Ah, New England weather!
Just as the daffodils emerge and farmers across the region begin preparing fields for the coming season, Mother Nature puts a pause on everything. Growing food is a risky business and the changing climate is adding a whole new element to the snowy mix.

Fruit farmers across the state spent Thursday evening spraying water on apple and cherry blossoms hoping the water would freeze an icy shell to protect the crop from a hard frost. Greenhouses were once again battened down and row cover fabric was dragged across early plantings of carrots, beets, and onions. Sylvain, a long-time Fresh Start farmer in Dunbarton, said it best "Oh my God, it is crazy. But we're gonna survive." And we certainly will.

But in the meantime, to keep us all fueled and in good spirits for what is looking to be a wild season, we're eating Sylvain's Mustard Greens with North Country Smoked Bacon, a creamy Apple Butternut Soup with Juniper Hill Organic Butternut Squash and Jonagold Apples and making crock-pot Chili with Baer's Best Heirloom Bean Mix with Robie Farm Beef and Fresh Start's own Umoja Tomato Sauce.

We will also be indulging in the huge selection of other fresh spring greens like Heron Pond's Adolescent Kale Mix, Organic Baby Spinach and then finishing them off with Salty Feta Cheese and a few slices of Fennel Cured Salami.

Just before the snow...

Fresh Start farmer, Asli, prepares a bed in her greenhouse to plant bok choy last Wednesday.

Seedlings ready to be planted!

Keep reading for important member info, pick up & delivery info, highlights from this week's harvest, recipe of the week, and featured pantry, dairy, and protein items!

Highlights from this week's Bounty

Scallions & Mustard Greens from Fresh Start Farmer Sylvain
Baby Spinach, Heron Pond Farm
Adolescent Green & Red Kale, Heron Pond Farm
Red Potatoes, Dagele Brothers Produce
Purple Top Turnips, Juniper Hill Farm
Jonagold and Honeycrisp Apples, Dutton Berry Farm
Sweet Potatoes, Juniper Hill Farm
Spring Mix, Little Leaf Farms

Important Member Info

When you customize your share, make sure to look out for a box value alert in your cart. If the total value of the products in your cart is less than the value of your share, you will see an alert indicating that you may add products without incurring an additional charge. We want to make sure you get your full value each week!

Find resources on how to customize your box, how to hold or reschedule a delivery, how the payment plan works, and more in the Members Help Section.

Recipe of the Week

Cabbage, Carrot and Beet Salad

Ingredients

3 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 pound carrots, grated
1 pound beets, peeled and grated
salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup strong mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh dill
olive oil

Directions
1. Put the mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, mayonnaise and dill in a bowl and beat to blend. Add the oil as needed to reach desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.
2. Toss the cabbage, carrots, and beets with just enough of the dressing to coat the vegetable evening. Season to taste with more dressing and salt and pepper. Chill well and serve.
Source: The Best Recipes in the World, Mark Bittman

Featured Pantry Items

Baer's Best has been growing heirloom beans in Maine for over 30 years. They specialize in heirloom varieties that have been grown here in the Northeast for centuries. Many of the varieties they grow are no longer grown commercially anywhere else. As a small farm, they harvest each type at the peak of maturity and quality. The result is a top-quality product far better than commercial grades. The beans are always fresh harvest and cook quickly without the need for presoaking.

Sure, dried beans take much longer to cook than canned, but the result is a pot of deeply flavored, complex beans that you will never be able to get out of a can!

We have five varieties from this year's harvest: Black Turtle, Soldier, Yellow Eye, Kidney, and Heirloom Soup Mix.

Featured Dairy

Maplebrook's whole-milk feta is crafted in small batches. The 100% Vermont cow milk brings a bold creamy flavor to this cheese. The sweet flavor and smooth texture accompanied by the salty brine will have cheese critics craving more.

Maplebrook Farm produces handmade artisanal cheeses in the Green Mountains of Vermont. rBGH & rBST-free, 100% Vermont Milk provides a distinguishable quality and unparalleled flavor.

If you are new to Fresh Start Farms, welcome!

We are a collective brand for immigrant and refugee farmers participating in the New American Sustainable Agriculture Program, a program of the Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success. We work alongside new American farmers to bring farm fresh ingredients to your table via neighborhood farm stands, farmers markets, our FarmShare, wholesale and through NH Farm to School.

Twenty-three new American farmers make up Fresh Start Farms. Nine farmers are part of the New American Farmers Co-op and grow at Our Farm on Story Hill in Dunbarton, NH. An additional 14 farmers, the Umoja Farmers, grow on land at the St. Paul's School in Concord, NH.

All producers in the Fresh Start Farms collective implement organic practices. While not certified organic, the farmers grow nutrient dense produce without chemicals and in a way that promotes healthy soil, habitat, and environment.

We speak 13 languages, represent 7 countries and grow over 50 different varieties of produce!

To learn more about our organization as a whole, please visit us at http://www.refugeesuccess.org

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Farm Happenings for April 21, 22 & 23

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