Thursday, June 13, 2013

Happy Spring (summer starts June 21st)!

Our Strawberry picking farm tour is THIS weekend (Saturday, June 15th). See below under Event Listings for details.

Request…please keep the Veg Info Sheets on TOP of the food and not on the table (especially if there’s water on the tables which there often is). They are getting waterlogged and being thrown out which is not so “green”. This is happening on a weekly basis and it’s something that’s never happened in the past 16 years. Go figure. Thanks! 

Any gardeners? You can order certified organic herb and vegetable plants for your garden from our farm by calling Green Thumb Farm at 631-726-1900, 7 days a week, from 9:30 to 4pm, place your order with a credit card, and your plants will be delivered to the CSA.

BJ’s has organic foodstuffs. If you’d like to check it out and you’re not a member, there’s a coupon on the sign-in desk to try it out that’s valid till July 14th. I’m a fan of their gas prices. Last time I was there it was $3.63 for regular!

This email includes…

1. You can still get in on the Flower Shares, Herb Shares and Mushroom Shares!
2. This week’s list (subject to change without notice…farming is like that!)
3. Local activism
4. Event Listings
5. What you actually got last week
6. And now for something completely different…



1. You can still get in on the Flower Shares, Herb Shares and Mushroom Shares!

If you’re interested…ask! If the only thing that’s stopping you is that you share with someone and they don’t want what you want…ask! I bet I could find someone for you to share with (or at least I’d try  ). If you have a share and want more than your one share…ask!

We need to find enough people for 3 ¼ lbs of Mushrooms for the next batch of people to start eating Mushrooms! Anybody interested in the Mushroom Share who hasn’t spoken up yet?

Anyone who HAS a Mushroom Share…want to upgrade your share to get more Mushrooms? Just a thought! 



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

Week #8
June 13, 2013

1. Strawberries
2. Lettuce
3. Cilantro
4. Swiss Chard
5. Peas: Sugar Snap

Total Items: 5 (?)

Flower Share
Week #1 – Peonies*

*Often have ants on them…shake or rinse them off before you get in the house (or at least don’t be surprised if you see them). Find out what the relationship is between Ants and Peonies…
http://www.peonies.org/faq.html

Herb Share
June 1A
French Tarragon AND Oregano



3. Local activism…

Bonnie Sagar (sharing with CSA member Joe Wetherell), has a passion and a cause! It’s to ban leafblowers in Huntington.

Why you may ask (or you may not need any convincing)?

I didn’t realize Dr. Andrew Weil wasn’t a fan…
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/ART02059

And I found this NY Times article which says the Mt Sinai School of Medicine’s Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit provided a letter of support for a ban of gas leaf blowers…
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/20/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/20blowerwe.html?_r=0

And all the dust kicked up makes solar panels less efficient (and/or you’d have to get up there and clean them up more often…or pay to have them cleaned off)

If you’re in agreement, please sign her petition at the CSA Sign-in Desk today! 

And of course, there’s a Facebook page for it too…
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ban-Leaf-Blowers/127067643995637

And a website in Arizona…
http://banleafblowers.webs.com/



4. Event Listings

Thursday, May 2nd to Sunday, December 8th

9am to 4:30pm

Green Thumb Organic Farm
Montauk Hwy
Water Mill

Our CSA farm’s farm stand is open for the season! If you’re passing by, stop in and say hi and tell them you’re a CSA member and you’re sure to get a smile! There are plants for your garden, flowers for your home and friends you might be visiting in the area and food…lots of food! 


Saturday, May 25th to Monday, Sept 2nd

Swedish Culinary Summer
East Hampton
For more info:
www.swedishculinarysummer.com

Swedish cuisine, and worldwide interest in it, has grown exponentially over the last 20 years. Zagat just placed Swedish restaurants in the number two and number three positions in the top ten restaurants in the world and there are three Swedish restaurants on Pellegrino's World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Swedish food is now the darling of media worldwide and especially in the U.S. Swedish Culinary Summer uses food as the universal ambassador to "open the doors" at key charity events in the Hamptons during the summer season: a full summer of top Swedish chefs, food, beverages and consumer goods, plus there will be cooking classes and special dinners available at the Maidstone Hotel.


Friday, June 14th

6pm to 7pm

The Healthy Planet Radio Show
WUSB-FM (90.1 FM)
To listen live or on the archives…
http://wusb.fm/station/schedule/week
For more info:
http://www.healthy-planet.org/


Saturday, June 15th

10:30am to 1:30pm

Green Thumb CSA Strawberry Picking Farm Tour
Green Thumb Farm
Rose Hill Road off of Montauk Hwy
Water Mill
For more info:
631-726-1900 (9:30 to 4pm)

Our Farmer Bill (Halsey) will be taking us on a walking tour (rain or shine but I believe it will be a lovely day without rain) of one of our fields seeing Lettuces, Peas, Beans, Summer Squashes, Strawberries, and cole crops, all in various stages of development.

We meet at the field on Rose Hill Rd just off Montauk Highway in Water Mill. The tour leaves every hour starting at 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm and 1:30pm, ending with everybody picking a quart of Strawberries.

This farm tour is open to all CSA members (the name on the list of CSa members) and their immediate families* only, and at no charge. If you are sharing a CSA share with someone, usually one person/family will go to the June tour and the other will go in October. Please keep in mind that the farm tours can only accommodate a certain number of people and between the farm’s CSA in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn (200 members), and Long Island City (200 member), Brookhaven Labs (100 members), Water Mill at the farm (50 members) and Huntington (approx 50 members)…that comes to 600 members plus any family members. If people who also are share partners showed up (even though only a relatively small percentage of CSA members make it to the tours)…the farmer would not be a happy camper. That’s why they tell us it’s for CSA members and immediate family only! 

If anyone wants to carpool to the farm, let me know and I’ll get the word out.

The trip can take anywhere from 1 ½ hours (if you leave at 9am for the first tour), to 2 or 2 ½ hours (hopefully not more) once it gets later depending on traffic.

12pm to 1pm

Food Chain Radio Show…What’s Eating What with Michael Olson
http://metrofarm.com/food-chain-radio

Check out the archives…there’s a LOT of good stuff in there!


Monday, June 17th

12pm to 3pm

NY Crossroads: Rally to stop fracking and demand alternative energy
East Capitol Lawn
Albany
For more info and to sign up:
https://www.facebook.com/events/200220593434997/
http://nyagainstfracking.org/

There are supposed to be buses from Long Island going and car pools.


Sunday, June 23rd

9am to 11:30am

How to grow vegetables with little space, time and effort
Lee Reich’s Farmden
387 Springtown Rd
New Paltz, NY
$50
For more info and to register:
Email: garden@leereich.com
845-255-0417

I’ve gone for one of Lee’s workshops on fruit (he’s a fruit master), and am sure this would be just as informative and entertaining…

Even a small garden can produce an abundance of vegetables. Learn how site selection, variety selection, soil preparation and, especially, planning (in time and space) make for abundant harvests of lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables from even a small garden. It’s not too late to prepare for abundant harvests for the rest of THIS season. It’s not even too late to START a vegetable garden for this season. (I put in my first garden – many years ago, and in Wisconsin – on August 1st!). I’ll show how.

Check out his website and blog…
http://leereich.com/index.html

2pm

The Truth About GMOs with Ellen Kamhi, RN
Dao Asian Cuisine
6600 Jericho Tpke
Syosset
$20 – Healthy Planet Members/$25 – General Public
For more info and reservations:
631-421-5591
info@healthy-planet.org
http://www.healthy-planet.org/

Join the Healthy Planet gang for an all vegan Chinese meal (3 apps and 7 entrees to share) and lecture about GMOs from Long Island’s own natural treasure, Ellen Kamhi, RN…the Natural Nurse!


Thursday, June 27th

6pm to 9pm

Art With a Purpose
Rush Arts Gallery
526 W 26th St, Suite 311
NYC
$150
For more info and to buy tickets:
http://www.healthyschoolfood.org/events.htm?utm_source=Art+With+a+Purpose+-+1&utm_campaign=Year+End+27th+2012&utm_medium=email

An art exhibit/event with works for sale by such artists as Peter Max and Sue Coe, benefitting the NY Coalition for Healthy School Food. There’ll be vegan food donated by Candle 79 and Candle CafĂ© West, and wine donated by Pure Food & Wine and Verity Wine Partners. Jazz music provided by Miles of Music.


Saturday, June 29th

10am to 4pm

Starflower Experiences Community Yard Sale
Manor Farm
210 Manor Rd
Elwood
For more info and to possibly participate or volunteer (don’t know how late they can accept participants and if there’s still room):
www.starflowerexperiences.org
516-938-6152
info@starflowerexperinces.org

CSA member Chiara Mathews is volunteering for Starflower Experiences so you just might see her here!

10:30am to noon

Green Thumb CSA – Huntington Monthly CSA Meeting!
Cinema Arts Centre
423 Park Ave
Huntington
For more info:
631-421-4864
dskolnick@pb.net

This month we’ll be learning more about what we’re getting in our CSA shares and what to do with it…and there will be snacking goin’ on! Is there anything in particular that you’d like to learn about…a particular food, herb, cooking technique, etc? More info TBA.


Friday, August 9th to Sunday, August 11th

NOFA Summer Conference
U Mass
Amherst, MA
For more info and to register (early bird pricing till July 9th):
http://www.nofasummerconference.org/registration.php
What is NOFA (in particular NOFA-NY)?
https://www.nofany.org/about

CSA members Vickie Muller (along with her daughter) and suzanne j zoubeck attended last year and may be going again this year. If you have any questions, ask one of them. If you’re at all interested in organic gardening, food, food politics, the environment, green living, green housing, renewable energy, alternative health, etc. this is an AMAZING event to attend (over 200 workshops to choose from)! The food is local and organic and there are enough choices whether your diet is gluten-free, raw, vegan or paleo. There are farm tours and parties at night. Also, there are workshops and activities for children from ages 2 to 17 so it’s fun for the whole family…or for singles…or seniors…or anyone!


Saturday, March 1st, 2014

10am to 5pm

TEDx Manhattan Viewing Party
Cinema Arts Centre
423 Park Ave
Huntington
FREE

Check out a sample of last year’s speakers such as chef Michel Nischan, LaDonna Redmond, Anna Lappe, White House chef Bill Yosses, Annemarie Colbin, etc, here…
http://www.youtube.com/tedxman

Details TBA



5. What you actually got last week

Week #7
June 6, 2013

1. Strawberries – 1 qt - $6.50
2. Rhubarb – 1 bunch - $3.00
3. Asparagus – ½ lb - $3.25
4. Lettuce: Romaine – 1 head - $2.50
5. Radishes: French Breakfast OR Red – 1 bunch - $2.75

Total Items: 5
Total Amount: $18.00 (we pay $17.50 for our weekly CSA share so this week we’ve gotten $.50 worth of food more than we paid for PLUS a bunch of Cilantro on top of that…so the total extra value we’ve gotten so far this season…is $8.25)



6. And now for something completely different…

I’ve never said this before but this just may be someone who truly has too much time on their hands… 
http://www.horg.com/horg/

###