No. 251: Spring! Stir-Fried Farm Stand Veggies with Lemon-Dill Yogurt Sauce
Plus: A Local Loaf from Local Grain, French Toast, Five Things to Eat at The Attic, Fish Store Openings
🥕🫛🥬 Farm Fresh: Spring Vegetables Extraordinaire
When I was a farmer, there was a blissful moment every spring – a spark of joy I felt when I opened the farm stand for the first day of the season. I had bright bunches of radishes, neatly labeled bags of freshly cut and washed salad mix, little vase-shaped heads of baby bok choy. People who stopped by were so excited to have fresh greens after the long winter, and their enthusiasm was palpable. It didn’t last long, though. Soon folks would begin to ask me, “Do you have anything else other than greens?”
Yikes. Eventually I learned to fill in the gaps — I grew carrots under fabric row cover and got an earlier harvest. I discovered how quickly those succulent little Japanese turnips grow in the spring. And I was a pea-grower par excellence! Starting them under row cover protected them from birds and speeded germination, moving them a wee bit earlier. But that’s as far as my skills and time got me.
These days I’m in awe of Island farmers who have figured out how to fill spring with all kinds of interesting vegetables. A few weeks ago, I checked in with Farm Director Kate Woods at Beetlebung Farm to learn about how they choose what to grow and when to plant it to get a jump on the season. You can read “Beyond Baby Greens” here and in the current issue of Martha’s Vineyard Magazine on newsstands. And in honor of Kate, who is a fabulous cook as well as a grower, I developed a recipe for that piece based on our conversation about how we like to eat in the spring.
You’ll find that this light and lovely Spring Veggie Stir-Fry with Lemon-Dill Yogurt Sauce is really two recipes in one. The versatile stir-fry can incorporate just about any spring green vegetable, though I hope you’ll include at least some spring onions or scallions as the alliums provide depth. Secondly, you can put that yogurt sauce, which I’ve used as a bed for the stir-fry, in your back pocket to use again and again – with grilled or roasted fish, potatoes, shrimp and more. Oh, and by the way, don’t forget those crispy breadcrumbs on top!
🍞 🌾 Local Loaf, Local Grains
Yesterday I took a break from work late in the day to do a quick farm stand jaunt. I headed for Chilmark. At Grey Barn, I found, as I suspected I might, that most of the daily bread was gone. There were a few gorgeous loaves of Honey Nut left, so I snagged one, along with a package of their sublime buttery buckwheat shortbread. You really have to try those cookies.
I had a slice of the honey oat toasted, just with butter and sea salt, when I got home. Lovely. I discovered that it will next be on Grey Barn’s baking schedule this Sunday, May 5, and that the bakers are using the local oats grown by Dan Sternbach of Lost and Found Grain in this bread. You can find Dan’s stone ground wheat and rye, as well as the oats, at Mermaid Farm in Chilmark it you want to try them in your own baking. Pick up some local honey while you’re at Mermaid, too.
This morning I used the honey oat bread, some Beetlebung Ruby Streaks mustard, Morning Glory Farm bacon and eggs, and Island Bee honey to make a version of my favorite Vineyard Open-Faced Egg Sandwich.
🍄 They’re Back!
I also made it up to Beetlebung yesterday and was happy to find the farm stand open (right now they are mostly open Friday – Sunday) and stocked not only with lots of greens and spring onions, but with shiitakes and oyster mushrooms from their farmer friends at Sugarshack Mushrooms in New Paltz, New York. With those mushrooms you could make that satisfying Umami Mushroom Lo Mein. And if you’ve got your grill going, don’t forget that shiitakes are magical when marinated and crisped up on the grill. Use this recipe for Grilled Maple-Tamari Shiitakes.
If you’re looking for something simple for these cool nights, I think this Hot and Sour Mushroom and Barley Soup would hit the spot. You could use shiitakes or oyster mushrooms in that.
🍓 French Toast (of course!) for Mother’s Day
Obviously, I have bread and toast on the brain, because the first thing that pops into my head for a Mother’s Day breakfast menu is French toast. (Don’t worry, Mothers’ Day isn’t this Sunday; it’s May 12. If you plan ahead you might be able to get some challah from Grey Barn the Friday before.) Honestly, French toast is pretty forgiving so it’s great to make with the kids, but you can also use your culinary chops to spruce it up, as well.
In my French Toast with Maple-Berry Syrup I spike the custard with vanilla, maple syrup and a wee bit of nutmeg. Finish the toast with cinnamon sugar, maple-berry syrup, or chocolate shavings (or any combination!). You can also cut the toast up into small bites (before soaking and cooking) to make minis to serve at a brunch.
We’ll have more ideas for Mother’s Day next week.
🍔 5 Things to Eat at The Attic
Hey, the Spring Home and Garden issue of The Vine is out, and it should be in your Island post office box, or in your newspaper if you subscribe to the Vineyard Gazette. Everyone else, you can take a look online! Inside, there’s a new edition of our “5 Things to Eat at…” series, this time at the Attic (aka the @ttic).
The Attic is located above Waterside Market on Main Street in Vineyard Haven. Locals have been enjoying the elevated pub fare all winter, but you might want to check it out before things get too crazy.
Our food writer, Laura Holmes Haddad, picked the Mac & Cheese, the Hoisin Glazed Salmon Rice Bowl, the Attic Smash Burger, the Crispy Sweet Chili Brussels Sprouts, and the Roasted Beet Salad as her five recommendations.
Bonus: The bourbon collection is the best on the Island!
Eat, drink, cook, gather - and have a great week! Paid subscribers, we’ll see you next week. Free subscribers, just a gentle reminder to upgrade to a paid subscription if you want to get the newsletter every week!
See you all on Instagram @cookthevineyard.
— Susie Middleton
🐟 Fishy Happenings
The Fish House reopens at the airport today (Wednesday, May 1) at 10 a.m.
Larsen’s Fish Market reopens for the season on Thursday, May 2
Fish MV restaurant in Vineyard Haven reopens on Wednesday, May 8
And this just in: Iggy’s Bakery Looks to Take Over The Bite
Cambridge-based Iggy’s Bakery is looking to take over management of The Bite restaurant in Menemsha this summer. The potential new bakery would be the first time the building would be open to the public since The Bite closed its doors for renovations after the summer of 2017.
Photos: The Attic, Ray Ewing; Everett Whiting at The Fish House, Jeanna Shepard; Egg Sandwich, Alexandra Grablewski; all others, Susie Middleton
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