Week #12 July 10, 2014

Happy Summer!

Next week starts our Basil Share deliveries! If you didn’t sign up but would like to get in on it here’s the deal…
You get 4 bunches of Basil for $10 per Basil Share! Pick your date(s) for delivery…July 17, July24, July 31 and/or August 7, and submit either cash, or check made out to Halseys Green Thumb. Then, let me know (email or phone) so I can put you on the list for the delivery day(s) on the date(s) you’d like!

Who went Strawberry picking at our farm the other weekend? Got any pictures? How about letting us know how the farm tour was?

Planting a garden this year? Get certified organic Herb (many varieties), Vegetable (many varieties) and Flower (some…ask!) plants grown at your farm, Green Thumb Farm! To order plants, call the farm at 631-726-1900 between 9:30am and 4pm any day of the week/weekend and have a credit card on hand for payment. They will be delivered with the next available CSA delivery!

If you’d like to visit our farm (Green Thumb Farm in Water Mill) on days besides our CSA Pumpkin picking in October, the farm stand is now open 7 days a week until Sunday, December 7th. Tell them at the farm stand that you’re a CSA member and it’s sure to bring a smile!

Seriously…put this phone number (631-385-1079) in your cell phone, on your fridge, or wherever you put phone numbers you’re glad to have when you need them! It’s the hall phone of the UUFH to be used only on Thursdays from 3pm to 8pm. We’ve already had a few people who wished they had it and didn’t, and others who had it and found out how handy it can be! 

This email contains…

1. Your CSA doesn’t need you this week but…
2. Consider donating to help prevent and cure Cancer…
3. This week’s list…
4. Our certified organic Flower Shares are here! Are you ready and on the list?
5. What you actually got last week
6. Tips on how to store your CSA food (and food in general!)…
7. Organic food and birth control? Wha???
8. Do you eat fish? If so, read this!
9. Can you can?
10. And now for something completely different…


1. Your CSA doesn’t need you this week but…

you can always show up at 3:30pm or 5:30pm and ask if we still need help!

Also, keep in mind that if you don’t get an email telling you that you’re working on a particular week…you’re not scheduled to work (but if you have any questions, get in touch with Judi and/or suzanne).



2. Consider donating to help prevent and cure Cancer…

CSA member, Amy Norris Wenzel, lost her beloved brother Craig way too soon and is riding in the LI Bicycle Challenge in his memory and honor. Last year her crew rode 25 miles and raised $7,000 to help prevent and cure cancer. This year the goal is to ride 40 miles and raise even more money to prevent and cure cancer, diabetes and other illnesses.

To learn more about this event and where the money goes…
http://www.lichallenge.org/About.html

If you’re interested in donating to this cause, go to this website, and click on the name Amy Norris Wenzel under “Craig’s Crew”…
http://www.lichallenge.org/sponsorarider.html

Check here to see if your employer matches donations…
https://doublethedonation.com/lichallenge

If you prefer to write a check please make checks payable to: Long Island Bicycle Challenge. You can send checks directly to Long Island Bike Challenge at 1366 Odell Street, Wantagh, NY 11793. Please put the name “Amy Norris Wenzel” in the memo.



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

July 10, 2014
Week #12

1. Lettuce
2. Peas, Sugar Snap OR Peas, Snow
3. Radicchio: Chiogga *
4. Cabbage: Green
5. Beans, Fava**
6. Mustard Greens***

Total Items: 6

Flower Share #3

Herb Share – July 1A
Dill AND Savory, Winter

*
Radicchio – if you think you don’t like it, have you tried grilling it? 
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-chiarello/perfectly-grilled-radicchio-recipe.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radicchio
http://www.marthastewart.com/286437/radicchio-recipes/@center/1009854/winter-produce
http://www.jmarchinifarms.com/recipes/radicchio-recipes.html
http://radicchio.com/recipes/
Booze and Radicchio!
http://radicchio.com/for-chefs/salads-for-adults/

**
Fava Beans – REMOVE THE BEANS AND DO NOT EAT THE PODS!
Read the health indications if you’ve never eaten these before…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_faba
This has some nutrition info…
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/fava-beans-nutrition-selection-storage
http://www.marthastewart.com/975835/fava-bean-recipes/@center/1009726/spring-produce
To not peel the individual Beans…most of the countries that don’t remove the coating also cook Fava Beans longer than most American cooks would take the time to do…
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324659404578501233872401520
Or to peel them (I vote on peeling…I’ve eaten them with the coating on in a lovely restaurant in a delicious dish and had to spit them out as they were inedible even after much chewing)…
http://www.thekitchn.com/timesaving-mindblowing-tip-you-dont-have-to-peel-fava-beans-190462

***
Mustard Green Recipe
http://www.veria.com/healthy-recipe/easy-vegetarian-recipes-daily-greens-with-tahini-miso-sauce/

The recipe is a little wacky in that the ingredient list doesn’t have Collard Greens in it, but the instructions do. The tv version was just Cabbage and Mustard Greens so I’d go with that on the first go round. The recipe says “drain” and on tv, the woman was squeezing the water out of the Mustard Greens that were wrapped in paper towels (a clean dish towel would be more “green”  ).

To tweak this recipe, I’d probably steam my vegetables instead of boil them, and substitute basic Green Cabbage for the Napa Cabbage depending on price and which is available. And clearly, you could use any combination of greens. I believe the basic idea here is to pair a spicy/bitter/tangy green with a mild one to tone the spicy/bitter/tangy quality down a notch, and still get the benefits of eating those more intensely flavored vegetables!



4. Our certified organic Flower Shares are here! Are you ready and on the list?

Did you take a look at the Flower Shares the other week? Amazing, right?

Do you now want one (or two)?

The way to get them now is to let me know ASAP either at the CSA, or by phone or email (by Wednesday midnight latest for me to try and get the word to the farm) and let me tell you how much the CSA share will be and you can pay cash or by check.

The amount for the next one will be $49. The Flowers come to the CSA when they’re ready so it’s not necessarily for 10 consecutive weeks.

If you’re sharing with someone and you buy a Flower Share and they show up when your share partner is picking up you can either pick your Flowers up from them, or have them pay you for the Flower for that week or each of you get a Flower Share and then…you can figure it out! 

Also, keep in mind that one person can have more than one Flower Share. A number of us (I’m one of them) get 2 Flower Shares because they are just that nice!!! 



5. What you actually got last week

July 3, 2014
Week #11

1. Beets (if there are greens, they are edible!) – 1 bunch - $3.50
2. Peas, Sugar Snap OR Peas, Snow – ½ lb - $3.50
3. Peas, Shelling – 1 lb - $6.50
4. Lettuce: Oakleaf, Green – 1 head - $2.75
5. Cilantro – 1 bunch - $2.75

Total Items: 5
Total Amount: $19.00
(We pay $18.50 per week for our CSA share. Our farmer has give us $.50 more this week over what we paid. It doesn’t sound like much but it does add up over the course of the CSA season. The total so far is $4 more than what we’ve paid so far)

Flower Share #2 – Yarrow



6. Tips on how to store your CSA food (and food in general!)…

CSA member, Lisa McInnis Lonigro, came across this veritable treasure trove of info from a fellow CSA member in Boston (published 2 years ago but still fresh as the day it was posted!)…
http://www.thekitchn.com/the-kitchns-guide-to-storing-fruits-and-vegetables-tip-roundup-176308?utm_source=tk&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=social



7. Organic food and birth control? Wha???

I try to be, and believe in being, fair and balanced so…

If you agree with this petition - sign it, and follow through with the boycott of their products…
http://act.credoaction.com/sign/Eden_ACA?akid=11122.1689073.aKe8Mj&rd=1&t=1

If you don’t agree…don’t sign and/or write Eden Foods to voice your support of their decision, and continue to purchase their products.
http://www.edenfoods.com/



8. Do you eat fish? If so, read this!

I came across this while investigating a type of fish, Orata, that I’d never had before but tried at a Japanese restaurant, Hibino, in Queens (there’s one in Brooklyn too).

Turns out that Orata is the Italian name for Sea Bream also known as Dorade, and of course, isn’t on this list! However, one website I saw said that IF this fish if from a company called Local Ocean, they aren’t polluting the ocean as it’s an enclosed aquaculture system and also has low mercury levels.

Wallet card that talks about mercury levels of fish…
http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/walletcard.pdf

And keep in mind that Cilantro (which we got last week) is a natural partial chelation agent for Mercury…
http://www.mercola.com/article/mercury/mercury_elimination.htm


And just to show you that it’s not all bad news out there…aquaculture done right can be a good thing for the planet and people who eat fish…
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/07/aquaculture-feed-algae-nuts-mcfarland-springs-kenny-belov



9. Can you can?

If not, and you’d like to, there’s 3 spots left for this event as of Wednesday afternoon…

Thursday, July 17th

6:30pm

Home Canning: A Hobby You Can Eat
Huntington Public Library
338 Main St.
Huntington
FREE
To register:
631-427-5165

Learn how to can (with a focus on Tomatoes) from Master Food Preserver, Mark Vosburgh (certified by Cornell Cooperative Extension). This is for new and experienced home canners.



10. And now for something completely different…

If you find yourself in Italy and are hungry or thirsty…

A bit of silliness about how to speak Italian…without speaking Italian!
http://www.grubstreet.com/2014/07/us-consulate-milan-italian-hand-gestures.html

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