Spring CSA

Week Nine of the Spring CSA will include the following: Ramps, Bok Choi, Swiss Chard, Potatoes, Parsnips OR Spring Salad Radish, Basil, and Microgreens OR Carrots. 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: Ramps

Sometimes called Wild Leeks, Ramps are our native wild allium. They are related to garlic and onions and can be enjoyed in anything you wanted that flavor profile in. I think of them more like leeks because I love them simply sautéed in butter and served up with some scrambled eggs. Simply trim off the roots, rinse carefully, and use the entire stem and leaf. Sautee whole or chop them up, it’s all good. Ramps are high in vitamins A and C.  Our ramps have been sourced from a partner farm in the Connecticut Valley (that’s still in MA) that sustainably harvests these delightful alliums.

Wild Ramp and Swiss Chard Pesto from Domestic Dreamboat

With a rich, garlicky flavor and thick, spreadable texture, this Wild Ramp and Swiss Chard Pesto is a great springtime addition to all your favorite foods.

• ½ cup walnuts
• 4 ounces Swiss chard, washed
• 2 ounces wild ramps, cleaned, root ends trimmed
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• tap here
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Toast walnuts in a small, dry skillet over medium heat until they are lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from heat and cool.

Coarsely chop the Swiss chard leaves and stems and the ramps. Add them both to the bowl of a food processor with the walnuts, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Process until everything is finely chopped, about 10-15 seconds. Slowly stream in the olive oil until the mixture forms a thick paste, using a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Serve with pasta, as a sandwich spread, as a raw vegetable dip, or in any other way you think might be delicious. One of my favorite ways to eat it is spread on crusty toast with a fried egg on top. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze.

 

A note on Bok Choi.  I have had a lot of questions on what to do with Bok Choi.  It’s one of my personal all-time favorite greens.  I love the fresh crunch it offers (especially during winter and spring).  Please look to the links below for some new ideas.

Busy Farmwife Stir-fry -Genevieve’s quick take on any Asian greens

Gochujang-Sesame Noodles from Bon Appetit. Another greens recipe that I thought the Bok choi would be a perfect fit for (just sub out the broccoli raab).

16 Easy Bok Choi recipes from Parade.

Farm Dirt

Stillman’s Farm. This week has been a balancing act between field prep and greenhouse work.  Everything gets extremely crowded in the greenhouses this time of year, and it’s a struggle to find the time and good weather to get the fields ready to keep up with the ever-growing demand of happy plants ready to go into the ground.  Glenn was rarely seen this past week as he was out on the tractor every day working to prep fields for planting.  The guys spent the week transplanting pepper plants (yes, there are that many) into larger growing cells. In other news, Stillman’s is working to turn some of their packaging into biodegradable containers.  They just got in an order of herb and micro-green packaging made from sugarcane – completely biodegradable/compostable!

Still Life Farm. This week Curt and Tony have been working away to turn one of our winter greens houses into early spring squash and zucchini…a lovely early treat. We partner with Autumn Morning Farm for our bees, and a trailer load of hives showed up this week to pollinate all the fruit trees that are about to break bud.  We had an excellent visit with our friends from KS last week!  A highlight was having the kids help with the brand-new layer chicks we received last Thursday.  And the fight to catch the barn skunk continues.  We set out a Have-A-Heart trap last week, but so far, the only thing we have caught is our two ridiculous farm kittens…lol…don’t worry, we let them out.

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)