This Week's Food

Yesterday, we made the beautiful drive out to Clark Farm in Carlisle to pick up the micro greens on for the whole and double shares.
When we got there we found that the sheep (and goats!) had been moved out of the barn and onto the field. Can a sheep look delighted? Because these guys sure did, basking in the sun to chew and nap their days away.  It is a scene to take pride in, animals being raised with love and respect, letting nature play its part. Letting sheep, be sheep.

The joy of the scene was contagious. Feeling the suns warmth made me day dream of all of the amazing produce that is being planted and that will make its way into your shares. Bok Choy, Micro Greens, Greenhouse Tomatoes, and Fiddleheads! Warmer weather also means maple syrup and more abundant eggs from the hens.

As much as we love rutabaga, change is in the air- and it's going to be delicious.

You know who else loves sunshine? Your insulated Family Dinner bags! Please return them to your driver so they can see the light of day and be reused!!

Edible Boston! Get Your Edible Boston right heeere!
We were tickled pink to be featured by the amazing Rachel Caldwell in the most recent edition of Edible Boston.
It perfectly captures what we are trying to do with Family Dinner, the love we have for our farmers and members and that facts that we're complete nerds. We would say that's about perfect.

Newbies:
We have two New Kids on the Block this week!!
Maine Grains and Lark Fine Foods are coming into your Family Dinner shares for the first time!

Maine Grains is the maker of the rolled oats you'll discover in your bags. Maine Grains wants to be a "partner in the regenerative economy by milling nutritious, organic and heritage grains using a traditional stone milling process. " 

These little guys are packed with flavor and ready to play a role and in your sweet or savory recipes.

Next up, Lark Fine Foods is a 100% female owned (oh, heck yes!) bakery of "Cookies for Grown Up" in Essex, MA. 
We got to visit the beautiful facility two weeks ago and sample all the fresh goodies. Erin ate cookies for breakfast for days. (Three cheers for Research!) We settled on the flavors we see in your shares. We hope you love them as much as we do!

We love finding new products to share with you. When we first Laurel from Nectar & Green we were amazed by her knowledge, passion and the taste of the product. Laurel and her team make pressed Almond Milk, and we are excited to bring it into our Whole and Double Shares this week.  Founded in 2015 by Laurel McConville, Nectar & Green uses whole organic almonds sourced from a small family farm in central California. Their signature Sea Salt + Honey is lightly sweetened with raw honey from Ipswich MA and sea salt harvested from the Atlantic in nearby Gloucester MA. Each pint was pressed and bottled fresh for Family Dinner this week. If you love it let us know!
 
About the Nectar & Green Almond Milk:
Our almond milk is made from whole, organic almonds—a lot of them. First we sprout them. Then we press them. Then, we combine them with a short list of ingredients that we find especially beautiful and nourishing (like honey from local hives and sea salt from the Atlantic). We never use heat to process, and we say no to refined sugars and fillers. Because almond milk should be delicious, and what you put in your body matters.

It has so many uses; coffee, milk for your granola, add it to oats (they're on the slate for next week!), soak your bread for a different French Toast, or drink it straight. So many ways to love it!

It's unlikely that James Taylor had a baby sheep in mind when he penned his 1971 classic "You've Got a Friend"... but what if he had?

The lambs that arrive each year at Clark Farm are a joy to see. They are birthed and within twenty minutes they are walking around and feeding off their mothers. Surrounded by hay and warmth they have all the space and time they need to stumble, get back up and wander around like the tiny, furry drunken adults they are. It's amazing.

We are excited to expand our friendship and partnership with Andrew at Clark Farm. We met yesterday to put our heads together about Spring Crops for Family Dinner. Pouring over seed catalogues we brainstormed an array of Asian Greens; mustards, mizuna, tatsoi as well as a few other staples to keep you excited and invigorated about warmer weather cooking. Spring is on its way, people. I promise. And its going to be delicious.

And last but not least we want to talk about new friends in new zip codes. 
Like every hero in Game of Thrones does at some point: we are headed North (again).
This time we are expanding to Peabody, Saugus and Salem. We're coming for you, North Shore!

Know anyone who would love to try Family Dinner? 
Have them use NSHORE50 for 50% off their first order, and we will bring it North!

We are really lucky to work so closely with Red's Best to get you the freshest local seafood around. Each week they message us from the Pier, letting us know what has come out of the water that day. There are delicious mainstays like haddock and salmon that come into the rotation, and a few ocean delights we haven't quite figured out how to bring you. (A car full of fresh veggies and live lobsters does present a particular set of challenges.)

This week we have Redfish on the menu and cannot wait to gobble it up. Redfish is, oddly, a white fish that wants to high five all the spices in your cabinet before it gets a quick fry and a lemon spritz. It's also ready to be wrapped up in the warm blanket of your Mi Tierra tortillas and served on Taco Night.

We are serving it to the Pescatarians and the Omnivore Wholes and Double shares.  For the half shares, we have not neglected your need for tacos. Please revel in the deliciousness of the Featherbrook Farms Chorizo and it's bright spicy nature.  Bon Appetit, buddies.

Pictures of Family, wedding invitations, weirdo magnets from around the world... we aren't going to tell you what should go on your fridge, but here's a few ideas on how to store what you put in it.

Storage Tips for Farm Share Food

Learn how to make ingredients last longer and minimize food waste. One of the biggest goals that drive us at Family Dinner is to build a business that helps sustain the local food system while reducing food waste. We are thrilled to bring you fresh, seasonal ingredients on the reg, and we’re here to give you some tips to ensure they last as long as possible.

 

The Freezer Is Your Friend

• If you have seafood in your share, it was probably caught within the last 24 hours. As it is at the height of freshness, we recommend prioritizing it as an ingredient and cooking it within 1 or 2 days.
• The freshly packed meats (chicken, steaks, chops, sausage, etc) can be stored in your fridge for the week, but you can also chuck them immediately in the freezer and they can be kept frozen for months (thaw a day in the fridge before you plan to cook it).
• If you don’t foresee cooking it within a few days, fresh pasta can be safely stored for a couple months in the freezer. When you’re ready, you can cook the noodles straight from frozen (do not thaw).
• Butter can be stored in the freezer as well! If you have too much of it, save it for later by throwing it in the freezer and thawing when you’re ready to use it up.
• Bread, grains, and sweets can also be stored in the freezer (not the fridge!) for long-term storage as well.

 

Vegetable Storage

• Store your fruit and vegetables straight from the delivery bag. Don’t rinse produce until you’re ready to cook or eat it, since extra moisture before storage can encourage spoilage.
• Many vegetables can soften easily in the fridge when they become dehydrated.  In order to keep root vegetables hydrated as long as possible, remove any leaves or stems from them before refrigerating.  These leaves can be stored separately and be used as a salad or herb (carrot tops are a great alternative to parsley and can also be turned into pesto).  If your veggies are dehydrated, whether they are root veggies, lettuce, asparagus, or something else, you can rehydrate them by trimming the root and placing them in a bowl of water for a brief amount of time, until they are firm and rehydrated.  

 

Odds and Ends

Got extra bits of vegetables itching to get used up? Some ideas to inspire you:

• Add to scrambled eggs
• Use as pizza topping
• Throw in a stir-fry
• Add to a soup
• Juice them
• Make quick pickles
• Make slow pickles and ferment them

 

Further Reading

For more specific storage tips, obviously you can google “how to store ____”, but we particularly recommend these sources to start:

 

• USDA food safety basics
• New York Times “Tips to Reduce Food Waste”
• Cook’s Illustrated
• Serious Eats
• The Kitchn

Valentine's Day has come and (mercifully) gone. What remains is our undying love for delicious, local food and our joy to share it with you. 

Love and respect are at the foundation of the local food system and we hope you find this week's share to be chock full of it. From the beautiful swordfish from Red's Best to the baby lettuces that Andrew at Clark Farm has grown and harvested just for us.  And of course, chocolate. The bars from Taza chocolate make a nice surprise gift or a perfect item to fiendishly squirrel away  in your desk drawer when lunch seems like a distant dream at work.

We are so enamored that we wrote you a poem, a haiku in fact, we hope you like it.

Local Food, So good
Tasty, Fresh and Delicious
More Donut Holes*, please.

Besides our (very obvious) poetic gifts, we hope you know how much we love and appreciate all of our Family Dinner members. If this were the final scene of Say Anything, we would be John Cusack outside your house- holding aloft a Family Dinner insulated bag full of treats instead of a stereo.

Thank you for making this all possible!
* Donut Holes will be back in the rotation soon.

 

In honor of Valentine's Day and some really amazing chicken from Tad at Feather Brook Farms (pictured, as always, in overalls) we have titled this email "Mon Poulet Amour". It's like that Stevie Wonder song....but with Chicken.

Tad and his family grow the best birds around, the flavor can't be beat. You can find them in the best restaurants in and around Boston, and lucky for us, in your Family Dinner shares.

They're perfect for a simple Sunday roast or for a weeknight meal, we'll give you a few ideas below. We hope you love 'em.

Oh! And a love note from us:
Please return your bags! We miss them and want to reuse them! Thanks!!

With Love and Crispy Chicken Skin,
Erin and Tim


WHAT'S IN THE BAG?

HALF SHARE

Omnivore Protein - Half Chicken from Feather Brook Farms; Greek Yogurt from Brookford Farm
Pescatarian Protein - Salmon from Red's Best; Greek Yogurt from Brookford Farm
Vegetarians-  Pierogi from Jaju; Greek Yogurt from Brookford Farm
Paleo Proteins - Half Chicken from Feather Brook Farms;Eggs from Feather Brook Farms and Brookford Farm
Fruits and Veggies -  Arugula, Butternut Squash, Parsnips and Beets from Busa Farm
Grain - Pasta from Law of Pasta
Special Treat - Dessert Bars from Forge Baking Co

WHOLE SHARE

Omnivore Protein -Whole Chicken from Feather Brook Farms; Greek Yogurt from Brookford Farm; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms and Brookford Farm
Pescatarian Protein - Salmon and Hake from Red's Best; Greek Yogurt from Brookford Farm; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms and Brookford Farm
Paleo Proteins --Whole Chicken from Feather Brook Farms; Greek Yogurt from Brookford Farm; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms and Brookford Farm
Vegetarian Protein - Pierogi from Jaju; Plant Deli Bacon; Greek Yogurt from Brookford Farm; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms and Brookford Farm
Fruits and Veggies -Kale, Arugula, Butternut Squash, Parsnips and Beets from Busa Farm;
Grain - Whole Pasta from Law of Pasta
Special Treat -Dessert Bars and Cookie from Forge Baking Co

 

DOUBLE SHARE

Omnivore Protein - Whole Chicken from Feather Brook Farms; Kielbasa and Greek Yogurt from Brookford Farm; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms and Brookford Farm; Apple Butter
Pescatarian Protein - Salmon, Hake and Scallops from Red's Best; Greek Yogurt from Brookford Farm; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms and Brookford Farm; Apple Butter
Vegetarian Protein - Pierogi from Jaju; Plant Deli Bacon; Kimchi and Greek Yogurt from Brookford Farm; Eggs from Feather Brook Farms and Brookford Farm; Apple Butter
Fruits and Veggies - Lettuce Mix, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Arugula, Butternut Squash, Parsnips and Beets from Busa Farm
Grain - Whole Pasta from Law of Pasta; Pierogi from Jaju Pierogi
Special Treat - Dessert Bars and Cookie from Forge Baking Co

RECIPES

Engagement Chicken:  Christine sent us over a simple recipe for what looks like a stunning dish. I think we can all barf just a little over the title but the dish is a delight.

Sage Brown Butter Pasta: This could work for your pierogi or the amazing pasta from Avery at Law of Pasta- also a great sauce for your chicken or sweet potatoes!

Butternut Squash with Miso:  This calls for honey nut but one large butternut can step in. We are omitting the radicchio and subbing in some massaged kale.  Well massaged. It is Valentine's day after all.

Roasted Beets with Salted Yogurt:  A beautiful side for a roasted salmon dish, or some left over chicken.

Parsnip Fries: No. I won't share with you. Stop asking.

Sheet Pan Salmon and Kale:  Sure it's healthy and delicious. But it still need a nice pad of butter right at the end. As everything does.

We will let others take the baton in the debate over whether or not Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time- which he is, obviously.)

While the entire country will be zoned in on the Pats vs the Rams in Superbowl LIII, we want to talk about another Boston football team who is no stranger to championships and has the rings to prove it.

The Boston Renegades are a full contact, semi-professional women’s football team with four national championships under their belts.  These women are extraordinary. The game is the same as the men's, the dedication and the drive runs in parallel but I would argue that the passion and grit goes beyond.

Each of these athletes (and the all-volunteer staff and organization) has full-time job. Many have family or grad school obligations. Some are active military. They are not paid for the hours they spend training, or compensated for the long travel to away games. They sacrifice for the love of the game.  They have a simple mission: to expand the visibility and influence of women’s football, and to bring another championship home to Boston. 

For anyone who is questioning if women can play football, I'll stop my eyes from rolling back in my head long enough to invite you down to watch a game- the skill is extraordinary and the hits are hard. 

And Family Dinner has a special place in our hearts for this team. Many of them are members and Erin is a proud alum of the team. You can find Tim and Erin at home games, in matching Family Dinner hoodies, cheering our hearts out.

Oh, and they happened to win the National Title this year.  Beating LA on July 28th, 2018 with a score of 42-18. Your turn, Patriots. We already did our job.

Also! We got you guys some amazing chips for the game. Fresh from the Mi Nina kitchen. They are light, salty and awesome. And don't feel like you have to share. We consider this a single serving bag.

 

The cure for anything is salt water — sweat, tears, or the sea.
— Isak Dinesen

Isak Dinesen the pen name of early 20th century Danish writer Baroness Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke (Which is the greatest name EVER, after Cher- of course). And the Baroness really nails it here. Salt water is good for the soul. And we will even one-up her and say that we believe that salt itself is good for the soul. 

And the salts from Hippie Pilgrim are no exception to the rule.
Owned by Susannah Locketti, Family Dinner Member, expert Brand Ambassador and Food Network Alum, this South Shore company has been cranking out delicious salts for the past five years.  On the origin of the company she writes:

"In 2006 a coworker gave me garlic salt as a holiday gift. When the jar ran out I made my own and gave it away out of a 50 gallon bucket in my apartment for years. Neighbors would come over with baggies and jars to refill constantly. In 2013 I officially founded Hippy Pilgrim and three weeks later we landed a cooking segment on the Queen Latifah show (video is on our website) which gave us the initial boost we needed.

We recently celebrated our five year anniversary and now make 10 great flavors of garlic salt plus a delicious coffee rub and dipping oil seasonings. I love quality food but don’t want to work too hard in the kitchen for it. Our garlic salts adds a sophisticated flavor to whole foods with zero effort which is what people love about us! Hippy Pilgrims are happy pilgrims and we hope to replace every saltand pepper shaker in the country with a pinch pot of our salt which is made with fresh RAW ingredients sourced locally as much as humanly possible."

We love that.
Susannah says that the salt would be a great addition to so many of this week's ingredients: pork chop, grilled romaine salad, scrambled eggs or Bloody Marys.

Did someone say "Bloody Mary"? Yes, Please!

Forge Baking Company is hosting another In Season event at Forge on Thursday, February 28th.  We are thrilled to be helping with the products while Jen Park from Forge makes it into an amazing menu.

This dinner will have a heavy emphasis on local, seasonal produce, fish, dairy, and grains from Family Dinner. The ticket is all you can eat along with 2 beers from Idle Hands. We want to really get into the winter mood. 

Doors open at 6:30 pm on Thursday 2/28.  Each ticket is $60.  

Here is the link to the Eventbrite page to purchase a ticket.

Please join us for the fun we would love to see you there!

We have two things to gab about this week:
In this corner delightful local food (Hot Italian Sausage! Haddock! Fresh Pasta!) and in this corner Shameless Self Promotion!!!!

TedX Natick
Hey folks!  We have been invited to present at TedX Natick on January 26th. We will be nerding out about farms, data and a humble mission to change the food system.  In the end we will be telling a story about this little company and the wonderful people (like all of you!) who helped us build it.  Oh, and we will be sharing the stage with a Nobel Prize winning Physicist. How cool is that?!?!

We have been working on our presentation in a very analog way, on a big black board in our kitchen - while something simmers on the stove and the wine chills in the fridge. Time to get cracking, its just two weeks away!

If you want to learn more check it out! 

Delightful Dishes
Also, its time to Cozy up to Casserole this week! Christine has a few great ideas for cozy weeknight meals, below.

The subject of this week's email may sound like the title of a delightful fairy tale, and in many ways it is.

Bell & Goose Cheese Co. is a woman-owned business in the great state of New Hampshire. This week got to visit them, see the farm and eat cheese to our hearts content. Which is heaven on Earth, as far as we are concerned. Anna and her family are doing it right. We are in love with the product and the mission:

"We have a passion for supporting dairy farmers and the large swaths of land they care for. Eating hand made, small batch cheese is pretty delightful but when it's local you can savor the good it's doing as well. When we buy local dairy we preserve our agricultural landscape as well as the knowledge and way of life these multi generational farms have to offer us."

The cheese we have is their Hunca Munca, a pasteurized baby Swiss. It melts beautifully, goes great on salads with apples and is great for snacking while you roast up Tad's chicken.

Bon Appetit! Vive le Fromage!!