.  This is the first time the Seacoast Eat Local Market has been at their Exeter Venue, Exeter High School.  It's a very nice venue, not as cool as Wentworth Greenhouse, but don't take that as a criticsm, you'd be hard pressed to match, let alone beat, the greenhouse, as a venue.  But the cafeteria of the Exeter High School is a lovely room, with a large wall of windows and sky lights.  The space was smaller than the green house, but the vendors seemed to make due with the closer quarters, and there was still plenty of walking space, and room for the folks that were chatting and enjoying running into friends, that inevitably happens.

I bought less than normal, in large part because I still have some things left from last week.  I did pick up some Romanesco, since we all enjoyed that this week.  Salad greens, in part because I learned a trick this week.  I always have good intentions of eating salads, but reality is I never do make one, so I buy greens on my "I'm going to make a salad this week with these beautiful fresh greens" Farmer's Market High, and then get home and realize it didn't happen again, and I have wilted greens.  Chickens enjoy my lack of follow through, and I feel bad having "wasted another bag of greens".  Well, this time if my grandious plan of a salad falls through, I have an alternative to feeding the chickens...Throw them in my soup.  I don't know why I never thought of this, I just never did, until my friend fed me soup that contained wilted greens.  Brilliant.

The salad idea I have.  A bed of greens with shredded, cooked beets, crumbled cheese, chopped maple walnuts, and a little apple cider and sunflower oil sprinkled, lightly on top.  See, that sounds great doesn't it?  We'll see if I pull it off...I might shred some apples too...

I also picked up some Bok Choy.  Here is where I'm going to pass on some hints about how to eat local, especially in the winter.

• Ask the grower what to do with their food.  That's right, you see bok choy on the table, and don't have any idea what to do with it, ask.  I did this, and the grower said he sautes it with some ginger, a bit of honey, and a couple other things...don't totally remember.  This is were my next suggestion comes in. 
• Bring a little notebook.  You can write down the growers recipe ideas.  If you are too shy to ask the grower, you shouldn't be, because I'm sure they are happy to tell you what they do, but if that's just not "you", jot down the names of these "new to you" items and go home to Google.  See what others on the WWW are doing with these things.  Bok Choy, Romanesco, Heritage Poultry, whatever the food may be.  You don't have experience with it, but someone does.  Then next week you will feel more confident to make that purchase.
• Take a risk.  If you don't want to ask (I still encourage you to), then you could pick up one "weird" thing.  One item you've never used before, and then go home and Google.  It's not the end of the world if it doesn't "wow" you.  You might find your new favorite food, but you might just have an experience to build on, or learn from. 
• Talk to other market goers.  The folks who are at the Seacoast Eat Local Table might have some ideas.  If you see Bok Choy in a shoppers bag, ask them, what they plan on doing with it.  Most folks who are braving the cold to buy local food are excited about what they are doing.  They may not have time to teach a cooking class right in the aisle, but they might give you a quick suggestion (grab that notebook), or they may admit, they aren't sure, and you will feel all the more empowered to join in the risk taking.
• Eating local is not hard, but it is a process.  Remember, it is a process that we are all figuring out.  Some of us come to the table with some serious cooking skills, just now the ingredients are different, but some of us know barely enough to boil water for Mac and Cheese, or Toast Bread and we are now realizing we want more from our food, and many are somewhere on the spectrum in the middle.  Embrace where you are, and then take a step to move  closer to where you want to be.  

Okay, so those are some tips, which brings me to my plans for the Bok Choy.  I was sitting around talking to a friend (Thank you Deb), and mentioned my Bok Choy.  She shared that she had taken some onions and garlic, sauteed them in butter or oil, added the chopped Bok Choy, a little water, let the Choy heat up a little, start to wilt, then lay a piece of fish on top, cover, and let cook until the fish is done.  Again, no notebook, so it might be a little off, but the point is I have enough info to improvise a little and see where it leads.  I came home all psyched to try the dish, and mom and dad has stopped by with some Sausage Cauliflower Soup, so I'll make the fish dish tomorrow night.  

I also picked up my milk and yogurt from Luke at Brookford, some Maple Butter and Maple Walnuts from Sugarmomma...though she wasn't there, so I guess I got it from SugarDaddy...Their son had his eggs at the table, as well. He has started raising heritage breed Chickens. Black Leghorns. They are a great egg laying breed. His eggs are quite reasonably priced at $5.00 a dozen, so if you are at future markets, look him up.

Husband and the girls did their annual Christmas Card.  This is the Baby's debut, as it's her First Christmas, but Mini is old hat at this, her 3rd Christmas Video Card.  I hope you enjoy: