Happy Spring (still spring till June 19th)!
Welcome to the 18th year for Green Thumb CSA –
Huntington, and its 2nd year at the Cinema Arts Centre! Whoo-hoo!
The CSA is going to be outdoors again this week!
In the Cinema’s Sky Room Café this week will be the Huntington Folk Music
Society and here’s the info if you’d like to attend (starts at 7pm), and
because of this the Café will close earlier than normal (not sure when…maybe
5pm?)…
IF it’s going to be raining (so far, AM showers only but
we’ll see in the morning what the predictions are), we will be under the
overhang that’s located between the upper parking lot stairway and the Cinema
Café. If no rain is predicted, we’ll be outside the Cinema Café as we were the
first week of the CSA.
What happens if you don’t get any CSA emails and
Thursday rolls around and it’s time to go to the CSA? GO ANYWAY! There
have been times over the years when various things have prevented a CSA email
from being sent…computers, storms, health emergencies, etc. However, the thing
to do is to come to the Cinema and in all probability, your CSA share will be
there (unless there’s weather that’s so treacherous travel would be extremely
ill-advised and even then, the farm will show up and drive from Water Mill to
Huntington before some CSA members would drive from Huntington to Huntington).
And if not (which I doubt…there was only one snowstorm where the farm showed up
on Friday instead of Thursday because no one could drive anywhere), there would
be a sign on the door saying something, or you could call me (though with
Hurricane Sandy, even my land line was down because of the Verizon battery it’s
hooked up to….grrrrrrr…I need to get that detached so I can get phone calls
during those times when the power goes out).
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 (do NOT leave a
message to be given to the CSA because there have been occasions where we
didn’t get it and someone showed up to get their food and was not happy it
wasn’t there because we didn’t get the message) 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.
If you’re sharing a CSA share with someone…it’s
possible they’re not on this email list yet (if not email me their full name
and email address…or have them do it), so check with them and then forward this
if they didn’t get it (and always check the junk/spam folder).
This week’s email includes…
1.
Date change for CSA Strawberry Picking
Farm Tour (it’s THIS SATURDAY), and a few reasons why you might want to
go!
2.
The CSA doesn’t need you this week (but we will
soon enough )
3.
CSA 101 – Bring Bags!!!
4.
Help change the world with a click…
5.
The List- subject to change without
notice because…farming is like that!
6.
More reasons to eat and buy organic…
7.
Event Listings…both near and far
8.
Organic Greenmarkets (same as farmers markets)
9.
What you actually got last week
10.
How I managed to keep my Strawberries looking
(and tasting) pretty good for a week without freezing them!
11.
And now…for something completely
different!
1.Date change for CSA Strawberry Picking Farm Tour (it’s
THIS SATURDAY), and a few reasons why you might want to go!
Was June 25th, now June 18th because
of the concern that we should have some Strawberries to pick when we come to
the farm. They’re not sure what will be left by June 25th. Further
details regarding time, etc., are in the attachment above that says “CSA
Newsletter1” (as well as below under #5 – Events Listings…both near and far).
This attachment is replacing what used to be “Notes from the Farm”. Let me know
if you prefer this (does include a picture), or having it written out in the text of the email as we used to do.
Why go to the farm this Saturday?
1.
Strawberries – need I say more?
2.
We only get two opportunities a year to get the
behind the scenes view of where our food is grown, and this is one of them (the
other in October)
3.
It’s really beautiful on the farm, and being in
nature is generally a good thing for our mental and physical health
4.
Got a garden? You can buy organic garden plants
for your home garden at Green Thumb Farm that were grown by our
farmers…Vegetables, Herbs, Flowers, etc. (and maybe get a 10% discount…see #6)
5.
Odds are that you’ll have a good time (if
bringing young children, make whatever arrangements you need for walking on
muddy, uneven terrain regarding strollers, etc.)
6.
You can check out the farm stand and buy
things at a 10% discount!!! I’ll be bringing home some Flowers if we
don’t get a Flower Share this week (which so far we’re not, but things can
change at the list minute).
2.The CSA doesn’t need you this week (but I know we will
soon enough)
We’re talking about working at the CSA.
We have the help we need for this week. Whoo-hoo!
If you didn’t already get an email from Rene 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.
HOWEVER, 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.CSA 101…Bring Bags!
CSA basic, for this CSA anyway, is that you need to
bring your own supply of bags for packing up your CSA share every week from now
till December 8th!
So, my suggestion…put bags that you’re setting aside for
your CSA share in EVERY vehicle you own or might ride in! J 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.
And if you send someone to pick up your CSA share for
you, you need to tell them to…BRING BAGS!
4.Help change the world with a click…
A.
Less than 1% of our farmland is devoted to
organic farming, and our tax dollars are used to support the use of pesticides
and GMO foods.
Click here if you want more certified organic food grown in
the USA…
B.
Yet another reason for eating local and organic
(and there’s a LOT of them)…
Because of the water shortages in California, they’re using
wastewater from fracking to water food crops in California. This is not a good
idea. If you’re not in favor of this practice, click here…
They’re allowing this for organic produce from California.
However, buying organic would be better than not…even in this situation.
How much produce in the stores comes from California? A lot…
5.The List - subject to change without notice
because…farming is like that!
June 16, 2016
Week #3
1.Lettuce: Leaf, Red – 1 head
2.Swiss Chard - 1 bunch
3.Scallions – 1 bunch
4.Strawberries – 1 quart
5.Lavendar – 1 bunch (yes, it’s a culinary Herb…don’t want
to experiment? Put it in a vase, or dry and smell for sweet dreams J …I keep it hanging in the back of my car
for a natural air freshener)
Total Items: 5
6.More reasons to eat and buy organic…
We have control over what we put on and in our bodies (and
the products we use in our homes and yards), and can raise our voices to clean
up our environment so this story doesn’t have to be as discouraging as I
originally found it to be...
And while that story may sound discouraging, this one gives
hope and something to do (spoiler alert…eat organic J ), and it’s pretty impressive…
7.Event Listings…both near and far
Saturday, June 18th
10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, OR 1:30pm
Annual CSA Strawberry Picking Tour
Green Thumb Farm
2 Rose Hill Rd (intersection of Rose Hill Rd and Montauk
Hwy…not at the farm stand)
Water Mill
FREE (for CSA members and immediate family only)
For more info or questions:
631-726-1900 (7 days a week between 9:30am and 4:30pm)
This event is for CSA members and their immediate families
only. If you’re sharing a CSA with someone, usually one person comes on the
June farm tour, and the other will come to the October farm tour.
This is a 1 hour walking tour lead by the next
generation gang at Green Thumb Farm…Farmer Jesse (our brand new CSA farm
organizer), Farmer Ray (Jesse’s brother) and Farmer Clinton (good friend of Ray
and Jesse)…through one of the fields that will last about 45 minutes in length,
and then you’ll be given a basket to go out into the fields and pick
Strawberries!
So far (as of June 9th) the weather for this day
is 81, mostly sunny, with a 20% chance of rain and 9 mph winds. This would only
be cancelled if there were torrential rain storms. Last year I was picking
Strawberries in a light misty rain.
My personal recommendation of where to eat afterwards (or
before depending on when you’re planning on going to the farm…they open at
11am) is Bay Burger in Sag Harbor. Not too far away from the farm and
reasonably priced (for the area). They have 2 veggie burger options and grass
fed beef (not on the menu online), as well as usually 2 local vegetable
sides from local farms (not on the menu online), local craft beer (not on the
menu online), and locally made ice cream AND they bake their own buns for the
burgers (who does that???). I don’t eat much fried anything anymore, but their
fried fish sandwich is something I make an exception for. Happy to give other
suggestions.
2pm
Healthy Planet Lecture featuring Dr. Will Tuttle
Huntington Public Library
338 Main St
Huntington
FREE
For more info about Healthy Planet…
Come and hear Dr. Will Tuttle (former Zen monk, author,
musician, vegan) give a talk based on his #1 Amazon bestselling book The World
Peace Diet! And continue the experience by attending the Healthy Planet Dinner
Outing (see below). FYI – Healthy Planet founder, Bob DiBenedetto, is a member
of Green Thumb CSA – Huntington this year!
For more info about the speaker, Will Tuttle…
4:30pm
Healthy Planet Dinner Outing
Hikudo Asian Bistro & Sushi
329 Main St
Huntington
$25 – Healthy Planet Members/$30 – General Public
For reservations:
Call 631-421-5591
Or email info@healthy-planet.org
For more info about Healthy Planet…
Join the folks who were at the lecture from across the
street (see above) and Dr. Will Tuttle to dine on a non-GMO, vegan meal, and
socialize!
8.Organic Greenmarkets (same as farmers markets)
On Long Island, we actually have the only two all organic greenmarkets
in New York State!
Port Washington Greenmarket
At the Town Dock off Main St
Saturdays, 8am to 12pm, from June 11th to October
29th
Sea Cliff Greenmarket
St. Luke’s Church
253 Glen Ave
Saturdays, 9am to 1pm, June 11th to October 29th
9.What you actually got last week (not always what was in
the email the week before because farming is like that regarding occasional
last minute changes)
June 9, 2016
Week #2
1.
Strawberries – 1 quart - $7.00
2.
Lettuce: Romaine, Green – 1 head -
$3.00
3.
Rhubarb – 1 bunch - $3.50
4.
Oregano – 1 bunch - $3.00
5.
Curly Cress – 1 bunch - $3.50
Total Items: 5
Total Amount: $20.00
(since we pay $18.50 per week for our CSA share, we got
$1.50 more than we paid for BUT last week we got $.50 less, SO that means at
the moment, our farmer has given us $1.00 more than we paid for up to this
point. Over the course of the CSA year…and over the years…we have gotten at
least one, and sometimes up to two, share’s worth of food that we didn’t pay
for…so keep reading this and see how it plays out from week to week)
Herb Share – June 1A
Chives, Garlic AND Cilantro
Flower Share – Week #1
Sweet Williams
10.How I managed to keep my Strawberries looking (and
tasting) pretty good for a week without freezing them!
Why aren’t they already gone? I’m the only one that eats
them in my household (go figure!).
Step one…as soon as I got back from the CSA I dumped my
Strawberries on a paper towel and inspected for any that needed to be
chucked…there was one.
Step two…line box that Strawberries came in with two layers
of paper towels (fresh produce rots faster when damp/wet)
Step three…place Strawberries back in box with the lighter
color ones on the bottom (darker ones are closer to being ripe/overripe and
need to be eaten sooner)
Step four…place a layer of 2 paper towels over the top of
the box (again…keeps moisture away from berries as they’re absorbed by the
paper towels)
Step five…place in a paper bag (again…absorbing
moisture…plastic bags attract moisture)
Step six…then place the paper bag in a plastic bag and seal
(want berries to be dry but not too dry)
Step seven…when I get out my almost daily dose of berries,
dump whole container out, take the ones that look darker and need to be eaten
first, re-line with 2 layers of paper towels, put the other layer on the top
(or replace if damp), back in the paper bag, back in the plastic bag, and
they’ve lasted me a week!
Not as big a deal as it seems when you write it all out.
Much better than ending up with fuzzy inedible Strawberries!
11.And now…for something completely different!
Not what one would exactly call health food, BUT they are
works of culinary art! J
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