Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Thorn at SeaCoast

This epic encounter will leave you breathless. Come see this play of remarkable performances and great special effects. My family and I attended this last year for Easter and highly recommend it for your family as well! This is an event you will not forget. Check out the link below for more information. This is the greatest story ever told!

http://thethorn.net/story

Sunday, March 21, 2010

What is a CSA?

It is CSA sign up time again, and several area farms are taking applications. Click this link to go to a list of local CSA's. http://www.lowcountrylocalfirst.org/program/Community_Supported_Agriculture.php


CSA stands for "Community Supported Agriculture", and it is a concept rapidly growing in popularity across the nation. A farmer plants a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and sells shares of the harvest for a lump sum paid up front. The shareholder shares both the risks and the rewards - if it's a good season, their weekly boxes are fuller, and if it's a poor season, there is less. The advantage for the shareholder is a variety of extremely fresh produce delivered to a central pick-up point every week, and the advantage to the farmer is knowing their crops are sold and getting their money up front to help cover their costs when the majority of them occur.


It is important to be comfortable with the farm you select, and also with their growing methods - conventional, organic or somewhere in between. I will tell you about my personal experience with a CSA a couple of years ago. The grower wasn't certified organic, but was committed to using chemicals only when absolutely necessary, and then using the safest and smallest amount. During the time I was a shareholder, she only had to do so once, and immediately notified all the shareholders of what had been treated. I was very pleased with my experience, but unfortunately the grower moved to another farm out of the area.


My daughter and I went together to purchase one share, which entitled us to a box each week for 13 weeks with an assortment of fruits, vegetables, herbs and sometimes even flowers. There were some things that we had never heard of, much less eaten, but the grower had that covered - a recipe book was included with our first delivery. We were already fairly adventurous eaters, but this really pushed us out of our comfort zone and encouraged us to incorporate a larger variety of veggies in our meals. In the end, we ended up with some new favorites.


It can seem a bit pricey going in, but we definitely saw a difference in our weekly grocery bills, and ended up saving money in the end. A great way to test it out is to split the cost and the bounty with a friend or two. It can also be fun to take turns preparing different recipes and letting others sample them.


The downside to getting these weekly deliveries is when it is finished. Kayte and I had gotten so used to fresh-picked produce that we struggled to adjust back to supermarket groceries - it's just not the same! We have once again signed up for a CSA and are looking forward to getting our first delivery next month. I'll keep you posted on how it goes!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Celtic Harp at Muddy Waters Coffee Shop

Hi guys,
As promised, if I hear of any cool events, I will let you know. Muddy Waters is a locally owned coffee shop located in West Ashley and James Island. This is the best spot to grab your latte and lap top and hang out. They have a special event called Palmetto Acoustic. This is where local artists come in and play their hearts out for the Lowcountry, and what's even better is that this event is FREE. So, bring all your friends and family because you don't want to miss this!
You get to sit back, relax and listen to great music while sippin' on your coffee. This is the ultimate cafe' experiment!

On Saturday, March 20th, the West Ashley location is featuring a Celtic Harp event from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

Muddy Waters Coffee Bar
1331 Ashley River Road, West Ashley
(843) 225-3683



Friday, March 5, 2010

Charles Towne Landing

Now this is history at it's finest. Being a native from Charleston, some of my favorite memories come from Charles Towne Landing. As a little girl, my parents would load us kids up in the car and head to the park for a picnic and to go exploring. Once we got there we would lay out our large blanket in the big open field, spread out our food and dig in. After our bellies were full we would take off to see the animals, with my dad excitedly trailing behind. Secretly, seeing the bobcats was his favorite.







Just a little history for you; at Charles Towne Landing, a group of English settlers landed in 1670. This established what would become the birthplace of the Carolinas colony, the plantation system of the American South, and one of the continent’s first major port cities. Here at the park the story is still told. Opened in 1970 as Charles Towne Landing State Park, the peaceful park on a marshy point off the Ashley River was rebuilt in 2006 with a sharpened focus on the site’s remarkable past. This place is amazing and you will have so much to explore while you're there. There is the animal forest,Living History, Archaeology, crop garden (following instructions from 1670), 80 acres of gardens that includes an elegant live oak alle’ and the Legare-Waring House(one of Charleston’s favorite sites for weddings). One of my personal favorites is the Adventure ship (Charleston's only 17th century replica sailing ship).
(Me at age 7)

Attention all moms - this is one of the best places to take your kids. They can run and play and get all their energy out without you having to worry they might break something. Michael and I took Gabriel & Devin there awhile back and they had such a great time. Their favorite part was seeing the big bear in the animal forest and of course the open field (lol). I wasn't able to capture any of it on photos so whoever wins this contest, don't forget your camera because you will have some priceless pictures. As you can tell, Charles Towne Landing has made a big impression on my life that I still talk about from being a little girl, age 7, till . . . well, I won't get into current age, let's just say older. Ohh, the memories!! Now go and make your own memories!


Good luck with the contest!!









(Me at age 7)

Monday, March 1, 2010

Yorktown Winners!

Ok!! Drum roll please.....The winner of the Yorktown tickets is Eugene!!

As always, thanks for playing our contest. It is such a pleasure to see everyone enjoying this blog. Keep in mind we are blogging on other events and topics during each month so check back often so you're not left out!

This next attraction will be displayed on the 5th and trust me you will not want to miss this one. Will be Blogging you soon! See below for your next clues: