Azure Standard Order

Does it seem like just yesterday that I posted my Azure Standard order and talked about having 50 pounds of potatoes and 50 pounds of carrots to get put up? Maybe it seems that way to me because I just this morning got the last load of carrots in the freeze dryer. I had planned to pickle some of the carrots but just didn’t have time to do that. I ended up canning 45 pounds of potatoes and keeping 5 pounds out for us to use. Same with the carrots. Glad to have that done.

The March Azure order cuts off . . actually, at 6 p.m. my time tonight so it’s already ended. I had my order pretty much made two weeks ago, then I noticed our drop location had changed. I wrote our coordinator and she said she was moving it to her house, which isn’t as easy to get to. Not a deal breaker, but it sounded like it might be difficult with all the people, especially if it rains since she mentioned a muddy driveway. I talked to Vince about it and decided to cancel my order and wait and see how the pickup goes at the new location before I tried it.

I couldn’t believe how sad I was to miss a month of Azure products. I kept thinking . . I’ll just do it. How bad can it be? Then I’d say “What does it hurt to miss a month?” Last night I was back on the Azure page, knowing the deadline for ordering this month was approaching, trying to decide if I was going to do it or not, and I noticed the pickup location had been moved back to the original place. I have a feeling our coordinator and the truck drive discussed it and decided it was best to stay where we were.

So, here’s my order for this month. Below the order, I’ll tell you a little about why I ordered some of the things I ordered.

Why I ordered some of these things:

Orange Blossom Honey – This is a one gallon plastic container. We use a lot of honey. Vince was putting it in his coffee but he’s stopped drinking coffee. Are you kidding me? I never thought that would happen! I use honey in my tea. I use honey when I make granola. Several of the bread recipes, including English Muffins, call for honey. Honey will last forever so I try to keep a good supply of it. By the way, if it goes solid, I put it in the bin I use with the sous vide, set the sous vide on 110 degress and let it go til the honey has all turned back to a liquid. Azure’s orange blossom honey is one of my favorite honeys. My very favorite is Raspberry Blossom but it’s almost twice as much as the Orange Blossom. Heck . . I waited til the last minute and added it but didn’t redo my screen shots. There were only 14 gallons left so I doubt I get one anyway.

Raw White Cheddar and Raw Pepper Jack – 5 pounds each. We get 5 pounds of the pepper jack almost every month and 5 pounds of the cheddar about every other month. The pepper jack is the best. I have to limit myself with this cheese. I will cut the 5 pound blocks into about 8 pieces, vacuum seal them individually and freeze them. As one piece in the fridge gets low, I’ll grab a piece out of the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge.

Dark Sweet Pitted Cherries – This comes in a 5 pound box. I will divide these up into about 8 ounce portions and either freeze them or can them. I love making tapioca pudding and adding the cherries. I also love this recipe for Cherry Rhubarb Crisp (I make half the recipe).

Cosmic Crisp Apples – 3 pounds. I wanted to order the 27 pound box and make freeze dried apple slices but decided to try them first. I haven’t ordered apples from Azure before.

Lemons – 2 pound bag. They’re organic and basically the same price as the lemons from Walmart that are not organic. We make a concoction of ginger, lemon juice, orange juice, turmeric and water, and I mix that up in a jar and each morning we drink 2 T. with a bit of olive oil, black pepper and cayenne pepper. We measure out our 2 T., pour it into a glass, then add the olive oil and as much black pepper and cayenne as we each want. I think Vince has stopped adding the cayenne to his.

Chamomile Tea – I’m planting chamomile this year and hoping to be able to make our own tea but for now, we buy it.

Brazil Nuts – 2 pounds. They’re supposed to have lots of health benefits. We each eat one per day. I don’t always remember. Normally, a 2 pound bag will last us four or five months.

Hulled Pumpkin Seeds – 1 pound. These go into our granola and sometimes into muffins.

Solana Gold Applesauce – 24 oz. jar. I’ve been wanting to try this and see if the cost difference in this and Aldi’s applesauce is worth it.

Carrots – 5 pounds. We eat a lot of carrots! These will be just for eating – no canning; no freeze drying carrots this month.

Tomato Paste – I don’t use a lot of tomato paste but this was on sale. There are 3 – 7 oz. jars per box and I got two boxes. That’s probably enough for well over a year for us.

Large Baking Cup Liners – 4 boxes of 60. I use these when making muffins or cupcakes. I went back and added the Mini Baking Cup Liners too. I use those often for muffins when we want little bite sized snacks. These can be thrown into the compost bin or they can be buried in the garden and will compost. They are so different (better) than any other liners I’ve ever used.

Stacy’s Tortillas – These taste so much like homemade. It’s easy to make tortillas but sometimes, it’s just easier to grab one already made.

Nancy’s Cottage Cheese – We get the whole milk variety and many evenings, we’ll have a bit of cottage cheese with fruit. I ordered 2 of these.

There you have it – my Azure order for the week.

The only thing I think I’ll have to do with this order is cut up the two blocks of cheese, vacuum seal and freeze that and divide up the cherries and freeze or can those (probably freeze). So much easier than canning all those potatoes and carrots last month!