Ever since moving down to Oregon wine country, door after door has been opening for me.  I found the greatest apartment with high ceilings and huge south facing windows (which the sun is gloriously shining through right now). I landed a great weekend job at Red Hills Market, which fits me to a t and is a place I whole-heartedly believe in.  I’ve been shown great support and encouragement for all my friends and family.  And I’ve met some kindred spirits and charismatic people.  And that’s a big deal for me, considering I’m one of the most relational people out there.  I haven’t been lonely for a moment since I moved out here.

One of the most exciting doors that has opened lately is an opportunity to really plug into this local community.  When Red Hills Market opened a couple weekends ago,  I made a latte for Nadine, a local gal who runs the Dundee Dirtbox CSA.  See, a CSA is a Community Supported Agriculture with members who get a box of locally grown and seasonal produce every week.  My friend Lindsay and I had talked about joining one and splitting the box every week but we didn’t get past simply talking about it.  When I met Nadine, we got to talking about her CSA and my love for cooking seasonally and locally and this here food blog that I’ve started.  She got really excited, and I got really excited, and we ended up talking about trading veggies for recipes and blogging.  She needed something to help her customers figure out what to do with all the produce and herbs in their box every week, and I wanted to find a way to get more season veggies in my kitchen.  It was serendipity, as Nadine says.

Yesterday, I took a mental health day off of work and ended up seeing Nadine that morning at Red Hills and spending the day with her going around to all her farm plots, moving hay bales into a little barn, and eating lunch on her porch in the sunshine (it was DELICIOUS!).  It was one of the most life-giving days I’ve had in a while.  I’m ecstatic about the potential doors this could open, the people I will and have already met, the delicious food that I’ll get to make, and the big summer dinners that will gather friends from all walks of life.

Be sure to follow the Dundee Dirtbox CSA blog, as Nadine and I both contribute.  She’ll keep you up to date on what’s happening around the farm, and I’ll give you something to make for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

www.dundeedirtbox.wordpress.com