CSA Week 15
My plan for the coming week is tomatillos with accompanying hot peppers and onion for Salsa verde! Also: bell peppers in any color, spaghetti squash (no, it’s not a melon ;)), apples and pears, potatoes – could come in any color including dark purple), some kind of greens or even Chinese cabbage?
Normally we would love to putting a lot of apples in your bag, but, as you have heard, we really don’t have that many good quality apples this year because of the May freeze. Our friends at Ragged Hill are helping us out with extra apples and pears.
Because tomatillos come naturally wrapped, we cannot always tell if there is a crack. I can guarantee there will be cracks after the no-stop rain. As it was last time, there is still a moat, which surely means there will be sucking up too much water and splitting. No worries, have that be your first task this week and remove the husk, clean up and make some salsa 🙂 Though tomatillos are in the nightshade family, they are not the same species as tomatoes. Some of you may have see their baby sister in pint boxes on our market tables – Still Life Farm’s husk cherries 🙂 Also a nice source of vitamins C, A, K, niacin, potassium, manganese, and magnesium.
Hopefully, you will get Spaghetti winter squash. It is a yellow football lookin thing and my preferred way of using is to halve, seed (don’t get too fussy, just get the seeds), and bake at 350 till tender. Then it is ready to go for just dumping your fav sauce on or getting more creative on the stovetop. It’s your naturally gluten free spaghetti!
Be sure to store your taters in the dark, and not in a plastic bag that will keep too much moisture on them. These are hyper fresh and hand dug, they have not been “cured” so the moisture content is very high and they cook very fast. They are extra amazing when they are so new!
Both the Fruit and Tomato CSAs are over – thanks so much for playing our extra fun CSA game!!
For those who were asking…This is week 15 for everyone except for Monday peeps. The last pick ups of the regular CSA season are:
Friday, your last day will be September 29.
Saturday, your last day will be September 30.
Sunday, your last day will be October 1.
Monday, your last day will be October 2.
Tuesday, your last day will be October 10.
Wednesday, your last day will be October 4.
Thursday, your last day will be October 5.
At least one more week for most of you :)…Tueday people this is only week 14 for you.
Recipes
Salsa Verde – in case you missed it last time
Thankfully, this one is snap to make, providing you have a blender or food processor. I have made green salsa completely raw, and it is perfectly fresh tasting and yummy. However, a little somethin somethin is added to the flavor profile if you roast all the veggies briefly before blending OR, my go to method, dump the blended salsa into an oiled frying pan and cook for a few minutes. Not planning on eating it right away? This freezes beautifully!
Below is a basic guideline of what I do…I like lime juice and salt 🙂 Glenn is not a fan of cilantro, so I go very sparingly and usually use the cilantro paste I keep on hand in the fridge.
- Tomatillos, peeled and rinsed
- small onion, peeled
- 3 cloves (or equivalent) garlic
- 1-3 serrano or jalapeno, deseeded it you are worried about heat.
- 2 tsp lime juice – to your taste preference
- salt to taste
- cilantro to taste
Toss everything in the blender or food processor and let her rip until everything looks nicely blended and no big chunks. Heat a generous splash of oil in frypan, when heated, carefully pour in salsa, watching out for spattering since this will be watery. Fry for a few minutes, cool and enjoy…it thickens up a little more when cool.
Spaghetti Squash with a Greek Flair
from member Harriet – haven’t tried but it looks good – https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12864-sake-steamed-kabocha-squash-with-white-miso?campaign_id=222&emc=edit_veg_20221006&instance_id=73808&nl=the-veggie®i_id=71405771&segment_id=109180&te=1&user_id=3b13549e2e6bf7c83cef4f9250756844
This looked good, gonna make it tonight, but with either our ground pork or a Stillman Quality Meats sausage…also going to involve some cheese 😉
Pepper, Onion and Sausage Spaghetti Squash
- 1 cooked spaghetti squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, julienned
- 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
- 2 vegan sausages (such as Field Roast or Tofurkey), sliced
- mineral salt & fresh cracked pepper
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- a few large basil leaves, julienned
- 1 jar marinara sauce, optional
instructions
Cook the spaghetti squash using this step by step guide: How To Cook Spaghetti Squash
In a medium size skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat, add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add sliced bell peppers and sausage, cook until bell peppers are softened and sausage is lightly browned around the edges.
While veggies are cooking, warm pasta sauce.
Serve spaghetti squash in serving bowl and top with a little sauce and 1/2 of the vegetable mixture. Add julienned basil over top and enjoy.
From link below.
Farm Dirt
As we a busy trying to wrap up what feels like a short season, we have another heavy month of brining in the harvest that will hopefully sustain us (BPM, winter JP market, Spring CSA) over the winter. I am looking forward to seeing the potato digger get hooked up and finally found out how the crop is (the part not under water). I’ve seen some pretty hefty purple potatoes, so that’s good, they liked it!
The rain continues and our neighbors in the valley had their first frost – early! Since we know these things are cyclical, we can hope next year is dryer. Although super difficult to contend with when you farm or run a business dependent on the weather, in New England is still not unusual, unprecedented or even record breaking, this is what farmers have been dealing with for millennia.
Long time members will recall I love to read Bradford’s History of Plymoth Plantation, his accounts of the weather, is both interesting and enlightening – especially for history nerds (me). They were worried about famine, Bradford writes “…by a great drought which continued from the 3. weeke in May, till about the midle of July, without any raine, and with great heat (for the most parte), insomuch as the corne begane to wither away…” and “In the begining of the year was a great drought, and no raine for many weeks togeather, so as all was burnte up, haye at 5li. a load; and now all raine, so as much sommer corne and later haye is spoyled.” Here’s an account of a hurricane that struck and Bradford predicts the damage will still be present for 100 years “This year, the 14. or 15. of August (being Saturday) was such a mighty storme of wind and raine, as none living in these parts, either English or Indeans, ever saw. Being like (for the time it continued) to those Hauricanes and Tuffons’ that writers make mention of in the Indeas. It began in the morning, a litle before day, and grue not by degrees, but came with violence in the begining, to the great amasmente of many. It blew downe sundry houses, and uncovered others; diverce vessells were lost at sea, and many more in extreme danger. It caused the sea to swell (to the southward of this place)above 20. foote, right up and downe, … it tooke of the borded roofe of a house which belonged to the plantation at Manamet, and floted it to another place, the posts still standing in the ground; and if it had continued long without the shifting of the wind, it is hke it would have drouned some parte of the cuntrie. It blew downe many hundered thowsands of trees, turning up the stronger by the roots, and breaking thehiegher pine trees of in the midle, and the tall yonge oaks and walnut trees of good biggnes were wound like a withe, very Strang and fearfull to behould.” (“withe” references a woven basket)
Come on out to the farm anytime folks! yo udo not have to wait for gleaning to shop the fields, lol. DO wear sensible clothes and waterproof shoes.
The leaves are not really turning yet, probably won’t be spectacular this year, but I think the Maples on the King’s Row will put on a show. Stay tuned for gleaning…which, as always, we hope will be at the end of October and not sooner:)
Eat well,
Geneviève Stillman
Two more weeks of CSA extension option!
Why not keep things rolling until Still Life Farm winter CSA begins!!! Add two more weeks to your 16!! (we are on week 15 this week) We are offering an extension to current CSA members of an additional two weeks for $70. That way you will have your winter squash, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, late season apples, cabbage, and other fall crops. It’s simple, just complete your purchase for 2 more weeks and we will keep you on your existing list. These two weeks will blend seamlessly filling the gap between our Summer CSA and Still Life Farm’s Winter CSA.
We are sorry, but we are unable to offer the 2 week extension to UMass. Thank you so much for joining us this year!
Discounts will be applied to Stillman’s Farm “store credit” (think electronic Stillman’s Bucks!) for you to use at anywhere you can find us and for any product we sell (yes, for honey, sauce, pickles, plants, etc)
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Here are the bundle options (please note– you must purchase bundled options at SAME TIME to qualify for bundle discount):
- 2 week CSA extension + Summer CSA 2024 for
$620$550 ($70 -2 week extension is FREE!) - 2 week CSA extension + Spring CSA for $490 (2 lb ($20) jar of Stillman’s Farm honey FREE at first pick up and 7% discount off 2 week extension)
- 2 week CSA extension + Spring CSA + Summer CSA 2024 for
$1045$975 (Includes 2 week extension FREE! 2 lb ($20) jar of Stillman’s Farm honey at first pick up FREE)
Not feeling the 2 week extension?
- Spring CSA + Summer CSA 2023 for $975 (Includes 2 lb ($20) jar of Stillman’s Farm honey at first pick up FREE and $60 store credit)
Just interested in the Winter CSA for now? Sign up here
- 2 week CSA extension + Summer CSA 2024 for
Woot!
Don’t want any more CSA bags this year and not ready to sign up for next year? No worries! We will still be offering our large discount (in the form of store credit) to returning members through November. The early sign up discount offer will go out to members later in October. Also, you can always sign up for Still Life farm Winter CSA or Stillman Quality Meats meat bucks whenever. The 2 week extension special bundle offers expire October 1st.
All the bundles are listed at the bottom and this year -you can order your perfect bundle in one fell swoop 
