Spring CSA

Week Ten of the Spring CSA will include the following: Hydroponic Lettuce, Fiddleheads, Carrots, Onions, Apples, Spring Radish OR Hakurei Turnips, and Italian Parsley. 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.  

Weekly Featured Item: 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”.

A note about Hakurei Turnips.  We are dividing up the turnip distibution over the next couple deliveries, so if you did not receive them in your bag this week, you will next week.  Hakurei turnips are absolutely delicious little spring treats and are not your “grandma’s turnips” at all.  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.

Farm Dirt

Stillman’s Farm. The peach trees have burst into beautiful pink bloom!  Hopefully all of this rain does not impede pollination.  All of the eggplant crop has been transplanted from small seedling cells to larger grow cells, one more step before going outside and into the ground.  The greenhouses are filled with beautiful flower starts, hanging baskets, herbs and vegetable plants for sale.  If you are looking for something fun to do with Mom for Mother’s Day, drag her out to the Stillman’s Farm greenhouses so she can pick out her garden!  Caught Farmer Glenn in the hydroponic lettuce house, ripping out a few heads of lettuce and muttering, “well, I guess I’ll have a salad for lunch”…too cute.

Still Life Farm.  Farmer Curtis and Tony transformed one of our greenhouses from winter greens to the early zucchini and squash crop.  Can’t wait for a bite of this squash to set us on the summer eating path!  Curt continues to work on pruning of fruit trees and brambles.  He has also been doing lots of field prep in between raindrops.  Halley worked on transplanting eggplant, peppers, husk cherries, and flowers this past week.  Our peaches and cherries are in bloom.  After Wednesday the forecast is supposed to clear from rain and get slightly warmer…we really need the nice weather to ensure good fruit tree pollination, so keep your fingers crossed.  Kip has been having an exciting week watching the road in front of our house be repaved!

Still Life Farm’s WINTER CSA is now accepting members for 2022-23 Season.  Please visit the link to sign up: Still Life Farm Winter CSA. Email StillLifeFarm@aol.com with any questions.

Stillman’s Farm SUMMER CSA will be kicking off mid-June…with a weeklong gap at the end of the Spring CSA. If you were wondering about timing, the Summer CSA ends a week or two before Still Life Farm’s Winter CSA begins, so there’s no overlap and no need to go too long without fresh, local produce form your farmers! Sign up for Summer CSA here.

Eat well & love your food,

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