Community Supported Agriculture

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Tuesdays
3:00pm - 7:00pm

Brox Farm Stand
1276 Broadway Road
Dracut, MA
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DeLIGHTful TIME
Farmer Dave with a wild baboon

Now that I have returned from Ethiopia I can be proud of all that I taught them about growing better, healthier crops and how to work smarter with nature to better grow nurturing food for the community. Yet, as much as I think I taught them, they unknowingly taught me so much more. Living with students at the equivalent of a land grant university isolated from any local towns or cities, I lived the simple life of a teacher who did not realize that perhaps he was actually the student learning. In my first days there the constant electricity outages and lack of running water was a real annoyance. Yet, as time moved on I realized that the inability to quickly do what I wanted, when I wanted, actually liberated me from want itself. To bemoan the living circumstances would be futile as I was being given the best that they had. I at least had a housekeeper that would fill my barrel of water while I was off teaching. I was so special that I was brought soap and a basin and pitcher of water to wash my hands before each meal. Yet, my lack of choice in what I ate led me to better appreciate the fact that I at least had food to eat. I better appreciate the act of saying a prayer or grace before each meal, for many are not so fortunate to have a meal. When I think of the poverty that I saw, it did not look like poverty. Most live with the same low level of material possessions. They do not spend what they do not have. They know that the most important thing is to put food on the table for the family. They know that the ability to share that meal is reason enough to celebrate. Thank you for giving me the freedom from want.

Often I would work in the office in the evening where there was a generator to power the main admin building and cafeteria. On my walk back to my room, I was amazed at the stars. With no electricity, on a moonless night the darkness was very dark. In darkness we can more easily see the light. The stars twinkled and lit up the night sky. I usually can easily make out the belt in the constellation Orion. Now, I could easily see his whole hunter shape along with his bow. I can see why the stars were so important to the ancients. I can also see why they should still be important to us today. And if we cannot see them we are missing something. While an impressive modernization, our man made lights can so often hide the beauty that surrounds us.

In Ethiopia they still tell time their old way. They have been bucking international time norms in part because they are proud to be one of the few African nations that were never really colonized. They want to hold on to their culture. There the day starts at dawn (6AM). So, when we say it is 7AM, they say it is 1AM. Their day is divided into two 12 hour segments- daytime and nighttime. Their night starts at dusk (our 6PM). So our 11PM is their 5PM, or 5 hours into the night. Sounds like things could get confusing if you are not from there- and they did. (I will not even begin to mention their calendar) Yet, their time makes a lot of sense. The day begins when the sun gets up and things begin to grow. The day ends when the cows come home. We sleep when there is no sun and we maximize the use of daylight. However, this system is a lot easier when you live near the equator and there is little variation from day to day. One meter of snow and frigid temperatures make New England so much more enjoyable because of the variation throughout the year!

  

Here in New England we now change our time (talking about confusing!) Yet, to "spring" ahead give us more hope and promise that the light is brightening and stronger each day. This week the snow is melting. The plants in the greenhouse are growing like crazy after waiting so patiently for weather like this. The baby transplants in the greenhouses now number in the hundreds of thousands. By next month ( I hope) the snow will melt, the fields will dry and we will place these thousands of young plants into the healthy soils of the fields, their earlier infant lives having been protected from frigid cold in the greenhouses. Before we know it the snow white fields will be transformed into verdant palettes of future meals. The constant variation to the rhythm of our season reminds us that hope in spring is eternal.

 

Upon returning to the US a salad from the greens of our greenhouses was one of my first meals. I cannot explain how thankful I was for that meal. 

 

I went to Ethiopia as a volunteer, to give my knowledge, to build the growing capacity of future Ethiopian farmers. That I did. Yet it is in giving that we receive. And I received so much.

 

Thank You Ethiopia.

 

And Keep your own time, it just makes sense.

 

Farmer Dave

In Your Share: Week 2
Beautiful June Veggies
The following items may make an appearance in your shares this week.  The actual contents of your share may differ based on harvest conditions.  As always Mother Nature ultimately dictates what is available.
  • Carrots
  • Potatoes
  • Cabbage
  • Celeriac (aka. celery root)
  • High-tunnel spinach
  • Greenhouse baby greens
  • Apples
  • and more

Unsure what's in your share? Check out our produce ID guide for help identifying any new to you vegetables. You'll be a CSA pro in no time! 

What is this & storage tips
Celeriac
Celeriac: looks ugly, tastes delicious





What is this? Celeriac

Celeriac, aka. celery root, is not the root of the celery plant as some state.  Celeriac is its own cultivar in the celery family.  Its best quality is that it has all of the lovely herbal flavor of celery without all of the stringy bits that are the downfall of celery.  It can be peeled and eaten raw, boiled or roasted but when cooked and pureed it has a wonderful creamy quality.

Storage:
If the surface of the celeriac root is completely dry it will store well unpeeled in the refrigerator for up to four months.  Once peeled it should be wrapped tightly and used within a month.  The surface of peeled celeriac will darken- just cut off the darkened surface to reveal the rest of the white root beneath.

Preparation tip:
Don't kill yourself with the vegetable peeler.  Cut in half, place cut side down and slice crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices.  Then lay each slice flat and cut off the "crust" like a PB&J or a pizza slice.  It will go much faster and ensure that you remove all of the tough lumpy exterior.

Storage Tips
  • Store root vegetables in a cool, dark place. Their natural response to the spring is to begin to grow. Tricking them into believing that it's still winter is the way to prevent this.
  • Remove the potatoes from the plastic bag and store them in a paper bag in a cool, dark place.
  • If your greens aren't lasting as long as you'd like, try turning your refrigerator temperature down a few degrees.
  • If you see any moisture collected in the bags of greens, open the bag to let the condensation evaporate prior to putting in the refrigerator.
Mashed Celeriac

from Ginger

Ingredients:
  • 1-2 celeriac, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 3-6 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.  You want to aim for a 50/50 mix of celeriac and potatoes for the best texture but any combination will do.
  • 1 clove garlic 
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 3-4 Tablespoons butter
  • Salt & pepper to taste 
  • Optional: Parsley or arugula 

Directions: 

 
  1. Place the celeriac in a large pot and cover with salted water.  Boil for approximately 12 minutes.
  2. Add potatoes and garlic and continue boiling until celeriac and potatoes are very tender.
  3. Drain then return to pan and mash with cream, butter and salt & pepper to taste.
  4. Garnish with chopped parsley or arugula  
  
For more ideas check out our recipe blog or follow us on Pinterest!

Have a great recipe that you'd like us to feature in the weekly newsletter? Email it to Ginger or share it with your fellow CSA members on our facebook page. Be sure to include a photo!
Early Registration Gifts

We've had lots of people ask when the early registration gifts will be distributed.

The t-shirts and shopping bags will be distributed in the next few weeks.

The gift certificate codes and instructions will be distributed by early April.

Any plants should be ready in late-May or early-June with exact distribution dates to be determined.

Thank you again for your early registration! An early commitment to the season helps us to be able to plan our crops more effectively and spreads out the office workload to a time of year when we're not so busy.
Upcoming Events Featuring Farmer Dave!

Say "Hello" to your farmer at the following events in March!

Thursday, March 19th 5:30pm - 8:30pm
First Church
11 Garden St
Cambridge, MA

"Every season, growers across Massachusetts plant and grow food for us.  In order to understand the various Farm Share programs available to consumers, we've invited farmers from across Massachusetts to join us in Cambridge for a one-evening Farm Share Fair, to explain to us all about their Farm Share programs.

15% of the proceeds from the 2015 Farm Share Fair will be donated to theMOVE, a Cambridge non-profit dedicated to bringing youth and adults from urban Boston out to farms for work days, to learn about where food comes from."

 

  Click here for details.
Groundwork Share-a-Share Update
 
Thanks to generous donations by you (CSA members) to the Groundwork Share-A-Share™ fund, we were able to subsidize the cost of shares in 2014 for over thirty individuals and families, as well as shares for local food pantries.

Please consider helping us in our efforts to make the CSA accessible to more families by donating to Groundwork Share-A-Share.

 

To learn more about the program,  click here.

 

Thank you all for helping us keep this program going in 2015!  

 

Contact Us:

Farmer Dave's CSA
437 Parker Road
Dracut, MA 01826

(978) 349-1952