Today we went by the farm to pick up our 6th Springdell Winter Share box of the season, which consisted of:
- 2 1/2 gallons of skim milk from High Lawn Farm, Lee, MA (Sarah got 1 qt cream & 1 1/2 gallon low fat milk)
- 2lb Amish Roll Butter from Minerva Dairy, Ohio
- 1lb parsnips from Manheim Farm, Whately, MA
- 1qt grade A maple syrup from Ben’s Sugar Shack, Temple, NH
- 1 shaker of granulated maple sugar from Ben’s Sugar Shack, Temple, NH
- 6 turnips
- 2 garlic bulbs
- 8 yellow onions
- 1 dozen eggs
- 1 container yellow fingerling potatoes (Sarah got mini redskins)
- 6 large yukon gold potatoes
- 1.5 lbs heirloom carrots
- 1lb bacon
- 1lb sweet italian pork sausage (Sarah got hot Italian sausage)
Lots of yummy possibilities exist within this box! Most of the root-based items in the box this week will retain their freshness for some time. This gives us choices in terms of where to begin.
We are always excited to see more Amish Roll Butter in the share box! In case you are feeling overwhelmed with the amount of butter that we’ve been graced with so far this season, we wanted to share some tricks to keep it safe and sound until you are ready for use.
If you love the spreadability of this creamy butter, but can’t wait for it to come to temp, then a butter bell/crock is for you! We first learned about this lovely little invention from fellow Springdellian Marian Harwood. (Thanks, Marian!) When used properly, it will keep butter safely at room temperature for up to 30 days!
Simply smush the butter into the “bell” part of the butter bell. (You need to start with slightly softened butter for this step.)
Add just enough water to seal the bell (an inch is plenty for this bell).
Invert your butter “bell” into the crock
and….
…there you have it- delicious and spreadable butter at a moment’s notice!
If you live in a warm house, we suggest keeping your crock in a cooler area. If the butter gets too warm, it may melt and drop out of the bell and into the water. Start with just a smidge of butter, (whatever you might use in a sitting or two) and see what amount is going to work best for you, your butter storage area, and the capacity of your inverted crock. We can’t guarantee that you’ll not begin devouring more butter with one of these around, in fact, we can pretty much guarantee the opposite.
The label on the butter we received today shows that it will be fridge-fresh and delicious until mid-May. If you’d like to extend your butter for even longer, then freezing it is a great option.
Start with the entire roll of butter, which is 2 pounds, the equivalent of 2 boxes of market butter. Cut it in half.
From there, cut it into fourths.
Then cut the fourths in half to make eight discs.
Each disk will be roughly the equivalent of one stick of butter.
Separate each disc with a small square of parchment paper.
Stack the discs into a large freezer bag, removing as much air as possible. Be sure to fold and save your butter wrapper. Store the wrapper in the fridge until ready for use in greasing a baking pan or cookie sheet.
Tomorrow, we head over to Sarah’s house for our “Sunday Dinner” series. As always, we look forward to cooking and eating with you!