Green Thumb Farm Huntington CSA

Happy spring!

New Membership Alert!
We now have only 5 spots left to fill for the Spring Session of the CSA, and then about another 50+ to fill the CSA for the year (that begin pickups on June 3rd). If each of us either knows one person who might be interested in the CSA this year (friend/neighbor/relative/co-worker), or could just suggest a person to contact, OR a place to leave fliers and/or a group to contact to do a talk on eating local/organic/CSAs…we could fill up the CSA tout suite (my name IS suzanne for a reason  )! So, attached is the new person contract and CSA brochure in case it might come in handy.

The event I tabled at for Earth Day on April 21st at Underwriter Labs was nice! We may be getting at least one new member from the event which I will be following up on. It was the first one they ever had and I’ve been invited back if they do it next year (they are planning on it). I spoke to a number of people about all the topics l love…local/organic food/wine, healthy eating, healthy babies, organic gardening, local farms, greenmarkets, etc.

The best laid plans…never made it to the Green Expo as I needed the entire weekend to recover from the past two weeks of CSA frenzy. Did anyone go? I’m curious as to how attendance was and what it was like. I wonder if it will be a once a year thing or if they’ll try it again in the fall like they did last year (though the attendance in the fall was not good…I think it was too close to Thanksgiving or something like that…I remember thinking it was bad timing eventwise).

This email includes…
1. Your CSA needs YOU! WE HAVE NO ONE SCHEDULED TO WORK ON THE LATE SHIFT!!! We are looking for THREE (3) people to be at the CSA from 5:30 to 7:30pm this week.
2. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)
3. BRING BAGS!
4. Event Calendar
5. Suggestions on how to cook all this new food
6. What you actually got last week
7. Cool Kale Recipe…how timely!


1. Your CSA needs YOU! WE HAVE NO ONE SCHEDULED TO WORK ON THE LATE SHIFT!!! We are looking for THREE (3) people to be at the CSA from 5:30 to 7:30pm this week.


If interested, please respond to this email before 1pm Thursday OR call 631-421-4864 till 1pm Thursday OR call the CSA at 631-385-1079 after 3pm Thursday OR just show up a little before 5:30pm at the CSA and offer to work if help is still needed. You can even ask if help is needed at 3:30pm as you never know!



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

April 29, 2010
Week #2

1. Chives
2. Asparagus
3. Greens, Collard OR Kale
4. Kale Raab (Rabe/Rape…all the same thing) OR Sprouting Broccoli, Red
5. Greens, Turnip
6. Greens, Mustard: Red
7. Beans, Black Turtle: dried
Total Items: 7



3. 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!



4. 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, April 29th

7:30pm

The End of the Line
Cinema Arts Centre
423 Park Ave
Huntington, NY
Cinema Members: $9/ General Public: $13 (partial proceeds will benefit the NY Coalition for Healthy School Food www.healthylunches.org )
For more info and to purchase advance tickets:
http://www.cinemaartscentre.org/reel_to_reel1.html#endline

A wake-up call to the world, The End of the Line is the first major documentary to reveal the impact of over-fishing on our oceans and the profound implications of a future without fish. The guest speaker is Carl Safina, Author & Founding President of Blue Ocean Institute, Cold Spring Harbor. Dr. Carl Safina brought ocean conservation into the environmental mainstream. His hundred-plus publications and award-winning books include Song for the Blue Ocean and Voyage of the Turtle. He’s been profiled by the New York Times, Nightline, and Bill Moyers. His awards include a Pew Fellowship, Lannan Literary Award, John Burroughs Medal, and a MacArthur Prize, among others. www.blueocean.org . Reception with refreshments sponsored by Whole Foods.



Wednesday, May 5th

4pm to 8pm

4th Annual Brooklyn Uncorked
BAM Café
30 Lafayette (at Ashland Pl)
Ft Green, Brooklyn
$40 (or pay $50 and get a subscription to one of the “Edible” magazines)
An early session open to the food and wine trade. Trade should RSVP to event director Samantha Seier, sam.edible@gmail.com.
For more info and to buy tickets:
http://www.eventbee.com/view/edible/event?eid=703719202


Brooklyn Uncorked, the unforgettable coming-together of winemakers and food artisans from opposite ends of Long Island, isn’t just about eating and drinking. It’s about community

Nearly 50 wineries lie just 70 miles east of New York City in the ocean-tempered climate and rich soils of Long Island’s Hamptons and North Fork. For four decades, this wine country has been nurturing grapes and crafting wines that today show up at wine shops and restaurants from Montauk to Manhattan, and can also be enjoyed at tasting rooms amidst rows of vines a stone’s throw from farmstands, seafood shops, B&Bs and all the East End gastronomic experience has to offer.

At the fourth annual Brooklyn Uncorked, on May 5, some very happy attendees will stroll the halls of the Brooklyn Academy of Music while imbibing Long Island wines and noshing samples from Edible’s curated list of Gotham restaurants, bakers and other food artisans. Many participating wineries will feature rosé releases to highlight winery participation in the May 2010 Run for the Rosés benefit for CancerCare, a national non-profit offering free social services to individuals with cancer as well as to their family members

The Long Island wine is the main draw, of course. But it doesn’t go unpaired. Among the tables of vintners bearing bottles made from grapes grown just a day’s drive away are selected comestibles from the very food-focused boroughs. Among those creating dishes are Tanoreen, DuMont, Dressler, Txikito, Gramercy Tavern, Palo Santo, Stinky Bklyn, Savoy, D. Coluccio & Sons, Tipsy Parson, Liddabit Sweets, Watty & Meg, Good Fork, Orwasher’s Bakery, Katchkie Farm, Great Performances and Dallis Coffee. That’s a whole evening of food and wine for just $40 (or $50 with an Edible subscription).

Among those wineries that will be pouring are Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard, Bedell Cellars, Bouké, Brooklyn Oenology, Castello di Borghese, Channing Daughters Winery, Clovis Point, Corey Creek Vineyards, Croteaux Vineyards, Gramercy Vineyards, Grapes of Roth, Jamesport Vineyards, Long Island Merlot Alliance, Macari Vineyards & Winery, Martha Clara Vineyards, The Old Field Vineyards, Palmer Vineyards, Raphael, Roanoke Vineyards, Sherwood House Vineyards, Shinn Estate Vineyards, Suhru Wines, Waters Crest Winery, Wölffer Estate. In addition, the New York Wine Stand, a program of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation and Pride of New York, to feature New York wines at city Greenmarkets, will sample Empire State rieslings.

Brooklyn Uncorked is produced by Edible Brooklyn, along with its sister publications, Edible Manhattan and Edible East End, with support from the Long Island Wine Council and the New York Wine and Grape Foundation.


Saturday, May 8th

1pm to 4pm

Wildman Steve Brill
Muttontown Preserve
4 Muttontown Lane
East Norwich, NY
Suggested Donation: $15, under 10 years old $10
For more info and to reserve a spot…
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/

If you’ve never experienced Wildman Steve Brill and you like eating locally and/or organically…this is a must! You will leave with interesting things to cook for dinner, and may start to look differently at the “weeds” that come up in your backyard. You MUST read his website carefully and follow the instructions if you are to maximize your experience by dressing properly and bringing what you need to bring on this adventure. I’ve been told he’s corny…well, that’s true…but he’s also brilliant, and knows about eating and foraging in the wild like nobody’s business. Since he’s a fairly recent father, the event is a family friendly experience.


Thursday, May 13th

5:30 to 7pm

An Evening of All-American Beer and Cheese
Nick & Toni’s Restaurant
East Hampton
$25
For more info and to make a reservation:
http://www.ediblemanhattan.com/edible-calendar/2010-05-13/an-evening-of-all-american-beer-and-cheese-at-nicktoni-s.htm

If you choose to stay for dinner after the tasting, you will receive a 15% discount.
Beer selections: Lighthouse Ale and Red Wagon from Fire Island Beer, selections from Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, selections from McNeill's Brewery in Brattleboro, Vermont, and Leelanau Brewing in Leland, Michigan, courtesy of American Beer Distributors.
Cheese offerings specially selected by Lucy Kazickas, owner of Lucy's Whey East Hampton, will feature American artisanal cheeses including Long Island's Mecox Bay Dairy and New England's Vermont Butter and Cheese.

Saturday, June 26th

Green Thumb CSA Member’s Annual Strawberry Farm Tour
Details to be announced


Saturday, August 13th to Sunday, August 15th

The 36th NOFA (Northeast Organic Farmer’s Association) Summer Conference
University of Massachusetts Amherst
N Amherst, MA
For more info and to register…
http://www.nofasummerconference.org/

Be there or be squarer than square! Featured speakers this year are Sally Fallon of the Weston Price Institute and Dr. Fernando Funes, father of the Cuban organic agriculture movement.


Saturday, September 4th

12:30pm to 3:30pm

Wildman Steve Brill
Sunken Meadow Park
Parking lot by the Sunken Meadow Bathhouse
Suggested Donation: $15, under 10 years old $10
For more info and to reserve a spot…
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/

If you’ve never experienced Wildman Steve Brill and you like eating locally and/or organically…this is a must! You will leave with interesting things to cook for dinner, and may start to look differently at the “weeds” that come up in your backyard. You MUST read his website carefully and follow the instructions if you are to maximize your experience by dressing properly and bringing what you need to bring on this adventure. I’ve been told he’s corny…well, that’s true…but he’s also brilliant, and knows about eating and foraging in the wild like nobody’s business. Since he’s a fairly recent father, the event is a family friendly experience.


Saturday, October 16th

Green Thumb CSA Member’s Annual Tractor-pulled Hayride & Pumpkin Picking Farm Tour
Details to be announced


Sunday, October 24th

12:30 to 3:30pm

Wildman Steve Brill
Sunken Meadow Park
Suggested Donation: $15, under 10 years old $10
For more info and to reserve a spot…
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/

If you’ve never experienced Wildman Steve Brill and you like eating locally and/or organically…this is a must! You will leave with interesting things to cook for dinner, and may start to look differently at the “weeds” that come up in your backyard. You MUST read his website carefully and follow the instructions if you are to maximize your experience by dressing properly and bringing what you need to bring on this adventure. I’ve been told he’s corny…well, that’s true…but he’s also brilliant, and knows about eating and foraging in the wild like nobody’s business. Since he’s a fairly recent father, the event is a family friendly experience.



5. Suggestions on how to cook all this new food

I’ll be writing about this periodically and asking for suggestions as well.

A. Look at the cookbooks you own!

You’d be amazed at what you probably have right under your nose. I often am  . Many people own The Joy of Cooking (any addition) and don’t use it. It’s a lot handier than one might think and has a lot of what we get at the CSA.

B. Buy this book!

One book I do recommend is “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman. We keep a copy for reference at the CSA and again, it has MOST of what we get at the CSA but not everything (sorry Bittman). It’s a favorite on many top 10 cookbook lists of chefs and other food professionals.

C. Consider subscribing to Martha Stewart Living and/or Everyday Food

Both are very conscious of seasonal cooking/eating.

Glancing at the May issue of Living I saw the following ingredients in their recipes which you will be getting at the CSA…and that was glancing…
Arugula - Cilantro – Dill – Fava Beans – Melons - Mint – Parsley - Peas – Radishes – Rhubarb – Scallions – Strawberries – Tomatoes

Plus, I noticed a deal for Visa Signature cardholders to be able to subscribe to BOTH Living and Everyday Food for $22 on page 39 of the May Living issue!

D. Watch TV

There are a LOT of decent cooking shows on tv and you can look up their websites for more info and recipes…

America’s Test Kitchen
Chefs a Field
Christina Cooks (vegan)
Ciao Italia with MaryAnn Esposito
Delicious TV’s Totally Vegetarian (NJN tv)
Emeril Green (Planet Green Channel)
Everyday Food
Healthy Flavors (NJN tv)
Jacques Pepin…anything
Julia Child…anything
Lidia’s Italy
Mexico One Plate at a Time
Primal Grill with Steve Raichlen
Sara’s Weeknight Meals
The Victory Garden
Zonya’s Health Bites (NJN tv)

If you get the Veria Channel…
Chasing the Yum
Fed Up
Naturally Delicious
The Sweet Truth



6. What you actually got last week

April 22, 2010
Week #1

1. Leeks – 1 bunch - $3.50
2. Sprouting Broccoli: Red – 1 bunch - $2.50
3. Kale Raab (Rape/Rabe) – 1 bunch - $2.25
4. Greens, Turnip – 1 bunch - $2.25
5. Kale, Curly: Green – 1 bunch - $2.75
6. Greens, Mustard – 1 bunch - $2.50
7. Jerusalem Artichokes – 1 bag (.4 lbs) – $2.00
Total Items: 7
Total Amount: $17.75

(Our farmer charges us $16.50 per week so we’re already $1.25 ahead of what we paid for the year)



7. Cool Kale Recipe…how timely!

CSA member Lisa Fascilla sent me this email…

I am not sure about you, but every time I get Kale, I either drop it into a soup or sauté it with olive oil and garlic and add to pasta. Just received this email.... check out this recipe, it's from Dr. Weil's restaurant in AZ, very popular dish.

Although we all know how to cook, I found it interesting to watch the video. I will definitely give this recipe a try next time we get Kale....maybe with some grilled chicken on top? Hum.....
Enjoy, Lisa

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/VDR00021/How-to-Make-Tuscan-Kale-Salad.html

You can download the recipe on this website. We DO get Lacinato Kale (usually in the fall) but any type can be substituted.

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