Spring CSA

Bag 6 of the Spring CSA should include the following: Fiddleheads, spinach, Swiss Chard, Tokyo Bekana, Lettuce, Salad Radishes, Hakurei Turnips, Potatoes, Onions, Apples. Please note that the weekly photo is not an exact depiction of what is in your share, but rather a reference image.

The weekly letter will be coming to your inbox the day before your pickup and is also available at stillmansfarm.com/blog and stilllifefarm.wordpress.com.  

If you cannot recycle or reuse them, we are accepting returned CSA bags.  Please be sure that returned bags are clean and in good condition.

We will see you in TWO WEEKS for your next bounty of Spring bag. The schedule is also on our website calendar.

Saturdays:

May 13, May 27
Jamaica Plain, 12-3pm

Sundays:

May 14, May 28
Lunenburg, 12-1pm

Thursdays:

May 18, June 1
Boston (Boston Public Market) 12-6pm
Brookline (Beals Street) 1-6pm
Watertown (City Hall) 12:30-1pm
Natick (Princeton Rd) 1:30-6pm
Worcester (Deadhorse Hill Restaurant) 5-9pm
Hardwick (Still Life Farm) 4-6pm
New Braintree (Stillman’s Farm) 12-6pm

Weekly Featured Item: Hakurei Turnips

Hakurei turnips are absolutely the most delicious little spring treats! They ARE NOT your “grandma’s turnips”.  Also known as Japanese turnip or spring turnip, they are so tender they can be sliced raw and eaten in salad or slaw!  Or you can choose to do a quick roast or sauté with them.  The greens are also delicious, so be sure to sauté those up or throw them in soup, etc.

SLF Sautéed Hakurei Turnips.

At Still Life Farm we like to keep it simple with the Hakurei turnips.  Cube turnips into 1/2″ pieces.  Heat about 2T butter in a hot skillet.  Sauté the turnip cubes until they just start to brown up on the edges and are slightly softer.  Turn off the heat.  Add 1T honey, a dash of S&P, and serve them up!

Roasted Hakurei Turnips and Radishes 

https://www.justalittlebitofbacon.com/roasted-hakurei-turnips-radishes/

Raw Turnip Salad 

https://www.mariaushakova.com/2015/03/raw-turnip-salad-recipe/

A note about Fiddleheads.

This local delicacy is best described as the “tightly coiled tips of early spring ostrich ferns with a tender texture and mild nutty flavor”.  Stillman’s Farm has sustainably foraged for some of your fiddleheads, and the rest are coming from our partner farm in the CT valley.  Fiddleheads are best simply eaten as a spring side, sautéed with EVOO/butter and lemon.

Preparation and cooking are important when dealing with this spring treat.  To prepare, remove any papery brown skin and trim away any brown stem ends.  Soak thoroughly in water to remove any dirt or grit.  Fiddleheads contain a toxin that can cause mild stomach discomfort, so they must be cooked thoroughly.  To cook, boil or steam for 10-15 minutes.  Then blanch in cold water to avoid overcooking.  After that you can do whatever you like with them, but a simple sauté with EVOO/butter and lemon will really allow their mild spring flavor to shine.

For more information and recipes check out “The Spruce Eats”.

Farm Dirt

Summer CSA.  Just a few more weeks left to sign up for your Summer CSA Share through Stillman’s Farm.  Check out their excellent selection of summer options – the Standard Summer Share, A-La-Carte Shopping Credit, Tomato CSA, or Fruit CSA.  https://stillmansfarm.com/csa/

Winter CSA.  Still Life Farm Winter CSA 2023-24 just dropped, and they’re offering an Early Bird Discount now through June 1!  Sign up for your Winter CSA share early and BE your farm’s literal seed money. https://csa.farmigo.com/join/stilllifefarm/winter20232024

Stillman’s Farm.  This week kicks off the first of the summer farmer’s markets!  Find Stillman’s Farm in Jamaica Plain (Saturdays, 12-3pm), Boston Public Market (Daily, 9am-6pm), Copley Plaza (Tues & Fri, 11am-6pm)…or take a drive out to the farm in New Braintree (Mon-Sat 9am-4pm) for the best selection of all your garden plants – it’s worth the drive.  The stillmansfarm.com website has the complete list of tomatoes and such on there and don’t be alarmed when all the tomatoes list as “out of stock” we are just done taking online orders :)The wet weather set everyone back a bit for field prep, but the return of the sun means crops are being transplanted into the field at a breakneck pace!  The first potatoes have been planted into the ground.  Lots of crops continue to be seeded daily in the greenhouse.  Orchards have been getting pruned.  The apple orchard is in full bloom and gorgeous.  Of course, nothing can compare to the excitement and preparation for Reid and Kirsten’s upcoming wedding – just a few short weeks away – we are all super excited!

Still Life Farm.  Curt has been extremely busy with field prep – plowing, tilling, fertilizing, spreading plastic mulch and drip tape (this controls weeds and conserves water) over our planting beds.  We’re about ready to start transplanting our onions into the field – the first serious planting project of the spring.  Halley has been working on the perennial garden beds around the farm and things are starting to look rejuvenated.  The zucchini and squash have been transplanted into Greenhouse #3, and we are just about to flip Greenhouses #1 and #2 into cherry tomatoes and heirloom tomatoes.  TONS of transplanting has happened over the last week – moving plants into larger growing cells – celery, celeriac, herbs, flowers, peppers, husk cherries.  The gooseberries and currants are in full bloom, and the rhubarb is ripe for the picking!  Halley’s been mowing the lawn every five days because the grass is growing at an alarming rate now that we have some sunshine.

Eat well & love your food,

Halley Stillman (Still Life Farm) & Genevieve Stillman (Stillman’s Farm)