So my husband and I are trying a new CSA-like service this year — farm fresh produce delivered right to our door by Backyard Produce. Much is organic. Most is semi-local (NC and VA). And it’s seasonal. Unlike a typical CSA, though, which has full or half-shares, these folks have five sizes ranging from Flying Solo ($25/week) to Super Duper ($65/week). And if there’s something in your box you don’t really care for, then you can swap it out and TRADE it for something else. Or save the credit for the next week. And if you are out of town, you can SKIP a delivery too. The flexibility is just amazing.

When the CGP and I did a half-share CSA a few years ago, we found it was just a little too much produce for us and we struggled at times to use it all up. Let’s fast forward a few years … I’m a more adventurous cook now and on a different routine for cooking. So we’re giving the Flying Solo basket a go. This week was a pint of blueberries, a quart of strawberries, two peaches, a large bunch of kale, a pound of yellow squash, and a pound of zucchini. So I think we’re going to see a sangria with the blueberries and peaches, some rhubarb-strawberry pie, and I’m going to try to grill the kale leaves. As I post throughout the season, I’ll try to remember to mention when I’m using something from my box, especially if it’s a new-to-me item.

My friend Bev has been doing a traditional full-share CSA for YEARS. This year, she’s posting each week what’s in her box and what’s she’s planning to do with it — she is much more veggie-oriented than me, so it’s been fun to watch what’s she’s doing. You should check her out at One Week Closer!

A gin-and-tonic can be mighty refreshing on a hot summer day, but I wanted to play around with gin and seasonal produce. I still had some rhubarb syrup begging to be consumed and I thought I’d try something inspired by a Bee’s Knees (thanks Sue!). Then, I saw this AMAZING Cucumber Mint Gin Cooler over on Heather Christo’s blog, so I knew I had to try a couple of gin drinks.

Let’s talk about the gin. I splurged and bought Tanqueray No. Ten Gin. Since these cocktails would have so few ingredients, I really did want a better quality base. This gin has some citrus notes to it, so I was pretty sure it would complement the drinks I had in mind.

Hornet’s Knees
Inspired by Sue’s Bee’s Knees
Serves 1

1/4 cup (2 ounces) gin
2 tablespoons rhurbarb syrup
1 tablespoon lime juice

Put the gin, rhubarb syrup, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice. Shake vigorously for at least 10 seconds until the cocktail shaker is icy. Strain into a chilled old-fashioned glass. Consume immediately.

Cucumber-Gin Smash
Inspired by Heather Christo’s Cucumber Mint Gin Cooler
Serves 1

3/4 inch tiny cucumber, peeled and diced
2 teaspoons sugar
3 or 4 mint leaves
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 cup (2 ounces) gin
2 – 3 ounces lemon lime seltzer

Put the cucumber, sugar, mint, and lime juice into the bottom of a sturdy wide-mouth tumbler (“Old Fashioned” glass). Muddle these together, making sure to smash the cucumber somewhat. Add the gin and stir to combine. Add some ice and top off with seltzer. Garnish with a thin slice of cucumber.

The last couple of weeks have been a mixed bag, success-wise, in my kitchen. No foodstuffs stood out as I Must Blog This, although a couple were pretty good. Things were more positive on the cocktail front — so watch for that next Tuesday. And there was one spectacular flop!

Early in the week I made blue cheese and walnut scones, based on a recipe for Buttermilk Blueberry Scones over at Average Betty. I’ve made these scones before, so I was already pretty confident in the recipe (what originally drew me to this recipe was that the technique and ingredients are not so terribly different than my buttermilk biscuit recipe, so I felt pretty confident going in I would end up with something **edible**). So early last week, I swapped out the blueberries for a 1/2 cup of crumbled blue cheese (the good stuff) and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. Served them fresh out of the oven with my wine jelly. Wow. Good stuff!

I’ve been mulling over the idea of olive oil and chocolate in a sweet treat, like a quick bread or a cookie. So when I found a Basic Buttermilk Quick Bread over at the kitchn, I thought I’d try using olive oil and adding some unsweetened cocoa powder and some chopped bittersweet chocolate. It was **fine**, just not what I was looking for. I do think the underlying recipe is sound, just that my tweaks fell flat. So back to the drawing board on that idea.

I had better luck with the Olive Oil & Sea Salt Brownie Cookies over at Butterlust. I deviated from her published recipe by adding a smidge of finely chopped fresh rosemary and using a smaller amount of chopped 70% chocolate instead of semi-sweet chips. These soft lovelies were a HUGE hit at the office. It hit the flavor profile I was looking for, but you know what, I really like butter in a cookie. It’s not just the flavor — it’s the texture. So I might need to try these again with half butter and half oil.

We were hosting my nieces over the weekend, so Friday night whilst watching Life of Pi with them, I whipped up some brownies using my nearly-foolproof go-to brownie recipe from Hershey’s. Try them — you will NEVER go back to a box again — and they rely on basic pantry staples.

I tried to make rhubarb jam this week and ended up with rhubarb sauce. The phone rang at JUST the wrong moment, the pan nearly boiled over, and I think I killed what little pectin lives in rhubarb. Were I a more experienced jam maker, I bet I could have put in some liquid pectin at the end, but I saw my rhubarb chunks turning to mush so just moved on to the boiling water bath. It’s tasty, if a little sweet and runny. On the other hand, I made a rhubarb-infused simple syrup with a couple of stalks — and THAT turned out lovely.

Finally, I tried to make a childhood favorite, 7-Up Cake. I googled the recipe, found a gazillion sites with the same recipe, so moved forward. I didn’t have butter soft and ready to go, so I swapped with vegetable oil (often this is fine). My darling husband bought JUMBO eggs rather than large, so I had to sub 4 jumbo eggs for the 5 that the recipe called for (this worried me). I didn’t have lemon extract, so I added some lime zest/juice and some ginger liqueur (hmmmmm). I used ginger ale instead of 7-Up (shouldn’t matter). I cooked it the recommended amount of time. I saw a lovely brown crust on the top and pulling away from the sides, so I took it out and let it cool. No, I didn’t test with a skewer — shame on me. When I cut into it — I found ooey warm custard in the center. OH NO! NOT DONE! I threw the nearly-whole bundt ring back in the oven on a sheet pan to try to cook it some more. Amateur move, but I hated the idea of tossing it all out. I took a quick look this morning — looks pretty gooey still. I asked the CGP to try some, but told him that if he didn’t like it, I was going to toss it (I hope he doesn’t eat just to keep from trashing it). I’m so disappointed — and not just because the substitutions were a total bust. I am embarrassed to admit this — I didn’t even LIKE THE FLAVOR! It was cloyingly sweet … no hint of lime or ginger at all. Just sweet. And heavy. Apparently some of the 70s recipes should have stayed in the 70s

I am REALLY REALLY proud of myself. I made jelly last night. Mason-type jars, two-part lids, boiling-water processed and all! And it set up! And it tastes wonderful! And I’m just so tickled!!

My grandmother canned like a fiend. She and my grandfather had a small farm — a few acres of fruits and vegetables grown mostly for personal use but they’d sell the surplus at a roadside stand. So everything got canned (my mouth still waters at the memory of her peach-peeling pies).

Home canning is something of a lost art these days. I know I am completely intimidated by the idea of poisoning my family and friends. But when I stumbled across a recipe for wine jelly over at America’s Test Kitchen Feed, I got to thinking, maybe I **can** do this (no pun intended). So I did a bunch of reading. I bought some jars, a canning kit, the Ball Blue Book. I lurked on the web. I identified a bottle of wine. And finally, last night, I carved out some time to Make Some Wine Jelly.

Which allowed me, this morning, to eat some with cornbread:

I’m imagining this spread on cream cheese on a bagel. Or served with bacon-and-blue-cheese biscuits. Or slathered on a round of warm brie. Oh my — sounds like I need to get baking!

This was my first batch, so consider this a brag post   I am such a newbie at this that I can’t in good conscience tell you HOW to do it, but the DEFINITIVE source for home canning instructions is the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning [this is the 2009 version — not sure if a newer one is available].