Top 7 things I learned while camping

Last weekend, I went camping in Yosemite. Yes, it was (quasi) real camping with a tent, lanterns, and everything. We did have flushing toilets nearby and a shower within driving distance (hey, I wasn't about to be digging). No, we didn't hire the services of a sherpa to build our tent for us, carry our backpacks, or fluff our goose down pillows. And, no, we didn't eat at any of the local restaurants or.

This was my first time in years camping. This was also my first time in Yosemite. It's so beautiful up there. Don't get me started about how lame I feel for having grown up my entire life in California yet had never ventured up to Yosemite. Now, I must go every year to make up for the last 33 wasted ones.

Here are the top 7 things I learned while camping in Yosemite (I tried to do a Top 10, but could really only think of 7 things):

1. A bear's sense of smell is several times stronger than that of a dog.
2. A hiking stick works wonders, especially when you're trekking downhill and you're over the age of 30 and feeling the impact of gravity on your knees (no, you don't have to whittle one out of a tree; you can buy a perfectly synthetic, man-made one at your local sporting goods store)
3. Korean BBQ, like kalbi, is like the best thing ever to cook at a campsite.
4. RVs can cost $300,000.
5. There are specially-designated sanitary dumps for those RVs.
6. Potable water means it's sufficient to drink, so don't be fooled by the name "potable" (btw, I didn't learn this while camping; I just Wikipedia-ed it now.) Who does PR for water? They need to come up with a better term than "potable." Potable sounds like water that's sufficient for drinking from the pot...pot as in TOILET.
7. Spam is still good, no matter where you eat it.

What the F*&# should I eat for dinner?

How many times have you been like, WTF am I gonna eat for dinner? Well, this site knows your pain and will tell you WTF you should have for dinner.

Mom returned her iPad

Just a quick update: My mom returned her iPad. BOO. (Read my post about when she purchased it.) Apparently, it was "too young" for her (I think she means it was too hip). She prefers the old school huge-ass desktop monitor. I don't know why since watching one hour soap operas on your desk has got to be uncomfortable. Guess the fobby moms wasn't ready for the iPad.

I cooked the CSA greens

Here's how I prepared the greens from the CSA box. The recipes out there for these greens are pretty similar-- sautee and/or boil, chicken stock/broth, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. It's just a variation of any of those, so I was afraid that they'd all end up tasting the same. But lo and behold...these greens have their own unique flavor.

Here we've got rainbow chard sauteed with garlic:


And, this below is a mixture of purple mustards and collard greens that I cooked with magic that is bacon (from an Emeril recipe). This was delicious!

The veggies are here, the veggies are here!

Got my first CSA box last Sunday on April 25. I haven't blogged much lately because I've been busy trying to eat it all and not let any of it go to waste!


The box is a biweekly one, and what's nice is that it's not a regular subscription, so I can order one as needed. Because you get what's in season, there's a good chance that you'll be getting the same veggies for awhile-- and you'll get kaled out! So, I prefer this option--though I'm sure the regular subscription could work better for a family. This particular CSA, South Central Farmer's Co-op, charges $15 per box (all boxes are the same size), but of course you're free to donate more. (Read my last post for more CSA details.)

Contents of the 4/25 box:
- Red onions
- Rainbow chard
- Bloomsdale spinach
- Purple mustard greens
- Collard greens
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Fava beans
- Black kale
- Beets
- Green romaine lettuce




I've heard that you can blanch and free the vegetables. I believe my friend Judy cuts hers up as soon as she gets them and promptly stores them in the fridge. I, on the other hand, was not that organized. I cut some of them up and loosely wrapped the rest in newspapers.

What's neat is that the box forces me to try different kinds of vegetables-- ones that I wouldn't normally buy at the grocery store, such as rainbow chard or beets. I even sauteed the beet greens-- I didn't even know there were greens on a beet!