Spring CSA

Week Four of the Spring CSA bag will include a mix of the following: Microgreens, bok choy, Cortland apples (I think), Swiss chard, kale, parsnips, French fingerling potatoes. 

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.  

Reminder:  We are doubling up April 7th, 9th and 10th, respectively, and skipping the week leading up to Pesach and Easter. 

Weekly Featured Item: Parsnips

Parsnips appear in the late Fall keep beautifully in cold storage. They like high humidity, so keep them wrapped in the fridge. These have been Spring dug, and are extra sweet from overwintering in the ground. They are truly the first Spring harvest and we SO look forward to them every year.

When fresh, all they need is a good scrubbing, but you can always give them a quick peel to enjoy their creamy white flesh. Regardless of peeling or not, have pot of cold water ready to put slices/chunks into so they do not discolor. If you are new to parsnips, they are fabulous steamed/boiled gently and topped with butter; or roasted alone or with other veg and enjoyed hot or tossed in salad  – a little fresh mint sets it off just right.

This week’s bag is a perfect time to think about frittata! When I heard about all the greens I suggested a few potatoes get popped in the bag too.

Greens and taters Frittata

• 1 onion chopped
• A few potatoes, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 bunch swiss chard or kale chopped, keep chopped chard stems separate
• 2 T olive oil
• ½ tsp salt
• 5 eggs beat with up to a cup of milk or water
• ½ tsp basil, oregano, thyme, or whatever herbs you feel like
• 1 c. shredded cheddar (any cheese you like)
• Ground pepper to taste

In 10+” oven proof skillet, sauté onion, potato, and chard stems (if using) in oil with seasonings for 10 minutes or until potato seems tender. Add chopped leaves and garlic. Even out the vegetables, sprinkle cheese on veg, pour egg mixture over. Keep skillet on med-low heat for a few minutes more until setting up, then pop in 400 degree oven and cook until center is set and eggs look cooked.

If you are new to frittata, and you like eggs and cheese with stuff, you will find you can fry up most anything and pour eggs and cheese over it. Paired with a salad and you have a perfect supper or any meal! I would be topping this with microgreens too!

Still Life Farm consolidated their cooler space for the remaining storage veggies. Curtis direct seeded salad radishes (for you guys!), Rayna finished pruning the cherry orchard and Tony finished up on the blackberries. Lots to look forward to there!

Stillman’s Farm has kept busy seeding and transplanting and moving trays of plants from place to place as the need arises for more space.  The first crew from Jamaica arrives tonight and then the serious pruning here will happen and we will catch up on some of the bugger jobs yet to get done.

Ever wonder how we price our CSA, and what factors go into CSA?

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is integral to the operation of both Stillman’s and Still Life Farms.  We deeply appreciate all our members, as your support really gives us the ability to own our small businesses and do what we love – GROW GOOD FOOD!

Ever wonder what makes up the cost of our various CSA programs? There’s a lot of calculating, and it is not exciting, but here’s the breakdown for inquiring minds (this is not an exhaustive list, but a sample:  CSA allows our members to eat as though they owned a farm, while not actually owning the farm.  We do all the hard work and our members reap the benefits.  When pricing CSA we have to take into consideration the following things: paying our labor a living wage, the price of gas, credit card fees, administration fees, packaging, storage, tractor fuel, heating the greenhouses for veggie starts or winter crops, seasonal availability and cost of produce, profit, and more.  This year, we see another wage increase, which also means our employer taxes will be higher and worker compensation will be more. Last year we paid an extra 1K to worker’s comp because of increased wages, not increased hours worked. If you factor in all the labor related expenses and wages, our awesome H2A labor on average costs us $23-24/hour. There is no complaint about that, it is just to point out that if you wonder about hand picked, washed and packed vegetables…

To continue, since we set the price of CSA back in September, we have seen gas prices increase over $1/gallon. We use gas or diesel to power our farm equipment as well as to make deliveries to our CSA members (when that delivery is to Boston we are talking about 4 hours round-trip in a big box truck). When petroleum goes up, so does plastic and fertilizer. Many of you may recall my early plea for sign ups so we could procure the plastic mulch we use for field crops (instead of herbicide). With your help, in November we purchased the plastic we need for the ’22 season and save $33/roll!!! Thank you!  Credit card fees are what they are, offering credit as a payment options provides flexibility that our customers appreciate, but that is still about $13 in fees for each Spring CSA.  A lot goes into the management and administration of CSA.  Someone must plan, grow, pack, and deliver all the food.  Someone must organize customers, answer queries, and write newsletters to communicate with and educate our members.

You may also notice a difference in the perceived value of your shares between Winter, Spring, and Summer CSAs.  That has to do with the availability of food during the different seasons.  In the summer things are “easier”, meaning that food can be prolific at times and is sold almost directly from the field.  Sometime in the summer there is a “glut” of food (e.g. when you have tons of cucumbers or eggplant) and instead of throwing out the extra food, we include it in the CSA bags, or offer it as extra at pick, despite it being “over the value” of the CSA share for the week.  While a lot of the winter and spring produce was grown the previous summer, it has to be stored throughout the cold months.  Typically farmers throw out 1/3 of their crop over long-term storage (because produce doesn’t just magically store forever after being picked).  The winter and spring greens are grown in greenhouses, with limited space and heat when the temperatures get too cold, which makes availability limited and at a premium.

These are just a few things rattling around in our heads; we have all the same issues any business has, but with the added thrill of reacting to the weather, LOL. That’s just the reality of farming, and the reality of growing and eating local food in Massachusetts.

Here’s where you come in: We make a covenant with you, our CSA members, at the beginning of the season, our members help the farm with expenses and in return we prioritize you and make sure you have access to health, local, safe food all year long. We need you, and in return, we are your farmers. THANK YOU.

Eat well & love your food,

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