Thursday, June 18, 2015

Week #3 June 18, 2015

Happy Spring!

This is the third week, of the 18th year, for Green Thumb CSA – Huntington, at our CSA’s new location at the Cinema Arts Centre’s Sky Room Café (423 Park Ave, Huntington)! It’s going to take a while for the CSA to get its bearings in the new space so please be patient. 

***The CSA is going to be OUTSIDE this week!!! Told you this is all an adjustment to a new space! We will either be in front of the Café in the garden, OR if it looks like rain (which it might or might not by the morning and we may do this just in case it might) we will be in the alcove that’s located between the Cinema garden and the stairs to the upper parking lot (told you to park there anyway  ). If you can’t find it, ask at the Box Office and they’ll tell you where we are. There are 3 other CSA days where we’ll be outside (the 3rd Thursdays in Sept/Oct/Nov) and let’s all think good thoughts for pleasant weather on those days. 

Strawberry Picking CSA Farm Tour coming up THIS WEEKEND at our farm (Green Thumb Farm) in Water Mill on Saturday, June 20th (read #5 and #6 for details).

CSA Parking suggestion…try parking all the way around the building in the upper parking lot where the day care center play area is. You hopefully will find a spot, and it’s a short walk down the stairs to the entrance from there, and most people don’t seem to think of parking up there. If you park illegally you can get a parking ticket, it does happen!

If you are going to show up at the CSA later than 7:30pm, but before the Box Office is closing for the night (may be different every week but will probably be open till at least 10pm) and it’s the last minute and you’re running late…call the Cinema Arts Centre Box Office at 631-423-7610 xt 0 and ask them to transfer the call to the café so we can pack a bag for you, put your name on it and leave it at the Box Office. If you don’t get to the Cinema before the Box Office closes, your food will NOT be there the next day. The Cinema is under no obligation to store your food, and we don’t want to be the cause of bugs being attracted to our wonderful CSA food.

Sky Room Café Deal of the Week…if you’re picking up your food and want a snack, this week the special is a hefty helping of their signature garlic hummus, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled with crushed red pepper, and topped with hot & spicy cherry peppers !Served with toasted whole grain pita! $5.00 while supplies last.
New menu item…the Blue Note Burger - signature black bean veggie burger, topped with a rich crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, just a dash of creamy blue cheese, and a drizzle of buffalo style hot sauce, garnished with crisp romaine lettuce, spring mix and fresh cut vine tomato, on a toasted brioche bun for $5.00!

This email contains…

1.We bag our own!
2. The CSA is looking for ONE (1) person from 3:30pm to 5:30pm and ONE (1) person from 5:30pm to 7:30pm to work at the CSA today…
3.This week’s list…occasionally subject to change without prior notice because farming is like that!
4.Veggie Info Sheets
5. News from the Farm
6.Events (things to do both near and far)
7.Produce wrangler and counselor
8. Great article on Herb Greens (similar to the category of Salad Greens but a little different)…and at the CSA we get Curly Cress, Sorrel and Arugula which is similar to what they call Rocket…
9. One click can help change the world!


1.We bag our own

CSA basic, for this CSA anyways, is that you need to bring your own supply of bags for packing up your CSA share every week from now till December 10th!

So, my suggestion…put bags that you’re setting aside for your CSA share in EVERY vehicle you own or might ride in!  Put them in the trunk, or the glove compartment, or in a bigger bag somewhere in the car, or whatever you think will work for your situation. That way, you don’t even have to remember, they’re just there.

The CSA is under NO obligation to provide you with bags for your food.

I also recommend a selection of canvas, paper and plastic. I bag my CSA share up in my paper (Strawberries) and plastic bags (most everything else) and put it in my bigger canvas bag so when I get home, everything’s pretty much (with some exceptions…like herbs) ready to be put right into the fridge.



2.The CSA is looking for ONE (1) person from 3:30pm to 5:30pm and ONE (1) person from 5:30pm to 7:30pm to work at the CSA today…

If you’re available for either shift (or both), please..

1. Respond to this email from now till 1pm, Thursday, June 18th
2. Call 631-421-4864 from now till 1pm, Thursday, June 18th
3. Call the Cinema Box Office at 631-423-7610 xt 0 from 2:30pm to 5:30pm and make sure we get the message that you’re coming to work and when
4. Just stop by the CSA a little before 3:30pm and 5:30pm and see if we still need help.
5. Will be getting back to whoever responds about 1pm in the order of who contacted me first…realize it’s 5am and I’m still working so would like to get SOME sleep and may not get up till noon.

If you didn’t already get an email from Hayley or/and suzanne talking to you about being at the CSA on the Early Shift (3:30pm to 5:30pm) or the Late Shift (5:30pm to 7:30pm) this week, you’re not on the schedule for this week.

You can always show up a little before 3:30pm or 5:30pm and offer to help out just in case someone doesn’t show up (stuff happens  ).



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

CSA #101 – The Basics – when trying any new food item, start small and start slow. See how your body and palate reacts. And if you aren’t crazy about the taste, texture, smell, something…try at least SIX completely different ways of preparing it before you give it the heave-ho (raw, steamed, stir-fried, fried …maybe not so healthy but ANYTHING usually tastes good fried, in a salad, in a soup, in a sandwich, in a stew, in a smoothie, and on and on)!  Am glad to provide suggestions for this one.

June 18, 2015
Week #3

1.Strawberries – 1 qt
2.Lettuce: Boston, Red – 1 head
3.Curly Cress (aka Pepper Cress,/Garden Cress) – 1 bunch*
4.Peas, Snow - .4 lbs
5.Lavender** – 1 bunch…and yes, it’s edible! 

Total Items: 5

*
Curly Cress (aka Pepper Cress/Garden Cress) – I just wash it and put it on my sandwiches or wraps, and sprinkle on salads
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_cress
From a members of the Cobble Hill Brooklyn CSA of Green Thumb Farm…
http://www.simplesocialkitchen.com/2010/06/07/csa-cooking-curly-cress-jerusalem-artichokes-and-strawberries/
http://www.harvesttotable.com/2007/09/cress_cress_is_a_common/
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/410264

**
Lavender – yes, there is a Veggie Info Sheet but I figure more info is always a good thing for something so unique to cook with - you can put it in a vase and enjoy that way, dry and use for potpourri, or use it in cooking recipes (it’s a classic ingredient in Herbes de Provence)
Strawberry Lavender Spritzer…
http://www.motherearthliving.com/cooking-methods/8-lovely-lavender-recipes-lavender-strawberry-spritzer.aspx
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Lavender.htm
http://boulderlocavore.com/15-lovely-lavender-recipes/
http://www.motherearthliving.com/cooking-methods/lavender-recipes.aspx
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20587573,00.html



4.Veggie Info Sheets

The attachments to this email are your Veggie Info Sheets. You’ll be getting them every week, and if you print them out and put them in a notebook (and put in plastic sleeves if you want to keep them clean), you’ll have a CSA cookbook by the end of the CSA season!

If we get something that doesn’t have a Veggie Info Sheet, there will be links to click to help you out (and see #7 too).



5. News from the Farm

June 11, 2015

Summer is almost here and our crops are growing well. Strawberries are here but only for a couple more weeks, so enjoy them while they’re here. Peas have begun - Sugar Snaps, followed by Snow Peas and then Shelling Peas. We’ve been picking Spring Onions and Scallions and will have them for several more weeks. Swiss Chard and Beets will be the next to arrive. Lettuces are doing well and we now have many varieties that we are picking. Herbs of all sorts are still coming in as well - Oregano, Chives, Savory, Dill, Cilantro, Mint, Curly Cress, Lavender flowers, and maybe some others. Most can be dried for future use.

Saturday, June 20th, our Annual CSA Farm Tour and Strawberry picking will happen - a walking tour at the field - meet on corner of Rose Hill Road at Montauk Highway in Water Mill. Tours begin at 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm & 1:30pm. No charge for tour and everybody (tour is restricted to CSA members and immediate family only) gets to pick 1 Quart of Strawberries. For more info, call 631-726-1900, between 9:30am and 4pm. Hope all get a chance to come visit our farm. Our next CSA farm tour after this will be in October.

So enjoy our seasonal, fresh, local certified organic produce, because the season never seems to last long enough!

Organically yours,
Farmer Bill (Halsey)



6.Events

Saturday, June 20th

10:30am to 2:30pm

Annual CSA Strawberry Picking Farm Tour
Green Thumb Farm
Montauk Highway
Water Mill
FREE
For more info:
631-726-1900 (between the hours of 9:30am and 4:30pm)

Our Strawberry Picking CSA Farm Tour is a walking tour, and will be held rain or shine (unless we’re talking torrential downpour). Dress for sun exposure and wear closed toe shoes that are appropriate for walking in dirt and mud. If you’re bringing children, the tour is one hour so plan accordingly regarding bringing a stroller that can handle a gravel/dirt road. We’ll be meeting in the field on Rose Hill Road near the corner of Montauk Highway. The tour times are 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm and 1:30pm. This tour is for CSA members of Green Thumb CSA – Huntington (and the 4 other Green Thumb Farm CSA pickup locations…at the farm, Brookhaven Labs, Cobble Hill BK and Long Island City Queens) and their immediate family members only! If CSA members are sharing with someone (who, as far as the farm is concerned, is technically not considered a CSA member…though they are happy you’re enjoying the fruits and vegetables of their labors ), often one person visits the farm in June and the other will visit in October when we go Pumpkin picking, and register using the CSA member’s name.


Wednesday, June 24th

7 to 9pm

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream Cookbook event
Powerhouse Arena
37 Main St
DUMBO, Brooklyn
FREE (ice cream for purchase from Van Leeuwen truck)
For more info about this event:
http://www.powerhousearena.com/events/book-launch-party-and-food-tasting-van-leeuwen-artisan-ice-cream-by-laura-oneill-benjamin-van-leeuwen-peter-van-leeuwen-and-olga-massov/
Must RSVP:
rsvp@powerhousearena.com

Got my RSVP in and I’m there! Anybody coming? Van Leeuwen rocks the house. And yes, they also do vegan.


Saturday, July 11th

2pm to 4pm

If I Could Write a Book: the Beverly Fite story
Cold Spring Harbor Public Library
Large Meeting Room
95 Harbor Rd
Cold Spring Harbor
FREE
Advance Registration Requested
631-692-6820

CSA member Lenore Hanson’s mother-in-law, B Hanson (also a long time CSA member), is the subject of this documentary directed by Emmy Award winning director Ron Rudaitis. B Hanson will be here for a Q & A after the film. I’ll be there…will you? 

From pre-Civil Rights Alabama to Rodgers and Hammerstein-era Broadway to present-day suburban Long Island, this whimsical and heartwarming documentary tells the story of the life, career and indomitable spirit of a truly inspiring American voice. Join B (Beverly Fite) Hanson on an emotional and revelatory journey back to Alabama in search of the real story of her father's disbarment and ultimately the meaning of her own life's journey.



7.Produce Wrangler and Veggie Counselor

In addition to being the CSA founder, organizer, and matchmaker, I’m also a Produce Wrangler and Veggie Counselor!  Please feel free to ask me/contact me about ANYTHING to do with ANYTHING you get at the CSA! I’m happy to share my knowledge about cooking, food storage, etc. and if I don’t know, I’m happy to keep on learning so we can both find out. Oh yeah, and my basic cooking style is lazy working class gourmet (few ingredients, not a lot of time, good results). I’m a fan of the Working Class Foodie videos, and I steal their credo…local, seasonal and affordable…
http://blip.tv/wcfoodies/



8.Great article on Herb Greens (similar to the category of Salad Greens but a little different)…and at the CSA we get Curly Cress, Sorrel and Arugula which is similar to what they call Rocket…

http://www.motherearthliving.com/mother-earth-living/home-grown-greens.aspx



9. One click can help change the world!

A.CSA member Gail Payne is concerned that women and children aren’t protected by current radiation exposure regulations (and that nuclear power is a “privileged pollutant” according to the EPA, meaning that much higher rates of cancer are allowed than for other known toxins) and wanted to share this with us. Eat healthy, exercise, and then get exposed to unhealthy amounts of radiation because of the government that we voted for and pay taxes to? I don’t think so! 
Click here if you’d like to change these regulations…
https://www.change.org/p/protect-the-most-vulnerable-from-radiation-exposure-b8eef25c-ea5f-4706-a128-4970df6cbc9f

B.Want clean water?
Click here (and don’t buy stuff with microbeads in them)…
http://p2a.co/ba4T8on

C.If you’d like our military personnel to have access to vitamins,
you might want to click here…
http://www.saveoursupplements.org/

D. If you don’t want our government to pass a law saying that state or local governments have no right to regulate GMO crops in any way,
you might want to click here…
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/1881/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14356

E. Let’s have a mandate for supermarkets to donate food instead of throwing it out…
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/mandate-supermarkets
F.Tell the Senate…please support safer cosmetics. Right now they can put in things that are carcinogenic and endocrine disruptors (also really not good)…
http://action.ewg.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=2154&tag=201506FeinsteinCosmetics
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