Wishing you a happy, healthy, and delicious Thanksgiving!
This year, we're thankful for you! Your support of Fresh Start Farms makes big things possible. This season, the farmers sustainably grew almost 100,000 pounds of veggies that they distributed through the farm share, farmers markets, affordable mobile markets, and donations. Along with bringing fresh food to the community, the farmers fed their families and close friends with their crops; bringing recognizable and local food to over 167 new Americans.
The farmers report that growing with Fresh Start Farms helps them pay their bills, stay healthy and eat well, improve their English, and build job skills. This year many of the farmers reached exciting goals like opening their first bank account, buying their first car, and saving enough to travel to back Africa to visit family!
Thank you for being part of the Fresh Start Farm community!
Feed A New American Family Shares packed and ready to go!
An enormous thank you to the members who signed up to donate a farm share to a New American family this fall! Here are last week's 10 boxes being packed and ready to distribute to local refugee families. Thank you for sharing the fall bounty and making sure that our newest neighbors have fresh and local food!
Highlights from this week's bounty
Watermelon, Black Spanish, and Purple Daikon Radishes - Kitchen Garden Farm Sylvain's Purple Top Turnips Scallions from Khadija Hari's Daikon Radishes Carrots, Onions, Spinach, Red Kuri Squash - Edgewater Farm Organic Beets - Harlow Farm Organic Sweet Potatoes - Atlas Farm Organic Parsnips - Picadilly Farm Evercrisp, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Cortland & Mac Apples - Brookdale Fruit Farm
Veggie Storage & Preservation Tips
Need a little break from cooking? Here are some tips and ideas for food storage & preservation.
Storage Most produce stores best in cold, moist conditions, which makes the refrigerator the ideal place to keep it. Because refrigerators tend to dry things out, keep produce in the produce drawer or in perforated plastic bags to increase relative humidity. Root cellars are a great option for long-lasting root crops such as carrots or beets.
Broccoli: Store broccoli in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Do not wash it prior to putting it in the fridge, as this can encourage bacterial rot.
Cabbage: Cabbage can be stored in the refrigerator in the produce drawer for up to 4 to 5 months.
Radishes: Radishes keep well in cold conditions. Store in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Carrots, Beets, Turnips, and Parsnips
Carrots, parsnips, beets, turnips, and other root crops should either be stored in a root cellar (if you have one) or in a refrigerator properly.
Store small amounts in the refrigerator in a perforated plastic bag, where they will keep 2 to 3 weeks.
Onions, Garlic, and Shallots
Never put onions nor garlic (nor shallots) in the refrigerator. Store them in a dry, cool (40 to 50°F), ventilated place. It’s best to store them in mesh bags (which they often come in) to get that ventilation. If you can’t do this, put them in a bowl in your pantry. You may cover with a bag, but make sure there are plenty of ventilation holes.
Do not store onions near potatoes! They are not friends. Potatoes excrete moisture and speed up onion decay.
Potatoes
Never refrigerate potatoes—it will turn their starch to sugar. Store in a dark, cool place that is about 40°F (4.5°C). If possible, set up an area in the basement, in the coldest and darkest area, with plastic bins lined with a layer of damp sand.
Potatoes like it a bit warmer than other root crops, so store them higher up.
Don’t store potatoes with onions or apples; these crops give off ethylene gas that will spoil the potatoes.
Pumpkins and Winter Squash (Butternut, Acorn)
Squashes don’t like to be quite as cool nor as humid as root crops do. Store squash in a place with a temperature of about 50° to 65°F. Below 50°F, they are subject to chilling damage. Above 65°F, they become stringy. If you have a cool-ish bedroom, stashing them under the bed works well!
Fermentation Fermentation is one of the most ancient forms of food preservation and one of the easiest. Here are some recipes for fermented vegetables and fruits that are delicious and full of good-for-you bacteria (like the ones in yogurt).
Freezing One of the easiest ways to save money and reduce food waste is to turn to your freezer! Here are instructions for freezing broccoli,spinach, winter squash, celery, and cranberries.
Now offering White Heron Teas! White Heron, based in Portsmouth NH, produces teas with all organic ingredients made on site. Green, Black, Winter Warmer Chai, Peppermint, African Rooibos, Cranberry Apple Ginger, and Stay Well varieties available!
Try an Infused Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar pairing from Monadnock Oil & Vinegar! The White Lemon Balsamic pairs perfectly with Tuscan Herb Olive Oil or Wild Mushroom & Sage Olive Oil and the Honey Ginger White Balsamic makes an awesome addition to the Blood Orange Olive Oil.
Olive Oil and Balsamics aren't just for salad dressing -- check out some more ideas here!
