The Springdell Show and Tell- Winter CSA Pickup #9


Hi everyone, Jess here. I hope everyone is staying safe, hunkering down, and making the most of the big pause in much of the world. As we sit tight and do our part to flatten the curve, I can’t overstate the gratitude I feel for those essential folks that are still out there providing medical care, shelter, and food for the rest of us. Thank you, you are truly our heroes.

Looking at our beautiful pickup from this week, you’d never even recognize there’s an active global pandemic on!
  • Tully Farms Dairy, Dunstable MA (Milk and Heavy Cream)
  • Mozzarella House Cheeses, Peabody, MA (I got Ovoline and Ricotta!!!)
  • Johnny Putt Lettuces (in a damp Johnny Putt lettuce bad is a great place for the lettuce, but damp paper towels on washed and damp dried leaves works too)
  • Onions (cool dry place like an onion bin)
  • Parsley (snip the ends, remove the low leaves and pop in a glass of water near a cool windowsill)
  • Rainbow Carrots (If they get wilt before you enjoy them, cut the tops off and put them top-first into a glass of water in the fridge. Come back in 8 hours).
  • Sweet Potatoes (cool dry place, but not with the onions. Potato bin is better)
  • Potatoes (ditto what I said with the sweets above)
  • Backyard Farms Tomatoes (countertop storage is good. Some will dispute that but I stand by it.)
  • Florida Oranges (See the tomatoes entry above, ditto)
  • Eggs, lots of eggs! (Store in the fridge, and enjoy these little protein bombs!)
  • Purple Cabbage (Cold storage is good, if your fridge is packed you can get away with a basement bulkhead or enclosed porch if the temps aren’t freezing.)
  • Apples (Fridge storage is ok, see what I said about the cabbage.)
  • Beets (wrap em in foil with a little olive oil, and roast!)
  • Parsnips (Roast ’em up, orange glazed parsnips, anyone? Or, store with the carrots.)

The perseverance and resolve of Farmer Jamie and crew this week has been inspiring. Despite the many obstacles, (including a complicated birth of baby lamb twins this morning), our farmers had the crates packed, and ready for our arrival. Jamie moved a cooler of ground beef out from under the farm stand and into the open area which allowed for even better air flow, social distancing and shorter lines. Gerry was selling his lettuces, and Danny was selling the seafood. The cool wind swept through and purged the air around us as we took turns hustling in and bustling out without issue.

Here we see an empty board at the Jordan Brother’s seafood truck and a friendly reminder to follow safe social distancing guidelines, which the patrons all did!
Last night’s dinner was meat and potatoes all the way! Springdell’s Country Style Pork Ribs are always a family favorite, and simple in the slow cooker. The trick is a quick trip through the oven at high heat to sear them on both sides. Check out the recipe for more. The mashed potatoes are always decadent with Tully Farms heavy cream and Amish Roll Butter.
I think this staying at home has been getting to us this week… For some reason my youngest has been bringing the wrong end to the dinner table… I am less than amused by this development, particularly as he still has carrots, a sweet potato and one more piece of bok choy on his plate! (Spoiler alert: they were eaten after I snapped this photo.)

Thanks for reading, everyone. I’ll be checking in this week and thinking about all of you! As always, please check in anytime with your veggie questions and I’ll do my best to answer them. If there’s a recipe you like but you’re missing an ingredient- check in with me before running to the store, as there are lots of ways to get creative with the pantry staples. Meanwhile, wash your hands, don’t touch your face, stay home, keep calm, and keep on cooking!


About Jess

Jess Anderson is the creator of CSA|365 and is passionate about the local food movement. A long time member of Springdell and a busy mother of two, Jess loves keeping her family fed by honest local food.

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