Spring CSA 2024: Bag Three

April 6, 2024April 6, 2024 / Still Life Farm / Leave a comment

Spring CSA Bag Three is headed to you!

This week’s bag should include the following:

shredded savoy cabbage
micro greens
basil (or some other herb)
swiss chard
“farmer’s choice” greens: either spinach, red mustard, wasabi mustard, bok choi)
red onion
parsnips
carrots
celeriac
potatoes – French fingerlings
eggs (from our friends in New Braintree, MA)

Correct storage of the items in your CSA share is the key to successfully eating seasonally. Here is a Storage Cheat Sheet that I hand out with Winter CSA that also applies to Spring CSA. Check it out if you need storage tips.

This 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.

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.

We will see you in TWO WEEKS for your next bounty of Spring bag. The spring CSA schedule is also on our website calendar.

Saturdays:

March 9, March 23, April 6, April 20, May 4, May 18, June 1
Jamaica Plain, 12-3pm

Sundays:

March 10, March 24, April 7, April 21, May 5, May 19, June 2
Lunenburg, 12-1pm

Thursdays:

March 14, March 28, April 11, April 25, May 9, May 23, June 6
Boston (Boston Public Market) 12-5pm
Brookline (Beals Street) 1-6pm
Watertown (City Hall) 12:30-1pm
Natick (Princeton Rd) 1:30-6pm
Worcester (Deadhorse Hill Restaurant) 5-9pm
Hardwick (Still Life Farm) 4-6pm
New Braintree (Stillman’s Farm) 12-6pm

Stir fry made with shredded cabbage, carrots, and daikon radish

Spinach Basil Frittata (you can also substitute mustard or bok choi)

6 large eggs beaten with S&P
Spinach
Basil
onions/shallot/scallions
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
grated/shredded cheese(optional)

Pre-heat your oven to 350℃
Sauté garlic and whatever form of onions you are using in oil in a large oven-proof pan until golden. Turn heat to low, sauté spinach gently until wilted.
Distribute the veg evenly around the pan, and slowly pour the egg over it. Top it with your fresh basil, turn the heat to medium, this is where I move the veg around in the pan a little to make sure the egg is settling in around everything. After the egg begins to set up, sprinkle optional cheese over the top and put the pan in the oven. It should be set up completely in 5-10 minutes, egg cooked in the middle. Enjoy with a salad!

Running the below again because you have shredded cabbage this week! If you are not feeling the slaw, then whip up a stirfry?

Genevieve’s Go-to Slaw Dressing

Simple, simple, simple: To 1/3 cup cider vinegar add 1/2 tsp kosher salt (sea salt would be good too), a bunch of black pepper, a fat TB of Dijon or spicy brown mustard, 1/2 tsp celery seed (if you like); slowly whisk in 1/2 cup oil (something light, I use canola or safflower), Toss over anything shredded: kohlrabi, radish, cabbage, carrot, apple…

Baked Risotto with Greens

1 T olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1 3/4 cups low-salt vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup tomato sauce (jarred pasta sauce will do)
3/4 cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
1 bunch greens such as kale, beet greens, or chard, stems removed, washed and coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. In 1-quart baking dish, combine oil and onion over moderate heat. Cook until onion is soft, 3-4 minutes. Add rice, stir to coat with oil, and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, tomato sauce, and greens, and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Turn off heat. Add half the cheese and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and bake for 30-35 minutes, until rice is cooked through and has absorbed most of the liquid. Should be moist but not soupy.
Erica Fletcher (adapted from Patricia Wells’ Trattoria cookbook)

Sautéed Mustard Greens
Rinse leaves, let them stay wet, chop loosely. Add a splash of olive oil to skillet over medium-high heat, toss in a couple crushed garlic cloves and pinch of red pepper flakes, cook until garlic starts to brown, to infuse with flavor, then discard the garlic. Add in the mustard and sprinkle with salt. Cover and cook until tender (a couple of minutes), drizzle with balsamic and enjoy!

Yummy Dressing for Kale Salad

¼ cup EVOO
3 Tb apple cider vinegar
1 Tb Dijon mustard
1 Tb maple syrup
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tb white wine vinegar
1Tb white wine
S&P to taste

Pour this over your chopped kale and massage in. Add some sliced red onion, slivered almonds, shaved carrot…

Greens Sauteed with Garlic, Raisins and Pine Nuts

Farm Dirt:

Well, the crocus and tête a têtes and phlox WERE pretty on Easter…covered with ice and snow at the moment. Looks like the weather will warm next week (today is the 5th) and we can get to plowing fields.

Stillman’s Farm. The seed potatoes have arrived! We are looking forward to plowing something besides snow and putting down the first plastic. Then we can actually start planting the potatoes and getting peas in the ground! We depend on the plastic mulch to prevent weed seeds in the soil from germinating and competing with the actual planted crop. Weeds not only take up the nutrients in the soil, but take extra water (hmmm, maybe could be useful!!!!), light and aeration away from the desired plant. The alternative to plastic is mechanical or chemical weed control. The creation of genetically modified or engineered organisms is partially a response to effective and more economical weed control. Just to recap what you already know, we do not grow any GMO anything here and we use, at much higher expense, plastic and/or manpower to keep the weeds at bay; this is why we could never compete with big ag and why, back to potatoes, we cannot compete with price. It is important to us to continue to conscientiously grow with integrity and offer not only safe produce, BUT THE MOST DELICIOUS!…that goes for SLF farm too.

Fun fact: we get a lot of questions about whether we spray our crops with gramoxone (Roundup is a popular brand). No, we don’t. One would have to be growing GMO, gramoxone-ready crops to be able to spray over them with gramoxone. We don’t have a crop on the farm that would not die if we sprayed it with a non-selective herbicide/plant killer.

Still Life Farm: Busy pruning orchards, seeding in the greenhouse, transplanting crops into the greenhouse for Spring CSA and transplanting seedlings into the grow house. General farm cleanup activities like pulling plastic, burning brush, garden cleanup and of course, shoveling and snow plowing this week, sigh.

Eat well & love your food,

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

Spring CSA 2023 – Bag 2

March 17, 2023March 22, 2023 / Still Life Farm / Leave a comment

Spring CSA Bag Two is headed to you!

In classic New England fashion, March decided to dump a bunch of snow on all of us, just when we thought spring was arriving…. hopefully we are back on track now, and that was the final snowstorm of the year (fingers crossed).

This week’s bag should include the following: Swiss chard, Spinach, Bok Choi, Cortland apples, Onions, Gold Potatoes, Parsnips OR Beets, Tetsukabuto Winter Squash, Daikon Radish Slaw, Garlic OR Shallots, and Popcorn. If you are eating with us for Spring CSA, you are really getting to the nitty-gritty of farm food and seasonal eating. Eating local and seasonal during the early spring means lots of overwintered roots, apples, and squashes. We have the additional luxury of greens coming out of our high tunnels and greenhouses, to be cherished!

This 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.

We will see you in TWO WEEKS for your next bounty of Spring bag. The schedule is also on our website calendar.

Saturdays:

March 4, March 18, April 1, April 15, April 29, May 13, May 27
Jamaica Plain, 12-3pm

Sundays:

March 5, March 19, April 2, April 16, April 30, May 14, May 28
Lunenburg, 12-1pm

Thursdays:

March 9, March 23, April 6, April 20, May 4, May 18, June 1
Boston (Boston Public Market) 12-6pm
Brookline (Beals Street) 1-6pm
Watertown (City Hall) 12:30-1pm
Natick (Princeton Rd) 1:30-6pm
Worcester (Deadhorse Hill Restaurant) 5-9pm
Hardwick (Still Life Farm) 4-6pm
New Braintree (Stillman’s Farm) 12-6pm

Parsnips!

This week’s featured item is the parsnip.

Now, honestly, I know that many love the parsnip, but it’s really not my favorite…give me a carrot any day. But it does have its place in a great many wonderful winter and spring dishes. My Vegetable Illustrated cookbook claims that parsnips are “simultaneously sweeter and earthier than carrots, with more complex and subtle floral notes but they are just as versatile in the kitchen.”

The only preparation a parsnip needs is maybe a quick peel and to core out the tough inner center. Then they are wonderful roasted and thrown on a hearty winter salad, in stews, boiled with butter…or, try something new with this recipe for Parsnip Hummus.

Parsnip Hummus, from Vegetables Illustrated

1 pound parsnip, peeled, cut into 1-inch lengths
1/4 cup tahini
3 T EVOO
3/4 cup water
2 T lemon juice
S&P
1 garlic minced
1 t paprika
1/2 t coriander
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t chipotle chili powder
1 T toasted sesame seeds

Microwave parsnips in covered bowl until tender, about 10 minutes. Combine tahini and oil in a small bowl. Process parsnips, water, lemon juice, 3/4 t salt, garlic, paprika, coriander, cumin, and chili powder in food processor until completely smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With processor running, add tahini mixture in a steady stream and process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds. Season with S&P. Transfer hummus to serving bowl, cover and let rest for 30 minutes to allow flavors to mingle. Drizzle with extra EVOO and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve.

Notes on a few other items in your share.

Tetsukabuto winter squash is a Japanese squash who’s name literally translates to “Iron Helmet”. It’s a wonderful late storage crop and easily carries into the spring. You can cook it any way you would traditionally use winter squash.

Locally grown popcorn is exactly the same as the popcorn you would buy in the grocery. Except, we grew it this past season at Still Life Farm, and you need to remove it from the cob before cooking. Then you can cook it “old school” in a hot pan with oil, in the popcorn maker, or in a paper bag ends loosely rolled in the microwave on the popcorn setting.

Garlic. It’s getting to be the end of garlic season. To increase shelf life at this point, store it in the fridge and use it as you need it.

Radish Slaw – use it first. It is wetter than the cabbage slaw and doesn’t keep as well…we were all pleasantly surprised to use red cabbage slaw from week 1 just yesterday, it was perfect! Just whip up the below ingredients in a large enough, lidded container to hold the slaw, then dump in the bag’s contents, cover and shake it up.

Genevieve’s go-to Slaw Dressing:

Simple, simple, simple: To 1/3 cup cider vinegar add 1/2 tsp kosher salt (sea salt would be good too), a bunch of black pepper, a fat TB of Dijon or spicy brown mustard, 1/2 tsp celery seed; slowly whisk in 1/2 cup oil (something light, I use canola or safflower), Toss over anything shredded: kohlrabi, radish, cabbage, carrot, apple…

Kip checking on the greens in the high tunnel with his head lamp.

Farm Dirt:

Despite the late season snowstorm, work on the farms continues to move in the direction of spring.

Stillman’s Farm. Seeding is in full swing. Glenn has been working away all week, seeding over 1,000 trays of tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. Reid and Kirsten were able to get the extensive heirloom tomato collection organized and seeded. Annual flower baskets (including those reserved for Reid and Kirsten’s upcoming wedding!!!) have been designed and planted. The first group of H2A Jamaican labor has returned from their winter at home. I don’t think they were too pleased about this past snowstorm. Merrick, Ali, and Melbourne have been busting through farm projects, including getting the flat-filler back into operational status (a machine that automatically puts soil into the seeding flats, saving lots of labor hours).

If you are planning your gardens, we have lots in store for you later this Spring. I have the tomatoes updated online and will get to the peppers and eggplants next week. I will also try to update the actual lists of flowers, herbs, and other veggie transplants we will have available.

Still Life Farm. We wrapped up our final Wayland winter market last week and it was a huge success. Curt and I have been delighted to see many CSA members faces popping up at winter markets this past season! We’re trying to stay on top of our spring seeding schedule, and so far have seeded all the alliums, celery, hearty herbs, cherry tomatoes, zucchini and summer squash, and a few other items. A couple days ago the farm team transplanted a fresh batch of mesclun salad greens into the high tunnel. Halley finished applying for the 2023 Infrastructure Grant. If SLF is awarded, we intend to put up another high tunnel for more winter greens production and install a stand-alone generator as backup power for our winter (and spring) vegetable storage. Fingers crossed…

Eat well & love your food,

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

Spring CSA 2022: Week 8

April 20, 2022April 21, 2022 / Still Life Farm / Leave a comment

Week Eight of the Spring CSA will include the following: Mesclun Salad Greens, Bok Choi, Spinach, Cortland Apples, Purple Daikon Radish, and fresh herbs (either Dill or Cilantro). 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: Spinach

At this point of the season, we usually have TONS of spinach. It has been overwintering in the greenhouses, and when we start having a little warmth and extra sun light it just grows like crazy. Spinach is a great source of Vitamins A, C, and K1, Folic Acid, Iron, and Calcium. The benefits of spinach include increased eye health, reduces oxidative stress, helps prevent cancer, and reduces blood pressure levels. So, get your “Popeye” on!

Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms
From Smitten Kitchen

This recipe can be adjusted to fit your family size. The ingredient list below has been tripled from the original recipe.

2 pounds (32 ounces) ounces fresh baby spinach or regular spinach leaves
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 small garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced (I use creminis)
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional; I skip this)
12 large eggs
6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

If you’ve just washed your spinach, no need to dry it before wilting it in the pan. If it’s already dry, bring 1/2 inch water to a boil in a very large ovenproof heavy skillet, then add half of spinach and cook, turning with tongs, until wilted, about 30 seconds. Add remaining spinach and wilt in same manner, then cook, covered, over moderately high heat until spinach is tender, about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and cool under cold running water. Gently squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then coarsely chop. You will have about 2 cups fairly tightly packed cooked spinach.

Wipe skillet dry, then melt butter over medium-low heat. Cook onion and garlic until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high, then cook, stirring, until mushrooms have softened, exuded liquid and that liquid has cooked off, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg (if using), and chopped spinach and bring back a simmer. Remove skillet from heat.

If baking eggs in this skillet, make 12 large indentations in mixture, each large enough to fit an egg. Otherwise, you can transfer this mixture to a 9×13-inch baking dish and do the same there. I like to use 2 teaspoons to make the wells; I press the backs of them together to “pinch” up the spinach mixture to form taller walls so that the eggs will not merge together.

Do ahead: You can then set this aside for a few hours or up to one day in the fridge, covered.

When you’re ready to bake the dish, or about 30 minutes before serving, put oven rack in upper third of oven and heat oven to 450°F. Crack an egg into each well. Bake until whites are firm and yolks are still runny. You can check this by inserting a toothpick into various parts of the eggs and seeing whether they’re runny or set, which takes anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. The range is long due to different ovens and baking vessels. It’s better to have to check more often than to let them overcook.

[Cooking note: It is nearly impossible to get all 12 eggs to cook evenly. The ones in the center will be more runny; at the edges, they’ll be more firm. But don’t fret. I’ve found that almost all people have an egg preference (more runny vs. more firm) and each egg manages to find the right home. Just ask people their preference as you serve them.]

Remove dish from oven, sprinkle with additional salt and pepper, plus grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Home-made dressing for all those salad greens. Mix together 1 tsp chopped shallots, S&P, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 3 Tbsp EVOO…you’ll have to taste and possible adjust some ingredients. I love a hearty spring salad with the mesclun greens, storage radishes, and any roasted roots I have kicking around.

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).

Stillman’s Farm. 4500 tomatoes transplanted into high tunnels.

Farm Dirt

Stillman’s Farm. The whole family enjoyed an absolutely beautiful Easter holiday at Stillman’s farm, complete with a farm fresh ham dinner and Kip’s first Easter egg hunt. We hope that you all had a blessed holiday week as well. In farm related news, the major achievement of the week was transplanting 4500 tomatoes into multiple high tunnels for early production. A big project and an important project so we can all enjoy local tomatoes as soon as possible! The retail tomato and pepper seedlings have been transplanted from their tiny starter cells to larger grow cells and will be ready for your gardens soon. Glenn has a lot on his mind between greenhouse jobs and field prep jobs and is trying to keep everything moving forward. It’s a busy time of year.

Still Life Farm. This week we are enjoying a visit from our very dear friends who have driven up from Wichita, KS. In theory we are attempting to have a “staycation”, but that is easier said than done on the farm. I think what is actually happening is our friends are having a “farm labor” vacation, but they are being good sports about it…lol. Kip is absolutely thrilled to have two other kids to play with at the house! On the farm side of things, we have been trying to pick and sell as many greenhouse greens as possible since they are growing out of control. Curt and Tony have a dug an entire row of our orange raspberries and transplanted them to a new field in hopes that they have more space and sunlight to thrive at that new location. There’s a skunk who has taken up residence under our chicken barn and it’s pretty annoying.

Eat well & love your food,

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

Spring CSA 2022: Weeks 6&7

April 7, 2022 / Still Life Farm / Leave a comment

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 (green daikon), 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 apples. 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 but pull plastic. The next few days of rain should help quite a bit – NOT! 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 – looking 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. There’s 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)

Food for thought – “early spring salad”.

Spring CSA 2022: Week 3

March 16, 2022 / Still Life Farm / Leave a comment

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.

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 peppers and eggplant at the Stillman’s greenhouse, his faithful border collie, Josie, always by this side.

Curt and Tony turning over the greenhouses into spring crops. Kip helping to excavate the new 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)