Happy Autumn!
Did anyone make it out to the farm the other weekend? If you
did, I’d love to hear about it. BUT, the times they are a changin’ and we ARE
having a rain date for the first time ever!
*Call now for your CSA farm tour reservation…Saturday,
November 12th is SERIOUSLY the last time we’ll be able to visit our farm this
year and get a behind the scenes tour! See Events Listings below for details.
The CSA hours are from 3:30pm to 7:30pm (and if
pre-arranged a pre-packed CSA Share can be picked up at the Box Office from
7:30pm till 10pm). There seems to be some confusion about this as some
folks are showing up anywhere from 2:30pm onwards, and think it ends ???
IMPORTANT CSA DATES…
Thursday, November 17th - if we’re not
outside under the overhang like we were in October, we will probably be located
down the driveway at the Senior Center Cafeteria, and the hours will be the
same (though please be kind as we usually have an hour to set up the CSA…and
need the whole hour…but this week we’ll be lucky if we get a half hour so
please be prepared to wait if we’re not set up yet and we’ll do our best to
hustle our collective bustles).
Wednesday, November 23rd – Thanksgiving
week pickup…we MIGHT be starting the CSA earlier than 3:30pm as some folks
would like to get their Thanksgiving vittles ASAP to either start cooking or
get on the road
Thursday, December 8th – the last CSA
pickup day for 2016 L - will get
2017 info to you as soon as I get it from the farm (could be any time from now
to April 2017…will keep y’all posted, and you can always contact me)
CSA Weather report…56, sunny and breezy (your
car is still a bit warmer than it is outside in the sun, so not ideal for
leaving CSA food in your car…it’s happiest at about 40 degrees)!
Keep in mind…any time you try a food you’ve never
eaten before…
1.
Do some reading about what it is, and find out
if there are medical contraindications if you’re on medication or have health
issues
2.
Eat a single serving size and give it 24 hours
to see how your body reacts (some might be fine, a lot might not)
3.
When in doubt how to cook something, look to the
countries that have been using it for decades/centuries, and see what they do
and don’t do
4.
Any questions, don’t hesitate to ask
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 (can be
different every week but 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 the message and someone showed up to get their food and was not
happy their food wasn’t there) 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 (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).
*Keep in mind that anything you read in this email (unless
it’s directly related to the functioning and operation of the CSA) is
subjective and like they say in the 12 step world…take what you like and leave
the rest!
This week’s email includes…
1. The
CSA doesn’t need you this week (but we will soon enough)
2. CSA
101 – Bring Bags!!!
3. Any
picky eaters in your household/life?
4. The
List- subject to change without notice because…farming is like that
5. Click…and
help change the world
6. Event
Listings…both near and far
7. Want
to be an organic farmer and run a CSA? Or know anyone who’s interested?
8. What
you actually got last week
9. Like
Vietnamese food? Go here now!
10. And now for something completely different…
1. The CSA doesn’t need you this week (but 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).
2.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!
3.Any picky eaters in your household/life?
One of our CSA members mentioned how one of their kids won’t
eat Sweet Potatoes or Winter Squash (but will eat Carrots), and I suggested
perhaps hiding any problematic vegetal material (getting it into one’s bod by
any means necessary). It may or
may not work, and may or may not be a good idea, but here’s an interesting piece
and discussion about said subject…
There are two cookbooks that seemed to have spearheaded the
most recent “hiding foods in recipes” trend…
Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld (wife of Jerry)…
The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine (former publisher of
Eating Well magazine)…
Are you or your child a supertaster? If so, you might want
to try and get some of those unappealing foods in your diet anyway, because
they do find supertasters have higher rates of certain diseases like cancer
because they avoid eating foods that could prevent the diseases they’re
getting…
An article on vegetable haters…how to start eating
vegetables…written by a vegetable hater!
4.The List - subject to change without notice
because…farming is like that!
November 10, 2016
Week #24
1.Mei Quing Choi – 1 bunch
2.Tomatoes, Mini – 1 pt
3.Garlic – ¼ lb. (1 bag)
4.Peppers, Sweet – 1.25 lbs. (1 bag)
5.Squash, Winter - 1
Total Items: 5
Herb Share – Nov 1A
Cilantro AND Parsley
5.Click…and help change the world
New research links the chemicals in Roundup to serious
health risks, including cancer and reproductive problems. What's worse, nearly
300 million pounds of Roundup and other similar herbicides are used on farms in
the United States every year (though not on certified organic farms like ours).
It’s already been found in our waterways, in our food, and in our bodies,
posing a danger to our health and our environment so, tell the EPA to ban
Monsanto’s Roundup until it’s been proven safe…
6.Event Listings…both near and far
Thursday, November 10th
10am to 11am
iEat Green online radio show with Bhavani Jaroff
888-874-4888 (to call in during the live show with
questions)
And if you miss it, you can listen in the archives.
Saturday, November 12th
10:30am to 6pm
Change Food
Cinema Arts Centre
423 Park Ave
Huntington
FREE (this is a BARGAIN…if you were to go see this live in
NYC the ticket prices range from $325 to $600 for this 3 day event…only one is
being streamed for viewing parties)
For more info:
This is the event that was formerly called TEDex, and now
it’s been reorganized and named Change Food. It’s being co-presented with Slow
Food North Shore.
To see the lineup of speakers…
Check out and see that you’ll be sharing this experience
with folks from across our country and around the world…
Light refreshments will be provided.
11am OR 12pm
CSA Pumpkin Picking Hay Ride Tour!
Green Thumb Farm
Water Mill
FREE
Call to reserve your seat(s) on the wagon (space is
limited)…
631-726-1900 (9:30am to 4:30pm Mon to Sun)
This farm tour is for CSA members and their immediate family
ONLY! If you’re sharing a CSA share with someone, only one person/family can
attend (people sharing usually divide the farm tours with one going in June and
the other in October) and you need to use the CSA member’s name as the farm
doesn’t recognize CSA share partners.
You’ll be getting a tractor pulled hayride to see a
different part of the farm then we did in June, a discussion of the fall
harvest, and a visit with the farm’s critters.
Everyone attending can pick a Pumpkin to bring home. In full
disclosure…the Pumpkins are not certified organic, and they are not grown at
Green Thumb Farm. Why? These are Pumpkins grown for carving and not eating
(though you certainly are welcome to eat the seeds and the Pumpkin if you’d
like).
12pm to 5pm (optional health screening starts at 8am)
Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Breast Cancer Seminar
Hunterdon Central High School
84 Rt 31
Flemington, NJ
$59.95 (plus $29.95 if interested in optional non-invasive
health screening)
To register and for more info…
Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s slant is vegan and calls his
diet…nutritarian. Author of the book, Eat to Live, and many others.
Sunday, November 20th
2pm to 6pm
Healthy Planet’s 23rd Annual Turkey-free
Thanksgiving Dinner & Lecture
Sustainability Institute
Molloy College
7180 Republic Airport
Farmingdale
$10 – Members/$15 – Public (add $10 to each ticket if
planning to eat and not bringing a dish to share)/FREE – children under 12
years old
For more info and reservations:
631-421-5591
This year’s speaker is Dr. Robert Ostfeld, MD, Director and
Founder of the Cardiac Wellness Program at Montefiore Medical Center.
Event schedule…
2pm – live music, complementary soup
3pm – potluck dinner with some extra foods provided by local
eateries
4:30pm – lecture
Stay for the whole event, or attend any part(s) of this
yearly fun-filled and educational event.
Sunday, November 27th
12 noon
Gary Null presents…Plant Codes: unleashing nature’s healing
powers
Cinema Arts Centre
423 Park Ave
Huntington
To purchase tickets (this may sell out)…
$10 Members/$15 General Public (includes reception)
Join Gary Null as he presents his latest documentary on the
power of food, and how eating habits are destroying health and causing
irreversible damage to the planet. There will be a Q & A after the film as
well as a reception.
Saturday, December 3rd
10am to 4pm
Rodale Institute Open House
611 Siegfriedale Rd.
Kutztown, PA
FREE
For more info:
Come to the farm to take pix with Santa, buy organic Xmas
trees/wreaths/swags in the Garden Store, and enjoy organic treats while sitting
by the fire.
7.Want to be an organic farmer and run a CSA? Or know
anyone who’s interested?
The Rodale Institute has an opportunity for someone who
wants to be an organic farmer, run a CSA, and willing to move to PA.
Here’s the details…
8.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)
November 3, 2016
Week #23
1.Kale: Curly, Green – 1 bunch - $3.75
2.Tomatoes, Mini: Grape, Red OR Grape, Yellow OR Sungold – 1
pt. - $5.50
3.Beans, Snap: Green - .75 lbs. - $3.00
4.Lettuce: Crisp, Green – 1 head - $3.00
5.Sweet Potatoes – 2 lbs. - $4.75
Total Items: 5
Total Amount: $20.00
(Since we pay $18.50 per week for our CSA share, this week
we got $1.50 more than we paid…SO, that means at the moment our farmer has
given us $22.25 more than we paid for up to this point. That’s a little over
one week’s CSA share FREE! 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)
9. Like Vietnamese food? Go here now!
My favorite farm-to-table Vietnamese restaurant, Bun*ker, is
closing this week and the last day is Sunday (Saturday and Sunday for lunch
might be the less crowded times and you can call to find out how the wait
is…they don’t take reservations)…
However, they will be opening their new, larger space as of
November 29th (so they say…I won’t believe it till I see it as
opening restaurants in NYC is a nightmare, and they already thought they were
opening in October and that came and went).
While the new place will be amazing, the old space is just
so quirky and funky (and tiny…it only seats about 16 to 20 people)…it will be
missed, and so I don’t want you to miss out on it! We’ve eaten everything on
the menu and it’s all good. Bun*ker was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
and yes, I did get to meet Guy Fieri and he’s a really nice guy (and his
bitchin’ Camaro is indeed bitchin’!).
I’ve been thinking about starting a CSA dining club if
there’s enough interest, and the new space could be one of our road trips.
10. And now for something completely different…
Leave it to the Japanese to do something like this…mosaic
sushi (well, we do eat with our eyes as well as our tastebuds J )!
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