March Newsletter

From the very first week we started this online market, we knew we wanted local food to be accessible to everyone. That local food does so many things for all of us from connecting us to this island - its people and its seasons to providing incomparable flavor and nutrition.

We knew that despite what we wanted, local food costs more, simply put, and thereby is NOT accessible to everyone and in some ways, not accessible to people that need it the most.

This is a big, big, big issue deeply embedded in the dysfunction of the current food system. We knew we could't solve it all. We also knew that the higher price for local food means farmers are getting paid fairly and are able to farm in a way that is better for the environment and better for our own health, so while we understand the higher prices, we knew we needed to find a way to make this local food available in some way to those who simply can't afford the cost.

Enter Sunny Daily who was with Health Imperatives at the time. She connected us to families, especially young families and new mothers, who would be over the moon to have access to fresh local food.

Enter our Pip customers who agreed with us that getting local food to neighbors who lacked access IS really important.

Health Imperatives plus amazing Pip customers and a Pip team dreaming of a more just food system and you have the birth of the Send It program which has has grown and grown and grown through regular support every week

THIS WEEK however, we are BEYOND excited to announce that our little Send It Program is growing into something new, something bigger that can have an island-wide impact, far beyond the reach of what we could do just you and us chipping away at big food issues every week.

Enter Process First and ReMain and CFN and NRP and we have the beginnings of Nourishing Nantucket.

This is a collaborative effort to both understand the extent of and also address the reality of food insecurity on Nantucket by getting local food to our neighbors without access. We will keep getting boxes of local food out to neighbors in need but now...we will be able to combine Pip efforts and contributions with other organizations to get even MORE local food out there. This project will have island-wide impact and we are beyond grateful to our partners and to all of you whom have shown incredible generosity and compassion for the community as well as had the faith in us to connect people to local food.

There are all sorts of beautiful quotes of how small acts of kindness create a ripple effect or throw out roots that turn into new trees or lead to big change. We love those quotes but what we love and are amazed by even more is that we are seeing all of that happen in front of our eyes.

Thank you all for your incredible support and for believing that individual consistent acts of compassion and kindness, while they may lead to bigger things, are invaluable to community and to individuals in our community, no matter what happens next or how big it gets. These boxes have made a difference to neighbors, every single week.

INSPIRATION:

Feed
ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING RELIEF IN UKRAINE

In moments of disaster and grief, our go-to is feeding people. Since we can’t do it first-hand, we have been looking for organizations that are getting food to those in need. We are particularly inspired by Chef José Andrés' and his nonprofit World Central Kitchen. José has show us throughout many world disasters that he will continue to run toward the issues instead of away from them. We tip our cap to Chef José and highly recommend supporting his tireless efforts in feeding Ukrainian refugees over the Poland border.

Read
EVIDENCE AGROECOLOGY CAN TRANSFORM THE FOOD SYSTEM

EASY RECIPE: SKILLET REFRIED BEANS AND SPRING VEGETABLE TOPPERS

• Pip & Anchor shallots and garlic to cook those beans
• Pip & Anchor parsley, cilantro, Daikon Radishes, Green Onion as toppers
• Vermont Bean Crafters dried black beans
• Curio Spice Co Maras Chile Flakes (as sub for cayenne)
• Narragansett Creamery Feta (as sub for cotija)
• El Barrio Tortillas
• Seasonal additions of your choice to top those beans!

Follow this link for the recipe, but feel free to play around with it.

SLEEPER'S PICK

Platinetti Guido 2017 Ghemme

What I love most about this winery is their minimalist philosophy. Those of you who have tasted wine with me understand my passion toward winemakers who let the grape juice “do it’s thing.” Meaning a simple sip of wine can bring you to a time and a place rather than the manipulation of said time and place. Andrea Fontana is a 4th generation winemaker who proudly makes wine that is the embodiment of the area in which his grapes grow. He uses no fertilizers in the fields and no chemicals in the bottle and farms organically. In fact, he also farms all of his family’s vegetables and fruit organically as well. They press their grapes outdoors and use native yeasts for fermentation. The Fontana philosophy is that if you do things right in the vineyard, little intervention is needed later on. However they proudly add only one ingredient in the winemaking process, that ingredient is time. Their patience has paid of and the wines of Platinetti Guido have finally made it to Massachusetts and to Pip & Anchor.

Platinetti Guido is in Alto Piemonte region which lies 95 miles north of the Langhe region where we find Barolo, Barbaresco, and Alba. This region has higher elevation than the Langhe and it’s vineyards rest on the foothills of the Italian Alps. Most of the red wine made in this region is made with the Nebbiolo grape. This wine is no exception. This is a pure expression of higher elevation Nebbiolo. The roots of the vines must work harder for their nutrients and it can be tasted in the wine. There’s extra chalkiness, complexity, and character that can be credited to the extra hard work of these roots. The best part is it's half the price of many Nebbiolos you find from Barolo or Barbaresco!!!

This wine pairs perfectly with stinky soft cheeses, smoky charcuterie, or roasted lamb. A simple whiff with my eyes closed puts me fireside in the Italian Alps on a cold winter night with some creamy truffle cheese. I hope you enjoy the dark cherry, chocolate, coffee, and tobacco flavors as much as I have. The cheese will only enhance the fruity notes of the Nebbiolo grape. Cin cin!