Green Thumb Farm Huntington CSA

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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