Green Thumb Farm Huntington CSA

Happy Spring!

Want organic seedlings for your garden? Call our farm, Green Thumb Farm, from 9 to 4pm, 7 days a week with a credit card in hand and order your plants at 631-726-1900, and they’ll be delivered to the next CSA delivery available. I’ll have the plant list in the next email but whatever you want…there’s a good chance they have it. Just ask!

IMPORTANT!!! Sounds simple but PLEASE check the wall chart for what your share is every week, and check what’s in your bag with what’s on the wall chart before you leave to make sure that you didn’t take too much or too little food! Please take your time when picking your produce and if there are any questions, please ask!!! If someone takes more than what the allotted CSA share that means at the end of the night someone is going to get less than what they paid for. As Martha would say…that is NOT a good thing!

The next is…put this phone number in your cell phone…631-385-1079…it’s the hall phone of the UUFH (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington) and it’s ESSENTIAL CSA info. If you’re running late and won’t get to the CSA till after 7:30pm…you need to call this number and let us know to wait for you or pack a bag for you and put it on the “bench” afterhours pickup location…more on that at another time. If there’s a choice one week and you REALLY want it, you might want to call before you get to the CSA and have someone pack a bag for you with that choice item in it. There are many other reasons people will use this number. Sometimes it’s to get in touch with someone who’s at the CSA (family/friends/other CSA members) as it’s more reliable than cell phones as the cell phone reception in the UUFH is not great and in many cases non-existent. That said, do NOT call this phone number any other time but Thursdays between 3pm (we’re there a little early setting up) and 8pm (we can be there till 8pm still cleaning up and putting things away). Otherwise, you might get some person from the UUFH, or the daycare center that is also in the building, and they will probably have no idea what you’re talking about and probably won’t be able to help you.

Third would be…we could use a LOT more CSA members! If each of us (we’re now 39) managed to find seven more members our farmer would be VERY happy. However, even one more member each would be a help and if THEY got one more member…you get the idea. Even ideas of where to leave CSA brochures or posters, and where to do lectures about CSA would be helpful. So far this season I participated in the 1st LI CSA Fair, the 2nd LI Small Farm Summit, and a health fair at the Vitamin Shoppe in Melville, gave a lecture to the Holistic Moms Network about eating local and just put an ad (VERY reasonably priced) in the brochure for a charity auction for the local Montessori School. I said I would do this last year and didn’t so, I’ll be walking the streets around the UUFH and leaving brochures with a cover sheet that’s an invite to visit the CSA in people’s mailboxes. The exercise will do me good  ! Any and all suggestions would be appreciated and considered. Another thing that was talked about last year and not done that will be done this year is putting an a paid ad in The Beacon, the newsletter of the UUFH, for several issues.

This week’s email includes…

1. Your CSA does not need you this week, however…
2. Bags and you!
3. This week’s list…subject to change without notice (farming is like that)
4. Recipe contest for kids!
5. Fun, Cool & Interesting Stuff to Do (new events added weekly)
6. Visit CSA member Randy Sokol at Madison’s in Northport for some organic Vodka!
7. Calling all artists (or spread the word if you know any)…
8. What you actually got last week – 5/10/12
9. And now…for something completely different -


1. Your CSA does not need you this week, however…

You can ALWAYS stop by the CSA a little before 3:30 or 5:30 to offer to help in case someone doesn’t show up (or is late) without letting anyone know…life happens! 

If you didn’t get a confirmation email from Judi (occasionally it’s me), you’re not scheduled to work this week.



2. Bags and you!

The short story is make sure to bring bags to pack your CSA food as the CSA does not provide them.

Suggestion…put bags (paper/plastic/cloth) in EVERY vehicle you own. Put them in the glove compartment, trunk, wherever, and make sure to replenish them when the supply is running low or you’re out of them. That way it will be hard to forget them.

And, if someone is picking up for you, please remind them about bringing bags with them.



3. This week’s list…subject to change without notice (farming is like that!)

Week #5
May 17, 2012

1. Strawberries OR Burdock…if the Strawberries aren’t ready (they need some more sun) we’re getting Burdock (called Gobo in Japan)
2. Spring Onions
3. Flowering Chives (the flowers are edible…use sparingly in salads or on top of anything you’d like to garnish with onions)
4. Tat Soi
5. Swiss Chard
6. Mustard Greens – greenhouse* (also use Braising Greens Veggie Info Sheet)

Total Items: 6 (?)

*grown in their greenhouse, not in the fields (it’s too early for that)



4. Recipe contest for kids aged 8 to 12 to win a trip to the White House!

The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge…
http://www.recipechallenge.epicurious.com/

The deadline for entries is June 17th (this date is when the entries must be received by)!



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


Tuesday, May 29th

7pm

Huntington Food Share – Food Not Bombs
Fairground Ave and E 6th St (outside of All Weather Tires)
Huntington Station
For more info and to get involved:
http://www.lifnb.com/chapters/huntington_food_share

Distribution of food and clothing to all who attend and are in need.


Wednesday, May 30th

4pm to 5pm

iEat Green
http://prn.fm/shows/lifestyle-shows/i-eat-green/

iEat Green is hosted by Slow Food Huntington’s Bhavani Jharoff. Listen to this internet radio show either live or if you miss this show, you can listen to it on the archives and it’s available for downloading on iTunes for your iPhone.

Today’s guest will be Victoria Moran, the author of 11 books, as well as an inspirational speaker, monologist, and certified holistic health counselor (HHC, AADP). She is the founder of Main Street Vegan Academy, where she trains vegan lifestyle coaches. Victoria’s latest book is Main Street Vegan.


Friday, June 1st

8am to 2pm

Sustainable LI’s 6th Annual Sustainability Conference
Carlyle on the Green
Bethpage State Park

$125/$75 – Lunch only
For more info and to purchase tickets:
http://sustainableli.org/events/annual-conference-2012

What is the face of sustainability today? Where has it come from? Where is it going? Discover all this and more at Sustainable Long Island's Sixth Annual Sustainability Conference; attended by hundreds of leaders from business and government, community advocates, real estate figures, and important decision makers.


Sunday, June 3rd

4pm

Edible and Medicinal Food, and Herb Walk with Ellen Kamhi, RN, the Natural Nurse!
Old Westbury
$10 Members/$20 General Public
For more info, and to register and get directions:
Call 516-238-3616

Slow Food Huntington and iEat Green are co-sponsoring this event. It will be followed by a potluck in the garden.


Wednesday, June 13th

7:30pm

Let’s Eat: Food on Film presents…The Harvest/La Cosecha – with special guest, filmmaker U. Robert Romano
Cinema Arts Centre
432 Park Ave
Huntington
$10 Members/$15 General Public (includes reception)
For more info about the film and to watch the trailer:
http://theharvestfilm.com/
For more info about Slow Food Huntington:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Slow-Food-Huntington/111833608364
To purchase advance tickets:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/250609

Executive Producer (and actress) Eva Longoria presents an award-winning documentary which provides an intimate glimpse into the lives of children who struggle to dream while working 12 – 14 hours a day, 7 days a week to feed America. Every year there are more than 400,000 American children who are torn away from their friends, schools and homes to pick the food we all eat. Zulema, Perla and Victor labor as migrant farm workers, sacrificing their own childhoods to help their families survive. The Harvest/La Cosecha profiles these three as they journey from the scorching heat of Texas’ onion fields to the winter snows of the Michigan apple orchards and back south to the humidity of Florida's tomato fields to follow the harvest. This series is co-curated with Slow Food Huntington.


Sunday, June 24th

12:30pm

Bringing Nature Home: How you can sustain wildlife with native plants with Douglas W. Tallamy
LI Horticultural Society
The Conference Center
Planting Fields Arboretum
Planting Fields Rd
Oyster Bay
$15 General Public/Free – LIHS members (membership is $25)
For more info:
www.lihort.org
Bruce Hambrecht – bruce@lihort.org


August 10th to 12th

NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) Summer Conference
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA
For more info:
http://www.nofasummerconference.org/
And to register and see a listing of workshops:
http://www.nofasummerconference.org/pdfs/2012_SC_regform.pdf

Featured speaker this year is Jeffery Smith, author of Seeds of Destruction and an authority on GE/GMO foods. Over 200 workshops, kid friendly, fun for everyone…singles, seniors, families – everyone! Great food and a good time will be had by all who attend.



6. Visit CSA member Randy Sokol at Madison’s in East Northport for some organic Vodka!

New CSA member Randy Sokol is at Madison’s on Wednesdays from 11:30am to 7pm, and at the bar they are stocking organic Vodka! And of course, drink responsibly! 

Madison’s Grille & Martini Bar
200 Larkfield Rd
E Northport
631-486-4808
http://www.restaurant.com/madisons-grille-martini-bar-east-northport-continental-mainsite-restaurant-pid=22616?&rpid=3514&



7. Calling all artists (or spread the word if you know any)…

From the Nassau County Soil & Water Conservation District: Community Garden & Environmental Program Fundraiser

When: Thursday, June 14th, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm


Where: The newly restored barn at the Fairgrounds at Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Art competition and networking party to raise money to build community gardens & support environmental programs.

The cost for entering the contest is $20. The fee includes the application fee, entry to the party, and makes you eligible to win one of the $1,500 in prizes. All art must reflect the natural environment. And since the artwork is being placed in a silent auction you you can also bring a guest to the party for free.



Artists receive 30% of what their piece sells for, get to put out brochures and business cards, and are eligible for prizes. If the piece doesn't get purchased for the minimum bid you get it back.

If you just want to be a part of the fun at the party it is $25 to enter if you RSVP by June 1st or $35 after this date.



To sign-up for the contest or party please email Art4SoilandWater@gmail.com or contact board member Jaime Van Dyke Doran at (516) 677-5853.


Old Bethpage Village Restoration
1303 Round Swamp Road, Old Bethpage, NY 11804


8. What you actually got last week – 5/17/12

There was talk around the old CSA last week that the share for this week looked small.

Big or small, it was worth $17.50 (actually it was valued at $18). Tat Soi is NEVER going to have very big leaves. While Winter Radishes can get pretty large but spring/summer Radishes are always going to be pretty small. Asparagus is expensive so ½ pound is ½ pound. The other greenhouse greens (Mizuna and Mustard) are also not going to get much bigger in the greenhouse. Outside they do get larger and this will happen later in the year. And Leeks, depending on when you harvest them, can be the size we got or larger and we will get both over the course of the year. So, while the size of the share may seem larger or smaller from one week to another, or one month to another, it’s always valued at the $17.50 we paid for it (and sometimes more as you can see when you read this list).


May 17, 2012
Week #4

1. Mustard Greens: Red (greenhouse*) – 1 bunch - $3.00
2. Mizuna (greenhouse*) – 1 bunch - $2.75
3. Radishes: French Breakfast OR Red – 1 bunch - $2.75
4. Tat Soi (greenhouse*) – 1 bunch - $3.00
5. Leeks – 1 bunch - $3.50
6. Asparagus – .5 lb – $3.00

Total Items – 6
Total Amount - $18 (We pay $17.50 per week to our farmer for the food we get every week. Today we’ve gotten $.50 extra, making the total extra that we’ve received from our farmer [over and above the $17.50 we pay per week] for the year so far $4.25)

*Grown in the greenhouse…too early to be growing outside



9. And now…for something completely different –

For the food lover that has everything…MEAT BALLOONS!!!
http://o-d-l.us/events/balloon-factory-japan-premium-beef


Don’t try this at home kids!!! I’m not completely sure this is a good non-toxic idea…no matter what they might be doing or say!
http://www.foodarts.com/news/views/16602/bartender-theres-a-drink-in-my-flytrap


Lizard spit or Bitter Melon…you choose!
http://motherboard.vice.com/2012/5/21/next-in-weight-loss-fads-gila-monster-spit--2
We get Bitter Melon as part of our CSA share later in the year and it stabilizes blood sugar and helps with Diabetes. The lizard spit will be synthesized and may not have the same properties as the real thing and then may have side effects the natural lizard spit wouldn’t. Or, you could just cook up some Bitter Melon.

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