Thursday, December 16, 2010

Happy Autumn!

The last day of the CSA is today, December 16th. Though today is the last CSA pickup, if applicable, you’ll be getting emails in the next week or two regarding any unfinished CSA business. 2011 contracts will be emailed to current members in January. New inquiries will be emailed contracts 6 weeks after you get yours to give current members a head start. As usual, there will be a limited number of memberships available for the “Spring” session (April & May) and then more members (and those who didn’t get into the Spring session) can be accepted in June for the rest of the season.

Anyone go to the CSA Fall Tour & Pumpkin Picking this year? Email me comments (positive OR negative) and photos (I may need help with the photos) and I’ll post in the next CSA email.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO WEIGH OUT YOUR FOOD CAREFULLY.

Miss the Exchange Table? We don’t have one if there aren’t enough people to staff the CSA. This year, we need to figure out if it’s because we have less members and/or less working members. Hopefully, we can fill the CSA up next year and not have to contemplate everyone working more hours, or putting a limit on how many non-working CSA members the CSA can sustain.

This email includes…
1. HELP!!! Your CSA does need you this week!!! We need THREE (3) people from 3:30pm to 5:30pm and ONE (1) person from 5:30pm to 7:30pm…anyone who’s completed their hours are welcome to participate!
2. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)
3. Notes from the Farm
4. BRING BAGS!
5. What you actually got last week
6. Tragic death comes to the LI sustainable farming community…
7. New Farmer’s Market at Sweet Hollow Hall starting this Saturday?
8. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)
9. It’s time to weigh our food!


1. HELP!!! Your CSA does need you this week!!! We need THREE (3) people from 3:30pm to 5:30pm and ONE (1) person from 5:30pm to 7:30pm…anyone who’s completed their hours are welcome to participate!

If you were sent an email from Judi or me, you are scheduled to work this week. If not, you’re not.

If you didn’t get a postcard today stating you’ve completed 12 hours at the CSA…you haven’t.

You can always show up a little before 3:30 or 5:30pm at the CSA and offer to work if help is still needed…you never know! Everyone that’s scheduled doesn’t always show up on time…or at all.



2. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)

Veggie Tip Sheets attached to this email for everything on the CSA share list this week (except the Black Turtle Beans BUT there is a basic info sheet for it)

December 16, 2010
Week #35

1. Kale: Lacinato, Red – 1 bunch
2. Beans, Black Turtle (dried)
3. Jerusalem Artichokes
4. Radishes, Winter: Black Spanish, Daikon, Misato (Watermelon)
5. Beets: Chiogga/Red
Total: 5 (?)



3. Notes from the Farm

December 2010

This is our last newsletter of the year and overall, it was a good growing season for us – some things, as always, doing better than others.

Our biggest support comes from our CSA members who enjoy and look forward to our seasonal bounty. From Strawberries and Peas in the spring to Broccoli, Sweet Potatoes and Green in the fall, we raise it all…over 350 varieties of vegetables, though some never make it to our CSA members (due to some crops being too delicate to travel at all like Summer Squash Blossoms, some not even making it to our farmstand…our crops can and do succumb to too much heat/insects/cold/drought/mold/drowning…or in some case too little heat/cold/moisture/dryness/insects, or some crops can just not being plentiful enough to get to our CSA members)…maybe next year.

So, our thanks go out to all our members for being part of the solution for sustainable eating, health and living…local, certified organic, small family farming.

Our last deliveries are this week. We will start up again spring 2011. It will be our 16th year of doing CSAs (14 for Green Thumb CSA – Huntington). We hope all our member will return and see what bounty nature has in store for us next season. Thanks again for all your wonderful support!

Organically yours and Season’s Greetings!
Farmer Bill (Halsey)



4. BRING BAGS!

What more can you say about this?

At the CSA, we bag our own food. I’d suggest to bring a selection of plastic bags (especially for things that are dripping wet like Lettuces and other Greens which we get later in the season when they are picked from out in the fields…as opposed to the greenhouse where they are probably coming from now) AND paper bags (for things that don’t like plastic like Tomatoes…the moisture that plastic attracts will make them rot faster).

Keep a stash of bags in every vehicle you own, and replenish when the stash gets low! That way you’ll never be without. AND, if anyone is picking up for you…please tell them about needing bags!



5. What you actually got last week

December 9, 2010
Week #34

1. Sweet Potatoes – 2 lbs - $5.00
2. Collard Greens – 1 bunch - $3.25
3. Turnips: Golden Globe OR Japanese Red, OR Rutabaga – 1 ½ lbs (1 bag) - $3.25
4. Garlic – ¼ lb - $2.50
5. Cauliflower: Green OR Romanesco – 1 head - $2.50
6. Squash, Winter: Nepali Farsi * - 1 - $2.00
Total Items: 6
Total Amount: $18.50

Herb Share
Dec 1A
Arugula AND Peppers, Hot (dried)

*SAVE THE SEEDS – Why? Farmer Bill brought the seeds for these back from a 3 month hiking/camping winter trip to Nepal. He planted them at the farm and has been growing them ever since. He needs us to save the seeds to continue to grow them as he can’t buy them ANYWHERE! He could go back to Nepal to find them but with 3 young children, I think his travelling days are over for a while longer.

DO NOT SAVE THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH SEEDS…however, if you feel compelled to  …DO NOT MIX WITH THE NEPALI FARSI WINTER SQUASH!!!!! Label correctly if you do…don’t just write Winter Squash. They don’t want a hybrid and that’s what would happen if these guys grew near each other.

How to save these seeds…
1. Scoop out the seeds and place in a bowl of water and rub off ALL of the orange gunk (botanical word for…pulp and/or membranes  ). If you don’t get all of it off, it can be make the seeds get moldy/nasty and then not be able to be used as they are now diseased and must be discarded

2. Place on a cookie sheet, cutting board, or a piece of cardboard (NOT on paper towels as the towels may contain non-organic chemicals/dyes…whatever…Farmer Bill asked us not to do it), spread out in a single layer and let air dry for at least 7 days (do not expose to heat to speed up the process…it will kill the seed)…every day stir them about and re-spread in a single layer to help dry evenly and faster

3. When dry, store in a PAPER BAG or paper envelope or wrap in paper towels…plastic will make them get moldy (even though they appear dry they may not be)…and label them “Farsi”

Scroll to the bottom to see what they should look like…very clean!!!
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/wintersquash.html



6. Tragic death comes to the Long Island sustainable farming community…

What a mystery and how sad!
http://easthampton.patch.com/articles/report-industrial-accident-at-quail-hill-farm

There is a Trust being established for the children (ages approx 3/12 and 7 months) so if anyone wishes to make a donation….
http://www.peconiclandtrust.org/quail_hill_farm.html

There are 800 tractor deaths a year on average. I wonder…would Josh be alive if he had used the check list in this LONG article about Tractor Safety? Or was it a mechanical failure in which nothing could have been done to prevent this?
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae200

And who knew there was such a gruesome yet interesting website??? Numerous other tractor deaths, etc, on farms in here…
http://weeklytoll.blogspot.com/



7. New Farmer’s Market at Sweet Hollow Hall starting last Saturday?

Did anyone go check it out?

According to Larry of Dines Farm, there’s a winter farmer’s market starting Saturday, December 11th at Sweet Hollow Hall in Melville.

It will be bi-weekly (monthly?).

Dines Farm will be participating at this market and therefore will not be delivering to the UUFH this winter.

HOWEVER, I’ve heard nothing about this in the media so far and am not convinced…A) this market will open by this weekend and B) this market will be financially viable to last thru the winter.

I’ll keep y’all posted as I get information.

Just found this online and they give the start date as January…
http://www.resprout.com/2010/11/long-island-winter-farmers-market-coming-january-2011/

CSA member Amy Hirschfeld saw a notice in the paper North Shore Today for the LI Winter Market starting on December 11th.



8. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)

If you don’t mind trekking into the city, these are two email lists to get on that have a lot of very cool food-based (local/organic) events…
http://brooklynbased.net/
http://www.eatingintranslation.com/


Friday, December 17th

9am to 10:30am

Morning Meditation with Rev. Ratzlaff
UUFH
109 Browns Rd
Huntington, NY
FREE

CSA member, Rev. Paul Ratzlaff conducts a morning sitting meditation every Friday. The schedule is as follows…
9am to 9:45am – silent meditation
Bell is rung
Poem or Buddhist reading is read aloud
Check in with everyone
Reading a selection out of a collection of Buddhist stories and discuss it
The end!


Monday, December 20th

5pm to 7pm

Food Equity Fundraiser
Oheka Castle
135 West Gate Dr
Huntington
$150
For more info:
Katie Kelly 516-873-0230
http://www.sustainableli.org/event/food-equity-fundraiser/

Cocktails in Support of Food Equity…an elegant evening hosted by Sustainable Long Island in celebration of local efforts to increase access to fresh, affordable food in low income communities.

For the past two years Slow Food Huntington has worked with Sustainable Long Island as they have launched initiatives such as the wildly successful youth-run farmers’ markets in low-income communities. During this event, Sustainable Long Island will be honoring the work of Ann Rathkopf and Bhavani Jaroff in establishing the Huntington Chapter of Slow Food, and also the work of Joseph Gergela III of the Long Island Farm Bureau. There will be food, fun, and festivities during this cocktail party, with a brief program. Ticket price includes a one year membership to Slow Food USA.

Please join us in supporting Sustainable Long Island’s ongoing work for food equity in our Long Island communities.
Saturday, January 15th

9am to 5pm

NOFA-MA Winter Conference
Worchester Tech High School
Worchester, MA
For more info and to register:
http://www.nofamass.org/conferences/winter/index.php

Keynote speech by Michael Phillips, author of The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist. This guy is the go to person for organic Apple growing in the northeast. If you have any interest in growing Apples, it would be very worthwhile to make the trip and attend this. There is also an all day seminar on Herbs for Family Health by master herbalist Nancy Phillips of Heartsong Farm Healing Herbs. I think I’m going to the Apple seminar. Anyone interested in the Herb one and we can share notes afterwards?


Friday, January 21st to Sunday, January 23rd

NOFA-NY Winter Conference
Saratoga Springs, NY
For more info and to register:
https://www.nofany.org/events/winter-conference

Many workshops, many excellent teachers, much partying, much good food.


Friday, January 29th and Saturday, January 30th

NOFA-NJ Winter Conference
For more info:
http://nofanj.org/winter_conference.htm


March 5th

NOFA-CT Winter Conference
Manchester, CT
For more info:
http://www.ctnofa.org/


Friday, April 15th

10am

FARM SummIT!
SUNY Old Westbury
Old Westbury, NY
Details TBA

Featured speaker scheduled is Joel Salatin from Polyface Farm.



9. It’s time to weigh our food!

Yup! It’s that time of year. Sounds easy right? Put food in the scale and weigh it, right? Not exactly .

A. Bring reading glasses if you need them OR have the person by the scale read it for you

B. Please follow the instructions given by the person(s) at the scale. There may be more than one food item that needs to get weighed at the same time on the same scale. It may not make sense to you or seem necessary but our farmer has asked us to do so. Will be glad to explain if you want to know the specifics.

C. Most important…If you can’t get an exact weight (it happens), DO NOT GO OVER THE WEIGHT POSTED ON THE CSA WALL CHART!!!!
I can’t emphasize this enough. All we need is a few people thinking that it’s no big deal to be a smidge over the amount and….it becomes a big deal! Just think about it…1 oz…what’s that? Two Green Beans? So what???? Ok…we have 82 CSA members and if 32 of them go over by that 1 oz that adds up to 2 pounds and it may mean that one or two people don’t get ANY Beans at the end of the night. Serves them right for coming late, huh? That’s not how the CSA works. Everyone paid the same amount to receive the same amount of food so it’s up to each one of us to make sure that happens.

D. Please stand directly in front of the scale and make sure the red line (weight indicator) has not “disappeared” behind the colored tape on the readout part of the scale. If you stand to either side of the scale…you can still see the red line but you’re going to go over the correct amount (it’s the customer’s equivalent of the story about the butcher that keeps their finger on the scale to skew the weight  ).

E. There may be a plastic bag in the scale…if there is, don’t take it with you! We use it to keep the vegetables from falling out of the bowl and, believe it or not, keep the weight consistent. Different plastic bags weigh different amounts. So, weigh it in the bag that’s in the scale and then dump the food into your own bag/basket/carrier. Thanks!

F. Please don’t drop the scales…the top sometimes sticks to the bottom and lifts it up when you’re getting your food out of the measuring bowl and so the bottom then drops on the floor and breaks…just be aware and please be careful…thanks!

###

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Happy Autumn!

Dines Farm not coming this week! Dines Farm will be at the CSA on closing day, December 16th.

The last day of the CSA is December 16th. 2011 contracts will be emailed to current members in January. New inquiries will be emailed contracts 6 weeks after you get yours to give current members a head start. As usual, there will be a limited number of memberships available for the “Spring” session (April & May) and then more members (and those who didn’t get into the Spring session) can be accepted in June for the rest of the season.

Anyone go to the CSA Fall Tour & Pumpkin Picking this year? Email me comments (positive OR negative) and photos (I may need help with the photos) and I’ll post in the next CSA email.

Got any pets that eat produce? Let us know! Gerbils, Rabbits, Horses, Turtles, Lizards are a few of the critter I know of that eat stray Lettuce leaves and unwanted Carrot Tops (or stray Carrots  ). If you could use these for your animal companion(s), ask at the CSA if we have any for you to take home.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO WEIGH OUT YOUR FOOD CAREFULLY.

Miss the Exchange Table? We don’t have one if there aren’t enough people to staff the CSA. This year, we need to figure out if it’s because we have less members and/or less working members. Hopefully, in the next weeks we can fill the CSA up and not have to contemplate everyone working more hours, or next year, putting a limit on how many non-working CSA members the CSA can sustain.

This email includes…
1. HELP!!! Your CSA does need you this week!!! We need FOUR (4) people from 3:30pm to 5:30pm…anyone who’s completed their hours are welcome to participate!
2. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)
3. CSA member Ann Rathkopf being honored for establishing a Slow Food chapter in Huntington (see below #8 December 20th)
4. BRING BAGS!
5. What you actually got last week (and the week before)
6. Order Certified Organic Plants/Seedlings (grown at Green Thumb Farm) for your garden this season…
7. New Farmer’s Market at Sweet Hollow Hall starting this Saturday?
8. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)
9. It’s time to weigh our food!
10. Help small farmers by calling your member of Congress…and spread the word!


1. HELP!!! Your CSA does need you this week!!! We need FOUR (4) people from 3:30pm to 5:30pm…anyone who’s completed their hours welcome to participate!

If you were sent an email from Judi or me, you are scheduled to work this week. If not, you’re not.

If you didn’t get a postcard today stating you’ve completed 12 hours at the CSA…you haven’t.

You can always show up a little before 3:30 or 5:30pm at the CSA and offer to work if help is still needed…you never know! Everyone that’s scheduled doesn’t always show up on time…or at all.



2. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)

Veggie Tip Sheets attached to this email for everything on the CSA share list this week EXCEPT for Romanesco (however cook like Broccoli so Broccoli sheet is attached)

December 9, 2010
Week #34

1. Sweet Potatoes
2. Collard Greens
3. Garlic
4. Romanesco* OR Cauliflower, Green – 1 head
5. Squash, Winter: Pharsi** – 1
6. Turnips: Japanese, Red & Golden OR Rutabagas – 1 bag
Total: 6 (?)

Herb Share
Dec 1A
Arugula (maybe) AND Pepper, Hot (dried)

*Cook like Broccoli…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanesco_broccoli

**SAVE THE SEEDS – Why? Farmer Bill brought the seeds for these back from a 3 month hiking/camping winter trip to Nepal. He planted them at the farm and has been growing them ever since. He needs us to save the seeds to continue to grow them as he can’t buy them ANYWHERE! He could go back to Nepal to find them but with 3 young children, I think his travelling days are over for a while longer.

DO NOT SAVE THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH SEEDS…however, if you feel compelled to  …DO NOT MIX WITH THE NEPALI FARSI WINTER SQUASH!!!!! Label correctly if you do…don’t just write Winter Squash. They don’t want a hybrid and that’s what would happen if these guys grew near each other.

How to save these seeds…
1. Scoop out the seeds and place in a bowl of water and rub off ALL of the orange gunk (botanical word for…pulp and/or membranes  ). If you don’t get all of it off, it can be make the seeds get moldy/nasty and then not be able to be used as they are now diseased and must be discarded

2. Place on a cookie sheet, cutting board, or a piece of cardboard (NOT on paper towels as the towels may contain non-organic chemicals/dyes…whatever…Farmer Bill asked us not to do it), spread out in a single layer and let air dry for at least 7 days (do not expose to heat to speed up the process…it will kill the seed)…every day stir them about and re-spread in a single layer to help dry evenly and faster

3. When dry, store in a PAPER BAG or paper envelope or wrap in paper towels…plastic will make them get moldy (even though they appear dry they may not be)…and label them “Farsi”

Scroll to the bottom to see what they should look like…very clean!!!
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/wintersquash.html



3. CSA member Ann Rathkopf being honored for establishing a Slow Food chapter in Huntington (see below #8 December 20th)

Deadline for purchasing tickets for this event is Friday, December 10th!



4. BRING BAGS!

What more can you say about this?

At the CSA, we bag our own food. I’d suggest to bring a selection of plastic bags (especially for things that are dripping wet like Lettuces and other Greens which we get later in the season when they are picked from out in the fields…as opposed to the greenhouse where they are probably coming from now) AND paper bags (for things that don’t like plastic like Tomatoes…the moisture that plastic attracts will make them rot faster).

Keep a stash of bags in every vehicle you own, and replenish when the stash gets low! That way you’ll never be without. AND, if anyone is picking up for you…please tell them about needing bags!



5. What you actually got last week (and the week before)

December 2, 2010
Week #33

1. Sweet Potatoes – 2 lbs - $5.00
2. Lettuce: Lollo Rossa – 1 head - $2.25
3. Kale: Russian, White – 1 bunch - $3.25
4. Broccoli Raab/Rabe/Rape – 1 bunch
5. Thyme OR Savory ** – 1 bunch - $2.25
6. Squash, Winter: Nepali Farsi * - 1 - $2.50
Total Items: 6 (?)
Total Amount: $18.00

*SAVE THE SEEDS – Why? Farmer Bill brought the seeds for these back from a 3 month hiking/camping winter trip to Nepal. He planted them at the farm and has been growing them ever since. He needs us to save the seeds to continue to grow them as he can’t buy them ANYWHERE! He could go back to Nepal to find them but with 3 young children, I think his travelling days are over for a while longer.

DO NOT SAVE THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH SEEDS…however, if you feel compelled to  …DO NOT MIX WITH THE NEPALI FARSI WINTER SQUASH!!!!! Label correctly if you do…don’t just write Winter Squash. They don’t want a hybrid and that’s what would happen if these guys grew near each other.

How to save these seeds…
1. Scoop out the seeds and place in a bowl of water and rub off ALL of the orange gunk (botanical word for…pulp and/or membranes  ). If you don’t get all of it off, it can be make the seeds get moldy/nasty and then not be able to be used as they are now diseased and must be discarded

2. Place on a cookie sheet, cutting board, or a piece of cardboard (NOT on paper towels as the towels may contain non-organic chemicals/dyes…whatever…Farmer Bill asked us not to do it), spread out in a single layer and let air dry for at least 7 days (do not expose to heat to speed up the process…it will kill the seed)…every day stir them about and re-spread in a single layer to help dry evenly and faster

3. When dry, store in a PAPER BAG or paper envelope or wrap in paper towels…plastic will make them get moldy (even though they appear dry they may not be)…and label them “Farsi”

Scroll to the bottom to see what they should look like…very clean!!!
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/wintersquash.html


**Savory info…
http://www.apinchof.com/savory1075.html
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/savsum24.html
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/savory
http://www.sallybernstein.com/food/columns/gilbert/savory.htm


November 24, 2010
Week #32

1. Sweet Potatoes – 2 lbs - $5.00
2. Turnips, White – 1 ½ lbs - $3.00
3. Rosemary – 1 bunch - $2.25
4. Cauliflower, Green – 1 head - $2.50
5. Fennel – 1 bunch - $3.25
6. Lettuce: Leaf, Green OR Leaf, Red – 1 head - $2.25

Total: 6
Total Amount $18.25



6. Order Certified Organic Plants/Seedlings (grown at Green Thumb Farm) for your garden this season…

Check out the attachment for instructions and plant list. This one has the phone number to the farm AND I put it as a PDF because some folks couldn’t open the Word version.



7. New Farmer’s Market at Sweet Hollow Hall starting this Saturday?

According to Larry of Dines Farm, there’s a winter farmer’s market starting Saturday, December 11th at Sweet Hollow Hall in Melville.

It will be bi-weekly (monthly?).

Dines Farm will be participating at this market and therefore will not be delivering to the UUFH this winter.

HOWEVER, I’ve heard nothing about this in the media so far and am not convinced…A) this market will open by this weekend and B) this market will be financially viable to last thru the winter.

I’ll keep y’all posted as I get information.

Just found this online and they give the start date as January…
http://www.resprout.com/2010/11/long-island-winter-farmers-market-coming-january-2011/



8. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)

If you don’t mind trekking into the city, these are two email lists to get on that have a lot of very cool food-based (local/organic) events…
http://brooklynbased.net/
http://www.eatingintranslation.com/


Thursday, December 9th

7:30pm

Kings of Pastry
Cinema Arts Centre
423 Park Ave
Huntington, NY
$9 – Members/$13 – General Public (includes reception with desserts provided by La Bonne Boulangerie)
For more info:
631-423-FILM
www.cinemaartscentre.org

“Intriguing, Mouthwatering, Irresistible.” - Los Angeles Times

Sixteen contenders seek the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, France's highest honor in the art of patisserie, employing vast amounts of sugar, butter and eggs - not to mention adrenaline - to create fantastical, delicious creations. Filmmakers D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus (The War Room, Monterey Pop) secured exclusive access to shoot this never-before-filmed event. It's a suspenseful quest for artistic perfection - brimming with passion, sacrifice, disappointment, and joy - to become one of the Kings of Pastry.

In Person: Filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker & Chris Hegedus

Friday, December 10th

9am to 10:30am

Morning Meditation with Rev. Ratzlaff
UUFH
109 Browns Rd
Huntington, NY
FREE

CSA member, Rev. Paul Ratzlaff conducts a morning sitting meditation every Friday. The schedule is as follows…
9am to 9:45am – silent meditation
Bell is rung
Poem or Buddhist reading is read aloud
Check in with everyone
Reading a selection out of a collection of Buddhist stories and discuss it
The end!

8pm

Terra Madre Day
Cinema Arts Centre
423 Park Ave
Huntington, NY
$10 Suggested Donation

Video presentation, stories from our Terra Madre Delegates and Pot-Luck celebration,
Come celebrate our local food community and be a part of the movement! Slow Food Huntington delegates will share stories from this year’s Terra Madre world meeting, which brought 6,000 activists, chefs, farmers, policy makers, students, and other food producers together in Turin, Italy. Short film presentation and slides. Pot-luck reception - please bring a dish to share - great music, and conviviality.

This is just one of 1,086 celebrations of Terra Madre Day happening across the globe. To learn more and for an interactive map of the other events: http://www.slowfood.com/terramadreday/welcome_eng.lasso click on “what’s going on, where” to see the complete list.

Monday, December 13th

6:30pm

NOFA-LI Chapter Holiday Gathering
Love Lane Kitchen
240 Love Lane
Mattituck
$35 per person (Cash Bar)
RSPV by December 9th
Call: 631-298-8989
Email: farmer@gardenofeve.com

All NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) members welcome!
For more info and to join NOFA-NY:
https://www.nofany.org/


Monday, December 20th

5pm to 7pm

Food Equity Fundraiser
Oheka Castle
135 West Gate Dr
Huntington
$150
For more info:
Katie Kelly 516-873-0230
http://www.sustainableli.org/event/food-equity-fundraiser/

Cocktails in Support of Food Equity…an elegant evening hosted by Sustainable Long Island in celebration of local efforts to increase access to fresh, affordable food in low income communities.

For the past two years Slow Food Huntington has worked with Sustainable Long Island as they have launched initiatives such as the wildly successful youth-run farmers’ markets in low-income communities. During this event, Sustainable Long Island will be honoring the work of Ann Rathkopf and Bhavani Jaroff in establishing the Huntington Chapter of Slow Food, and also the work of Joseph Gergela III of the Long Island Farm Bureau. There will be food, fun, and festivities during this cocktail party, with a brief program. Ticket price includes a one year membership to Slow Food USA.

Please join us in supporting Sustainable Long Island’s ongoing work for food equity in our Long Island communities.

Saturday, January 15th

9am to 5pm

NOFA-MA Winter Conference
Worchester Tech High School
Worchester, MA
For more info and to register:
http://www.nofamass.org/conferences/winter/index.php

Keynote speech by Michael Phillips, author of The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist. This guy is the go to person for organic Apple growing in the northeast. If you have any interest in growing Apples, it would be very worthwhile to make the trip and attend this. There is also an all day seminar on Herbs for Family Health by master herbalist Nancy Phillips of Heartsong Farm Healing Herbs. I think I’m going to the Apple seminar. Anyone interested in the Herb one and we can share notes afterwards?


Friday, January 21st to Sunday, January 23rd

NOFA-NY Winter Conference
Saratoga Springs, NY
For more info and to register:
https://www.nofany.org/events/winter-conference

Many workshops, many excellent teachers, much partying, much good food.


Friday, January 29th and Saturday, January 30th

NOFA-NJ Winter Conference
For more info:
http://nofanj.org/winter_conference.htm


March 5th

NOFA-CT Winter Conference
Manchester, CT
For more info:
http://www.ctnofa.org/


Friday, April 15th

10am

FARM SummIT!
SUNY Old Westbury
Old Westbury, NY
Details TBA

Featured speaker scheduled is Joel Salatin from Polyface Farm.



9. It’s time to weigh our food!

Yup! It’s that time of year. Sounds easy right? Put food in the scale and weigh it, right? Not exactly .

A. Bring reading glasses if you need them OR have the person by the scale read it for you

B. Please follow the instructions given by the person(s) at the scale. There may be more than one food item that needs to get weighed at the same time on the same scale. It may not make sense to you or seem necessary but our farmer has asked us to do so. Will be glad to explain if you want to know the specifics.

C. Most important…If you can’t get an exact weight (it happens), DO NOT GO OVER THE WEIGHT POSTED ON THE CSA WALL CHART!!!!
I can’t emphasize this enough. All we need is a few people thinking that it’s no big deal to be a smidge over the amount and….it becomes a big deal! Just think about it…1 oz…what’s that? Two Green Beans? So what???? Ok…we have 82 CSA members and if 32 of them go over by that 1 oz that adds up to 2 pounds and it may mean that one or two people don’t get ANY Beans at the end of the night. Serves them right for coming late, huh? That’s not how the CSA works. Everyone paid the same amount to receive the same amount of food so it’s up to each one of us to make sure that happens.

D. Please stand directly in front of the scale and make sure the red line (weight indicator) has not “disappeared” behind the colored tape on the readout part of the scale. If you stand to either side of the scale…you can still see the red line but you’re going to go over the correct amount (it’s the customer’s equivalent of the story about the butcher that keeps their finger on the scale to skew the weight  ).

E. There may be a plastic bag in the scale…if there is, don’t take it with you! We use it to keep the vegetables from falling out of the bowl and, believe it or not, keep the weight consistent. Different plastic bags weigh different amounts. So, weigh it in the bag that’s in the scale and then dump the food into your own bag/basket/carrier. Thanks!

F. Please don’t drop the scales…the top sometimes sticks to the bottom and lifts it up when you’re getting your food out of the measuring bowl and so the bottom then drops on the floor and breaks…just be aware and please be careful…thanks!



10. Help small farmers by calling your member of Congress…and spread the word!

Local and Regional Food at Risk
Call Your Representative

Food Safety Legislation passed by the Senate and to be considered by the House as early as this week is in trouble. Big Ag is out in force, lobbying House members to ditch provisions that are friendly to small and midsize farms. They know that if they can impose expensive and one-size-fits-all food safety rules, they can stop the growing local food movement in its tracks. Lawmakers are dealing with significant misinformation and confusion and our hard won amendments may be lost. We must send a loud and clear message about where we stand.
Call Your Representative Today!

Urge them to pass the Senate Bill with the Tester-Hagen Amendment Intact

It’s easy to call: Go to Congress.org and type in your zip code. Click on your Representative’s name, and then on the contact tab for their phone number. You can also call the Capitol Switchboard and ask to be directly connected to your Representative’s office: 202-224-3121.

The message is simple: “I am a constituent of Representative ___________ and I am calling to ask him/her to pass the Senate version of the Food Safety Modernization Act (S.510) with the Tester-Hagen Amendment intact. We need a food safety bill that cracks down on corporate bad actors without erecting new barriers to more local and regional food sourcing. Regulation that is scaled appropriately for small and mid-sized farms and processors is vital to economic recovery, public health, and nutritional wellbeing.”

Background:

Read our latest report: A Sustainable Agriculture Perspective on Food Safety.

What’s in the Tester-Hagen Amendment?

(1) The amendment clarifies existing law which says that farmers who direct market more than 50% of their product to the consumer at the farm or at a retail location off the farm such as a farm stand or farmer’s market need not register with FDA. This clarification is especially important for off-farm retail locations such as farmers markets.

(2) It provides a size appropriate and less costly alternative to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Plans (HACCP) for farmers who:
• Direct market more than 50% of their products directly to consumers, stores or restaurants, and
• Have gross sales (direct and non-direct combined) of less than $500,000, and
• Sell to consumers, stores, or restaurants that are in-state or within 275 miles.
Farmers who qualify must provide documentation that the farm is in compliance with state regulations. Documentation may include licenses, inspection reports, or other evidence that the farm is in compliance with State, local, county, or other applicable non-Federal food safety law. The farm must also prominently and conspicuously display the name and address of farm/facility on its label. For foods without a label then by poster, sign, or placard, at the point of purchase or, in the case of Internet sales, in an electronic notice, or in the case of sales to stores and restaurants, on the invoice.

If there are no state regulations or if the farmer prefers a different option, the farmer must provide FDA with documentation that potential hazards have been identified and that preventive controls have been implemented and are being monitored for effectiveness.

(3) It provides alternatives to the produce standards for farms that:
• Direct market more than 50% of their products directly to consumers, stores or restaurants, and
• Have gross sales (direct and non-direct combined) of less than $500,000, and
• Sell to consumers, stores, or restaurants that are in-state or within 275 miles.
The farm must prominently and conspicuously display the name and address of farm/facility on its label. For foods without a label then by poster, sign, or placard, at the point of purchase or, in the case of Internet sales, in an electronic notice, or in the case of sales to stores and restaurants, on the invoice.

Also in the Senate Bill:

(1) An amendment sponsored by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) to provide for a USDA-delivered competitive grants program for food safety training for farmers, small processors and wholesalers. The training projects will prioritize small and mid-scale farms, beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers, and small food processors and wholesalers. The grant program will be administered by USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture.

(2) An amendment sponsored by Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) to reduce unnecessary paperwork and excess regulation required under the preventative control plan and the produce standards sections of the bill. FDA is instructed to provide flexibility for small processors including on-farm processing, to minimize the burden of compliance with regulations, and to minimize the number of different standards that apply to separate foods. FDA will also be prohibited from requiring farms and other food facilities to hire consultants to write food safety plans. The Bennet amendment applies to all small farms and processors, not just those who direct market within 400 miles of their farms.

(3) An amendment sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for farms that engage in value-added processing or that co-mingle product from several farms gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to either exempt farms engaged in low or no risk processing or co-mingling activities from new regulatory requirements or to modify particular regulatory requirements for such farming operations.

(4) An amendment championed by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to strip the bill of wildlife-threatening enforcement against “animal encroachment” of farms is also in the manager’s package. It will require FDA to apply sound science to any requirements that might impact wildlife and wildlife habitat on farms.

(5) An amendment proposed by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) will not require small farmers to meet extensive traceability and recordkeeping if they sell food directly to consumers or to grocery stores and allows labeling that preserves the identity of the farm to satisfy traceability requirements. The amendment also prevents FDA from requiring any farm from needing to keep records beyond the first point of sale when the product leaves the farm, except in the case of farms that co-mingle product from multiple farms, in which case they must also keep records one step back as well as one step forward.
###

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Happy Autumn!

Dines Farm not coming this week! Jay is in Florida on a well needed holiday post-Thanksgiving and Mary would have had to drive down from the farm to meet up with Larry so Larry could get to Huntington with the meat & eggs. IF our orders were large enough that it made financial sense for them to come down it would have happened. Since the Nyack greenmarket is closed for the year, our small orders aren’t enough to make sense to come down. I understand regardless of what happens next week (my guess is they won’t be coming next week either…though I could be wrong) Dines Farm will be at the CSA on closing day, December 16th.

The last day of the CSA is December 16th. 2011 contracts will be emailed to current members in January. New inquiries will be emailed contracts 6 weeks after you get yours to give current members a head start. As usual, there will be a limited number of memberships available for the “Spring” session (April & May) and then more members (and those who didn’t get into the Spring session) can be accepted in June for the rest of the season.

Anyone go to the CSA Fall Tour & Pumpkin Picking this year? Email me comments (positive OR negative) and photos (I may need help with the photos) and I’ll post in the next CSA email.

Got any pets that eat produce? Let us know! Gerbils, Rabbits, Horses, Turtles, Lizards are a few of the critter I know of that eat stray Lettuce leaves and unwanted Carrot Tops (or stray Carrots  ). If you could use these for your animal companion(s), ask at the CSA if we have any for you to take home.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO WEIGH OUT YOUR FOOD CAREFULLY.

SO CLOSE AND YET SO FAR!!! We still need to fill 40 spots to have the CSA filled for the year!!! I’m going to keep talking about this till Farmer Bill asks me to stop. Please feel free to tell this to friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives who might be interested in joining the CSA this season and have them contact me! If we all were able to find one person to join…we’d be done in a minute. Please feel free to suggest places to leave the CSA brochures or names of individuals/groups to contact about CSA (either just to give info or to give a talk about CSA/local eating). I’m happy to do whatever is needed. Many years ago there actually was a woman who joined for the last two weeks of the CSA AND put all her hours in within the two weeks so it’s not so farfetched to keep this in the email!

Miss the Exchange Table? We don’t have one if there aren’t enough people to staff the CSA. This year, we need to figure out if it’s because we have less members and/or less working members. Hopefully, in the next weeks we can fill the CSA up and not have to contemplate everyone working more hours, or next year, putting a limit on how many non-working CSA members the CSA can sustain.

This email includes…
1. HELP!!! Your CSA does need you this week!!! We need FOUR (4) people from 3:30pm to 5:30pm and FOUR (4) people from 5:30 to 7:30pm…anyone who’s completed their hours welcome!
2. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)
3. Armchair Activist – GMO Sugar Beets…Just Say NO! Do it before December 6th.
4. BRING BAGS!
5. Son of a Farmer Interview
6. Order Certified Organic Plants/Seedlings (grown at Green Thumb Farm) for your garden this season…
7. Online cooking school
8. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)
9. It’s time to weigh our food!


1. HELP!!! Your CSA does need you this week!!! We need FOUR (4) people from 3:30pm to 5:30pm and FOUR (4) people from 5:30 to 7:30pm…anyone who’s completed their hours welcome!

If you were sent an email from Judi or me, you are scheduled to work this week. If not, you’re not.

If you didn’t get a postcard today stating you’ve completed 12 hours at the CSA…you haven’t.

You can always show up a little before 3:30 or 5:30pm at the CSA and offer to work if help is still needed…you never know! Everyone that’s scheduled doesn’t always show up on time…or at all.



2. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)

Veggie Tip Sheets attached to this email for everything on the CSA share list this week EXCEPT for Savory

December 2, 2010
Week #33

1. Sweet Potatoes
2. Lettuce – 1 head
3. Kale – 1 bunch
4. Broccoli Raab/Rabe/Rape – 1 bunch
5. Thyme OR Savory ** – 1 bunch
6. Squash, Winter: Nepali Farsi *
Total Items: 6 (?)

*SAVE THE SEEDS – Why? Farmer Bill brought the seeds for these back from a 3 month hiking/camping winter trip to Nepal. He planted them at the farm and has been growing them ever since. He needs us to save the seeds to continue to grow them as he can’t buy them ANYWHERE! He could go back to Nepal to find them but with 3 young children, I think his travelling days are over for a while longer.

DO NOT SAVE THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH SEEDS…however, if you feel compelled to  …DO NOT MIX WITH THE NEPALI FARSI WINTER SQUASH!!!!! Label correctly if you do…don’t just write Winter Squash. They don’t want a hybrid and that’s what would happen if these guys grew near each other.

How to save these seeds…
1. Scoop out the seeds and place in a bowl of water and rub off ALL of the orange gunk (botanical word for…pulp and/or membranes  ). If you don’t get all of it off, it can be make the seeds get moldy/nasty and then not be able to be used as they are now diseased and must be discarded

2. Place on a cookie sheet, cutting board, or a piece of cardboard (NOT on paper towels as the towels may contain non-organic chemicals/dyes…whatever…Farmer Bill asked us not to do it), spread out in a single layer and let air dry for at least 7 days (do not expose to heat to speed up the process…it will kill the seed)…every day stir them about and re-spread in a single layer to help dry evenly and faster

3. When dry, store in a PAPER BAG or paper envelope or wrap in paper towels…plastic will make them get moldy (even though they appear dry they may not be)…and label them “Farsi”

Scroll to the bottom to see what they should look like…very clean!!!
http://www.realseeds.co.uk/wintersquash.html


**Savory info…
http://www.apinchof.com/savory1075.html
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/savsum24.html
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/savory
http://www.sallybernstein.com/food/columns/gilbert/savory.htm


3. Armchair Activist – GMO Sugar Beets…Just Say NO! Do it before December 6th.
A Not Sweet Holiday Treat: USDA Proposing Interim Planting of Illegal, Genetically Engineered Sugar Beets: Tell USDA To Say No! Farmers and Consumers Will be at risk

https://secure3.convio.net/cfs/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=349&JServSessionIdr004=xqugj6c3c1.app306a

Spread the word!!!



4. BRING BAGS!

What more can you say about this?

At the CSA, we bag our own food. I’d suggest to bring a selection of plastic bags (especially for things that are dripping wet like Lettuces and other Greens which we get later in the season when they are picked from out in the fields…as opposed to the greenhouse where they are probably coming from now) AND paper bags (for things that don’t like plastic like Tomatoes…the moisture that plastic attracts will make them rot faster).

Keep a stash of bags in every vehicle you own, and replenish when the stash gets low! That way you’ll never be without. AND, if anyone is picking up for you…please tell them about needing bags!



5. Son of a Farmer Interview

Eric Herm is a West Texan who’s returned to the family cotton farm and wants to change things…no GMOs, not spraying pesticides or herbicides…but his dad is still alive and skeptical and so he’s written a book and here’s his website...
http://www.sonofafarmer.com/

CSA member Dylan Skolnick heard and interview with Herm and thought I’d like it so I’m sharing it with y’all…
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/2010/nov/23/son-farmer-child-earth/

*File this under…ya learn something new every day – when you open a bag of GMO seeds, you need to WEAR GLOVES when handling GMO seeds…apparently it’s on the label. Who knew?



6. Order Certified Organic Plants/Seedlings (grown at Green Thumb Farm) for your garden this season…

Check out the attachment for instructions and plant list. This one has the phone number to the farm AND I put it as a PDF because some folks couldn’t open the Word version.



7. Online cooking school…

Looked interesting…not a personal indorsement…online video cooking school…$15 month, $99 a year, 1st 7 days free!
http://rouxbe.com/?l=t



8. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)

If you don’t mind trekking into the city, these are two email lists to get on that have a lot of very cool food-based (local/organic) events…
http://brooklynbased.net/
http://www.eatingintranslation.com/


Friday, December 3rd

9am to 10:30am

Morning Meditation with Rev. Ratzlaff
UUFH
109 Browns Rd
Huntington, NY
FREE

CSA member, Rev. Paul Ratzlaff conducts a morning sitting meditation every Friday. The schedule is as follows…
9am to 9:45am – silent meditation
Bell is rung
Poem or Buddhist reading is read aloud
Check in with everyone
Reading a selection out of a collection of Buddhist stories and discuss it
The end!



Sunday, December 5th

Green Thumb Farm
Rt 27
Water Mill, NY

Our CSA farm’s farmstand’s last day of operation till May 2011! There might be some pretty good deals to be had.


Tuesday, December 7th

7 to 9pm

New York City Beekeepers Association Meeting
Seafarers and International House
123 E 15th St (between Irving Pl and 3rd Ave)
NYC
To close out the year, bee expert and author Dr. Larry Connor will join NYCBA on Tuesday, December 7 for a talk on "Bee Sex in the City." Mini-Louboutins for your bees will not be provided, but Dr. Connor will review the basic reproduction of bee colonies, the development and mating of queens, and their mating behavior. A question and answer period will follow the talk. For further information about Dr. Connor, please visit www.wicwas.com.

Monday, December 13th

6:30pm

NOFA-LI Chapter Holiday Gathering
Love Lane Kitchen
240 Love Lane
Mattituck
$35 per person (Cash Bar)
RSPV by December 9th
Call: 631-298-8989
Email: farmer@gardenofeve.com

All NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) members welcome!
For more info and to join NOFA-NY:
https://www.nofany.org/


Saturday, January 15th

9am to 5pm

NOFA-MA Winter Conference
Worchester Tech High School
Worchester, MA
For more info and to register:
http://www.nofamass.org/conferences/winter/index.php

Keynote speech by Michael Phillips, author of The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist. This guy is the go to person for organic Apple growing in the northeast. If you have any interest in growing Apples, it would be very worthwhile to make the trip and attend this. There is also an all day seminar on Herbs for Family Health by master herbalist Nancy Phillips of Heartsong Farm Healing Herbs. I think I’m going to the Apple seminar. Anyone interested in the Herb one and we can share notes afterwards?


Friday, January 21st to Sunday, January 23rd

NOFA-NY Winter Conference
Saratoga Springs, NY
For more info and to register:
https://www.nofany.org/events/winter-conference

Many workshops, many excellent teachers, much partying, much good food.


Friday, January 29th and Saturday, January 30th

NOFA-NJ Winter Conference
For more info:
http://nofanj.org/winter_conference.htm


March 5th

NOFA-CT Winter Conference
Manchester, CT
For more info:
http://www.ctnofa.org/



9. It’s time to weigh our food!

Yup! It’s that time of year. Sounds easy right? Put food in the scale and weigh it, right? Not exactly .

A. Bring reading glasses if you need them OR have the person by the scale read it for you

B. Please follow the instructions given by the person(s) at the scale. There may be more than one food item that needs to get weighed at the same time on the same scale. It may not make sense to you or seem necessary but our farmer has asked us to do so. Will be glad to explain if you want to know the specifics.

C. Most important…If you can’t get an exact weight (it happens), DO NOT GO OVER THE WEIGHT POSTED ON THE CSA WALL CHART!!!!
I can’t emphasize this enough. All we need is a few people thinking that it’s no big deal to be a smidge over the amount and….it becomes a big deal! Just think about it…1 oz…what’s that? Two Green Beans? So what???? Ok…we have 82 CSA members and if 32 of them go over by that 1 oz that adds up to 2 pounds and it may mean that one or two people don’t get ANY Beans at the end of the night. Serves them right for coming late, huh? That’s not how the CSA works. Everyone paid the same amount to receive the same amount of food so it’s up to each one of us to make sure that happens.

D. Please stand directly in front of the scale and make sure the red line (weight indicator) has not “disappeared” behind the colored tape on the readout part of the scale. If you stand to either side of the scale…you can still see the red line but you’re going to go over the correct amount (it’s the customer’s equivalent of the story about the butcher that keeps their finger on the scale to skew the weight  ).

E. There may be a plastic bag in the scale…if there is, don’t take it with you! We use it to keep the vegetables from falling out of the bowl and, believe it or not, keep the weight consistent. Different plastic bags weigh different amounts. So, weigh it in the bag that’s in the scale and then dump the food into your own bag/basket/carrier. Thanks!

F. Please don’t drop the scales…the top sometimes sticks to the bottom and lifts it up when you’re getting your food out of the measuring bowl and so the bottom then drops on the floor and breaks…just be aware and please be careful…thanks!

###

Friday, November 19, 2010

Greetings!

Highlights of the weekend (see the events listings) are the UUFH Services Auction on Saturday (Dines Farm and Green Thumb Farm baskets are being auctioned off as well as a one year pass for two for the Cinema Arts Centre donated by CSA members Dylan Skolnick & Charlotte Sky AND knitted items by CSA members Dove Thomas & Maria Nielsen including ORGANIC cotton washcloths), Turkey Free Thanksgiving Event on Sunday (worth it to go just to buy raffles…dinners from Candle 79, Caravan of Dreams, EAT, Dirt Candy and others…all very good vegetarian restaurants in the city, plus Live Island Café – new raw foods place opening in Centerport, AND a basket of produce from our very own Green Thumb Farm), Cranberry picking out in Montauk (if anyone goes…let me know how it was…next year…I’m going!) and last but not least….a wacky sounding Food Not Bombs event Monday night for the young or the young at heart (have teens or college age people in your household?) and their Thanksgiving Food Share on Tuesday.

This email includes…

1. Dines Farm ordering info…orders due Monday noon with a Wednesday pickup
2. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)
3. What you actually got this week
4. CSA and Slow Food member Ann Rathkopf knows of this event to help feed the homeless this Thanksgiving


1. Dines Farm ordering info…orders due Monday noon with a Wednesday pickup

Next week, Larry will be in the parking lot with his coolers. Lugging coolers with Turkeys in them sounds like something to be avoided. However, if it’s raining…maybe he’ll feel differently!

I know I said last week was the last time to order Turkeys but you can certainly try for this week as well (if there are any left!). Any questions you can always call Larry (see below).

If you’re a vegan/vegetarian, consider emailing this email to your meat-eating friends & family. If they’re going to eat meat (and you know they will)…better this than factory farmed animals!

The weather is getting nippy and some of us are thinking about soups and stocks (chicken/beef) and stews (beef, lamb) and heartier fare than a few weeks ago.

If you’ve never seen it, or it’s been a while, here’s the NY Times article about their Hot Dogs…
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/05/dining/05dog.html

If you didn’t read this NY Times article on the safety of agribusiness Hamburger meat…this is a must read for anyone who eats meat (a good motivation for getting to know where your meat comes from) and for non-meat eaters (for yet another reason to not to)…
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/health/04meat.html

The next delivery from Dines Farm is this Wednesday, November 24th. Pickup is at the CSA/UUFH from 3:30pm to 7:30pm (though traffic may cause them to show up later…you can always call the UUFH hall phone to see if they’ve arrived at 631-385-1079).


TO PRE-ORDER FROM DINES FARM…

Please email your order by 12pm, noon, Monday, November 22nd. However, you can try calling Larry at 914-403-5828 if you are ordering after noon and see if they’ll put it thru. Allow more time for special requests.

Email your order to: dinesfarms@gmail.com
In this email you MUST include:
Your name
Your phone number
Huntington CSA
Otherwise the farm won't know WHO placed the order, WHERE TO CALL in case you're running late or haven't shown up (it happens...people forget) and WHERE the order should end up.

You should get a confirmation email. If you don't, call Larry to check on your order (914-403-5828). Also, call Larry if you have any questions or need help placing your order.

Payment is made when you pick up your order this week. Acceptable for payment are cash, a check, or a debit/credit card.


What:

Prices are per pound or as designated.
Prices are subject to change due to our increased costs for petroleum products and animal feed.

If you don't see something you're looking for...PLEASE ASK!


BEEF
Cocktail Franks - All Beef ($6.50)
Ground Beef ($5.00)
Hot Dogs - All Beef ($6.50)
Steaks:
NY Strip - Boneless ($13.00)
Rib Eye - Boneless ($12.00)
Stew Meat ($6.00)

Other cuts are available - PLEASE ASK!

CHICKEN
I notice that there’s no price listing for Wings…give Larry a call (914-403-5828) if you want to find out the price before ordering
Eggs: Brown OR White, Extra Large ($4 per Dozen)
Breasts, Boneless ($7.00)
Chicken, Ground ($4.99)
Chicken, Whole ($3.50)
Leg & Thigh Quarters ($3.50)
Thighs, Boneless - Marinated ($6.00)
Thighs, Boneless – Plain ($4.99)

Sausage, Chicken ($7.99 per pound)
Breakfast, Maple
Garlic & Sage
Italian, Hot
Italian, Sweet
Additional flavors will be available in the future (or ask)


DUCK

Breast ($13)
Whole ($5.50)


LAMB (as available)

Chops ($14)
Ground ($6.50)
Leg, Bone In ($7.00)
Leg, Boneless ($9.00)
Stew ($6.00)


PORK
Bacon ($6.00)
Chops, Pork Loin - Boneless ($7.00)
Roasts, Pork Loin - Boneless ($7.00)
Spare Ribs ($6.00)


TURKEY
Size runs between 12 and 25 lbs BUT be aware that the delivered bird may vary several pounds from what you ordered (call Larry for any additional questions)

Whole ($5.00)


Why: The better business is for Dines, the more likely they will continue to travel from Albany to Huntington. Please spread the word amongst family and friends as you don't have to be a CSA member to buy from Dines Farm.




2. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)

If you don’t mind trekking into the city, these are two email lists to get on that have a lot of very cool food-based (local/organic) events…
http://brooklynbased.net/
http://www.eatingintranslation.com/


Friday, November 19th

9am to 10:30am

Morning Meditation with Rev. Ratzlaff
UUFH
109 Browns Rd
Huntington, NY
FREE

CSA member, Rev. Paul Ratzlaff conducts a morning sitting meditation every Friday. The schedule is as follows…
9am to 9:45am – silent meditation
Bell is rung
Poem or Buddhist reading is read aloud
Check in with everyone
Reading a selection out of a collection of Buddhist stories and discuss it
The end!


Saturday, November 20th

10am

Wild Cranberry Picking
Napeague Harbor Rd and Rt 27
Montauk
For more info:
631-375-2339
www.easthamptontrails.org
FREE

Be prepared for a 1 ½ mile hike, bring a plastic bag, and wear waterproof boots for wading in a Cranberry bog!

12pm

Hamptons Take 2 Film Festival
Westhampton Performing Arts Center
76 Main St
Westhampton
All day Festival Pall $20/Evening Only $15 (dinner discounts at area restaurants only available with Festival Pass)
Purchase Tickets online or at Box Office
For more info:
www.htff.com

Documentary film fest of shorts focusing on the east end of Long Island including filmmaker Samantha Schutz’s “Bette & Dale’s Organic Produce” (screens at 1pm).

6pm

UUFH Services Auction
109 Browns Rd
Huntington
For more info:
Look on the tables on your way into the CSA

Some of the things being auctioned off thru Green Thumb Farm CSA – Huntington are…
1. Seasonal Basket of Plenty from Green Thumb Farm including a cookbook, Honey, and t-shirt
2. Romantic Dinner and BBQ package of Steaks, Hamburgers and Hot Dogs from Dines Farm
3. A year’s pass for two to the Cinema Arts Centre – Cinema Co-Directors Dylan Skolnick and Charlotte Sky are longtime CSA members
4. Knitted items in the Ewes Raffle made by CSA members Maria Nielsen and Dove Thomas (something tells me one of them MAY have done the ORGANIC cotton washcloths  )

Schedule…
6pm – Dinner ($20 per person)
7 to 10pm – Auction ($5 for a bidding number) and purchase of Raffle Tickets
Raffle Tickets…
50/50 Raffle - $5 for 1, $10 for 3
Basket Raffles (many different baskets of goodies…you place raffle tickets in the containers by the basket you’d like to win) - $10 for 25, $25 for 75
*Ewes Raffle Basket (CSA members Maria Nielsen and Dove Thomas are members of the UU Ewe knitting club) - $10 for 1, $25 for 3
* This basket contains…ORGANIC cotton washcloths, lap blanket, pillow, sock lamb, cabled cowl, toddler’s sweater, scarves, socks, hat…WOW! Each member knitted or crocheted items.


Sunday, November 21st

12pm

Hamptons Take 2 Film Festival
Bay Street Theater on the Long Wharf
1 Bay St
Sag Harbor
All day Festival Pall $20/Evening Only $15 (dinner discounts at area restaurants only available with Festival Pass)
Purchase Tickets online or at Box Office
For more info:
www.htff.com

Documentary film fest of shorts focusing on the east end of Long Island including filmmaker Samantha Schutz’s “Bette & Dale’s Organic Produce” (screens at 1pm).

2pm

Healthy Planet Dinner/Lecture Series
16th Annual Turkey Free Thanksgiving Potluck!
Sweet Hollow Hall
West Hills County Park
Gwynne Rd
Melville
For more info and reservations:
Call 631-421-5591
e-mail: info@healthy-planet.org
http://www.healthy-planet.org/Series/index.asp
Advance Tickets (online): $10 Members/$15 General Public
Tickets at the door: $15 Members/$20 General Public
$10 additional requested IF you are not bringing a dish to share and will be eating other people’s food at the event (if you’re not going to eat…not a problem…you can go to the lecture and skip the food part)
under 12 admitted FREE

Schedule…
2pm
Doors Open
Socialize to the music of First Circle and Soup is served
3:30pm
Dinner – contributions from House of Dosas, Nana’s Cookies, Turtle Mountain, Whole Foods, etc
4:30pm
Howard Lyman talk (there is childcare available for during the lecture)
After lecture…Taster’s Choice awards for the best dishes brought to the potluck

You can go to any and/or every part of this event! Featured speaker will be Howard Lyman, the Mad Cowboy (4th generation cattle rancher turned vegan & environmentalist)…made famous when he helped Oprah Winfrey when she was sued for saying on tv how she’d never eat a Hamburger again after knowing how they were made and what was in them. Raffles for dinners to Dirt Candy, Candle 79, EAT, Caravan of Dreams, Live Island Café (new raw food place opening in Centerport) and a basket of produce from Green Thumb Farm and LOTS more.


Monday, November 22nd

9pm

Food Not Bombs Dumpster Scavenger Hunt/LI Food Not Bombs Olympics
Huntington Train Station (north side by the Station House)
Huntington Station
FREE
For more info:
http://www.lifnb.com/announcement/long_island_food_not_bombs_thanksgiving_bonanza_2010
For even more info and to sign up:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=100246523380676

Two part event…
1) forming teams and scavenging for hidden treasures
2) pitted against impossible odds (?) that test skills as a food not bombs volunteer.

Open to anyone/everyone. Expect crazy fun, adventure and to make new friends. It may be a late night but you don’t have to stay for the whole thing…though you might want to.


Tuesday, November 23rd

6:30pm

Food Not Bombs Huntington Thanksgiving Food Share
E 6th St & Fairground Ave
Huntington Station

Come volunteer and help share with our community. Cook up a vegan dish and bring it to share. There’s a large amount of children (6 to 12) who help and are at this location. If you have any extra toys, books, clothes or school supplies they would be put to good use.

Any questions email LongIslandFoodNotBombs@gmail.com
Check the website at www.lifnb.com for updates.


7:30pm

Eric Clapton on Film
Cinema Arts Centre
423 Park Ave
Huntington
Tickets: $9 Cinema Member/$13 General Public
To purchase tickets in advance…
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/136236
Call Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006
OR at the Cinema Arts Centre Box Office
For more info:
www.cinemaartscentre.org

CSA member Dylan Skolnick presents archivist Bill Shelley and his Rock Legends Live collection of RARE clips…this time of Eric Clapton. CSA member Jeff Tanenbaum is a fan of this series so he may be there. Songs will include…Layla, Badge, Sunshine of Your Love, White Room and others from the early days and onward of Clapton’s long and illustrious career as a guitar deity!


Sunday, November 28th

2pm

Let’s Eat: Food on Film presents…
Colony – The Plight of the Honeybee
Cinema Arts Center
423 Park Ave
Huntington
More info TBA

Film and discussion with Beekeeper Rich Blohm and Green Thumb Farm’s own Beekeeper, Mary Woltz. Apitherapy presentation by Frederique Keller, a licensed acupuncturist who incorporates classical homeopathy and bee venom therapy as well as utilizes honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee bread. Meade tasting. It’s a day to celebrate honey bees- our most precious pollinators

Sunday, December 5th

Green Thumb Farm
Rt 27
Water Mill, NY

Our CSA farm’s farmstand’s last day of operation till May 2011! There might be some pretty good deals to be had.


Tuesday, December 7th

7 to 9pm

New York City Beekeepers Association Meeting
Seafarers and International House
123 E 15th St (between Irving Pl and 3rd Ave)
NYC
To close out the year, bee expert and author Dr. Larry Connor will join NYCBA on Tuesday, December 7 for a talk on "Bee Sex in the City." Mini-Louboutins for your bees will not be provided, but Dr. Connor will review the basic reproduction of bee colonies, the development and mating of queens, and their mating behavior. A question and answer period will follow the talk. For further information about Dr. Connor, please visit www.wicwas.com.

Saturday, January 15th

9am to 5pm

NOFA-MA Winter Conference
Worchester Tech High School
Worchester, MA
For more info and to register:
http://www.nofamass.org/conferences/winter/index.php

Keynote speech by Michael Phillips, author of The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist. This guy is the go to person for organic Apple growing in the northeast. If you have any interest in growing Apples, it would be very worthwhile to make the trip and attend this. There is also an all day seminar on Herbs for Family Health by master herbalist Nancy Phillips of Heartsong Farm Healing Herbs. I think I’m going to the Apple seminar. Anyone interested in the Herb one and we can share notes afterwards?


Friday, January 21st to Sunday, January 23rd

NOFA-NY Winter Conference
Saratoga Springs, NY
For more info and to register:
https://www.nofany.org/events/winter-conference

Many workshops, many excellent teachers, much partying, much good food.


Friday, January 29th and Saturday, January 30th

NOFA-NJ Winter Conference
For more info:
http://nofanj.org/winter_conference.htm


March 5th

NOFA-CT Winter Conference
Manchester, CT
For more info:
http://www.ctnofa.org/


3. What you actually got this week

November 18, 2010
Week #31

1. Sweet Potatoes – 2 lbs - $5.00
2. Radishes, Winter: Black Spanish, China White, Misato Rose (Watermelon) – 2 lbs - $4.25
3. Dill OR Cilantro – 1 bunch - $2.25
4. Broccoli, Purple (some call it Red) – 1 head - $2.50
5. Mustard Greens – 1 bunch - $2.75
6. Lettuce: Bibb – 1 head - $2.25
Total : 6
Total Amount: $19.00

Herb Share
Nov – 2B
Sage AND Savory (no info whether it’s Summer or Winter)


4. CSA and Slow Food member Ann Rathkopf knows of this event to help feed the less fortunate this Thanksgiving

See attached Flier

If you’re interested in participated, event organizer Bhavani needs to know if you are planning on coming out to volunteer this weekend or Monday or Tuesday for this big Thanksgiving event. She’s trying to get a handle on how many volunteers she has or is needed. Also, whether or not you have a turkey, frozen, raw or cooked.

###

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Happy Autumn!

Please park in the UUFH parking lot spots and do not park your car in front of the CSA by the big tree (and if someone is picking up for you…it’s up to you to please tell them as well)…unless you are in a wheelchair or on crutches. The only exceptions for CSA related cars to be there are me (and if I leave mine there – and I’m not either setting up or breaking down the CSA - and I’m at the CSA…please remind me as I shouldn’t be there either) , Dines Farm, Green Thumb Farm, and if someone picking up the donated produce at the end of the night.

Next week the CSA is WEDNESDAY due to Thanksgiving being on Thursday. CHECK YOUR NEXT EMAILS REGARDING WHEN THE CSA WILL START!!! IF we have access to the room (which I haven’t found out yet), IF Farmer Bill can get here earlier (he usually wants to so he can avoid holiday traffic heading out east) we will open the CSA earlier than 3:30pm. I’ll tell y’all as soon as I know! When will the CSA close that day? I’ll stay till the last person picks up (hoping it’s earlier but if it’s 7:30pm…that’s ok and keep in mind…there’s the late delivery bench option). IF YOU ARE NOT PICKING UP NEXT WEEK…please let me know so I don’t wait for someone that isn’t showing up. Even if it’s a last minute thing and you don’t know till Wednesday…better late than never. Even at the last minute, call the CSA on Wednesday after 3pm on the UUFH Hall Phone (which you should have in your cell phone directory) 631-385-1079. The food left over that week is being donated to the group Food Not Bombs and being delivered for a Thanksgiving meal they are preparing in Farmingville. They distribute food (and other items…clothes, books, etc) regularly in Farmingville on Thursdays, Huntington on Tuesdays and Hempstead on Sundays.

The last day of the CSA is December 16th. 2011 contracts will be emailed to current members in January. New inquiries will be emailed contracts 6 weeks after you get yours to give current members a head start. As usual, there will be a limited number of memberships available for the “Spring” session (April & May) and then more members (and those who didn’t get into the Spring session) can be accepted in June for the rest of the season.

Please keep in mind the CSA opens at 3:30pm, if you come earlier there’s no guarantee you can pick up your food at that time. We try and accommodate but you may need to wait till 3:30pm (and sometimes later if the CSA workers for that day are running late or cancel without giving notice). If showing up at 3:30pm is an issue, the alternatives are…1) stopping by up till 7:30pm before the CSA closes (though if you call 631-385-1079 before 7:30pm there might be someone still cleaning up or who might be willing to wait a bit for you to stop by), 2) making arrangements with someone else to pick your food up or 3) having a CSA bag pre-packed (by pre-arrangement) and having it left on CSA member Debbie Greenwood’s porch bench to be picked up after 8pm after the CSA closes.

Anyone go to the CSA Fall Tour & Pumpkin Picking this year? Email me comments (positive OR negative) and photos (I may need help with the photos) and I’ll post in the next CSA email.

Got any pets that eat produce? Let us know! Gerbils, Rabbits, Horses, Turtles, Lizards are a few of the critter I know of that eat stray Lettuce leaves and unwanted Carrot Tops (or stray Carrots  ). If you could use these for your animal companion(s), ask at the CSA if we have any for you to take home.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO WEIGH OUT YOUR FOOD CAREFULLY.

SO CLOSE AND YET SO FAR!!! We still need to fill 40 spots to have the CSA filled for the year!!! I’m going to keep talking about this till Farmer Bill asks me to stop. Please feel free to tell this to friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives who might be interested in joining the CSA this season and have them contact me! If we all were able to find one person to join…we’d be done in a minute. Please feel free to suggest places to leave the CSA brochures or names of individuals/groups to contact about CSA (either just to give info or to give a talk about CSA/local eating). I’m happy to do whatever is needed.

Miss the Exchange Table? We don’t have one if there aren’t enough people to staff the CSA. This year, we need to figure out if it’s because we have less members and/or less working members. Hopefully, in the next weeks we can fill the CSA up and not have to contemplate everyone working more hours, or next year, putting a limit on how many non-working CSA members the CSA can sustain.

This email includes…
1. HELP!!! Your CSA does need you this week!!! We need FIVE (5) people from 3:30pm to 5:30pm and FOUR (4) people from 5:30 to 7:30pm
2. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)
3. Are your vegetables nutritionally impotent?
4. BRING BAGS!
5. Notes from the Farm
6. Order Certified Organic Plants/Seedlings (grown at Green Thumb Farm) for your garden this season…
7. What you actually got last week (and the week before)
8. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)
9. CSA member Haley Wiggins emailed this interesting vegetarian Thanksgiving recipe website from the NY Times “Well” column, including raw Butternut Squash Salad with Cranberry Dressing by Mark Bittman…
10. Lead found in reusable shopping bags…
11. It’s time to weigh our food!


1. HELP!!! Your CSA does need you this week!!! We need FIVE (5) people from 3:30pm to 5:30pm and FOUR (4) people from 5:30 to 7:30pm

If you were sent an email from Judi or me, you are scheduled to work this week. If not, you’re not.

If you didn’t get a postcard today stating you’ve completed 12 hours at the CSA…you haven’t.

You can always show up a little before 3:30 or 5:30pm at the CSA and offer to work if help is still needed…you never know! Everyone that’s scheduled doesn’t always show up on time…or at all.



2. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)

Veggie Tip Sheets attached to this email for everything on the CSA share list this week (Herb Share we have one for Sage but NOT Savory…neither Winter or Summer)

November 18, 2010
Week #31

1. Sweet Potatoes
2. Lettuce: Bibb
3. Broccoli – 1 head
4. Mustard Greens
5. Dill OR Cilantro – 1 bunch
6. Radishes
Total Items: 6 (?)

Herb Share
Sage AND Savory



3. Are your vegetables nutritionally impotent?

This is the blogger’s column title…not mine  …
http://www.thesweetbeet.com/vegetables-nutrients/



4. BRING BAGS!

What more can you say about this?

At the CSA, we bag our own food. I’d suggest to bring a selection of plastic bags (especially for things that are dripping wet like Lettuces and other Greens which we get later in the season when they are picked from out in the fields…as opposed to the greenhouse where they are probably coming from now) AND paper bags (for things that don’t like plastic like Tomatoes…the moisture that plastic attracts will make them rot faster).

Keep a stash of bags in every vehicle you own, and replenish when the stash gets low! That way you’ll never be without. AND, if anyone is picking up for you…please tell them about needing bags!



5. Notes from the Farm

November 12, 2010

Our season is coming to a close. Only a few weeks left! Our fall greens and cole crops are still looking good. The cold nights only make them sweeter and bring out the colors of the reds and purples. We still have plenty of Sweet Potatoes and Winter Squashes to be bringing to our CSA groups for the next several weeks (they’re being kept in storage).

It’s time to begin thinking about next year and how we can make improvements in our production and delivery systems. Any ideas can be forwarded to suzanne j zoubeck, your CSA Manager.

This year, as in all years, some crops did well while others did not. Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Melons, Winter Squashes all had good growing years whereas because of the heat and dryness, our Carrots, Scallion, and some other summer greens and root crops did not. Every year is different and next year will be different from those years that went before. We grow a wide range of crops but all do not make it to harvest time. So, we bring in what we have and enjoy whatever bounty is bestowed upon us. That’s the nature of farming!

Organically yours,
Farmer Bill (Halsey)



6. Order Certified Organic Plants/Seedlings (grown at Green Thumb Farm) for your garden this season…

Check out the attachment for instructions and plant list. This one has the phone number to the farm AND I put it as a PDF because some folks couldn’t open the Word version.



7. What you actually got last week (and the week before…and a bunch of weeks before that)

Hope you notice that NONE of the weekly Total Amounts are $16.50 which is what you paid for your CSA share…meaning our farmer is EXTREMELY generous to us. I will be totaling up how much extra produce he gave us this season after the last CSA day.

For those members who felt slighted when weighing produce because they were asked to weigh a smidge under and not over (which when going over the asked for weight can and DID cause CSA members to not get the food they paid for)…I hope you understand that our farmer has been doing CSAs for the past 14 years (with us it’s been 13 years) and they plan the entire year so you get good value for the money you pay them. It’s a whole different situation if a few rogue CSA members decide it’s ok to (or accidentally) take a little more that week because…it’s only a little more. It ends up with some CSA members not getting food they paid for and have every right to expect to get that week, OR there isn’t the correct amount of food at the end of the CSA if there are leftovers…most everything is counted before the CSA doors open so we know what it should be there when it ends. This is opposed to when the farmer asks us to weigh a tad under rather than over because then it’s a planned occurrence where everyone gets food that week and he knows he’s making up for any minor underages (if it’s not a word…it’s the opposite of an overage) over the course of the season. Capisce? That’s “understand” in Italian…I grew up in Massapequa/MotzahPizza so I know a few words.

Next year we will have digital scales which should make weighing easier. The alternative is to have things pre-bagged which means less choices on our end and more work and expenses for packaging on the farm end, and I know they don’t really want to do that.

In the 10 week period below, we’ve gotten a total of $16.25 more than we paid for which is just about an extra week’s worth of CSA produce ($16.50)…and that’s not including the other 25 weeks of the season which is yet to be totaled up! I think we’re doing just fine.

November 11, 2010
Week #30

1. Sweet Potatoes – 2 lbs - $5.00
2. Cauliflower: Cheddar OR Purple OR White – 1 head - $2.50
3. Leeks – 1 bunch - $3.50
4. Pak Choi: Red – 1 bunch - $2.75
5. Arugula – 1 bunch - $2.25
6. Lettuce: Oakleaf, Green – 1 head - $2.25
Total: 6
Total Amount $18.25


November 4, 2010
Week #29

1. Beans: Green and/or Romano – 1 bag (farmer gave no more info and I didn’t weigh) - $1.75
2. Broccoli: Green OR Purple – 1 head - $2.50
3. Mustard Greens: Red – 1 bunch - $2.75
4. Mei Quing Choi OR Bok Choi – 1 bunch - $2.75
5. Squash, Winter: Butternut – 1 - $2.25
6. Lettuce: Leaf, Red – 1 head - $2.25
7. Tomatoes, Mini (assorted) – 1 pt - $4.25
Total: 7
Total Amount: $18.50

Herb Share
Nov – 1A
Cilantro AND Rosemary


October 28, 2010
Week #28

1. Sweet Potatoes – 2 lbs - $5.00
2. Beans: Dragon Tongue OR Romano – ½ lb - $1.75
3. Broccoli – 1 head - $2.25
4. Chives OR Mizuna – 1 bunch - $2.25
5. Lettuce: Leaf, Red – 1 head - $2.25
6. Tomatoes, Mini (assorted) – 1 pt - $4.25
Total: 6
Total Amount $17.75


October 21, 2010
Week #27

1. Squash, Winter: Acorn OR Butternut – 1 - $2.75
2. Radishes – 1 bunch - $2.50
3. Beans: Green OR Cranberry (shelling) – 1 bag (the farmer didn’t give me the info and I didn’t weigh them) - $3.50
4. Jicama – ½ lb - $2.75
5. Eggplant (mixed types) – 1 - $1.50
6. Lettuce: Crisp, Green – 1 head - $2.25
7. Senposai – 1 bunch - $2.75
Total: 7
Total Amount: $18.00

Herb Share
Oct – 2B
Parsley AND Thyme


October 14, 2010
Week #26

1. Sweet Potatoes – 2 lbs - $5.00
2. Beans: Black Eyed Peas (shelling) OR Cranberry (shelling) OR Limas (shelling) OR Romano – 1 lb - $3.50
3. Leeks – 1 bunch - $3.50
4. Daikon – 1 - $.75
5. Tat Soi – 1 bunch - $2.50
6. Lettuce: Romaine, Red – 1 head - $2.25
Total: 6
Total Amount: $17.50


October 7, 2010
Week #25

1. Sweet Potatoes – 2 lbs - $5.00
2. Mustard Greens – 1 bunch - $2.50
3. Chives OR Dill – 1 bunch - $2.25
4. Beans: Romano OR Soy (shelling) OR Wax/Yellow – 1 lb - $3.50
5. Lettuce: Boston, Red OR Oak Leaf, Green – 1 head - $2.25
6. Radicchio: Chiogga OR Traviso – 1 head - $2.75
Total: 6
Total Amount: $18.25

Herb Share
Oct – 1A
Sage AND Sorrel


September 30, 2010
Week #24

1. Beans: Dragon Tongue and/or Green – 1 lb
2. Squash, Summer (assorted) – 1 lb – weighed together totaling 2 lb - $5.75
3. Squash, Winter: Acorn – 1 - $2.00
4. Lettuce: Boston – 1 head - $2.25
5. Cilantro – 1 bunch - $2.25
6. Pak Choi – 1 bunch - $2.75
7. Cucumber – 1 - $.25
8. Eggplant: Japanese – 1 - $1.50
9. Pepper, Sweet: Concho di Toro – 3 - $1.25
Total: 9
Total Amount: $18.00


September 23, 2010
Week #23

1. Beans: Wax/Yellow and/or Cranberry (shelling) – 1 lb - $3.50
2. Radishes – 1 bunch - $2.25
3. Squash, Summer (assorted) – 1 ½ lbs - $3.25
4. Basil – 1 bunch - $2.50
5. Lettuce: Crisp, Red – 1 head - $2.25
6. Tomatoes: Paste (Plum), Red and/or Regular, Red – 2 lbs - $5.00
Total: 6
Total Amount: $18.75

Herb Share
Sept -2B
Cilantro AND Parsley


September 16, 2010
Week #22

1. Squash, Summer (assorted) – 1 lb
2. Peppers, Sweet (assorted) – 1 lb – weighed together to 2 lbs total - $4.75
3. Squash, Winter: Carnival – 1 - $2.50
4. Eggplant: Japanese Purple OR Thai Green – 1 - $1.50
5. Beans: Green and/or Purple and/or Romano – 1 lb - $3.50
6. Lettuce: Boston OR Salad Bowl, Green – 1 head - $2.25
7. Tomatoes, Mini (assorted) – 1 pt - $4.00
Total: 7
Total Amount: $18.50

Basil Shares – 4 bunches per Share
Tomato Shares – 20 lbs per box


September 9, 2010
Week #21

1. Beans: Soy – ½ lb - $
2. Okra – ½ lb - $
3. Winter Squash: Acorn – 1 - $
4. Cucumbers and/or Kirby Cucumbers (Pickling Cucumbers) and/or Squash, Summer (assorted) – 1 lb - $
5. Lettuce: Leaf, Green – 1 head - $
6. Tomatoes: Paste (Plum), Red and/or Paste (Plum), Yellow and/or Regular, Red and/or Regular, Orange and/or Regular, Yellow – 2 lbs - $
Total: 6
Total Amount: $17.75

Herb Share
Sept – 1A
Dill AND Rosemary

Basil Share – 4 bunches per share
Tomato Shares – 20 lbs per box



8. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)

If you don’t mind trekking into the city, these are two email lists to get on that have a lot of very cool food-based (local/organic) events…
http://brooklynbased.net/
http://www.eatingintranslation.com/


Friday, November 19th

9am to 10:30am

Morning Meditation with Rev. Ratzlaff
UUFH
109 Browns Rd
Huntington, NY
FREE

CSA member, Rev. Paul Ratzlaff conducts a morning sitting meditation every Friday. The schedule is as follows…
9am to 9:45am – silent meditation
Bell is rung
Poem or Buddhist reading is read aloud
Check in with everyone
Reading a selection out of a collection of Buddhist stories and discuss it
The end!


Saturday, November 20th

UUFH Services Auction
109 Browns Rd
Huntington
For more info:
Look on the tables on your way into the CSA

Some of the things being auctioned off thru Green Thumb Farm CSA – Huntington are…
1. Seasonal Basket of Plenty from Green Thumb Farm including a cookbook, Honey, and t-shirt
2. Romantic Dinner and BBQ package of Steaks, Hamburgers and Hot Dogs from Dines Farm
3. A year’s pass for two to the Cinema Arts Centre – Cinema Co-Directors Dylan Skolnick and Charlotte Sky are longtime CSA members


Sunday, November 21st

2pm

Healthy Planet Dinner/Lecture Series
16th Annual Turkey Free Thanksgiving Potluck!
Sweet Hollow Hall
Melville
For more info and reservations:
Call 631-421-5591
e-mail: info@healthy-planet.org
http://www.healthy-planet.org/Series/index.asp

Featured speaker will be Howard Lyman, the Mad Cowboy…made famous when he helped Oprah Winfrey when she was sued for saying on tv how she’d never eat a Hamburger again after knowing how they were made and what was in them.


Sunday, November 28th

2pm

Let’s Eat: Food on Film presents…
Colony – The Plight of the Honeybee
Cinema Arts Center
423 Park Ave
Huntington
More info TBA

Film and discussion with Beekeeper Rich Blohm and Green Thumb Farm’s own Beekeeper, Mary Woltz. Apitherapy presentation by Frederique Keller, a licensed acupuncturist who incorporates classical homeopathy and bee venom therapy as well as utilizes honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee bread. Meade tasting. It’s a day to celebrate honey bees- our most precious pollinators

Sunday, December 5th

Green Thumb Farm
Rt 27
Water Mill, NY

Our CSA farm’s farmstand’s last day of operation till May 2011! There might be some pretty good deals to be had.


Tuesday, December 7th

7 to 9pm

New York City Beekeepers Association Meeting
Seafarers and International House
123 E 15th St (between Irving Pl and 3rd Ave)
NYC
To close out the year, bee expert and author Dr. Larry Connor will join NYCBA on Tuesday, December 7 for a talk on "Bee Sex in the City." Mini-Louboutins for your bees will not be provided, but Dr. Connor will review the basic reproduction of bee colonies, the development and mating of queens, and their mating behavior. A question and answer period will follow the talk. For further information about Dr. Connor, please visit www.wicwas.com.

Saturday, January 15th

9am to 5pm

NOFA-MA Winter Conference
Worchester Tech High School
Worchester, MA
For more info and to register:
http://www.nofamass.org/conferences/winter/index.php

Keynote speech by Michael Phillips, author of The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist. This guy is the go to person for organic Apple growing in the northeast. If you have any interest in growing Apples, it would be very worthwhile to make the trip and attend this. There is also an all day seminar on Herbs for Family Health by master herbalist Nancy Phillips of Heartsong Farm Healing Herbs. I think I’m going to the Apple seminar. Anyone interested in the Herb one and we can share notes afterwards?


Friday, January 21st to Sunday, January 23rd

NOFA-NY Winter Conference
Saratoga Springs, NY
For more info and to register:
https://www.nofany.org/events/winter-conference

Many workshops, many excellent teachers, much partying, much good food.


Friday, January 29th and Saturday, January 30th

NOFA-NJ Winter Conference
For more info:
http://nofanj.org/winter_conference.htm


March 5th

NOFA-CT Winter Conference
Manchester, CT
For more info:
http://www.ctnofa.org/



9. CSA member Haley Wiggins emailed this interesting vegetarian Thanksgiving recipe website from the NY Times “Well” column, including a raw Butternut Squash Salad with Cranberry Dressing by Mark Bittman…

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/08/health/20101108_thanksgiving.htm



10. Lead found in reusable shopping bags…

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/environment/2010-11-15-toxicbags15_st_N.htm



11. It’s time to weigh our food!

Yup! It’s that time of year. Sounds easy right? Put food in the scale and weigh it, right? Not exactly .

A. Bring reading glasses if you need them OR have the person by the scale read it for you

B. Please follow the instructions given by the person(s) at the scale. There may be more than one food item that needs to get weighed at the same time on the same scale. It may not make sense to you or seem necessary but our farmer has asked us to do so. Will be glad to explain if you want to know the specifics.

C. Most important…If you can’t get an exact weight (it happens), DO NOT GO OVER THE WEIGHT POSTED ON THE CSA WALL CHART!!!!
I can’t emphasize this enough. All we need is a few people thinking that it’s no big deal to be a smidge over the amount and….it becomes a big deal! Just think about it…1 oz…what’s that? Two Green Beans? So what???? Ok…we have 82 CSA members and if 32 of them go over by that 1 oz that adds up to 2 pounds and it may mean that one or two people don’t get ANY Beans at the end of the night. Serves them right for coming late, huh? That’s not how the CSA works. Everyone paid the same amount to receive the same amount of food so it’s up to each one of us to make sure that happens.

D. Please stand directly in front of the scale and make sure the red line (weight indicator) has not “disappeared” behind the colored tape on the readout part of the scale. If you stand to either side of the scale…you can still see the red line but you’re going to go over the correct amount (it’s the customer’s equivalent of the story about the butcher that keeps their finger on the scale to skew the weight  ).

E. There may be a plastic bag in the scale…if there is, don’t take it with you! We use it to keep the vegetables from falling out of the bowl and, believe it or not, keep the weight consistent. Different plastic bags weigh different amounts. So, weigh it in the bag that’s in the scale and then dump the food into your own bag/basket/carrier. Thanks!

F. Please don’t drop the scales…the top sometimes sticks to the bottom and lifts it up when you’re getting your food out of the measuring bowl and so the bottom then drops on the floor and breaks…just be aware and please be careful…thanks!

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Happy Autumn!

In case you didn’t get or didn’t read the email…DINES FARM IS NOT COMING THIS WEEK! They did say they would be here next week, and the following week for Turkey deliveries (and everything else).

Please keep in mind the CSA opens at 3:30pm, if you come earlier there’s no guarantee you can pick up your food at that time. We try and accommodate but you may need to wait till 3:30pm (and sometimes later if the CSA workers for that day are running late or cancel without giving notice). If showing up at 3:30pm is an issue, the alternatives are…1) stopping by up till 7:30pm before the CSA closes (though if you call 631-385-1079 before 7:30pm there might be someone still cleaning up or who might be willing to wait a bit for you to stop by), 2) making arrangements with someone else to pick your food up or 3) having a CSA bag pre-packed (by pre-arrangement) and having it left on CSA member Debbie Greenwood’s porch bench to be picked up after 8pm after the CSA closes.

Everyone who ordered their Honey got it last week, right? If not, let me know.

Anyone go to the CSA Fall Tour & Pumpkin Picking this year? Email me comments (positive OR negative) and photos (I may need help with the photos) and I’ll post in the next CSA email.

Got any pets that eat produce? Let us know! Gerbils, Rabbits, Horses, Turtles, Lizards are a few of the critter I know of that eat stray Lettuce leaves and unwanted Carrot Tops (or stray Carrots  ). If you could use these for your animal companion(s), ask at the CSA if we have any for you to take home.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO WEIGH OUT YOUR FOOD CAREFULLY.

SO CLOSE AND YET SO FAR!!! We still need to fill 40 spots to have the CSA filled for the year!!! I’m going to keep talking about this till Farmer Bill asks me to stop. Please feel free to tell this to friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives who might be interested in joining the CSA this season and have them contact me! If we all were able to find one person to join…we’d be done in a minute. Please feel free to suggest places to leave the CSA brochures or names of individuals/groups to contact about CSA (either just to give info or to give a talk about CSA/local eating). I’m happy to do whatever is needed.

Miss the Exchange Table? We don’t have one if there aren’t enough people to staff the CSA. This year, we need to figure out if it’s because we have less members and/or less working members. Hopefully, in the next weeks we can fill the CSA up and not have to contemplate everyone working more hours, or next year, putting a limit on how many non-working CSA members the CSA can sustain.

This email includes…
1. Your CSA doesn’t need you this week…maybe  .
2. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)
3. Slow Food Membership Deal AND Local Book Club Forming…talk to CSA member Ann Rathkopf about this and all things Slow Food tonight at the CSA between 3:30 and 5:30pm!
4. BRING BAGS!
5. Notes from the Farm
6. Order Certified Organic Plants/Seedlings (grown at Green Thumb Farm) for your garden this season…
7. Where you can go eat Dines Farm meats without cooking them yourself…
8. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)
9. Dried Beans, anyone?
10. Scholarship for young people who might want to be farmers…
11. It’s time to weigh our food!
12. Holiday time is around the corner…anyone looking for some new cookbooks for gifts (to get or to give) this year?


1. Your CSA doesn’t need you this week…maybe  .

If you were sent an email from Judi or me, you are scheduled to work this week. If not, you’re not.

You can always show up a little before 3:30 or 5:30pm at the CSA and offer to work if help is still needed…you never know! Everyone that’s scheduled doesn’t always show up on time…or at all.



2. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)

Veggie Tip Sheets attached to this email for everything on the CSA share list this week (use Bok Choi sheet for the Pak Choi)

November 11, 2010
Week #30

1. Sweet Potatoes
2. Lettuce
3. Cauliflower: Cheddar (Golden) OR Purple OR White – 1 head
4. Pak Choi (use the Bok Choi Veggie Tip Sheet)
5. Arugula
6. Leeks
Total Items: 6 (?)



3. Slow Food Membership Deal AND Local Book Club Forming…talk to CSA member Ann Rathkopf about this and all things Slow Food tonight at the CSA between 3:30 and 5:30pm!

If you’re interested in joining a book club that focuses on books about food, this is the one for you! We now have a Facebook page called "Slow Food Huntington Book Club". Meeting are tentatively scheduled for Thursday evenings and the group will meet monthly. Questions? please email Veronique Stravato or via the Facebook page.

Slow Food had a fall membership sale that is still available. Join NOW for $25 instead of the usual $60 rate. Not sure how much longer this will last!

Don’t know about Slow Food?
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/slow_food/

To join Slow Food…
https://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5986/t/7933/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=2518

Check out Slow Food Huntington Chapter Facebook page…
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Slow-Food-Huntington/111833608364



4. BRING BAGS!

What more can you say about this?

At the CSA, we bag our own food. I’d suggest to bring a selection of plastic bags (especially for things that are dripping wet like Lettuces and other Greens which we get later in the season when they are picked from out in the fields…as opposed to the greenhouse where they are probably coming from now) AND paper bags (for things that don’t like plastic like Tomatoes…the moisture that plastic attracts will make them rot faster).

Keep a stash of bags in every vehicle you own, and replenish when the stash gets low! That way you’ll never be without. AND, if anyone is picking up for you…please tell them about needing bags!



5. Notes from the Farm

October 30, 2010

November is here, summers’ bounty is gone, and our fall crops are all doing well. We will have plenty of fall Greens of all types. Broccolis and Cauliflowers are just now beginning, as are our fall Cabbages…Green, Red and Savoy. We continue to have many types of Lettuces and Radicchio. We have Winter Squash, mostly Acorn and Butternut, as well as Sweet Potatoes…enough to last until our final delivery (December 16th).

Our Garlic did not grow out as expected so there is not much of that and our cloves are small. Possibly planted too late last fall?

Turnips and winter Radishes are ready. Look for these over the next weeks. Jerusalem Artichokes have also started to be harvested. Herbs such as Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Savory, Dill and Cilantro will also appear at your pick-up sites this month.

Organically yours,
Farmer Bill (Halsey)



6. Order Certified Organic Plants/Seedlings (grown at Green Thumb Farm) for your garden this season…

Check out the attachment for instructions and plant list. This one has the phone number to the farm AND I put it as a PDF because some folks couldn’t open the Word version.



7. Where you can go eat Dines Farm meats without cooking them yourself…

Nice article in the NY Times found by CSA member Haley Wiggins…(I sent it to the folks at Dines Farm in case they didn’t know)…
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/nyregion/31joint.html?_r=1&ref=neighborhood_joint

Dines Farm is also mentioned in their NY Magazine write up…
http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/ted-honey/

Have breakfast before 11am to avoid stroller gridlock…or go after 11am if you have strollers and would like to join the crowd  ! Be prepared to wait, know you’re paying for local, organic ingredients and that they have no bathroom (is that legal?). Then enjoy!

This spot is two blocks away from where Green Thumb Farm’s Cobble Hill site is located…used to be on the corner of Court St & Congress St…not sure where it is this year.



8. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)

If you don’t mind trekking into the city, these are two email lists to get on that have a lot of very cool food-based (local/organic) events…
http://brooklynbased.net/
http://www.eatingintranslation.com/


Wednesday, November 10th to Sunday, November 14th

Chocolate Show
The Metropolitan Pavillion
125 W 18th St
NYC
For more info:
http://newyork.salon-du-chocolat.com/salon_intro.aspx
To purchase tickets:
http://nychocolateshow2010.eventbrite.com/

The website could be better as they’re not listing specific events regarding appearances, book signings etc, but all the biggies of chocolate will be there…Callebaut, Guittard, , Jacques Torres, Michel Cluizel, Vahlrona. If you go…visit NibMor, a Huntington based chocolate business that sells vegan, raw, non-gluten and dairy, non-GMO, low glycemic chocolate bars. I’m sure there will be other intesting vendors.


Friday, November 12th

9am to 10:30am

Morning Meditation with Rev. Ratzlaff
UUFH
109 Browns Rd
Huntington, NY
FREE

CSA member, Rev. Paul Ratzlaff conducts a morning sitting meditation every Friday. The schedule is as follows…
9am to 9:45am – silent meditation
Bell is rung
Poem or Buddhist reading is read aloud
Check in with everyone
Reading a selection out of a collection of Buddhist stories and discuss it
The end!


Saturday, November 13th

11am to 3pm

Basic Urban Beekeeping Course
W 68th St (near Central Park West)
NYC
$250
For more info and to register:
http://www.nyc-bees.org/classes.html

Will be continued on Sunday,, November 14th as well. Urban beekeeping techniques can certainly be translated to suburban settings. Sing to the tune of NY, NY…If they can DO it there, they can do it ANYwhere.

10pm

The Hotline
Gunther’s Tap Room
Main St
Northport
631-754-9659
For more info:
http://www.thehotline.net/Site/Welcome.html

CSA member, John Morina, is the drummer for The Hotline. They rock out doing blues, funk, soul, rock…check out the website for a taste and then see them live to experience the real deal!


Sunday, November 14th

6pm

Slow Food Pot Luck
East Northport
$5 Donation
For more info:
Carolyn
Email: morgy5@aol.com

Getting together and sharing good food is at the heart of what Slow Food is all about. Bring a home made dish to share (appetizer, salad, main course or dessert).
For more info about Slow Food and becoming a member:
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/



Wednesday, November 17th

12:30pm

Jamie Oliver Book Signing
Borders
100 Broadway (between Wall St & Pine St)
NYC
For more info:
http://www.borders.com/online/store/StoreDetailView_566


Saturday, November 20th

UUFH Services Auction
109 Browns Rd
Huntington
For more info:
Look on the tables on your way into the CSA

Some of the things being auctioned off thru Green Thumb Farm CSA – Huntington are…
1. Seasonal Basket of Plenty from Green Thumb Farm including a cookbook, Honey, and t-shirt
2. Romantic Dinner and BBQ package of Steaks, Hamburgers and Hot Dogs from Dines Farm
3. A year’s pass for two to the Cinema Arts Centre – Cinema Co-Directors Dylan Skolnick and Charlotte Sky are longtime CSA members


Sunday, November 21st

2pm

Healthy Planet Dinner/Lecture Series
16th Annual Turkey Free Thanksgiving Potluck!
Sweet Hollow Hall
Melville
For more info and reservations:
Call 631-421-5591
e-mail: info@healthy-planet.org
http://www.healthy-planet.org/Series/index.asp

Featured speaker will be Howard Lyman, the Mad Cowboy…made famous when he helped Oprah Winfrey when she was sued for saying on tv how she’d never eat a Hamburger again after knowing how they were made and what was in them.


Sunday, November 28th

2pm

Let’s Eat: Food on Film presents…
Colony – The Plight of the Honeybee
Cinema Arts Center
423 Park Ave
Huntington
More info TBA

Film and discussion with Beekeeper Rich Blohm and Green Thumb Farm’s own Beekeeper, Mary Woltz. Apitherapy presentation by Frederique Keller, a licensed acupuncturist who incorporates classical homeopathy and bee venom therapy as well as utilizes honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee bread. Meade tasting. It’s a day to celebrate honey bees- our most precious pollinators

Sunday, December 5th

Green Thumb Farm
Rt 27
Water Mill, NY

Our CSA farm’s farmstand’s last day of operation till May 2011! There might be some pretty good deals to be had.


Tuesday, December 7th

7 to 9pm

New York City Beekeepers Association Meeting
Seafarers and International House
123 E 15th St (between Irving Pl and 3rd Ave)
NYC
To close out the year, bee expert and author Dr. Larry Connor will join NYCBA on Tuesday, December 7 for a talk on "Bee Sex in the City." Mini-Louboutins for your bees will not be provided, but Dr. Connor will review the basic reproduction of bee colonies, the development and mating of queens, and their mating behavior. A question and answer period will follow the talk. For further information about Dr. Connor, please visit www.wicwas.com.

Saturday, January 15th

9am to 5pm

NOFA-MA Winter Conference
Worchester Tech High School
Worchester, MA
For more info and to register:
http://www.nofamass.org/conferences/winter/index.php

Keynote speech by Michael Phillips, author of The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist. This guy is the go to person for organic Apple growing in the northeast. If you have any interest in growing Apples, it would be very worthwhile to make the trip and attend this. There is also an all day seminar on Herbs for Family Health by master herbalist Nancy Phillips of Heartsong Farm Healing Herbs. I think I’m going to the Apple seminar. Anyone interested in the Herb one and we can share notes afterwards?


Friday, January 21st to Sunday, January 23rd

NOFA-NY Winter Conference
Saratoga Springs, NY
For more info and to register:
https://www.nofany.org/events/winter-conference

Many workshops, many excellent teachers, much partying, much good food.


Friday, January 29th and Saturday, January 30th

NOFA-NJ Winter Conference
For more info:
http://nofanj.org/winter_conference.htm


March 5th

NOFA-CT Winter Conference
Manchester, CT
For more info:
http://www.ctnofa.org/



9. Dried Beans, Anyone?

CSA member, Haley Wiggins also gave me this article…
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/magazine/17food-t-000.html

Cayuga Pure Organics has sold to NYC CSAs in the past. I’ve met people from the company/farm and inquired and it may be possible to get them for next year if there’s an interest and if someone (could be me) is interested/able to handle the ordering, etc.

This is their website…
http://www.cporganics.com/live/

This is a restaurant I know that uses their Beans and their Freekeh (roasted green Spelt berries)…everything here is organic/local/vegan (they had to, to keep the prices down) and the dishes are all $10 and under…
http://eatgreenpoint.com/



10. Scholarship for young people who might want to be farmers…

Deadline is November 19th so it might be too late for this year (or not) but maybe next year or at some point in the future. Spread the word to anyone who might be interested in this.

For more info scroll to the bottom of this page…
http://www.nyfb.org/membership/subpage.cfm?ID=49



11. It’s time to weigh our food!

Yup! It’s that time of year. Sounds easy right? Put food in the scale and weigh it, right? Not exactly .

A. Bring reading glasses if you need them OR have the person by the scale read it for you

B. Please follow the instructions given by the person(s) at the scale. There may be more than one food item that needs to get weighed at the same time on the same scale. It may not make sense to you or seem necessary but our farmer has asked us to do so. Will be glad to explain if you want to know the specifics.

C. Most important…If you can’t get an exact weight (it happens), DO NOT GO OVER THE WEIGHT POSTED ON THE CSA WALL CHART!!!!
I can’t emphasize this enough. All we need is a few people thinking that it’s no big deal to be a smidge over the amount and….it becomes a big deal! Just think about it…1 oz…what’s that? Two Green Beans? So what???? Ok…we have 82 CSA members and if 32 of them go over by that 1 oz that adds up to 2 pound and it may mean that one or two people don’t get ANY Beans at the end of the night. Serves them right for coming late, huh? That’s not how the CSA works. Everyone paid the same amount to receive the same amount of food so it’s up to each one of us to make sure that happens.

D. Please stand directly in front of the scale and make sure the red line (weight indicator) has not “disappeared” behind the colored tape on the readout part of the scale. If you stand to either side of the scale…you can still see the red line but you’re going to go over the correct amount (it’s the customer’s equivalent of the story about the butcher that keeps their finger on the scale to skew the weight).

E. There may be a plastic bag in the scale…if there is, don’t take it with you! We use it to keep the vegetables from falling out of the bowl and, believe it or not, keep the weight consistant. Different plastic bags weigh different amounts. So, weigh it in the bag that’s in the scale and then dump the food into your own bag/basket/carrier. Thanks!

F. Please don’t drop the scales…the top sometimes sticks to the bottom and lifts it up when you’re getting your food out of the measuring bowl and so the bottom then drops on the floor and breaks…just be aware and please be careful…thanks!



12. Holiday time is around the corner…anyone looking for some new cookbooks for gifts (to get or to give) this year?

If you’re going to buy a cookbook, I always recommend this one (seen on many 10 Best Lists by food professionals/chefs)…
How to Cook Everything – Mark Bittman
http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-21886-how-to-cook-everything.aspx

From the same author comes…
How to Cook Everything: Vegetarian – Mark Bittman
http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-20842-how-to-cook-everything-vegetarian.aspx

Quick and Easy Recipes – Mark Bittman
http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-9420-mark-bittmans-quick-and-easy-recipes-from-the-new-york-times.aspx?affiliateid=10097

Bittman sees the light (my guess is he was diagnosed with heart disease and/or diabetes) and joins the food revolution…
The Food Matters Cookbook: Lose Weight and Heal the Planet – Mark Bittman
http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-25499-the-food-matters-cookbook.aspx?affiliateid=10097

Alice’s latest…
In the Green Kitchen – Alice Waters
http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-24520-in-the-green-kitchen.aspx?affiliateid=10097

Recipes from the great, and sadly defunct, magazine…Taunton Press’ Kitchen Gardener…
Cooking from the Garden: The Best Recipes from Kitchen Gardener
http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-24679-cooking-from-the-garden.aspx?affiliateid=10097

Daikon is right on the cover…
Kansha: Celebrating Japan’s Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions – Elizabeth Andoh
http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-25237-kansha.aspx?affiliateid=10097

If you eat meat, might as well learn from an expert…
Meat – James Peterson
http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-25236-meat.aspx

File under…if that don’t beat all! A Buddhist weight loss cookbook by none other than,,,
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life – Thich Nhat Hanh
http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-24364-savor.aspx?affiliateid=10097

Looks interesting…Fresh from the Farm: Great Local Foods from NY State…
http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Farm-Great-Local-Foods/dp/0789320312

This is a great website for cookbooks in general and you can get some AMAZING deals in the sale section like this…
The Kitchen Garden Cookbook – Sylvia Thompson - ONLY $5.98!!! Cooking AND gardening info.
http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-14349-the-kitchen-garden-cookbook.aspx?affiliateid=10097

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