Week #23 Nov. 5, 2015

Happy Autumn!

Since people are asking…
December 10th is the last day of the CSA.
November 25th is our Wednesday CSA pickup day for the week of Thanksgiving.

CSA Weather Report…warm, sunny.

This week FREE CALENDARS!!! Now, they’re from 2015, but I got them more for the graphics than being a calendar (and they’re pretty small so you couldn’t write anything in the spaces anyway). You can pick them up at the sign-in desk.

Member comment on the “hot” Peppers we got last week…
Karen Rubino says…
Mine weren't hot at all (less hot than a Jalapeño )…I didn't test them all with my tongue, but the ones I did absolutely were not hot..Anyway, I put some in a quinoa dish I made…one in my black bean soup…I pickled most of them, with 2 jalapenos and 1/2 a habenero to give a little spice to the mix.

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 in the Cinema Arts Centre being attracted to our wonderful CSA food.

This email contains (and keep in mind as far as any info/opinions that are not directly CSA related, you can always take what you like and leave the rest  )…

1.We bag our own!
2.We don’t need your help this week but…
3.This week’s list…occasionally subject to change without prior notice because farming is like that!
4.Click here and help change the world…every click counts!
5.Notes from the Farm
6.Hot Dog and Veggie Dog Scandal…really!
7.Events (things to do both near and far) – had to be eliminated from this email because big brother thinks it’s spam…I’m SO not kidding…hope to be able to put it in again soon…
8.Dr. Weil recommends 3 foods to be eating this November…
9. What you actually got last week
10.Fan of Salmon? Read this…
11.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.We don’t need your help this week but…

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.

November 5, 2015
Week #23

1.Squash, Winter
2.Cabbage
3.Scallions
4.Tat Soi
5.Daikon (it’s a Japanese Radish so the info is in the Radish Veggie Info Sheet)*
6.Peppers, Sweet

Total Items: 6

*
Daikon can be used Raw in a Salad, juiced (a SMALL piece…1/4 inch), roasted, put in soups or stews, if there are greens you can cook and eat those
General info and suggestions…
http://whatscookingamerica.net/DaikonRadish.htm
General suggestions with recipes…
http://nhpr.org/post/what-do-daikon-radishes
An alternative health look at Daikon…
http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-daikon.html
EASY recipe…Roasted Daikon with Carrots and Peppers (substitute other color Peppers for Red, Onion for Shallot)…
http://sarahscucinabella.com/2013/05/29/roasted-daikon-radish-carrots-and-peppers/
EASY pickle recipe…If you’re ever gotten a yellow crunchy pickle at a Japanese restaurant…this is it…
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/sweet-pickled-daikon-radish-recipe.html
Daikon Radish with Chicken Korean style…
http://www.food.com/recipe/daikon-radish-with-chicken-korean-style-133124
Some other suggestions…
http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2009/12/daikon-radish-what-to-do-with-it.html



4. Click here and help change the world…every click counts!

Sign here to stop seafood fraud…
http://act.oceana.org/sign/obama_transparency-rules?source=ee



5.Notes from the Farm

November 1, 2015

Summer is now behind us. We had a killing frost* the morning of October 19th. Our Tomatoes, Peppers, Summer Squashes, and Eggplants were all gone as of that morning. We have managed to pick a few more of each of these crops from lower down on the plants, which were protected by the plant’s leaves. We have finished picking all of these crops now, so we will be bringing in more of our fall crops to the CSA…Kales, Pak Chois, salad greens, Turnips, Radishes, Winter Squashes, Sweet Potatoes, Scallions, Beets and Carrots. We may even bring in some Broccoli, Cauliflowers and Cabbages, IF we can find enough of them that the deer (an ongoing an increasing problem at the farm) that the deer haven’t damaged.

Our last deliveries are rapidly approaching (as far as we’re concerned at the farm), and we will be bringing in much produce that can be stored at your home. Sweet Potatoes and Winter Squashes should NOT be refrigerated, but kept in a cool, dry location. I store mine in our basement, and they’ve lasted till August of the following year!

So, enjoy it all while it lasts (till the last CSA deliver on December 10th).

Organically yours,
Farmer Bill (Halsey)

*
Information about killing frosts and frosts in general…
http://farmersalmanac.com/home-garden/2008/09/22/a-gardeners-guide-to-frost/

The average first frost date for NYC in 2015 is November 15th and the last average frost date for 2016 is April 1st, and hopefully, being April Fool’s Day it will not be a cruel joke at that point in the year. However, I wanted to find specific info for Suffolk County but damned if Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County has made it easy to find…if it’s even on their website. They’re getting an email from me about this. After a bit of research, the last frost date is April 20th for most of Suffolk County and eastern Nassau County (western Nassau County gets from April 1st to April 10th, and “central” Long Island…have to find out what’s considered central…is after April 20th – it’s a microclimate thing and want to find out kind of when after April 20th they’re talking about), so now I just need to find the info for the first frost date.



6. Hot Dog and Veggie Dog Scandal…really!

Hot Dog Scandal…they contain human DNA and other inappropriate stuff (like meat in vegetarian Hot Dogs, and pork in Hot Dogs that are labeled Chicken…not a happy thing for people not wanting to eat Pork)…
http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2015/10/hot-dogs-have-human-dna.html

The source material for this piece (keep scrolling down for the brands recommended…they don’t tell you what ones NOT to buy…buyer REALLY beware and vegetarians may want to comment on the company website to get them to release the names of vegetarian Hot Dogs that contain meat and if you’re eating Kosher to get the brands that have Pork in them)…
http://www.clearfood.com/food_reports/2015/the_hotdog_report

Stephen Colbert on Hot Dog scandal (and making fun of vegetarians…the longtime “shooting fish in a barrel” topic of comedy…but it is funny) and riffs on processed meat and LITERALLY smokes Bacon…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66G__mozVzE



7.Events (things to do both near and far) - had to be eliminated from this email because big brother thinks it’s spam…I’m SO not kidding…hope to be able to put it in again soon



8. Dr. Weil recommends 3 foods to be eating this November…

Our CSA provides 2 out of the 3 mentioned (and the third can be found growing wild on Long Island if you’re into foraging)…
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP05741/3-Seasonal-Foods-You-Should-Be-Noshing-On-This-November.html



9.What you actually got last week

October 29, 2015
Week #22

1.Carrots – 1 bunch - $3.75
2.Collard Greens – 1 bunch - $3.50
3.Sweet Potatoes* - 2 lb bag - $4.75
4.Beans, Snap (same as String Beans): Green – ½ lb bag - $2.00
5.Peppers (Anaheim – Sweet/Hot and Pasilla – Hot) and Eggplant mix – 1 ¾ lb bag - $5.25

Total Items: 5
Total Amount: $19.25
We pay $18.50 per week for the food the farmer is giving us, and this week he’s given us $.75 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 $21.20 total extra (that’s more than one extra CSA share’s worth of food that we didn’t pay for…yeah!  ).

*
Sweet Potato info and quick bread recipe…
http://www.tastingtable.com/cook/national/fall-season-produce-baked-sweet-potato-recipes-how-to-make-quick-bread-recipe?utm_medium=email&utm_source=TT&utm_campaign=Weekend&utm_content=Editorial



10. Fan of Salmon? Read this…

Salmon mislabeled and you may be paying more for what it isn’t…and this happens…a LOT…
http://usa.oceana.org/publications/reports/oceana-reveals-mislabeling-americas-favorite-fish-salmon

Want to know what to do about this? Here’s some helpful hints…
http://usa.oceana.org/sites/default/files/4046/salmon_leave_behind_final.pdf



11.And now for something completely different…

This is 10 years old so how the heck did I miss seeing this???

Submitted by CSA member Bettina Barbier…May the farm be with you! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVrIyEu6h_E

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