We be jamming apricots

On the way home from the hospital, I picked up my Happy Child CSA. It's the first time we've actually had fruit from Frog Hollow Farm Some mothers on the PAMP email list raved about their peaches, but they just tasted okay to us, as did the cherries. But it's still early in the season.

I like the idea of having fresh produce direct from a farm, but so far I've been disappointed with boxes. I tried Planet Organics and I thought the produce was lower quality than at our local farmers' market. I grew up with a mother who always shopped at the local farmers' market. And we mostly buy produce at our local farmers' market, because it's cheaper, more flavourful and C enjoys walking there every Sunday. I feel if we're going to make the effort to cook, it should turn out well and the best way to guarantee a decent meal is to use the most flavourful ingredients.

We're very lucky, because the best organic tree-ripened apricots I've ever tasted come to our local market from Needmore Farms for four short weeks. I dream about their orange fruit kissed with red. Your teeth sink easily into the fruit, rewarding you with the sweet tart juice flavoured with a hint of apricot flowers. Their first apricots of the season just arrived on Sunday. And C. didn't buy enough so we scarfed them all down by Monday.

However C ordered a box of "apricot jammers" for this Sunday. And I've organised an apricot jamming session with two of my friends. For someone who hardly cooks it's a huge effort, but I'm salivating just thinking about those ripe apricots oozing with juice.

We also buy amazing magic brown mushrooms from Far West Fungi. No, not magic as in psychedelic. I mean magic like you find in fairy tales. You put these unassuming small brown mushrooms in any dish and it tastes like a gourmet meal fit for a king!