Hi everyone, it’s Em here with another newsletter! I hope you are enjoying your week, getting lots of sun, and eating all of the good early summer produce that is beginning to pop up for the season. I cannot wait until I am able to get my hands on some fresh strawberries! We are currently accepting our Father’s Day preorders and in that spirit I wanted to tell you about my dad this week!
First, the cheese.
It's a wonderful week at Family Dinner, we have fresh mozzarella in all shares from Giuseppe at the Mozzarella House in Peabody. We get to take a trip over there this morning to watch him make this heavenly fromage.
I don't do a whole heck of a lot with it, I've been known to take down a ball of mozz like an apple plucked from a tree in the height of autumn. Enjoy it in its simplicity, there isn't a fresher fromage around.
We have red fish in shares this week and we are tickled pink.
This firm white fish is ready for a simple preparation with a blackened rub served with all the greens that are enthusiastically (and finally!) coming out of the ground.
It’s asparagus season! I feel like Oprah saying you get asparagus, you get asparagus, but… everyone is getting asparagus this week! Since our buddies at Plainville Farm were kind enough to supply us with the most incredible stalks of asparagus, I thought I would offer up a little history lesson on this mighty veggie. Did you know the first record of the vegetable dates back to Ancient Egypt? The crop was said to be used for medicinal purposes and offerings to deities. There are even paintings of asparagus depicted on an Egyptian tomb dating back to 3000 BCE!
Quick note:
This week we have anadama bread from our friends at A&J King. "Anadama bread is a traditional, slightly sweet, and hearty yeast bread from New England made with wheat flour, cornmeal, and molasses. It has a distinctive yellow-brown color, a soft yet slightly chewy texture from the cornmeal porridge added to the dough, and is excellent for toasting." (Thanks oddly human AI explanation!)
I have to admit to having gotten a bit obsessed with the Artemis 2 mission at the start of this month. Though they were navigating what seemed like immeasurable blank space they were tethered to us back here by the depth of their curiosity, their bravery and their love for eachother. Beautiful and mesmerizing events were unfolding daily. At one point the astronauts called back to Mission Control with a proposition, to name a feature on the Moon Carroll after the Commander Reid Wiseman's late wife, they called her "family" and said this feature was a "bright spot" . After their request the astronauts, these brilliant courageous men and women, embraced each other - suspended in the air floating through that moment. The video is a stunning slice of humanity.
This week we have tahini from Medford based Just Us Foods for your shares and boy oh boy is it amazing.
Tahini is a rich savory spread made from ground up toasted sesame seeds and is a staple in Mediterranean cuisine. And for the word nerds in the room (hello, fellow travelers) the word tahini comes from modern Greek word takhini, based on Arabic ṭaḥana "to crush", which coincidentally is the name of Joe's next band. [🙄 - JG]
