Survey Says!!!
Good Morning Folks!
First, THANK YOU to all of you who took the time to fill out the survey a few weeks ago. We know that time is a precious commodity and we appreciate your willingness to share your thoughts with us. We have hungrily consumed every nugget of information and suggestion. Shannon has compiled a list of the Greatest Hits topics along with some additional bits of background from our side, below.
Second, I would like to apologize for the obligatory Family Feud reference in the subject line of this email. I can't help myself. It's moronic as hell but that show is utterly mesmerizing. If you walk into a room and it's on, no matter your relative intellect or particular affinity for gameshows, within minutes you're sucked in and you find yourself guessing along to foolish questions such as:
"Name something that follows the word 'pork'."
And delighting in the pure comedy when a contestant replies with something baffling such as:
"UPINE?"
Speaking of Greatest Hits, the Funniest Responses of Family Feud is a total waste of your time and is also a pure joy.
So thank you again for sharing your thoughts with us. Your input is incredibly valuable. Please always feel free to share any additional thoughts, comments, insults or ideas with us at hello@sharefamilydinner.com. We always look forward to hearing from you.
Erin + Tim
Survey Says:
Where can I provide feedback about the items I receive in the shares? What if I would like to update my allergies and aversions?
Please send us an email to hello@sharefamilydinner.com. We don’t want to load you up on items you detest and can replace them with another item. Likewise, if you really loved something, we’d also like to know :)
Why does the list come out on Fridays? Why not earlier in the week?
We curate each share in partnership with our farmers. Although we do plan many of the items in advance, things happen; fields flood, windstorms knock over greenhouses, frosts come early or late. In the event something like this happens, we give the farms and ourselves some extra time to choose a different item from that farm or a new one all together. This is all part of the fun and excitement of sourcing. Being adaptable as things change or “surprises” happen, allows us to work together with the farmers and get you the freshest foods available!
Why can’t I do a one time order or add an item for just a week?
Well, you can now! Let’s say you want to do a one off order one week with new items, you can click on the “Add to Cart” button instead of “Add to Subscription.” As long as you have an additional order that week coming over $39 we will issue a refund for the extra shipping charges! We heard you on this before and our tech team has been diligently working to get this option coded on our site!
Can I get deliveries only in a specific time window?
Each week we do around 650 deliveries within the 495 belt. We use a route optimization software that allows us to plot efficient trips and eliminate excess miles. With this, delivery times may change from week to week. We are working to find ways to make the windows more precise and predictable. Also, we are aware there has been a technical issue with the texting before the deliveries arrive and are working to resolve it!
Cost of the Food?
In conventional food systems, farmers are always paid last. After the supermarket, brokers, trucks, warehouses, and get whatever is leftover (think about what’s leftover after $1.99/lb of chicken). In our model, the farmers are paid first and are paid a fair price for their work and labor. In New England, it is costly between land, labor, equipment, and the weather to grow food. But, we still think it is worth it to support our local farmers and pay what should be paid for their creations. We are also actively working to be able to accept SNAP benefits to extend the reach of local food access in our communities.
More Recipes! I want to see what others are making!
We’ve increased the weekly recipe suggestions to 8! Some week’s may be more but at minimum I’ll do 8 a week. Also, not to spoiler alert the spoiler email on Sunday… but you might start to see some highlighted creations you have been sending in over the past few weeks! (And the three highlights in the recipes section this week!)
New Items!
We hear you want new items, and so do we! In the last few weeks, we have launched new “Picks of the Week” and Tropical Produce. Flowers, beer and more are in the works! Keep your eyes peeled in future emails for more information!
WHAT'S IN THE BAG?
Delivery dates: Saturday, 5/8 and Tuesday, 5/11
Note: If you order a "Meat and Fish Share" you will receive just the meats listed, not the "dairy" items (i.e., eggs, yogurt, etc). If you order a "Fish and Seafood Share" you will receive the fish listed, not the dairy items.
Add-on Grain of the Week - Maine Grains
Add-on Bread of the Week - Rye Pullman from Iggy's
Add-on Pastry of the Week - Almond Croissants from Iggy's
NEW!
Add-on Fresh Pasta of the Week - Maine Mushroom from Dave's Fresh Pasta
Add-on Cheese of the Week - Sunset Acres Chevre
Add-on Mezze of the Week - Spinach Dip from Magic Bites
HALF SHARE
Omnivore Protein - Ground Beef from Feather Brook Farms; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms
Pescatarian Protein - White Fish**** from Red's Best; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms
Vegetarian Proteins - Mousakka from Littleburg; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms
Paleo Proteins - Ground Beef from Feather Brook Farms; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms
Fruits and Veggies - Lettuce Mix from LEF; Mushrooms from Fat Moon; Spring Veg Medley from Joe Czajkowski Farm and Clark Farm*; Spinach from Drumlin and Brookford Farms
Grain - Focaccia from Forge
Special Treat - Chocolate from Taza
WHOLE SHARE
Omnivore Protein - Ground Beef from Feather Brook Farms; White Fish from Red's Best****; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms; Yogurt from Brookford Farm
Pescatarian Protein - White Fish****, Salmon from Red's Best; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms; Yogurt from Brookford Farms
Vegetarian Proteins - Mousakka from Littleburg; Tempeh from Rhapsody Foods; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms; Yogurt from Brookford Farm
Paleo Proteins - Ground Beef from Feather Brook Farms; White Fish from Red's Best****; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms
Fruits and Veggies - Lettuce Mix from LEF; Mushrooms from Fat Moon; Spring Veg Medley from Joe Czajkowski Farm and Clark Farm*; Spinach from Drumlin and Brookford Farms; Sweet Potatoes from Juniper Hill Farm; Apples from Champlain Orchards**
Grain - Focaccia from Forge
Special Treat - Chocolate from Taza; Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies from Forge
DOUBLE SHARE
Omnivore Protein - Ground Beef from Feather Brook Farms; White Fish from Red's Best****; Pork Chops from Feather Brook Farms; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms; Yogurt from Brookford Farm; Applesauce from Carlson Orchards
Pescatarian Protein - White Fish****, Salmon, Skate from Red's Best; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms; Yogurt from Brookford Farms; Applesauce from Carlson Orchards
Vegetarian Proteins - Mousakka from Littleburg; Tempeh from Rhapsody Foods; Veggie Burgers from Kind Roots; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms; Yogurt from Brookford Farm; Applesauce from Carlson Orchards
Paleo Proteins - Ground Beef from Feather Brook Farms; White Fish from Red's Best****; Pork Chops from Feather Brook Farms; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms
Fruits and Veggies - Lettuce Mix from LEF; Mushrooms from Fat Moon; Spring Veg from Joe Czajkowski Farm and Clark Farm*; Spinach from Drumlin and Brookford Farms; Sweet Potatoes from Juniper Hill Farm; Apples from Champlain Orchards**; Frozen Corn from Brookford Farm***; Tomatoes from Five College Farm and Long Wind Farm
Grain - Focaccia from Forge; Crackers from Maine Crisps
Special Treat - Chocolate from Taza; Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies from Forge
*Spring Veg: These items come quick and are not always available in large quantities. In an effort to get you them again, you will either get ramps, fiddleheads, OR scallions!
**Apples: This is just a fun fact, the Enterprise Apple was developed through a breeding effort between Perdue University, Rutgers University, and University of Illinois to develop disease resistant apple varieties. It is the 9th apple variety to come from this group!
***Frozen Corn: Corn was hard to come by this past summer due to the drought but luckily enough Brookford froze a small amount of their harvest last year for you to enjoy now!
****White Fish: Boats have been coming back with light harvests and not a lot of variety. To work around this, we will be getting a variety of white fish to meet our needs. There will be a QR code on the packaging for you to see what white fish is included.
RECIPES
(from Shannon)
Corn Salsa: Story Time! Back in high school, I babysat these kids who tried on multiple occasions to trip me with banana peels. I didn't fall for it but did fall in love with a corn salsa their mother made. I will warn you, you may end up eating it with a spoon hunched over the bowl in the middle of the night if somehow you left any for another day.
Spinach and Scrambled Eggs - Let's bring it back to a basic brunch that's still delicious and nutritious!
Collection of White Fish - Here's a medley of white fish recipes you can use for any of the white fish coming in your shares this week!
Morning Glory Muffins - Shout out to Lauren in Boston for sending in this recipe! Use up any carrots or apples you have lying around.
Sour Cream Coffee Cake - If you're not feeling muffins, Amy in Arlington used Sophia's Greek Yogurt (can also sub with the Brookford Yogurt coming in the shares this week!) for the sour cream in this Ina Garten recipe. Not telling you what to do but I love adding some cinnamon apples to the strudel or the cake itself.
Baked Salmon - This recipe is coming from Eileen in Charlestown. A self proclaimed "Salmon-tolerater" said this recipe might just change everyone's opinion on salmon. Also that in place of the tamarind sauce, she used vinegar and brown sugar (in case tamarind is not in your pantry).
Ground Beef and Mushroom Strudel - Try out these hand pies or even add in the mousakka.
Sweet Potato Bowls with Spiced Lamb and Mushroom - Have some Lillooet ground Lamb you'd like to use? Try out this recipe!
Want to share recipes that wow'ed you or show off something incredible that is just going to make me hungry while checking emails? Drop us a line over at recipes@sharefamilydinner.com. We'll be highlighting your recipes and creations in coming weeks! (I am loving all the things you have sent! Stay tuned for highlights coming soon!)