Thursday, September 30, 2010

Happy Autumn!

Like dogs? Today is the last chance to see the movie My Dog Tulip at the Cinema Arts Centre (showtimes are 2pm, 4pm and 5:45pm). It’s a unique, charming, adult (intimate canine relationships are discussed in detail!) story of a man and his dog which pretty much NO ONE is going to the Cinema to see. The theory why people aren’t coming is because it’s animated so people think it’s a cartoon and therefore…who the heck knows! CSA members Dylan Skolnick and Charlotte Sky (Cinema Arts Centre co-directors) highly recommend it to all friends of the furry four footed canine companion.

CSA member looking for assistance!
Anyone live in/near South Huntington (or somewhere between the CSA and there) and willing to pick up veggies for travelling CSA member, Karen Rubino, for October 7th and 14th? On the 7th, the person picking up can have whatever won’t last for two weeks but please save the things that would (Sweet Potatoes, Beets or any other root vegetable – with the tops removed) and on the 14th, please save the whole share as she can pick up on Saturday the 16th. Any takers? Please respond to this email and I’ll connect the two of you. Thanks!

Honey Time Again!
To order biodynamically raised Honey from Farmer Bill’s daughter who lives upstate NY near the St. Lawrence River (the same we got last time)…please bring in an envelope with your name on it, the number of jars of Honey you want and the amount in the envelope, and leave it at the Sign-In desk at the CSA. You can also email me to make sure I know it’s there. The Honey is $10 per one pound container and you can pay by check/money order (made out to Halseys Green Thumb) or cash. Last time is was in Honey Bear plastic squeeze bottles and it will be the same this time (unless we get surprised and get them in glass like we did the time before). We have the next two or three weeks to place our orders.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO WEIGH OUT YOUR FOOD MORE 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. Attached to this email is the contract for new CSA members, the CSA brochure AND a CSA fee sheet for the rest of the season. Please feel free to pass this on to friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives who might be interested in joining the CSA this season! 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 needs you!! We’re looking for FOUR (4) people to work from 3:30pm to 5:30pm and TWO (2) folks from 5:30 to 7:30pm!
2. Bulk Tomatoes Available Now!
3. Notes from the Farm
4. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)
5. It’s time to weigh our food!
6. BRING BAGS!
7. Order Certified Organic Plants/Seedlings (grown at Green Thumb Farm) for your garden this season…
8. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)
`


1. HELP!! Your CSA needs you!! We’re looking for FOUR (4) people to work from 3:30pm to 5:30pm and TWO (2) folks 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 can work, please 1) respond to this email, 2) call 631-421-4864 and leave a message before 1pm OR 3) just show up a little before 5:30pm and offer to help out. 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. Bulk Tomatoes Available Now!

Interesting in making Tomato Sauce for now and to last all winter long? Want to dry your own Tomatoes and make your own sun dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil? How about oven drying Tomatoes and freezing them (I think you can do that)? Any large gatherings coming up that might require Tomato Sauce (Ziti, Eggplant Parmesan, Lasagna)? Just got a call from Farmer Bill. There’s been no Tomato Blight this year (so far), so there are now 20 lb boxes of Red Italian Plum (Paste) Tomatoes available from Green Thumb Farm for $35 per box. To order, call the farm and place your order by no later than noon on Wednesday for Thursday pickup. They should be available for the next 3 or 4 weeks.



3. Notes from the Farm

September 17, 2010

Hurricane Earl came and left, only leaving us with 2 inches of badly needed rain and no wind damage to our crops. So after that good wetting, our fall crops are finally beginning to grow! Turnips, Oriental Greens (and other Greens), Winter Radishes, Fennel and Kohlrabi are all looking good.

Our Sweet Potatoes were dug yesterday so look for those in a couple of weeks. The crop is a good one so we will have plenty for all our CSA groups.

It’s also time to plan our Annual CSA Fall Farm Tour and Pumpkin Picking! We have moved the date forward one week to Saturday, October 9th. This gives us time in case of severe weather to reschedule the date. Reservations are required. Call the farm at 631-726-1900 between 9am and 4:30pm. It’s a riding tour on a wagon pulled by a tractor lasting about one hour. Tours will start on the hour from 10am to 2pm. Seating is limited on each tour so reservations are a must! The tour is free to all our CSA members and immediate family members (if you are sharing your CSA share, only ONE person/family is allowed to come and you/they must sign up using the name of the person on the CSA contract…if there’s any confusion, contact suzanne). We’ll see the farm, some farm animals, and end with picking a Pumpkin in our fields. This is the last opportunity to see the farm this year so we hope all our CSA member can come on out and visit us.

Organically ours,
Farmer Bill (Halsey)



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

September 30, 2010
Week #24

1. Squash, Winter: Acorn
2. Lettuce
3. Beans: Green
4. Pak Choi
5. Squash, Summer
6. Cilantro
7. Eggplant: Japanese
8. Pepper, Sweet
Total Items: 8 (?)



5. 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!



6. 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!



7. 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.



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 September 1st thru the end of the month

NY State Locavore Challenge
Sign up…
https://www.nofany.org/events/regional-events/ny-locavore-challenge-signup

NOFA-NY is hosting its first ever Locavore Challenge to run throughout the month of September 2010. The Locavore Challenge serves multiple functions for NOFA-NY and for the organic movement in NY State. The first is as a general awareness builder, the second is as a membership recruitment initiative and the third is as a major annual fundraiser for the organization. The goal is to have more than 4,000 participants throughout the state involved in this event.



Friday, October 1st

World Vegetarian Day
For more info:
http://www.worldvegetarianday.org/

Pledge to go veg and possibly win cash prizes…up to $1,000!!!


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, October 3rd

10am to 4pm

19th Holistic Fair
Huntington Hilton Hotel
Rt 110
$5 - Adults/FREE – Children (Free Admission if you bring non-perishable food donations)
For more info:
631-385-7321

Organized by Huntington chiropractor, Dr. Linda Eisen, there will be presentations and lectures on nutrition, weight loss, yoga, reflexology, natural skin care, chiropractic, etc. Raffle prizes! Food donations are going to LI Cares.


Saturday, October 9thth

10am to 3pm

Green Thumb CSA Member’s Annual Tractor-pulled Hayride & Pumpkin Picking Farm Tour
Water Mill
FREE
For reservations call: 631-726-1900 (between 9am and 4:30pm)

It’s a riding tour on a wagon pulled by a tractor lasting about one hour. Tours will start on the hour from 10am to 2pm. Seating is limited on each tour so reservations are a must! The tour is free to all our CSA members and immediate family members (if you are sharing your CSA share, only ONE person/family is allowed to come and you/they must sign up using the name of the person on the CSA contract…if there’s any confusion, contact suzanne). We’ll see the farm, some farm animals, and end with picking a Pumpkin in our fields. This is the last opportunity to see the farm this year so we hope all our CSA member can come on out and visit us.


Thursday, October 21st

7pm

No Impact Man
Sustainable Institute at Molloy College
Farmingdale
FREE but RSVP required
To RSVP:
http://www.renewableenergylongisland.org/calendar.cfm?calendarID=446&month=10

Free food! (local snacks, popcorn & beverages) Networking! Good environmental movie that talks about eating local/organic! Co-sponsored by the Renewable Energy Long Island (RELI).


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.

###

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Happy Autumn!

CSA member looking for assistance!
Anyone live in/near South Huntington (or somewhere between the CSA and there) and willing to pick up veggies for travelling CSA member, Karen Rubino, for October 7th and 14th? On the 7th, the person picking up can have whatever won’t last for two weeks but please save the things that would (Sweet Potatoes, Beets or any other root vegetable – with the tops removed) and on the 14th, please save the whole share as she can pick up on Saturday the 16th. Any takers? Please respond to this email and I’ll connect the two of you. Thanks!

Honey Time Again!
To order biodynamically raised Honey from Farmer Bill’s daughter who lives upstate NY near the St. Lawrence River (the same we got last time)…please bring in an envelope with your name on it, the number of jars of Honey you want and the amount in the envelope, and leave it at the Sign-In desk at the CSA. You can also email me to make sure I know it’s there. The Honey is $10 per one pound container and you can pay by check/money order (made out to Halseys Green Thumb) or cash. Last time is was in Honey Bear plastic squeeze bottles and the time before that it was glass jars. I will ask Farmer Bill to find out which it will be this time. We have the next two or three weeks to place our orders.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO WEIGH OUT YOUR FOOD MORE 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. Attached to this email is the contract for new CSA members, the CSA brochure AND a CSA fee sheet for the rest of the season. Please feel free to pass this on to friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives who might be interested in joining the CSA this season! 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 week 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 needs you!! We’re looking for ONE (1) person from 5:30 to 7:30pm!
2. Bulk Tomatoes Available Now!
3. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)
4. It’s time to weigh our food!
5. BRING BAGS!
6. Order Certified Organic Plants/Seedlings (grown at Green Thumb Farm) for your garden this season…
7. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)
`


1. Your CSA needs you!! We’re looking for ONE (1) person 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 can work, please 1) respond to this email, 2) call 631-421-4864 and leave a message before 1pm OR 3) just show up a little before 5:30pm and offer to help out. 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. Bulk Tomatoes Available Now!

Interesting in making Tomato Sauce for now and to last all winter long? Want to dry your own Tomatoes and make your own sun dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil? How about oven drying Tomatoes and freezing them (I think you can do that)? Any large gatherings coming up that might require Tomato Sauce (Ziti, Eggplant Parmesan, Lasagna)? Just got a call from Farmer Bill. There’s been no Tomato Blight this year (so far), so there are now 20 lb boxes of Red Italian Plum (Paste) Tomatoes available from Green Thumb Farm for $35 per box. To order, call the farm and place your order by no later than noon on Wednesday for Thursday pickup. They should be available for the next 3 or 4 weeks.



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

September 23, 2010
Week #23

1. Tomatoes
2. Lettuce
3. Beans: Green and/or Beans: Shelling
5. Squash, Summer
6. Basil
7. Radishes
Total Items: 6

Herb Shares
Cilantro AND Parsley



4. 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!



5. 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!



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. 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 September 1st thru the end of the month

NY State Locavore Challenge
Sign up…
https://www.nofany.org/events/regional-events/ny-locavore-challenge-signup

NOFA-NY is hosting its first ever Locavore Challenge to run throughout the month of September 2010. The Locavore Challenge serves multiple functions for NOFA-NY and for the organic movement in NY State. The first is as a general awareness builder, the second is as a membership recruitment initiative and the third is as a major annual fundraiser for the organization. The goal is to have more than 4,000 participants throughout the state involved in this event.



Friday, September 24th

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!


Thursday, September 23rd

Potluck Across NY - NY State Locavore Potluck Night
How to be a Potluck Host…
https://www.nofany.org/events/ny-locavore-challenge/potluck-across-ny

On a single evening in September (Thursday, September 23rd) groups of people will gather over potlucks across the wide state of NY, from Niagara Falls to the tip of Long Island, breaking (local, organic) bread together. These groups share a common interest in their concern over the current state of the US food system and a commitment to consuming food grown from local organic farms. We hope to eventually have potluck gatherings in each of NY’s 62 counties, and have thousands of individuals making this stance together, while remaining in their home communities


Sunday, October 3rd

10am to 4pm

19th Holistic Fair
Huntington Hilton Hotel
Rt 110
$5 - Adults/FREE – Children (Free Admission if you bring non-perishable food donations)
For more info:
631-385-7321

Organized by Huntington chiropractor, Dr. Linda Eisen, there will be presentations and lectures on nutrition, weight loss, yoga, reflexology, natural skin care, chiropractic, etc. Raffle prizes! Food donations are going to LI Cares.


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.

###

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Happy summer!

Alert!
The CSA setup is going to be different today as we are sharing the space with photographers for the UUFH directory. Not sure what is going to be where but Dines should be in the usual space as I hope anything wet would be and the rest…maybe we’ll fit in the room or we may have to use the entryway and/or gallery space to the right of where we usually are. We could have been outside but for the prediction of rain.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO WEIGH OUT YOUR FOOD MORE CAREFULLY. We actually did ok this week (it’s about time) so it seems like the farmer gave us enough food and we weighed it out ok. Let’s keep up the good work! Yay us!

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. Attached to this email is the contract for new CSA members, the CSA brochure AND a CSA fee sheet for the rest of the season. Please feel free to pass this on to friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives who might be interested in joining the CSA this season! 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 week 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 needs you!! We’re looking for ONE (1) person from 3:30 to 5:30pm and TWO (2) people from 5:30 to 7:30pm!
2. Bulk Tomatoes Available Now!
3. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)
4. It’s time to weigh our food!
5. BRING BAGS!
6. Order Certified Organic Plants/Seedlings (grown at Green Thumb Farm) for your garden this season…
7. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)
`


1. Your CSA needs you!! We’re looking for ONE (1) person from 3:30 to 5:30pm and TWO (2) people from 5:30 to 7:30pm!

We have NO ONE scheduled to be at the CSA from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.

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

IF you can work, please 1) respond to this email, 2) call 631-421-4864 and leave a message before 1pm OR 3) just show up a little before 5:30pm and offer to help out. 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. Bulk Tomatoes Available Now!

Interesting in making Tomato Sauce for now and to last all winter long? Want to dry your own Tomatoes and make your own sun dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil? How about oven drying Tomatoes and freezing them (I think you can do that)? Any large gatherings coming up that might require Tomato Sauce (Ziti, Eggplant Parmesan, Lasagna)? Just got a call from Farmer Bill. There’s been no Tomato Blight this year (so far), so there are now 20 lb boxes of Red Italian Plum (Paste) Tomatoes available from Green Thumb Farm for $35 per box. To order, call the farm and place your order by no later than noon on Wednesday for Thursday pickup. They should be available for the next 3 or 4 weeks.



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

September 16, 2010
Week #22

1. Tomatoes, Mini – 1 pt
2. Winter Squash: Carnival (?)
3. Lettuce
4. Beans: Green
5. Squash, Summer
6. Peppers, Sweet
7. Eggplant: Asian, Green
Total Items: 7 (?)

Basil Shares

Herb Shares
Dill AND Rosemary

Tomato Shares



4. 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!



5. 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!



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. 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 September 1st thru the end of the month

NY State Locavore Challenge
Sign up…
https://www.nofany.org/events/regional-events/ny-locavore-challenge-signup

NOFA-NY is hosting its first ever Locavore Challenge to run throughout the month of September 2010. The Locavore Challenge serves multiple functions for NOFA-NY and for the organic movement in NY State. The first is as a general awareness builder, the second is as a membership recruitment initiative and the third is as a major annual fundraiser for the organization. The goal is to have more than 4,000 participants throughout the state involved in this event.


Thursday, September 16th

All day

Shop at Whole Foods Jericho or Manhasset and 5% of your purchases will go to benefit the NY Coalition for Healthy School Food
For more info about them:
www.healthyschoolfood.org


Friday, September 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!


Sunday, September 19th

11am to ???

Back to Basis Good Food Festival
Gansevoort Plaza
NYC
$20 to $175
For more info and tickets:
http://goodfoodfest.com/

Join in a tasting of 30 farmers and chefs preparing a tasting of local food AND at the end of the day, a farm to table dinner. Benefit for The Feed Foundation’s 30 Project and Just Food


Monday, September 20th

9:30am to 4pm

Hunger Action Network of NY State Annual Meeting
St Mary’s Episcopal Church
521 E 126th St
NYC
$15 Non-Member Organizations/$10 Non-Member Individuals/$5 Non-Member Low Income & Students – suggested donation
For more info:
Mark
212 741-8192 xt 5#
dunleamark@aol.com

In the afternoon, we have two workshop sessions (three each) of exciting workshops: Hunger, Poverty and the 2011 State Legislative Agenda; Food Justice and the Farm Bill; The Safety Net: TANF Reauthorization; Health Care is a Human Right: The Future for Single Payer Health Care; Establishing Nutritional Standards for Emergency Food and Improving Nutrition for EFP Guests; and, Creating Jobs for Low-Income New Yorkers . The workshops are an opportunity to hear from leading organizers about campaigns in this area and to strategize as to how you and Hunger Action Network can impact on these topics.

We will conclude the meeting with reports from anti-hunger organizers from around the state about their exciting work (an excellent networking oppportunity), followed by a short march in support of Jobs and Economic Justice.

Tuesday, September 21st

8:30am to 3:30pm

Hunter Summit LI: 2010 – Challenging Business Leaders to Search for Sustainable Solutions
Adelphi University
1 South Ave
Garden City
FREE (lunch provided)
For more Info:
http://www.adelphi.edu/socialinnovation/hungersummit.php

Who Should Attend? Senior Executives, Business Leaders, Entrepreneurs, HR Personnel, University Staff and Faculty, Community Leaders and Not-for-Profit Executives.

Summit Objective: To raise awareness about the prevalence of hunger on Long Island, to understand how hunger and hunger relief impacts business and economics on Long Island, to discuss ways of fighting hunger, and to create new initiatives and strategic public and private partnerships to drive change


Thursday, September 23rd

Potluck Across NY - NY State Locavore Potluck Night
How to be a Potluck Host…
https://www.nofany.org/events/ny-locavore-challenge/potluck-across-ny

On a single evening in September (Thursday, September 23rd) groups of people will gather over potlucks across the wide state of NY, from Niagara Falls to the tip of Long Island, breaking (local, organic) bread together. These groups share a common interest in their concern over the current state of the US food system and a commitment to consuming food grown from local organic farms. We hope to eventually have potluck gatherings in each of NY’s 62 counties, and have thousands of individuals making this stance together, while remaining in their home communities


Sunday, October 3rd

10am to 4pm

19th Holistic Fair
Huntington Hilton Hotel
Rt 110
$5 - Adults/FREE – Children (Free Admission if you bring non-perishable food donations)
For more info:
631-385-7321

Organized by Huntington chiropractor, Dr. Linda Eisen, there will be presentations and lectures on nutrition, weight loss, yoga, reflexology, natural skin care, chiropractic, etc. Raffle prizes! Food donations are going to LI Cares.


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.

###

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Happy summer!

Member news…CSA member Reverend Paul Ratzlaff (of the UUFH), lost his father last weekend. I can’t believe his wife Barbara and Rev. Paul both took the time to say that Rev. Paul wouldn’t be able to work at the CSA this week. They both rock. If you wish to express your condolences, you could drop off a note/card in the UUFH office (if it’s closed, leave it in the acrylic thingy on the door) or send an email to:
minister@uufh.org

Member request…Judy Sherman and the person she shares with both can’t pick up tonight due to the Jewish holiday. Can anyone pick up for her (she lives in Plainview but I’m sure would pick up in Huntington as well) and she would pick up the food on Friday. If you can help out, please respond to this email OR call 631-421-4864 and leave a message before 1pm today OR tell the person at the Sign-In desk. As soon as I know, I’ll email Judy with your contact info and vice versa. Thanks!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO WEIGH OUT YOUR FOOD MORE CAREFULLY. We actually did ok this week (it’s about time) so it seems like the farmer gave us enough food and we weighed it out ok. Let’s keep up the good work! Yay us!

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. Attached to this email is the contract for new CSA members, the CSA brochure AND a CSA fee sheet for the rest of the season. Please feel free to pass this on to friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives who might be interested in joining the CSA this season! 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 week 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!!! HELP!!! HELP!!! Your CSA needs you!! We’re looking for FIVE (5) people from 3:30 to 5:30pm and TWO (2) people from 5:30 to 7:30pm!
2. Bulk Tomatoes Available Now!
3. What you’re getting at the CSA this week (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)
4. It’s time to weigh our food!
5. Basil Shares Still Available AND to help you out…Basil Basics and Preserve Basil Like a Pro!
6. News from the Farm
7. BRING BAGS!
8. Order Certified Organic Plants/Seedlings (grown at Green Thumb Farm) for your garden this season…
9. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)
` 10. Another reason to eat at Chipotle…Chipotle supports LI farmers!


1. HELP!!! HELP!!! HELP!!! Your CSA needs you!! We’re looking for FIVE (5) people from 3:30 to 5:30pm and TWO (2) people from 5:30 to 7:30pm!

We have NO ONE scheduled to be at the CSA from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.

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

IF you can work, please 1) respond to this email, 2) call 631-421-4864 and leave a message before 1pm OR 3) just show up a little before 5:30pm and offer to help out. 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. Bulk Tomatoes Available Now!

Interesting in making Tomato Sauce for now and to last all winter long? Want to dry your own Tomatoes and make your own sun dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil? How about oven drying Tomatoes and freezing them (I think you can do that)? Any large gatherings coming up that might require Tomato Sauce (Ziti, Eggplant Parmesan, Lasagna)? Just got a call from Farmer Bill. There’s been no Tomato Blight this year (so far), so there are now 20 lb boxes of Red Italian Plum (Paste) Tomatoes available from Green Thumb Farm for $20 per box. To order, call the farm and place your order by no later than noon on Wednesday for Thursday pickup. They should be available for the next 3 or 4 weeks.



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

September 9, 2010
Week #21

1. Tomatoes
2. Winter Squash: Acorn
3. Lettuce
4. Beans: Soy
5. Squash, Summer
6. Cucumbers
7. Okra
Total Items: 7 (?)

Basil Shares

Herb Shares
Dill AND Rosemary

Tomato Shares



4. 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!



5. Basil Shares Still Available AND to help you out…Basil Basics and Preserve Basil Like a Pro!

Organic pesto (freeze without the cheese though I understand some of you do and are happy with the results) all winter long…sounds good to me! I put pesto on pasta (of course), corn on the cob instead of butter, in omelettes, on bruschetta (toast in America  ), on mashed Potatoes, on a burger, steamed or grilled white fishes like Flounder or Cod…basically anything short of ice cream and apple pie! For those of you who didn’t sign up for Basil Shares on your contract when you joined, you can still participate! The final delivery date is September 16th. The cost is $10 per share (4 bunches of Basil per share). Leave an envelope at the CSA Sign-In Desk with the cash or check (made out to Halseys Green Thumb) and the date you want the Basil to show up and get those blenders/food processors ready to roar!

I knew about the ice cubes but not in a fridge? I learn something new every day whether I want to or not! 

http://www.herbcompanion.com/Herb-Profiles/Herb-Basics-An-Introduction-to-Basil.aspx

http://www.herbcompanion.com/gardening/fresh-clips-harvest-basil-like-a-pro.aspx?utm_content=08.17.10+HBC&utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email

http://www.herbcompanion.com/herbs-in-the-kitchen/how-to-preserve-basil-5-ways.aspx



6. News from the Farm

September 4, 2010

September is here and our CSA season is about half over (or there’s half left!). Our Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplants and Melons have all done wonderful with the hot dry summer weather. Our Beets, Carrots, and Greens have not done so well. Our planting of fall greens – Oriental, Broccoli Raabs, and Mustards are also suffering due to the extended hot and dry weeks. We are expecting rain tonight as Hurricane Earl brushes the East Coast – hopefully with not too damaging winds. Lettuces, which we have watered over the last weeks, should be arriving soon…also depending upon Hurricane Earl.

We will have Winter Squashes for several weeks this month…mostly Acorn and Butternut. Our Sweet Potatoes will be dug the middle of the month to be brought in starting the end of the month. We should have these until the end of the year. Cole crops – Broccoli, Kales, Cabbages and Cauliflowers will be later than usual due to the lack of rain the last month. So, over the next several weeks, expect more Summer Squash, Beans, Tomatoes, Sweet Peppers and Eggplants. We still have available many varieties of each. Lettuce, Leeks, Winter Squashes and finally, some Radishes and Greens will be showing up by the end of the month. Our every changing growing season begins to move into fall.

Organically yours,
Farmer Bill (Halsey)



7. 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!



8. 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.



9. 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 September 1st thru the end of the month

NY State Locavore Challenge
Sign up…
https://www.nofany.org/events/regional-events/ny-locavore-challenge-signup

NOFA-NY is hosting its first ever Locavore Challenge to run throughout the month of September 2010. The Locavore Challenge serves multiple functions for NOFA-NY and for the organic movement in NY State. The first is as a general awareness builder, the second is as a membership recruitment initiative and the third is as a major annual fundraiser for the organization. The goal is to have more than 4,000 participants throughout the state involved in this event.


Sunday, September 12th

12pm to 3pm

Brooklyn Food Coalition (BFC) Good Food Fest
Myrtle Ave between Vanderbilt Ave and Clinton Ave
Fort Greene/Clinton Hill
FREE
For more info:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=146557732032278
http://brooklynfoodcoalition.ning.com/

The Good Food Fest will consist of interactive cooking demos & delicious food tastings from around the world & your backyard; a best dish competition evaluated by a panel of “celebrity” judges; a variety of canning, beekeeping and other DIY demos; activities for
children; live music; recipe swaps and other "green/sustainability" initiatives.


Tuesday, September 14th

5pm to 9pm

Huntington Green Drinks
Cinema Arts Center
423 Park Ave
Huntington
$10 – suggested donation
For more info:
wind.time@yahoo.com

Live Brazllian music, snacks from Whole Food, complimentary beer & wine, green networking and video presentations. Every month all over Long Island people that work on or are learning about Clean Tech, Renewable Energy, Efficiency, Non Toxic Living, Sustainability and the Environment meet at Green Drinks Gatherings. By attending LI Green Drinks event you'll find opportunities to get to know environmental businesspeople, professionals, advocates, officials, educators and people just interested in learning from all over Long Island. Come share your experiences, converse, collaborate, discuss, grow and have a really good time.

6:30pm

Educated Eater Presents: Processing from Strawberry Fields to Strawberry Jam
Brooklyn Kitchen
100 Frost St
Greenpoint
$45 (includes jar of locally sourced preserves)
For more info and reservations:
http://www.thebrooklynkitchen.com/web-store/classes/3254-914-educated-eater-lecture-tuesday-september/

The challenges that face regional farmers interested in turning their excess crops into value-added products (like salsa, jams, condiments, etc) and small food companies looking to work with farms to source local ingredients will be discussed. Listen to our esteemed panel of Greenmarket participants and peers as they explore the issues that processing presents, as well as some of the innovative projects that are being designed to overcome the challenges at hand. The discussion will be followed by a jam-making demo with Beth Linskey and Liz Beals of Greenmarket's Beth's Farm Kitchen. Each audience member will go home with a jar of Beth's locally sourced preserves


Thursday, September 16th

All day

Shop at Whole Foods Jericho or Manhasset and 5% of your purchases will go to benefit the NY Coalition for Healthy School Food
For more info about them:
www.healthyschoolfood.org


Friday, September 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!


Sunday, September 19th

11am to ???

Back to Basis Good Food Festival
Gansevoort Plaza
NYC
$20 to $175
For more info and tickets:
http://goodfoodfest.com/

Join in a tasting of 30 farmers and chefs preparing a tasting of local food AND at the end of the day, a farm to table dinner. Benefit for The Feed Foundation’s 30 Project and Just Food


Monday, September 20th

9:30am to 4pm

Hunger Action Network of NY State Annual Meeting
St Mary’s Episcopal Church
521 E 126th St
NYC
$15 Non-Member Organizations/$10 Non-Member Individuals/$5 Non-Member Low Income & Students – suggested donation
For more info:
Mark
212 741-8192 xt 5#
dunleamark@aol.com

In the afternoon, we have two workshop sessions (three each) of exciting workshops: Hunger, Poverty and the 2011 State Legislative Agenda; Food Justice and the Farm Bill; The Safety Net: TANF Reauthorization; Health Care is a Human Right: The Future for Single Payer Health Care; Establishing Nutritional Standards for Emergency Food and Improving Nutrition for EFP Guests; and, Creating Jobs for Low-Income New Yorkers . The workshops are an opportunity to hear from leading organizers about campaigns in this area and to strategize as to how you and Hunger Action Network can impact on these topics.

We will conclude the meeting with reports from anti-hunger organizers from around the state about their exciting work (an excellent networking oppportunity), followed by a short march in support of Jobs and Economic Justice.

Tuesday, September 21st

8:30am to 3:30pm

Hunter Summit LI: 2010 – Challenging Business Leaders to Search for Sustainable Solutions
Adelphi University
1 South Ave
Garden City
FREE (lunch provided)
For more Info:
http://www.adelphi.edu/socialinnovation/hungersummit.php

Who Should Attend? Senior Executives, Business Leaders, Entrepreneurs, HR Personnel, University Staff and Faculty, Community Leaders and Not-for-Profit Executives.

Summit Objective: To raise awareness about the prevalence of hunger on Long Island, to understand how hunger and hunger relief impacts business and economics on Long Island, to discuss ways of fighting hunger, and to create new initiatives and strategic public and private partnerships to drive change


Thursday, September 23rd

Potluck Across NY - NY State Locavore Potluck Night
How to be a Potluck Host…
https://www.nofany.org/events/ny-locavore-challenge/potluck-across-ny

On a single evening in September (Thursday, September 23rd) groups of people will gather over potlucks across the wide state of NY, from Niagara Falls to the tip of Long Island, breaking (local, organic) bread together. These groups share a common interest in their concern over the current state of the US food system and a commitment to consuming food grown from local organic farms. We hope to eventually have potluck gatherings in each of NY’s 62 counties, and have thousands of individuals making this stance together, while remaining in their home communities


Sunday, October 3rd

10am to 4pm

19th Holistic Fair
Huntington Hilton Hotel
Rt 110
$5 - Adults/FREE – Children (Free Admission if you bring non-perishable food donations)
For more info:
631-385-7321

Organized by Huntington chiropractor, Dr. Linda Eisen, there will be presentations and lectures on nutrition, weight loss, yoga, reflexology, natural skin care, chiropractic, etc. Raffle prizes! Food donations are going to LI Cares.


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.



10. Another reason to eat at Chipotle…Chipotle supports LI farmers!

If you don’t know why you should in the first place check out their website…
http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/fwi/fwi.aspx

If you do, I just had a nice chat with Kameron, the Manager over at the Farmingdale branch. He told me that next year, they’ll be using produce from Long Island farmers. This year, they’ve been sourcing food from New Jersey (not too shabby) but a group of LI Chipotle managers wanted to know why they weren’t using anything grown on Long Island. So, they went out east to negotiate getting Jalapenos, Tomatoes, Green Peppers and whatever else they can from LI farmers and it looks like next year it will happen. Go Chipotle!

###

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Happy summer!

Corrections (file under “my bad” and sorry!!!)...
1. Last week we had Dragon Tongue Beans NOT Cranberry Beans which means the white and purple beans did NOT have to be shelled.
2. The bulk Tomatoes are $35 per 20 lbs NOT $20 as formerly written

SO CLOSE AND YET SO FAR (and only 1 week left for people to join)(!!! We still need to fill 40 spots to have the CSA filled for the year!!! You will be hearing about this until either they’re all filled or until Labor Day (when Farmer Bill stops accepting new CSA members) whichever happens first! Attached to this email is the contract for new CSA members, the CSA brochure AND a CSA fee sheet for the rest of the season. Please feel free to pass this on to friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives who might be interested in joining the CSA this season! 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.

This email includes…
1. Bulk Tomatoes Available Now!
2. Basil Shares Still Available AND to help you out…Basil Basics and Preserve Basil Like a Pro!
3. What you actually got last week
4. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)


1. Bulk Tomatoes Available Now!

Interesting in making Tomato Sauce for now and to last all winter long? Want to dry your own Tomatoes and make your own sun dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil? How about oven drying Tomatoes and freezing them (I think you can do that)? Any large gatherings coming up that might require Tomato Sauce (Ziti, Eggplant Parmesan, Lasagna)? Just got a call from Farmer Bill. There’s been no Tomato Blight this year (so far), so there are now 20 lb boxes of Red Italian Plum (Paste) Tomatoes available from Green Thumb Farm for $35 per box. To order, call the farm and place your order by no later than noon on Wednesday for Thursday pickup. They should be available for the next 3 or 4 weeks.



3. What you actually got last week

September 2, 2010
Week #20

1. Tomatoes, Mini: Cherry, Red OR Grape, Red – 1 pt - $4.00
2. Eggplant: Japanese – 1 - $1.25
3. Peppers, Sweet: Hungarian Wax, Bell: Green, Bell: Red, other assorted – 2 lbs - $4.75
4. Beans: Lima and/or Romano and/or Dragon’s Tongue – 1 lb - $3.50
5. Squash, Summer: assorted – 1 lb - $2.25
6. Leeks – 1 bunch - $3.50
Total Items: 6
Total Amount: $19.25

Basil Shares

Tomato Shares



3. Basil Shares Still Available AND to help you out…Basil Basics and Preserve Basil Like a Pro!

Organic pesto (freeze without the cheese though I understand some of you do and are happy with the results) all winter long…sounds good to me! I put pesto on pasta (of course), corn on the cob instead of butter, in omelettes, on bruschetta (toast in America  ), on mashed Potatoes, on a burger, steamed or grilled white fishes like Flounder or Cod…basically anything short of ice cream and apple pie! For those of you who didn’t sign up for Basil Shares on your contract when you joined, you can still participate! Delivery dates are September 9th and September 16th. The cost is $10 per share (4 bunches of Basil per share). Leave an envelope at the CSA Sign-In Desk with the cash or check (made out to Halseys Green Thumb) and the date you want the Basil to show up and get those blenders/food processors ready to roar!

I knew about the ice cubes but not in a fridge? I learn something new every day whether I want to or not! 

http://www.herbcompanion.com/Herb-Profiles/Herb-Basics-An-Introduction-to-Basil.aspx

http://www.herbcompanion.com/gardening/fresh-clips-harvest-basil-like-a-pro.aspx?utm_content=08.17.10+HBC&utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_source=iPost&utm_medium=email

http://www.herbcompanion.com/herbs-in-the-kitchen/how-to-preserve-basil-5-ways.aspx



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/


Wednesday September 1st thru the end of the month

NY State Locavore Challenge
Sign up…
https://www.nofany.org/events/regional-events/ny-locavore-challenge-signup

NOFA-NY is hosting its first ever Locavore Challenge to run throughout the month of September 2010. The Locavore Challenge serves multiple functions for NOFA-NY and for the organic movement in NY State. The first is as a general awareness builder, the second is as a membership recruitment initiative and the third is as a major annual fundraiser for the organization. The goal is to have more than 4,000 participants throughout the state involved in this event.


Monday, September 6th

12pm to 5pm

Asian Feastival
Sheraton La Guardia East
135-20 39th Ave
Flushing
$55
For more info:
http://asianfeastival.com/

Take my word for it…there are going to be some great speakers at this event.

Asian Feastival is a one-day culinary festival and tasting event celebrating local, authentic Asian cuisines in Queens. Feastival goers will have the chance to see, taste and appreciate the diverse culinary landscape of Queens all in one place. Curating a select group of Asian restaurants representing the best in the borough, Asian Feastival brings together a kaleidoscope of regional specialties ranging from piping hot Shanghainese soup dumplings and char grilled Thai satay to crisp Malaysian roti canai dipped in spicy curry.

In addition to the tasting, there will be a variety of programs for those interested in learning more from the culinary experts. Programs will include moderated panel discussions, cooking demos, an on-site Asian farmer’s market, a food bike tour, and a guided culinary tour of Flushing.


Friday, September 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!


Sunday, September 12th

12pm to 3pm

Brooklyn Food Coalition (BFC) Good Food Fest
Myrtle Ave between Vanderbilt Ave and Clinton Ave
Fort Greene/Clinton Hill
FREE
For more info:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=146557732032278
http://brooklynfoodcoalition.ning.com/

The Good Food Fest will consist of interactive cooking demos & delicious food tastings from around the world & your backyard; a best dish competition evaluated by a panel of “celebrity” judges; a variety of canning, beekeeping and other DIY demos; activities for
children; live music; recipe swaps and other "green/sustainability" initiatives.


Tuesday, September 14th

6:30pm

Educated Eater Presents: Processing from Strawberry Fields to Strawberry Jam
Brooklyn Kitchen
100 Frost St
Greenpoint
$45 (includes jar of locally sourced preserves)
For more info and reservations:
http://www.thebrooklynkitchen.com/web-store/classes/3254-914-educated-eater-lecture-tuesday-september/

The challenges that face regional farmers interested in turning their excess crops into value-added products (like salsa, jams, condiments, etc) and small food companies looking to work with farms to source local ingredients will be discussed. Listen to our esteemed panel of Greenmarket participants and peers as they explore the issues that processing presents, as well as some of the innovative projects that are being designed to overcome the challenges at hand. The discussion will be followed by a jam-making demo with Beth Linskey and Liz Beals of Greenmarket's Beth's Farm Kitchen. Each audience member will go home with a jar of Beth's locally sourced preserves


Sunday, September 19th

11am to ???

Back to Basis Good Food Festival
Gansevoort Plaza
NYC
$20 to $175
For more info and tickets:
http://goodfoodfest.com/

Join in a tasting of 30 farmers and chefs preparing a tasting of local food AND at the end of the day, a farm to table dinner. Benefit for The Feed Foundation’s 30 Project and Just Food


Monday, September 20th

9:30am to 4pm

Hunger Action Network of NY State Annual Meeting
St Mary’s Episcopal Church
521 E 126th St
NYC
$15 Non-Member Organizations/$10 Non-Member Individuals/$5 Non-Member Low Income & Students – suggested donation
For more info:
Mark
212 741-8192 xt 5#
dunleamark@aol.com

In the afternoon, we have two workshop sessions (three each) of exciting workshops: Hunger, Poverty and the 2011 State Legislative Agenda; Food Justice and the Farm Bill; The Safety Net: TANF Reauthorization; Health Care is a Human Right: The Future for Single Payer Health Care; Establishing Nutritional Standards for Emergency Food and Improving Nutrition for EFP Guests; and, Creating Jobs for Low-Income New Yorkers . The workshops are an opportunity to hear from leading organizers about campaigns in this area and to strategize as to how you and Hunger Action Network can impact on these topics.

We will conclude the meeting with reports from anti-hunger organizers from around the state about their exciting work (an excellent networking oppportunity), followed by a short march in support of Jobs and Economic Justice.

Tuesday, September 21st

8:30am to 3:30pm

Hunter Summit LI: 2010 – Challenging Business Leaders to Search for Sustainable Solutions
Adelphi University
1 South Ave
Garden City
FREE (lunch provided)
For more Info:
http://www.adelphi.edu/socialinnovation/hungersummit.php

Who Should Attend? Senior Executives, Business Leaders, Entrepreneurs, HR Personnel, University Staff and Faculty, Community Leaders and Not-for-Profit Executives.

Summit Objective: To raise awareness about the prevalence of hunger on Long Island, to understand how hunger and hunger relief impacts business and economics on Long Island, to discuss ways of fighting hunger, and to create new initiatives and strategic public and private partnerships to drive change


Thursday, September 23rd

Potluck Across NY - NY State Locavore Potluck Night
How to be a Potluck Host…
https://www.nofany.org/events/ny-locavore-challenge/potluck-across-ny

On a single evening in September (Thursday, September 23rd) groups of people will gather over potlucks across the wide state of NY, from Niagara Falls to the tip of Long Island, breaking (local, organic) bread together. These groups share a common interest in their concern over the current state of the US food system and a commitment to consuming food grown from local organic farms. We hope to eventually have potluck gatherings in each of NY’s 62 counties, and have thousands of individuals making this stance together, while remaining in their home communities


Sunday, October 3rd

10am to 4pm

19th Holistic Fair
Huntington Hilton Hotel
Rt 110
$5 - Adults/FREE – Children (Free Admission if you bring non-perishable food donations)
For more info:
631-385-7321

Organized by Huntington chiropractor, Dr. Linda Eisen, there will be presentations and lectures on nutrition, weight loss, yoga, reflexology, natural skin care, chiropractic, etc. Raffle prizes! Food donations are going to LI Cares.


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.

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