Green Thumb Farm Huntington CSA

Happy Spring!

Anybody missing sunglasses??? Someone left their Foster Grant on the CSA Sign-In table last week. They’re tortoise shell wraparounds.

If you want to get in on the first Flower Share of the season…respond to this email by midnight tonight (Tuesday) and bring a check made out to Halsey’s Green Thumb ($70 per share) THIS WEEK! It’s Peonies! I was in a restaurant in Brooklyn on Monday and in their lovely bathroom was a large metal container (something farmish and funky) of Sweet Williams that we usually get as part of the CSA Flower Share. It made me glad to know they’ll be showing up soon and I’ll have some beautiful organic flowers in my house.

We may have a Green Thumb CSA – Huntington contingent at the NOFA Summer Conference this year! See August 12th under the events listings. Normally there’s a bunch of folks from Long Island that attend but so far, CSA members Vickie Muller (and daughter), me, and perhaps Beth Feldman will be going and that’s the most from this CSA in one year. Any questions about it, ask Vickie or me. I’ve already got plans to attend workshops by Lee Reich (awesome fruit guru) and Mac Mead (head of the Pfeiffer Institute upstate NY…Biodynamic central in this neck of the woods)…and that’s just glancing at the available workshops (the detailed game plan yet to come!). I don’t recommend camping because if it rains…it’s not a pretty sight  . Dorm is fine, hotel if that’s in your budget.

BRING BAGS TO PACK YOUR CSA SHARE…now and forever! Put bags (paper/plastic/canvas) in every car you own so you’ll never be without. In your trunk, glove compartment, back seat…whatever works for you. You’ll be needing them every week for the next 30 weeks and the CSA is not set up to provide them. If you are sending someone else to pick up your CSA share (spouse, relative, friend, offspring), this is the most important thing to tell them.

We have 58 intrepid CSAers for the seventh week of the CSA season and we now have room for 100 CSA members for the rest of the year. If each CSA member were to find 2 more members…ONLY TWO EACH…we could fill the CSA. Attached is the CSA “kit” consisting of the contract for new members, brochure and fee sheet. Let’s do this thing! The sooner I don’t have to beat the bushes for members, the more time I have for things like managing the CSA better, finding cool new things to add to the CSA mix (Mushrooms, Tempeh, a Winter CSA Share?) and doing the extra work it would entail.

I’d be happy to place brochures, do a lecture, call, email…do whatever’s needed to spread the good word about CSA. If you have suggestions, please make them known. So far this year we’re going to put an ad in the program for an auction at a local Montessori School. Next, will be an ad placed in the UUFH bulletin called The Beacon (never done before…silly CSA). Both should be reasonably priced. $40 for the Montessori ad and not sure about the UUFH one yet but I don’t imagine it will be very expensive (that one we may want to run a few times).

Any ideas for recruiting new members will be considered… how about jumping out of a van, putting a bag over some random person’s head, taking them to a warehouse in a discreet industrial area, feeding them amazing salads, juiced veggies, soups, vegetable delights made with CSA produce, and Dines Farm grilled marinated chicken thighs, Hamburgers and Hot Dogs (if they’re not vegetarians), and let the food do the talking? Just a thought  .

This email includes…

1. I have no idea if you’re needed or not this week but…
2. Notes from the Farm
3. Dr. Daniel Amen’s 10 Steps to Brain Healthy Eating for the Poor (or the frugally minded!)…
4. The list…subject to change without notice…farming is like that!
5. We still have plenty of Herb Shares and Flower Shares available. Why would you want one?
6. Eat dirt…it’s good for you!
7. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)
8. More news about the German E Coli outbreak…
9. What you actually got last week…
10. Certified Organic Seedlings Available from Green Thumb Farm!
11. Maybe more people CAN afford to buy organic food…



1. I have no idea if you’re needed or not this week but…

I haven’t heard from our work co-ordinator, Judi, so we could be covered, or maybe it’ll be nobody but me!

If you know you’re working this week (you got a confirmation email from Judi in the past week)…please let me know so I can try and sort this out!

IF you can work either shift, please 1) respond to this email, 2) call 631-421-4864 and leave a message before 1pm on Thursday, 3) call the UUFH Hall Phone at 631-385-1079 after 3pm on Thursday and let us know you’re coming OR 4) show up a little before 5:30pm or 6:30pm 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. Notes from the Farm

June 3, 2011

Welcome back to all our CSA members!

Another season is beginning…Strawberries are ready, so enjoy them over the next several weeks. Lettuces and our spring Herbs are also being harvested. Most all Herbs can be used fresh, or kept for later use by either drying or freezing.

Our Annual CSA Member Strawberry Picking & Walking Tour will be held on Saturday June 18th. We will start every hour from 10am to 2pm. The tour is approximately one hour long. After the tour, each CSA member (and immediate family ONLY) will be able to pick one quart of Strawberries (there should be more for purchase at the farmstand if you’d like). We will meet at the field on Rose Hill Rd, just east of the Green Thumb Farm farm stand. For more info, call the farm at 631-726-1900 between 9:30am and 4pm daily.

Another year of seasonal certified organic crops has begun!

Organically yours,
Farmer Bill (Halsey)



3. Dr. Daniel Amen’s 10 Steps to Brain Healthy Eating for the Poor (or the frugally minded!)…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-amen-md/10-steps-to-brain-healthy_b_424670.html



4. The list…subject to change without notice…farming is like that!

Vegetable Info Sheets attached to this email (keep in a notebook – by the end of the year you’ll have a cookbook!)

Week #7
June 9, 2011

1. Strawberries
2. Lettuce – 2 heads (small…from out in the field but it’s still slow going)
3. Curly Cress *
4. Sage
5. Radishes

Total Items: 5

Flower Share
Week #1 – Peonies

*No Veg Info Sheet but…
http://www.simplesocialkitchen.com/2010/06/07/csa-cooking-curly-cress-jerusalem-artichokes-and-strawberries/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_cress
http://newarcsite.com/microgreens/peppercress/
http://jacquelinechurch.com/ldg/1303-eat-cress-and-gain-wit-curly-cress-gains-converts
http://noteatingoutinny.com/2009/04/20/peppercress-and-poached-egg-salad/
http://crabappleherbs.com/blog/category/herbs/peppercress/
http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2011/05/05/always-do-a-lap-before-you-commit/
http://becksposhnosh.blogspot.com/2006/11/hot-cress-fun.html
http://www.food52.com/recipes/10884_peppercress_aioli



5. We still have plenty of Herb Shares, Basil Shares, and Flower Shares available. Why would you want one?

Why a Flower Share?

You’re paying $7 for a bunch of flowers that might easily cost $10 elsewhere (I just paid $10 for two VERY SMALL stems of Lilac the other week at the Sweet Hollow Hall market and they were on their way out after two days…the gal didn’t cut them properly as I learned in my research AND she should have had little packs of flower food to include for that price) AND the Flower Share flowers are organic. I get two Flower Shares every year and they are a joy to behold!

You don’t have to cut the ones in your garden and you can leave them to beautify your landscape.

They’re organically grown so you can sniff with impunity!

The first ones we usually get are Peonies (that’s enough of a reason for me) and then it may be followed by (and not in this order) Sunflowers, Zinneas, Sweet Williams, Snapdragons, Straw Flowers, Gomphrena, Flamingo Feathers…some are everlasts (can be dried) and some are not…all depending on what’s ready and when. The flowers do NOT come every week.

Why an Herb Share or a Basil Share?

Tired of eating the same vegetable more than one week in a row…USE HERBS! They can totally change the flavor profile of what you’re cooking.

Just like we get Vegetable Information Sheets, we have Herb Information Sheets (and we may put an order in for an Herb Wheel…later for that).

You can freeze or dry them for use during the winter (or when you don’t have them fresh on hand).

Herbs are amazing for our health. We don’t eat enough of them. They have more antioxidants than Blueberries! Use them in Juices (in small quantities), on Salad, in Salad Dressings, on most anything you cook…Vegetables, Meat, Fish, Eggs, Soups…anything!

Herbs are green…anything that’s green is ultra healthy. Here’s some info from Dr. Andrew Weil…
To turn down pain: Like some over-the-counter painkillers, some plants also act as natural COX 2 inhibitors, thus reducing pain and inflammation. Adding Basil to the diet may be useful for those with minor aches and pains.
To fight infections: In India, Basil is commonly used a home remedy for coughs and colds and topically for minor cuts and scrapes. Research has now shown that the herb indeed has potent antimicrobial activity and may reduce bronchial spasm, said Dr. Low Dog. Thyme is another herb to consider when fighting off a cold. It is approved in Europe for use in upper respiratory infections; it’s also effective against oral thrush. Likewise, Sage tea is effective for sore throats.
To calm and soothe: Rosemary is a traditional remedy for headaches—perhaps due to its anti-inflammatory properties. Sage is approved in Germany for those troubled by excessive perspiration, and herbalists commonly recommend it for menopausal women troubled with night sweats.
To improve your outlook: Another promising herb for brain health may be Sage. Dr. Low Dog presented some of the research that suggests the herb may improve some symptoms of early Alzheimer’s disease. She also noted that the word “sage” is used to signify a wise elder. Maybe the ancients were on to somethin
We DO get Herbs as part of our basic CSA share (this week we’re getting Parsley) but you get more of them with the CSA share…

We will most likely be getting Celery at some point this season…
Please Pass the Parsley … and the Celery
Parsley and celery contain a compound that may help protect against breast cancer, possibly by blocking the growth of tumor cells. This interesting finding, from a University of Missouri animal study, suggests that apigenin, a flavonoid found in parsley, celery, apples, oranges, nuts and other plant products, seemed to block or delay tumor formation in rats that had been programmed to develop breast cancer when exposed to MPA (medroxyprogesterone acetate). MPA is a synthetic hormone that has been found to accelerate human breast tumor development in women on hormone replacement therapy. In the rat study, apigenin blocked the formation of new blood vessels needed by breast tumors, and also reduced the overall number of tumors the rats developed. However, apigenin didn't stop cancer cells from forming in the breast in the first place. The investigators said that they're not yet sure what dose of apigenin would be appropriate for humans, but suggested that eating some parsley and fruit daily could help ensure that you're getting the minimal amount. The study was published online April 19, 2011 by Cancer Prevention Research.
How to I get an Herb, Basil or Flower Share after the CSA season start?

It’s easy…ASK or EMAIL! You need to join AT the CSA because…it’s a timing thing.



6. Eat dirt…it’s good for you!

Some CSA food has dirt on it. If so, it serves as a protection against spoilage. The food shouldn’t be washed till you’re ready to use it.

While I’m not advocating eating dirt as a regular practice, or not washing the food, this IS interesting…

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-05/science/29622767_1_foodborne-microbes-dirt-database

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-25/parenting/28216018_1_dirt-playgrounds-bacteria



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

Tuesday, June 7th

7 to 8pm

In the Small Kitchen
Word
126 Franklin St
Brooklyn
FREE
For more info and to sign up on Facebook:
http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/

Meet the authors of In the Small Kitchen, Cara Eisenpress & Phoebe Lapine (the bloggers of Big Girls, Small Kitchen). They’ll be on hand discussing their new book, In the Small Kitchen, which contains tried & true recipes and tons of great advice for those of us with more ambition than space.


Wednesday, June 15th

5pm to 1am

An Evening of Longevity with David Wolfe
Organic Avenue
116 Suffolk St
NYC
$100
For more info:
212-358-0500
love@organicavenue.com
For more info and to register:
http://www.organicavenue.com/events.php?event=10966
5:00pm - 9:00pm - A lecture on longevity and beauty, with intermission and hors d'oeuvres. David highlights studies on beauty, longevity and anti-aging featuring cutting edge Telomere life-extension research and foods for beauty. For $100, each guest enjoys David's information, gift bag, raw appetizers, chocolates and Organic Avenue Mocktails inspired by David's longevity research. Access to David's Longevity Boutique with unique product selection is also provided. {pre-registration required, seating limited}
9:00pm - 1:00am - DJ After-Party for Discover The Gift film (featuring David Wolfe, for info click here), with delicious complimentary chocolate samples from Sacred Chocolate. The cash bar will have invigorating Organic Avenue Mocktails and a special "Longevity Potion" inspired by David's research on longevity.

Bio: With a masters degree in nutrition, and a background in science and mechanical engineering, David Wolfe is considered one of the world’s top authorities on natural health, beauty nutrition, herbalism, chocolate, and organic superfoods. David has over 15 years of dedicated experience and understanding of the inner workings, the delicate chemistry, and hardcore mechanics of the human body and how the body is affected by the modern-day stressors of today’s fast-paced, over-worked, and unbalanced lifestyle, which is literally a “killer” to our beauty, health, and longevity.
David is the author of the best-selling books, Eating for Beauty (4th Edition), The Sunfood Diet Success System (8th Edition), Naked Chocolate (2nd Edition), David Wolfe on Raw Foods, Superfoods, and Superherbs, Amazing Grace (3rd Edition), Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future (North Atlantic Books/distributed by Random House, 2009), and The LongevityNOW Program (www.longevitynowprogram2.com).
David Wolfe's celebrity fan base includes Woody Harrelson, Bryce Dallas Howard, John Assaraf, Anthony Robbins, Steve Jobs, Angela Bassett, and many others. A highly sought after health and personal success speaker, David has given over 2,000 live lecture events in the past 15 years. Today, David Wolfe continues to share the stage in the company of Anthony Robbins, Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield, Buzz Aldrin, T. Harv Eker, John Gray, Les Brown, Barbara DeAngelis, Brian Tracy, and many more.
David Wolfe is also a gourmet chocolatier. He is a passionate proponent of the healing and beautifying power of raw chocolate (cacao beans). Just ask David about chocolate — he will tell you why chocolate is the greatest, most prosperous, nutritious, mood-elevating, highest energizing, and top weight loss aphrodisiac food on the planet! To try some of David’s exotic chocolate, visit: www.sacredchocolate.com.

Thursday, June 16th

6:30 to 8:30pm

Breast Health and Modern Toxicity
Organic Avenue
116 Suffolk St
NYC
FREE
For more info:
http://www.organicavenue.com/events.php?event=10971
Pre-register:
212-358-0500
love@organicavenue.com

In this FREE lecture, Dr. Loretta Friedman of Synergy Health Associates addresses not the question of “Am I toxic”, but “How toxic am I”.

Learn about the extremely noxious world we live in today and how your breast are the #1 target for toxins. According to the American Cancer Society one in two men and one in three women will develop some kind of cancer in their lifetime. Our ill health is directly related to the assaults we face every day. The lymph system is the other circulatory system and is a vital part of our body; it manages elimination of toxins and functions as the bodies primary immune defense. Learn how an organic diet, lifestyle changes, and lymphatic drainage can benefit you whether you are a man or a woman.


Saturday, June 18th

10am to 2pm

Annual CSA Member Strawberry Picking & Walking Tour
Halsey’s Green Thumb Organic Farm
Rt 25
Water Mill, NY
FREE
For more info:
631-726-1900

MEET your farmer! SEE where your food is being grown! EAT the Strawberries! This is one of two opportunities we have to tour the farm and spend time with the people that make it happen…Farmer Bill Halsey, his family and co-workers. This event is for CSA members and immediate family only! If you are sharing a CSA share with another person or family…you have to choose who’s going and register under the name of the CSA member as the farm doesn’t acknowledge the existence of anyone but the CSA member (person who’s filled out the contract and signed the checks). There are too many CSA members, and people sharing with those CSA members, between Long Island and NYC to accommodate everyone.

It’s a one hour walking tour followed by Strawberry picking in a designated field. Each CSA member gets one quart to pick (though no one is monitoring how many you may eat along the way  ). Tours will leave at 10am, 11am, noon, 1am and 2pm, from the field on Rose Hill Rd, just east of the Green Thumb Farm farm stand.


Monday, June 27nd

6:30 to 8:30pm

Breast Health and Modern Toxicity
Organic Avenue
116 Suffolk St
NYC
FREE
For more info:
http://www.organicavenue.com/events.php?event=10971
Pre-register:
212-358-0500
love@organicavenue.com

In this FREE lecture, Dr. Loretta Friedman of Synergy Health Associates addresses not the question of “Am I toxic”, but “How toxic am I”.

Learn about the extremely noxious world we live in today and how your breast are the #1 target for toxins. According to the American Cancer Society one in two men and one in three women will develop some kind of cancer in their lifetime. Our ill health is directly related to the assaults we face every day. The lymph system is the other circulatory system and is a vital part of our body; it manages elimination of toxins and functions as the bodies primary immune defense. Learn how an organic diet, lifestyle changes, and lymphatic drainage can benefit you whether you are a man or a woman.


August 12th to 14th

NOFA (Northeast Organic Farmers Association) 37th Annual Summer Conference
Amherst, MA
For more info and registration:
http://www.nofasummerconference.org/

I’m going this year…and you? It’s fun, educational, reasonably priced, and anyone who goes WILL have a great time. Whether you’re single, family, senior…whatever…a good time will be had!


Monday, October 24th

Food Day
For more info:
http://www.foodday.org/



8. More news about the German E Coli outbreak…

Bioengineered bacteria??? I have to get back to Jeffrey Smith (author of Seeds of Destruction) about this one…
http://www.naturalnews.com/032622_ecoli_bioengineering.html

Ok…if it’s not Cucumbers, Lettuce or Tomatoes…and it’s not Sprouts…WHAT THE HECK WAS IT???
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/06/06/136998053/tests-contradict-early-suspicion-about-german-sprouts-as-e-coli-source?sc=nl&cc=nh-20110606

What Ralph Nader has to say about this…
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/06/04-0



9. What you actually got last week…

Week #6
June 2, 2011

1. Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes) – 1 lb - $4.50
2. Asparagus – .6 lb - $3.00
3. Scallions – 1 bunch - $2.50
4. Oregano – 1 bunch - $2.25
5. Lettuce, Baby Mix (greenhouse*) – 2/3 lb - $6.00

Total Items: 5
Total Amount: $18.255 ($.75 more than we paid…it adds up over the course of the year!)



10. Certified Organic Seedlings Available from Green Thumb Farm!

Order certified organic seedlings grown at Green Thumb Farm and have them delivered to the CSA for your garden!

How:
Have your credit card ready (to be paid only by credit card) and call the farm at 631-726-1900 between 9:30 to 4pm any day of the week and they will tell you, depending on when you place your order, what week they will arrive at the CSA…and make sure you don’t forget to pick them up!

How much:
$5.50 per pot (4” pot) with a 4 pot minimum order

What:
(if you don’t see what you’re looking for on this list, or want more details…call the farm and ask)

Flowers
Marigolds, Bonanza
Marigolds, Genie (edible)
Nasturtiums
Petunias

Herbs
Basil
Chives
Oregano
Parsley
Sage
Tarragon, French
Thyme

Tomatoes
Heirlooms
Minis
Red

Vegetables
Broccoli
Cabbage
Kale
Swiss Chard


11. Maybe more people CAN afford to buy organic food…

If in developing countries people spend more than half their incomes on food, and in the US it’s 10%...it might be more doable to buy organic for some Americans than they think! Some organic food is the same price as “conventional”. If you shop seasonally it’s cheaper, if you use coupons (coupons for organic food does exist) you save, if you shop around and price check you can save (believe it or not sometimes Whole Foods is cheaper than Fairway), if you are a CSA member you save, and if there’s a will there’s a way!

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/02/16/am-rising-food-prices-not-expected-to-largely-affect-us-consumers/

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