Week 1 of the Summer 2023 Season is here, and we are excited! For those who have done this before, you know the routine. For those who have never done FFM before, it's easy.

I don't like to bore you with administrative details, so I'll just link to the email you should have received this past weekend: Summer 2023 Administrative Things. You can also check out the video + policy details HERE on our website.

The Weekly Email: Most importantly, below are the bag contents and some information about the farming practices. Fresh Fork isn't just groceries. We are farmers and artisans passionate about food. We specialize in finding food made locally with the greatest attention to quality, sustainability, and value for your family. I hope you enjoy this season and embrace each week's bag with as much love as I and the other farmers do in producing your food!

We get this every year. "I keep forgetting to signup." Well, we expect it and order some extra product so we can accommodate the last minute signups.

1) Please reply to this email. State what size you want and where you want to pickup.

2) We will add you in and setup your account.

Welcome all to Week 1. Each week I'll send out a Newsletter on Tuesday around lunch. At it's core is the bag contents for the week. But really, the newsletter is so much more.

I like to nerd out about the food and farmers. I've been very fortunate in the last decade to meet so many interesting people and learn so much! The newsletter is for you and my attempt to share my good fortune with you.

If you ever have questions or want to learn more, please reply back and ask. It helps me know how to tailor the experience.

Thanks, Trevor

The bag contents listed are what we expect to get. It's a guess really, and we - us and our farmers - try our best to deliver. Substitutions will happen. There are times when a farmer guesses wrong on how many pounds of beans are in the field, or it rains, and you can't pick strawberries. Because we are telling you what you are getting BEFORE THE FOOD IS HARVESTED, we can't be exact. We appreciate your understanding if/when substitutions happen.

In the event that something isn't harvested or doesn't match our quality expectations, we'll attempt to substitute that week. Generally, at the back of the truck the bag contents sheet will be adjusted with sharpie marker.

All bags/weeks aren't created equally. We try to spread the bounty out, but there will be weeks that are bigger and some that are smaller. We generally joke that the season starts out green, gets colorful, and ends heavy.

This week's bag is a good example of how we had to adapt. Crops that hit the fields early and usually don't need irrigation - like lettuce and spring onions - have suffered in the dry conditions lately. Because early season is tough for the farmers, we always plan some back-up items - like the granola, yogurt, cheese, and mushrooms - to get us thru this first week. Next week we are hoping to see the strawberries proliferate!

One of the most common reasons someone doesn't renew their share is that they get too much food with Fresh Fork.

Let me help you read between the lines. They throw out their kale because it went wilty before they could use it or didn't make it to the snow peas.

Eating in season is very affordable, healthy, and tasty. With about a half hour of prep work each week, you can keep dollars in your pocket and feel like an Iron Chef in the kitchen.

Step 1: Unpack your bag when you get home.

Step 2: Wash, peel, and prep your veggies. If your veggies are ready to cook, you will more likely cook them when in a hurry.

Step 3: Use the most perishable or unusual item first (lettuce or kale, for example in this week)

For example, this week's bag includes a whole chicken. Don't put it in the freezer. The freezer is where food hides for a long time. Thaw your chicken on a dinner plate in the refrigerator. Have it ready for roasting by the weekend.

Lettuce: wash and pack in a zipper bag with a damp paper towel.

Kale: strip from the vein, wash, and pack in a zipper bag with a damp paper towel

We have recipes on our website easy to find and matched to the Fresh Fork experience. Visit the recipe section here.

The weekly share can be thought of as your base package and access to the store. For this model to work, we need weekly subscribers so that the farmers can grow efficiently, our trucks can run full, and we can guarantee work to our staff. The subscription model allows us to offer affordable prices and a big bang for your buck.

To maximize your experience, consider a special order. We have access to hundreds more products than what is in the weekly bag. From milk and eggs to meat and additional veggies, the best way to round out your groceries for the week is to place a special order.

At my farm - Wholesome Valley Farm in Wilmot - I specialize in grass-based livestock production.

I like to advertise that there is a season for chickens. Most chicken in the US is raised inside large barns with 0.7 to 1 square foot per chicken. That's fairly tight but some researcher figured out that's the optimum stocking rate to create cheap food. There are plenty of local chickens raised that way. We don't buy those type of birds.

Should I brine the chicken? Brining is the technique of seasoning a piece of meat inside and out by either submerging it in a bath (liquid brine) or rubbing it with seasonings (dry brine or a "cure" or a rub, depending on how hip and fancy you want to sound).

Summary: I recommend brining. It is, however, not necessary. Check out our Brine Recipe + Video HERE for more details.

How to Roast the Chicken -- Recipe guide HERE.

If you have brined your chicken, you will want to remove the chicken from the brine a few hours before you want to cook it (ideally) and pat the skin dry with a paper towel.

Taking Temperature = insert your thermometer into the thigh of the bird but not into the bone. You will feel the bone. It will give you an inaccurate reading. The juices should run clear from the thigh.

Carve your bird and enjoy!

Photos Below: Left, where to insert your thermometer. Right, a beautifully roasted whole chicken.

More bones available in the online shop. In fact, I just finished up a batch of stock last night. I packed it into quart containers and stored in the freezer. I'll have quite a bit available for easy use now. I like making soup as a way to clear out the fridge some days -- because yes, I can get behind on my produce from time to time and soup is a great way to use up a lot of ingredients!