The Week's Offerings

Spring CSA Week 3

Week Three of the Spring CSA bag may include a mix of the following: Spinach, Carrots, Red Daikon Winter Radish, Yellow Onion, Mutsu Apples, Oyster/Lions Mane Mushrooms (from Grown Up Farm).  Please note that the weekly photo is not an exact depiction of what is in your share, but rather a reference image.

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.

A note on produce.  Throughout the course of the Spring CSA, if you have produce that seems sub-par, please do not immediately throw it out and then write to us.  Keep it. Take a picture and email us.  Wait to hear from us on how to address the issue.  We take pride in the quality of produce that we provide, please give us the chance to correct any possible produce issues.  Thank you for your understanding.

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. 

Recipes

Grown Up Farm Mushrooms

Weekly Featured Item: Locally Grown Mushrooms

This week we are partnering up with another Central Mass farm to bring you MUSHROOMS!  We are sourcing these little gems from Mike and Clarissa, who own and operate Grown Up Farm in Belchertown, MA.  Mike and Clarissa are chefs turned farmers, growing specialty crops like mushrooms, greens, and broccolini on their one-acre farm.  They started their mushroom operation in the basement of their home and have quickly scaled up.  They were recently awarded an agricultural grant that has allowed them to purchase walk-in coolers and really grow their mushroom production.  We are thrilled to be working with them.  (Fun fact: Grown Up Farm packaging is completely compostable.)  I think we are all beginning to realize (acutely), now more than ever the importance of our local food chain. Getting to know our neighbors and what they can grow and supply, will help us keep our food local, source-able, and sustainable.

https://www.grownupfarm.com/

SAUTEED OYSTER MUSHROOMS
*You are receiving 4oz of mushrooms, please adjust recipe accordingly
  • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb (450g) oyster mushrooms
  • 3–4 cloves garlic pressed
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine of choice go for your favorite wine
  • 2 tbsp chopped chives
  • 2 tbsp chopped curly parsley
  • Optional: cooked jasmine rice for serving
Instructions
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Add the oyster mushrooms and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring with a spatula.
  • Once the mushrooms start turning golden-brown, reduce the heat to low and stir in the minced garlic. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  • Pour in the wine and allow it to simmer until fully reduced, stirring frequently, about 6-7 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender.
  • Once the mushrooms are cooked, remove from heat and garnish with chives and parsley.
  • Serve over cooked jasmine rice, if desired.

Farm Dirt

Glenn seeding eggplant and pepper crops (with border collie Josie faithfully by his side).
Curt and Tony laying new beds for transplanting spring greens into the greenhouse. Kip is helping by excavating the old beds.

Little tidbits from the farms:

Stillman’s Farm.  The greenhouses are already filled to the gills!  Glenn and Paul have been seeding like mad, while Genevieve and Kirsten have been building beautiful annual flower baskets!  The first group of Jamaican labor is scheduled to arrive this coming Saturday.  They were slightly delayed in their arrival due to logistic errors, so the Stillman’s domestic crew has been putting in double-time and are ready for some reinforcements.  If you are beginning to think about your own gardens, Stillman’s has tomatoes, peppers, and garden kits listed on the website and ready to be ordered: https://stillmansfarm.com/plants/

Still Life Farm.  This past weekend we wrapped up our last day of winter farmer’s market.  We were fortunate enough to be part of the Wayland Winter Farmers Market this past season and it was an absolute blast! All the early greenhouse zucchini and squash was seeded, before we know it that summer flavor will be sweet on our lips!  Curt and Tony (with some help from Kip) turned over our winter greenhouses and transplanted out new spring crops of mesclun lettuce greens, mustards, mizunas, and bok choi.  Rayna and Tony have begun to prune the cherry trees and the blackberry bushes.

Sights and sounds of SPRING.  This is our first decent week of spring weather, and we are embracing it.  Yesterday I drove around all day with the windows down and the radio up…pretty much a perfect day!  Birds are a big notifier of changes in weather.  This week we have seen and heard plenty of returning birds – turkey vultures, timberdoodles/woodcocks, red-winged black birds.  Now we are just waiting on the peepers.

Eat well & love your food,

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

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