Spring CSA

Bag Four contains the following local produce: Kale, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Microgreens, Fennel, Parsnips, Carrots, Sweet Potato, Gold Potatoes, Tetsukabocha Winter Squash, Popcorn, and Bosc Pears.

Store any greens in your fridge, if they are not wrapped, definitely put them in a bag or something to retain moisture. We notice greens grown indoors are a lot “softer” and are very prone to wilting. The roots and apples should live in the fridge as well. Store the potatoes and (when you get) onions in a cool, dark place – I mean, the onions would be fine on your counter, but might sprout in the light this time of year

You are part of a wonderful family collaboration between Stillman’s Farm (Glenn, Genevieve, Reid, Kirsten and sometimes Faith Stillman) and Still Life Farm (Curt, Halley and sometimes Kip Stillman), joining forces to bring you a most satisfying addition to our varied CSA offerings. Family Farm Force! 

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

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

What to cook this cold spring week…

This week has totally gotten me down – too much rain, and not enough sun and warm weather.  However, I scored some goat meat from a fellow Hardwick farmer (Round Table Farm) and settled on Shepard’s Pie.  I have to be honest; I have a little bias against Shepard’s Pie – not because I dislike it, but because every time my mom would serve this dish when I was little, I would burn the crap out of my mouth – conditioning at its best. I think this recipe has gotten me to turn a page – IT WAS DELICIOUS!  I ended up doubling the filling recipe and made half the casserole with Stillman’s Farm grass fed beef, and half with Round Table Farm goat.  I also subbed the peas and corn for green beans and extra carrots, but if I had not frozen green beans last summer, I would have just used sautéed greens from this week’s CSA bag.   And if the only thing you try from this recipe are the horseradish mashed potatoes it will be worth it.

Traditional Shepherd’s Pie With Lamb

https://girlheartfood.com/shepherds-pie-with-guinness-lamb-and-horseradish-mash/

Creamy Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
3 to 4 large potatoes (a good mashing potato, like Russet or Yukon Gold), peeled and cut into chunks (enough to yield about 4 cups of mashed potatoes)
½ cup whipping cream (35% milk fat) or heavy cream, warmed
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup prepared horseradish

Shepherd’s Pie Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into little pieces
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
½ cup low sodium chicken broth
1 pound ground lamb, or use ground beef for “cottage pie”
1.5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus more for optional garnish
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus more for optional garnish
pinch ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup stout beer, like Guinness (or use chicken broth)
1 cup frozen peas
½ cup frozen corn kernels

Instructions
Creamy Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
Boil potatoes in a pot of salted water until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Using a potato ricer, rice potatoes into a bowl. To potatoes, add whipping cream (or heavy cream), butter, salt and horseradish. Mash well. Set the mashed potatoes aside.
Note: When boiling, there should be an inch or two of water above the potatoes, basically ensuring that they are fully submerged and covered by the water.
Shepherd’s Pie Filling
Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet (I used a 10-inch oven-safe skillet) over medium-low heat.
Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
To onion/garlic mixture, add carrots and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Season with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. Add chicken broth and cook for 5 minutes or until broth is mostly absorbed. Push veggie mixture to one side of the skillet.
Add lamb to skillet. Season with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Combine lamb with veggies and cook, breaking the lamb into small pieces and stirring occasionally, until the lamb is fully cooked through (the lamb should no longer be pink and be browned all the way through), about 10 minutes.
To mixture, add Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, rosemary, thyme, nutmeg and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. From a height, sprinkle flour over lamb, stirring to combine.
Add beer to lamb and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Most of the liquid will absorb rather quickly, but you’ll still have some moisture there. Add peas and corn and stir to combine.
Assemble the Shepherd’s Pie and Bake
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Top lamb mixture with the mashed potatoes (don’t smooth out evenly, you want little bumps and dips because they will brown nicely in the oven and add some texture).
Carefully place the skillet of shepherd’s pie onto a baking sheet (to catch any bubbling over, just in case), then transfer to the preheated oven to bake for 45 minutes.
Once done, garnish with additional rosemary and thyme to taste (optional). Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Don’t skip this. Enjoy!

Stillman’s Farm.  The farm crew has knocked out field prep for those fields most accessible in the spring.  Plowed, harrowed, planting mulch…little seedlings are out of the greenhouse and transplanted into the field.  A protective layer of Remay row cover provides an additional barrier against the chilly spring weather and a little more warmth to speed growth.  Pansies are ready for planting and on sale at the farm (inquire with the farm for a special order to off-site farmers markets) …and there is a BOGO sale on succulents.  Visit Stillman’s Farm at their spring farmers market or at the farmstand:

• Centre Street Farmers Market in Jamaica Plain, Saturdays, year-round, 12noon-3pm, 677 Centre St, Boston, MA (BOA parking lot)
• On-site Farm Stand, Thursday-Saturday, 10am-4pm, 1205 Barre Road (Rt. 67), New Braintree, MA

Still Life Farm.  Curtis has a follow-up appointment today to see if he can bear weight on his foot after his Achilles tendon surgery – fingers crossed.  The farm crew has been busy turning over greenhouse crops from winter to spring plantings.  Tomatoes will get transplanted into larger pots this week.  There has also been lots of pruning happening.  Halley is working to get the perennial gardens cleaned up, so the farm is presentable.  Halley was also able to work with Farmhand to get our brand-new sparkly website rolled out!  Check it out:  https://www.stilllifefarm.com/   For all of you that signed up for a Supporting Membership with the Farmers Guild of Hardwick – THANK YOU!  If you don’t know what I am referring to, click here to learn more about the Guild: https://farmersguildofhardwick.org/

Winter CSA.  Early enrollment for Winter CSA has begun!  Eat healthy and local year-round with a Winter CSA subscription from Still Life Farm.  As a thank you for signing up early for the Winter CSA, we are happy to offer you a discounted price – your early memberships are literally our seed money.  To sign up, head to the link: https://www.gofarmhand.com/csa/still-life-farm/share?plan=890861b8-205e-4805-bf09-e32bd17cee6e and use code EARLYBIRD to receive our ‘thank you’ pricing.

Eat well & love your food,

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