Now that the snow is all melted, it really feels like spring is picking up! Greens in the high tunnel are taking off, the crew is back on the farm more, and the greenhouse is filling up (especially since the heater in one of our greenhouses broke - a bump in the road, but we are on track to replace it soon!).
With all those veggies available, but no space in our greenhouse to set up a store, we are opening a pre-order sale today for pick-up on Tuesday, March 31st from 2pm - 6pm (we can leave it out later that evening if you give us a head’s up!). We are especially excited because we got a visit from our friend Sophie from Alprilla Farm on Wednesday with a delivery of their gorgeous carrots, celeriac and freshly milled rye flour. If you have Barrett’s Bucks already, those can now be used to make purchases.
Going forward we will likely have pre-order pick-ups for Thursdays or Fridays, but we wanted to have everything available in time for Passover Seders next week. If you have big dinner plans next weekend or you celebrate Easter, everything from Tuesday will keep just fine for a while, even the greens. The kale mix and spinach from our March 7th sale held up remarkably well - we were still eating leftover bagged greens from that harvest as of yesterday!
Ordering opens Friday, March 27th at 12pm
and closes Monday, March 30th at 12pm.
To place an order visit:
https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop_panel
Available for pre-order pick-up on Tuesday:
Items are grown here and certified organic unless otherwise noted. Please note that our seasonal water has been turned off so kale mix and spinach will need extra washing at home.
Braising mix - This is a mix of larger kalebration leaves and spinach. More tender than regular curly kale, but still best suited for cooking! From our high tunnel.
Pea shoots - From our high tunnel.
Cabbage - Red and green storage cabbage
Scallions - Overwintered in our high tunnel.
Carrots - New! from our friends Noah and Sophie at Alprilla Farm in Warner, NH. Certified Organic. They are very crisp and sweet!
Beets - from Winter Moon Roots in from Winter Moon Roots in Hadley, MA. Certified Organic.
Celeriac - New! from our friends Noah and Sophie at Alprilla Farm in Warner, NH. Certified Organic. Check out the Lentil Salad recipe below for an idea of what you can do with roasted celeriac (and other roasted veggies too!)
Apples- Evercrisp variety from Clark Brothers Orchard in Ashfield, MA. Not organic.
Rye flour - New! from our friends Noah and Sophie at Alprilla Farm in Warner, NH. They grow the rye and then mill it to order. Certified Organic. See below for a rye flour cookie recipe recommended by Sophie!
Apple Chips - Dehydrated apple chips made by Growing Places in Leominster, MA. Shelf life is 3 months stored in a dry place. Not organic.
Dried Mushrooms - 1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms from Mycoterra Farm in Deerfield, MA.
Salsa Verde - Made by Kenneth at Eastern Mass Provision from our own organic tomatillos, onions, garlic, jalapeños and cilantro. Mild.
Hot Sauce - Made by Kenneth at Eastern Mass Provision from our own organic habañeros, aji rico, fresno, cayenne, Hungarian hot wax and garlic. Hot.
Sauerkraut - Made by Kenneth at Eastern Mass Provision from our own organic green cabbage. Keep refrigerated.
Maple syrup - 12 oz. bottles from our friend Jim at Hollis Hills Farm in Fitchburg, MA. Not Organic.
Baer’s Best Beans - Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry, and Cannellini. Certified Organic. All grown by Charley Baer in South Berwick, ME.
Raspberry Vinegar Infusion -Silferleaf Farm in Concord, MA. Certified Organic.
Mokonuts’ Rye-Cranberry Chocolate-Chunk Cookies
by Doris Greenspan from NY Times Cooking
INGREDIENTS
1 cup plus 1½ tablespoons (130 grams) medium rye flour
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (85 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter at cool room temperature
½ cup (100 grams) sugar
½ cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
1 large egg
⅓ cup (50 grams) poppy seeds
⅔ cup (80 grams) moist, plump dried cranberries
4 ounces (113 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks
Flake salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling
PREPARATION
Whisk together the rye flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sea salt and baking soda; set aside.
Working with a mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment, if you have one), beat the butter and both sugars together on medium speed for 3 minutes, until blended; scrape thebowl as needed. Add the egg, and beat 2 minutes more. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients all at once, then pulse the mixer a few times to begin blending the ingredients. Beat on low speed until the flour almost disappears, and then add the poppy seeds, cranberries and chocolate. Mix only until incorporated. Scrape the bowl to bring the dough together.
Have a baking sheet lined with parchment, foil or plastic wrap nearby. Divide the dough into 15 pieces, roll each piece into a ball between your palms and place on the baking sheet. Cover, and refrigerate the dough overnight or for up to 3 days. (If you’d like, you can wrap the balls airtight and freeze them for up to 1 month. Defrost them overnight in the fridge before baking.)
When you’re ready to bake, center a rack in the oven, and heat it to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Arrange the cookies on the sheet, leaving 2 inches between each cookie (work with half a batch at a time and keep the remaining balls of dough in the refrigerator until needed). Sprinkle each cookie with a little flake salt, crushing it between your fingers as you do.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, pull the baking sheet from the oven and, using a metal spatula, a pancake turner or the bottom of a glass, tap each cookie lightly. Let the cookies rest on the sheet for 3 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a rack. Repeat with the remaining dough, always using cold dough and a cool baking sheet.
Serve after the cookies have cooled for about 10 minutes, or wait until they reach room temperature.
Lentil Salad With Roasted Vegetables
By Melissa Clark, from NY Times Cooking
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE LENTIL SALAD
1 small whole acorn squash, peeled if desired, halved, seeded and diced into ½-inch pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
1 medium celeriac, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
3 small beets, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
2 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary, cut in half
4 slices (4 ounces) bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)
2 cups brown or green lentils
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 bay leaf
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper
FOR THE SHERRY VINAIGRETTE
¼ cup sherry vinegar, more to taste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
FOR SERVING
2 heads radicchio, sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced (whites and greens)
Parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish
Flaky sea salt, to taste
Cracked black pepper, to taste
1 tangerine, halved and seeded
PREPARATION
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place vegetables in one layer on one or two large rimmed baking pans, toss with olive oil and salt. Place thyme and rosemary on top of vegetables, cover pans with foil and roast for 25 minutes. Remove foil, stir in bacon and bake for 30 to 40 minutes longer, until vegetables are tender and golden all over.
In a large pot, combine lentils, 6 cups water, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until lentils are tender.
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard and salt. Then whisk in olive oil.
Drain lentils and discard bay leaf; keep or discard garlic as you like. Toss lentils with half of the sherry vinaigrette while still warm. Add more salt, olive oil and vinegar as needed.
Toss radicchio with enough of remaining vinaigrette to lightly coat it and arrange it on a platter. Combine lentils and roasted vegetables, adding more of the vinaigrette to taste; spoon mixture on top of radicchio. Garnish with scallions, parsley, sea salt and black pepper. Squeeze tangerine juice over the lentils and drizzle with more olive oil if needed.
Cabbage and Halloumi Skewers
from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 cup (1 ounce) packed fresh herbs, such as chives, parsley, and mint
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 large lemon
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon mild red pepper flakes
8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 8-ounce package halloumi, at room temperature so it’s easier to slice
1 to 1 1/4 pound green cabbage, cut into 1-to-2-inch chunks
Make herb sauce: In a food processor or high-speed blender, pulse herbs, capers, finely grated zest of your lemon, salt, and pepper together until the herbs are finely chopped. Drizzle in 6 tablespoons of the olive oil with the machine running. Taste for seasoning and adjust to taste.
Assemble skewers: Cut halloumi block into 1/4-inch slices, then cut each slice in approximately 1-inch flat squares. If your halloumi is breaking a lot, you can soak the block in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes to soften it slightly, making it easier to slice.
Thread chunks of cabbage and halloumi slices onto skewers, alternating the two for the length of the skewer. Brush skewers lightly with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Halve your zested lemon.
Grill the skewers: Heat your grill to a high temperature. Arrange the skewers across the grill and cook until lightly charred underneath, then turn the skewers to char the next side. Brush the just-grilled parts with the herb oil, continuing to turn the skewers until they’re charred on all sides and you’ve used all of the oil. You can put the lemon halves on the grill as well to grill them. Squeeze the lemon halves over the skewers and enjoy them as soon as possible. No grill? You can arrange the skewers on a baking sheet and run them under your oven’s broiler, turning and brushing them as you would on the grill.
