Spring CSA

Week Six (and 7) of the Spring CSA we have doubled up and will include a mix of the following: Giant bag o’ Spinach, double-stuff bunch Swiss Chard, Red Norland Potatoes, Onion, winter radish, Cortland and/or Macoun Apples, parsnips, cabbage, popcorn and eggs. 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.  

Reminder: There are no pick ups anywhere next week. We wish you a happy and blessed Pesach and Easter!

We know some of you were concerned about the idea of going bi-weekly for Spring CSA deliveries…this is our big experiment week for you all to see what it might look like. please store the spinach in the bag it came in, in your fridge. I have to say, I kept a bag just fine on my kitchen counter for a week with zero issue, BUT, that’s not best practices. The swiss chard needs to be wrapped in a plastic bag or moist toweling. With the frost free fridges, the greens transpire and dry out quickly. If your chard gets sad looking before you get to use it, soak the whole bunch in a large pot of water and you will be amazed how it will be resurrected. Store the apples in the fridge if you plan on eating them fresh, otherwise, they will be fine on the counter or pantry until you cook them. The roots should be stored in a bag in the produce drawer of your fridge. Potatoes and onions do not want to be in plastic, or the fridge, so let them hang out in your dark pantry/cupboard. The cabbage can be a counter dweller for a few days, any longer it would prefer to be kept cool/cold. Hope that helps!

Weekly Featured Item: Baking Apples

Yes, the autumn harvest of apples have seen us through the winter. This week we will be handing out a bulk amount of Cortlands and Macouns for you to get creative with.  Make up a big batch of applesauce, take a chance on that pie or galette that you have been wanting to make but haven’t done yet, or simply roast your apples with cinnamon on a cookie sheet and put them under your oatmeal for breakfast…yum!!!  Let’s tap that creative baking side and really take advantage of  cooking seasonally during the “hunger gap” that is early spring in New England!

Check out Genevieve’s’ favorite apple crisp recipe:Fruit Crisp (scroll down)

Simple Applesauce

Applesauce is simple to make and it freezes beautifully too!

If you have a food mill, wash and quarter your apples (sometimes I cut out some of the core that has seeds in it because I imagine it makes the sauce bitter), proceed with the cooking and run through your mill after your sauce is done to rid it of the seeds and skin. If you don’t have a food mill, then go ahead and peel your apples and remove the core and anything you don’t want in your finished product.

Simply add enough water to your apples to prevent burning (very little) and they will start to juice themselves. Stir frequently until you are sure there is enough liquid to not scorch. If you would like your sauce spiced, add your cinnamon stick and cloves now so they can simmer with the potatoes. If you are not going the food mill route, then you can tie your spices in a bit of cheesecloth or sack. Cook with the lid on (low) once it is simmering and check back once and a while. It’s done once you have mush/sauce 

Farm Dirt

Stillman’s Farm.  Field prep continues at the New Braintree farm.  We were plowing and harrowing at this time last year, but it’s been too wet thus far to do anything byt pull plastic. The next few days of rain should help quite a bit, LOL. I asked Glenn to get me some grass seed to try to fix the side yard…I’m not kidding when I tell you every time I sow seed there, it does not rain for weeks. so, it’s a little sparse there, but we get the crops going for all of you 🙂 The greenhouses are bursting at the seams but we were able to move into the coldframes last Thursday and Friday, freeing up some space for new babies. The onions and peas were the first to move – they will get hardened off and can tolerate the cold, just not the teens we were experiencing last week. The pansies are gorgeous and the hanging baskets are filling out – lookin great! The hardy veggie plants are sizing up and almost ready to plant out for our gardening friends.

Still Life Farm.  Everything is springing in the high tunnel! The radishes are up and looking great, the green garlic is shooting up, and the greens (choy, arugula, mizuna, etc) are getting established. Kip is almost ready to take over the watering and major tractor work, okay, maybe the watering, although it is pretty clear he is aiming for the tractor work 😉  The orchards are looking sharp and we just hope for nice, temperate spring weather so nothing blooms too early OR there is no bud or bloom damaging cold. Not an orchardist around who does not want that. This week the cherry tomatoes will get transplanted to grow on until they are ready to go into one of the high tunnels. Exciting stuff.

Eat well & love your food,

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