Week #9 July 29, 2015

Happy Summer!

CSA Weather Report…hot and muggy…it’s summer! 

We could use some help at the CSA this week from 3:30pm to 5:30pm, and from 5:30pm to 7:30pm (see #2).

Beet answer…the other week we got Red and some Chiogga (red and white concentric circles like a bullseye inside) Beets!

**CSA Parking suggestion…if you’re coming to the Cinema Arts Centre to pick up at the CSA between 3:45pm and 4:15pm, be aware there will be YMCA camp pickups going on till August 28th. Tell the people directing traffic that you’re not picking anyone up at the YMCA and they’ll let you go around the line of cars to be able to park in the back by the day care center for the CSA.
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 of the Cinema where the CSA is located 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!

CSA Basics 101 –
Please read the Wall Chart that the farmer brings in every week, follow the direction on the Wall Chart, and it’s not a bad idea to refer to it before you leave the CSA to make sure you haven’t taken too much OR too little before you leave the CSA.
I can’t tell you how many times I have left the CSA, gotten home, and realized I THOUGHT I took everything in the share for the week, didn’t, and it’s too late to do anything about it as anything left over at the end of the night is donated and gone at 7:31pm (unless prior arrangements have been made by CSA members for late pickups).

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 their HOT & SPICY HUMMUS PLATTER Only $5 ! A hefty helping of our 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! WHILE SUPPLIES LAST.
New menu items…
Blue Note Burger – Our 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. $5.00
Potato Latkes - Our traditional Potato Pancakes, heated to perfection, and served with a side of Sour Cream! $4.00


This email contains…

1.We bag our own!
2.HELP!!! At the CSA this week we are looking for ONE (1) person to help out from 3:30pm to 5:30pm, and ONE (1) person to help out from 5:30pm to 7:30pm …
3.This week’s list…occasionally subject to change without prior notice because farming is like that!
4. Click away and help change the world!
5. Dr. Andrew Weil on dehydration…
6.Events (things to do both near and far)
7. How to find organic food at a farmers market…
8. What you actually got last week
9. How to save money and food…
10.And now for something completely different…


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!

And if you ask anyone to pick up your CSA food for you, please let them know that they need to bring bags to pack the food in.

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. HELP!!! At the CSA this week we are looking for ONE (1) person to help out from 3:30pm to 5:30pm, and ONE (1) person to help out from 5:30pm to 7:30pm …

If you’re available, please..

1. Respond to this email from now till 1pm, Thursday, July 23rd
2. Call 631-421-4864 from now till 1pm, Thursday, July 23rd
3. Call the Cinema Box Office at 631-423-7610 xt 0 from 3pm to 5:30pm on Thursday, July 9th, and make sure we get the message at the CSA (ask them to put the call through to the Sky Café) that you’re coming to work and when
4. Just stop by the CSA a little before 3:30pm or 5:30pm and see if we still need help.

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  ).

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.



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.

July 30, 2015
Week #9

1.Cabbage: Green – 1 head
2.Lettuce: Boston, Red – 1 head
3.Fennel – 1 bunch
4.Onions, Spring – 1 bunch
5.Sorrel OR Tarragon* - 1 bunch
6.Beans, Snap (aka String Beans)

Total Items: 6

Flower Share – Week #7

*
Tarragon - no Veggie Info Sheet on Tarragon so…
http://www.food.com/about/tarragon-347
http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-tarragon.html
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/t/tarrag07.html
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/tarragon-herb.html



4.Click away and help change the world!

A.Stop selling Bee killing pesticides…
https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/tell-bayer-stop-selling?source=homepage

B.Six petitions on this one webpage (and yes, I signed them all but it was no big deal because after the first one, you just had to click as your info is remembered)…
http://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/global-warming/fight-misinformation/decades-deception-must-stop?autologin=true#.VabCectRHIV

C.Support funding for summer food programs for children and faminiles in need…
http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5118/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=20660&mc_cid=aeed345f59&mc_eid=3a71512d93



5.Dr. Andrew Weil on dehydration…

Seasonal CSA food is all about hydrating this time of year! Eat enough of it (5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day) and be on your way to being hydrated! 

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP05637/Worried-about-Getting-Dehydrated.html



6.Events

Tuesday, August 4th

6:30pm (distribution starts at 7pm)

Food Not Bombs Huntington Food Share Distribution
E 6th St and Fairground Ave
Huntington Station
For more info and to get on their email list:
http://www.lifnb.com/chapters/huntington_food_share

If you want to help the group that we’re donating our CSA leftover food to this year, this is when and where you’d go. You can go any Tuesday…they’ll be there.


Saturday, August 8th

1pm to 5pm

North Fork Craft Beer Festival
Calverton Links Golf Course
149 Edwards Ave
Calverton
$10 to $75
For more info and to buy tickets:
http://northforkcraftbeerfestival.com/tickets.html

Featuring 50 + breweries with 100+ beers, food trucks and live music! No kids, no pets.


Tuesday, August 11th

10am to noon

Lost Ladybird Search
Quail Hill Farm farm stand
660 Old Stone Highway
Amagansett
FREE
Directions:
http://www.peconiclandtrust.org/pdf/pdf%20directions/Directions%20to%20Quail%20Hill%20Farm.pdf
For more info about this project:
http://www.lostladybug.org/

Help find native ladybugs and let scientists know where they are and how they’re doing! Heavy rains cancels this event.


Friday, August 14th to Sunday, August 16th

NOFA Summer Conference
U Mass at Amherst
Amherst, MA
For more info and to register:
http://www.nofasummerconference.org/

This is where all the cool kids of all ages go  . Keynote speakers this year will be Ronnie Cummins of the Organic Consumers Association, and Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride (developer of the GAPS…gut and psychology syndrome…diet used to treat and reverse chronic neurological and digestive illnesses).


Friday, August 14th

8am to 4:30pm

FTCLDF 2nd Annual Food Freedom Conference
Stonewall Jackson Hotel
Staunton, VA
$139
For more info and to register:
http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/fff/

The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) is having a gathering of food activists and community members including Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm.


Saturday, August 15th

8:30am to 2:30pm

Deluxe Tour of Polyface Farm
Polyface Farm
Swoope, VA
$109
For more info and to register:
http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/fff/

This is the farm that Joel Salatin built and a rare opportunity to visit it.

6:30pm to 10pm

Premium Night at Polyface
Polyface Farm
Swoope, VA
$1500
For more info and to register:
http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/fff/a-premium-night-at-polyface/

There are only 22 seats out of 30 left (as of 7/1) for this intimate event with Joel Salatin and his wife and the president of FTCLDF (Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund), and others.


Sunday, August 16th

10am to 3pm

iEat Green’s Annual Yoga & Farm-to-Table Retreat
iEat Green Homestead
Old Westbury
$115
For more info:
Bhavani@iEatGreen.com
To get tickets:
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/yoga-farm-to-table-cooking-class-retreat-tickets-17623950711?aff=es2

Join iEat Green for a full day of yoga (Leslie Luft – Absolute Yoga, Woodbury), meditation, chanting (Carole Brill), vegetarian cooking (Bhavani Jaroff – iEat Green), a farm to table luncheon and a dip in the pool!


Thursday, August 20th

3pm

Outstanding in the Field at Beekman 1802
6725 State Road
Sharon Springs, NY
$210
For more info and to get tickets:
http://outstandinginthefield.ticketmob.com/event.cfm?cart&showTimingID=66245

There were other Outstanding in the Field events on Long Island and NYC but they’re sold out, and this is the only one left in the area. The chef at this event used to work at WD-50 in NYC, and Beekman 1802 is the farm featured on the TV show called The Beekman Boys starring owners Brent and Josh.


Saturday, September 19th

12pm to 8pm

7th Annual Gaia’s Essence Women’s Wellness Conference
Islandia Marriott Long Island
3635 Expressway Drive North
Islandia
$25
For more info and to get tickets:
http://gewwc.com/

Their mission statement for this event is be empowered…be inspired…your perception…your reality. This year they’ll be having a kid’s room with special programs just for kids! Sponsors include Fit Healthy Mamas, LI Dietetic Association, Natural Awakenings magazine, So Delicious, Vitamix, and Whole Foods.


Thursday, October 29th

8pm

Conversations: Michael Pollan – In Defense of Food
NYCB Theatre at Westbury
960 Brush Hollow Rd
Westbury
$63
For more info and to buy tickets…
http://concerts.livenation.com/event/00004E75D4FC4D1F?crosssite=TM_US:1236523:141?crosssite=TM_US:1236523:141

An in depth talk with questions from you! For the past 20 years, Michael Pollan has been writing books and articles about the places where the human and natural worlds intersect: food, agricul¬ture, gardens, drugs and architecture. He is the author of the best-sellers In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto and The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. Join us in a moderated conversation with audience Q&A and a book signing to follow. This is a new project in association with Book Revue of Huntington!



7. How to find organic food at a farmers market…

Not as easy as you’d think! 
http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/food/how-find-true-organic-food-farmers-market



8.What you actually got last week

July 23, 2015
Week #8

1.Cucumbers – up to 1 lb – weighed together with…
2. Squash, Summer** : Costata Romanesco, Eight Ball, Kousa, Golden, Yellow, Zucchini – up to 1 lb (2 lbs total) - $3.50
3.Lettuce: Romaine – 1 head - $3.00
4.Onions, Spring: Red – 1 bunch - $3.50
5.Beans, Fava*** (there is no Veggie Sheet for this…see below) – 1 lb - $3.00
6.Beans, Snap (aka String Beans): Green – 1 lb - $3.50
7.Radicchio: Traviso – 1 head – $3.25

Total Items: 7
Total Amount: $19.75
We pay $18.50 per week for the food the farmer is giving us, and this week he’s given us $2.00 more than we paid for. Doesn’t sound like much but see how every little bit extra he gives us adds up over the course of the 28 weeks! So far it’s $7.50 total extra.

Flower Share – Week #6
Zinnias

Herb Share – July 2B
Parsley AND Savory, Summer

*
Romaine Lettuce…grilled!
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017536-grilled-romaine

**
Amazingly colorful recipe of Zucchini and more…
Curry Ratatouille
http://www.c-cooking.com/2015/03/my-union-square-greenmarket-social.html#more

***
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

Sauteed Fava Beans is an easy recipe…half ingredients since we have 1 lb of Fava Beans in the pod…
http://www.food.com/recipe/gabriel-s-sauteed-fava-beans-117520

Easy recipe for Fava Bean Dip with a video (they say to just boil for 1 minute to loosen up the outer skin so you can pop it out and then use it…the guy in the next recipe says to boil for 3 minutes…I’d go for the 3)…you don’t need the Parsley or Tahini to make this work…also, we don’t have 1 lb of Fava Beans…we got 1 lb of Fava Beans with the pods…I just read that 1 lb of Fava Beans in the pods gets you about 1 cup of Fava Beans…however this is not so helpful when this recipe calls for 1 lb…hopefully you can eyeball it or weigh the beans if you have a scale…my guess is it’s going to be about ½ lb of Fava Beans (see article below this one) so just half everything in this recipe (maybe a little less than half it and then you can always add…though I like Garlic so I’d use a whole clove)…
http://www.uihealthcare.org/content.aspx?id=232505
http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/tips.php/id/16/

Good info article…found in Egyptian tombs so have been grown and eaten for about 6,000 years in Persia and Egypt!
http://www.delallo.com/articles/fava-beans-green-protein

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



9.How to save money and food…

Everybody at some point gets a case of vegetable guilt over the course of being a CSA member (that’s what compost piles were invented for  )…
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/06/24/americans-annual-food-waste/28988971/

Proper food storage and food planning works to help save food (and therefore, money too).

Your Veggie Info Sheets have tips about food storage, and the quick CSA tip about food planning is use your CSA produce in the order of how long each food item will last (and your Veggie Info Sheets have this info too…delicate greens are the first to go and root vegetables last the longest…as long as they are stored properly).



10.And now for something completely different…

Sir Ian McKellen demos his family recipe for scrambled eggs!
https://www.facebook.com/ianmckellen/videos/10153014229903601/

The only change I’d make is to break the Eggs in a small dish one at a time before putting them in the pot, in case one has gone bad and you then would have to throw them all out, wash out the pan and start over.

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