Week #16 August 7, 2014

Happy Summer!

Next week is the last week for Basil Share deliveries! If you didn’t sign up yet but would like to get in on the last week, here’s the deal…
You get 4 bunches of Basil for $10 per Basil Share! The last day for delivery is on August 14th (if all goes well with the growing of the Basil…it was supposed to be this week but it’s been postponed to next week because the Basil isn’t ready), so submit either cash or check made out to Halseys Green Thumb. Then, let me know (email or phone by midnight next Tuesday latest) so I can put you on the list!

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! I’m hearing from the people who bought these plants so far that they’re doing GREAT!!!

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!
2. WE START TO WEIGH!!!
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. Water as medicine and Chlorinated tap water? Hmmmmm….
7. Bug flour for those on the Paleo Diet and others wanting alternate sources of protein…
8. It’s not all bad news!!! 
9. Change the world with a click, or a tap, or a swipe! 
10. And now for something completely different…


1. Your CSA doesn’t need you this week!

However, you can always show up at 3:30pm or 5:30pm and ask if we still need help just in case someone didn’t show up!

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. WE START TO WEIGH!!!

It’s time to weigh our food!

A. Check the wall chart before taking any food so you know what you’re taking and how much to take…assume nothing and ask questions! 

B. Bring your reading glasses or ask someone to help if you can’t see the numbers on the scale clearly.

C. PLEASE DO NOT GO OVER THE AMOUNT STATED on the Wall Chart. Please err on the under side of the weight posted…NEVER over. It may not seem like much to you but we have 51 members and if every person is off by ONE OUNCE (for crying out loud! It’s only an ounce!!!) …that means we’ll be short over THREE POUNDS of produce and some CSA members won’t get the food they paid for. And I’m sure you wouldn’t want it to be you!

D. IF you are asked to weigh more than one food item at the same time…please follow the directions given to you and weigh in the order you are asked (you might not think there’s a good reason to be doing this but our farmer does and that should be enough of a reason right there…if you want a further explanation – ask suzanne…there is a method to the madness )



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

August 7, 2014
Week #16

1. Lettuce
2. Peppers, Sweet
3. Cucumbers
4. Beans, Snap
5. Tomatoes, Mini: Sungold
6. Broccoli *
7. Squash, Summer
8. Eggplant

Total Items: 8 (?)

*
Soak Broccoli in salty water for about 10 minutes before eating/cooking so if there are any wormy critters amongst the Broccoli, they will expire and float to the top…unless you don’t mind eating bugs (see #7) for the extra protein.
Other points of view on the same topic…
http://newlifeonahomestead.com/2011/06/the-best-way-to-get-worms-out-of-home-grown-organic-broccoli/
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/536919
more soaking time will leach good stuff so don’t bother more than 10 minutes, and can’t be bothered using 2nd vinegar soak…
http://www.ehow.com/info_8731911_broccoli-cleaned.html
Moral dilemma alert!!! What do you do if you don’t want to kill the caterpillars? Someone suggested buying pesticide sprayed Broccoli because there’s no worms on it BUT you’ve killed those worms with the pesticides used so you’re still killing critters. It’s just out of sight. Plus you’re ingesting pesticides which could help kill you too! File under…huh (and circle of life)!

No Basil Shares this week…hopefully the Basil will be ready next week!

Flower Share #7

Herb Share – Aug 1A (maybe but maybe not)



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 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 31, 2014
Week #15

1. Lettuce: Crisp, Red – 1 head - $2.75
2. Peppers, Sweet: Green AND Purple – 2 Green AND 1 Purple - $1.75
3. Cucumbers – 3 - $1.50
4. Beans, Snap: Green OR Purple – 1 lb - $3.50
5. Cilantro – 1 bunch - $2.75
6. Beets – 1 bunch - $3.50
7. Squash, Summer: Costata Romanesco, Eight Ball, Golden, Kousa, Yellow, Zucchini – up to 2 lbs total - $3.75

Total Items: 7
Total Amount: $19.50
(We pay $18.50 per week for our CSA share. Our farmer has give us $1.00 more this week than the $18.50 which we paid for so, the total so far is $6.75 more than what we’ve paid so far this season…really! )

Basil Share #3

Flower Share #6
Statice



6. Water as medicine and Chlorinated tap water? Hmmmmm….

Submitted by CSA member Andrew Rudin…

Of course, you need to know about the quality of the water you’re drinking (personally, still working on this one)…
http://www.healthfreedoms.org/using-water-as-medicine-drinking-water-on-empty-stomach/#

Something to think about that I found shortly after seeing the above…
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/07/case-against-chlorinated-tap-water



7. Bug flour for those on the Paleo Diet and others wanting alternate sources of protein…

Maybe not so farfetched! They do eat bugs in many other parts of the world (but they also know what they’re doing and not just eating any bug from anywhere!)…
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/03/business/jiminy-cricket-bugs-could-be-next-food-craze.html?_r=0



8. It’s not all bad news!!! 

Produce from school gardens ending up in school cafeterias!
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_26227988/produce-from-school-gardens-increasingly-ends-up-school



9. Change the world with a click, or a tap, or a swipe! 

Tell Congress to stop the overuse of antibiotics in factory farming!
https://www.credomobilize.com/petitions/tell-congressional-republicans-stop-the-use-of-antibiotics-in-factory-farms?sp_ref=.4.8639.e.32572.2&source=mailto_sp



10. And now for something completely different…

Does this make you want to eat Ice Cream???
http://www.grubstreet.com/2014/08/little-babys-ice-cream-ad.html?om_rid=AADNgX&om_mid=_BT39oMB87ioPNf

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