Green Thumb Farm Huntington CSA

Greetings…

Originally, I thought the saddest thing I’d be talking about today would be the upcoming retirement of Rev. Paul Ratzlaff (UUFH minister and CSA member) and mentioning the upcoming events around that, that are going on this weekend (Saturday, Jan 14th a Celebration of Rev Paul, and Sunday, Jan 15th, his final service at the UUFH…see below for details and read why Rev Paul is being celebrated – I’m planning on attending both). Rev Paul was the first and only (so far) UUFH minister to join the CSA in the 13 years the CSA has been at the UUFH, and was an active CSA member (he put in his hours every year of his membership). He will be missed.

However, I’d just gotten an email this evening that had me add some things that I wish I didn’t have to add under upcoming events...

CSA and UUFH member, Dove Thomas, died this week…way too young and, of course, way too soon. I just received an email from UUFH and CSA member, Amy Olander, letting me know. I was aware that Dove had ventricular fibrillation issues but have no details as to what happened so this may or may not have had anything to do with her passing. My last memory of her is sitting at the sign-in table one of the last weeks of the CSA (maybe the last one?) knitting away as she was often seen doing at the CSA when putting in her work hours. She was a skilled and artful knitter and I’d always admire whatever it was that she was working on. I tried Googling her to see if there were any obituary notices yet, and only saw her name listed in the many running events she participated in as she was a longtime runner. I hear that many runners have v-fib issues. Dove was also an Adult Services Librarian at the Northport – East Northport Public Library, as well as a volunteer docent at the Northport Historical Society. She is survived by her husband, Jim, and children, Sharon and Kenny.

There will be an open house today, Friday, Jan 13th , and a memorial service on Sunday, Jan 15th. I’ll be going to the open house after the LI Ag Forum on Friday, and will be at the UUFH service on Sunday (earlier for Paul and later for Dove). See below for details.


Here’s a quickie uplifting thing to do…click to help prevent the overuse of antibiotics in food animal production…
https://secure3.convio.net/pew/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=1266&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=w3zfj6n9t1.app340a

This weekend you might want to check out The Food Channel (if you have cable and you have this channel) and watch The Big Waste. It’s on Saturday at 4pm and Sunday at 5pm and if you have a DVR, please record it, put it on a disc, and let me have it so I can make a copy!
First class chefs Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, Anne Burrell and Alex Guarnaschelli tackle one of the most massive problems in food today - waste! Divided into two teams, with only 48 hours on the clock, they are challenged to create a multi course gourmet banquet worthy of their great reputations for 100 people, but with a big twist; they can only use food that is on its way to the trash. The chefs' hunt takes them from grocery aisles to produce farms, and orchard lines to garbage piles, as they attempt to source enough ingredients to feed a gathering crowd. Bobby and Michael square off against Anne and Alex, as they challenge their views of food waste and how and why it is created.
Friday is the remaining day for the yearly Long Island Agriculture Forum put on by the LI Farm Bureau with workshops in sustainable farming and sustainable vitaculture (Farmer Bill and I will be attending). Thursday night’s lecture by Brian Halweil (author of Eat Here: Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket, and the editor of Edible East End, Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn) was really good and I got him to agree to come to the Cinema Arts Centre to do a talk at some point soon (hopefully it will be the first and not the last as he is a smart cookie and an entertaining educator)…I’ve only been communicating with him for many years (since I met him at the Ross School in the Hamptons when Ann Cooper, the Renegade Lunch Lady, was still there) and have been turned down just as many times but I think it will finally happen.

Friday is the book reading and signing at Book Revue of CSA member, Randi Gould’s novel, Dreamland.

ALSO…if you want to learn about growing food and other things organically, and gardening in general…GO TO THE SPRING GARDENING SCHOOL ON EITHER APRIL 14TH OR 21ST!!!!! (see below)


Upcoming events…

Friday, January 13th

9am to 5pm

LI Agriculture Forum
Suffolk County Community College
Riverhead
$45
For more info and to register:
http://www.lifb.com/

If you’re VERY interested in farming, botany, bugs and the environment…this may be the event for you!


Noon to 8pm

Dove Thomas’ Open House Memorial
7 Reservoir Avenue
Northport


7pm

Dreamland: a Novel – Book One (reading and signing with CSA member and co-author Randi Gould)
Book Revue
313 New York Ave
Huntington
FREE
For more info:
http://www.bookrevue.com/PianaGould.html

Join CSA member and co-author Randi Gould for a reading, discussion and book signing for her new novel…Dreamland.

Inspired by a real life incident, this chilling event catapults readers into DREAMLAND, a contemporary story about the fragility of chasing the American dream. Much like the movie Crash, the plot of this character-driven serial drama focuses on three couples from different social classes and the ways in which their lives collide and intertwine. Written in a propulsive and muscular style, DREAMLAND delves headlong into the economic and racial tensions that underlie American life, the determination to make one’s mark, and the menace of techno vandalism that threatens to strip us of our privacy


Saturday, January 14th

6pm

Celebration of Rev Paul
UUFH
107 Browns Rd
Huntington

Taken from the 1/9/12 issue of The Beacon…not sure why they didn’t mention that Rev Paul started the Friday morning meditation group at the UUFH…

Rev. Paul Ratzlaff has dedicated the past 40 years to caring for people, working towards social justice, and pursuing equal rights for all members of our society.

He was born in Kingston, Jamaica. His family moved to New Jersey, back to Jamaica and then to Portland, Oregon where he spent his teen years. His early years were dominated by a strict evangelical father. In a bold and courageous move, he broke away from his father’s control in his mid twenties when he returned home for Easter and refused Communion. He married the love of his life, Barbara, in 1973 and they have two grown children: a son Ian and a daughter Hannah, who both live close by.

Rev. Paul became the settled minister of the UUFH in 2004 and since then has been actively involved in much of our social justice work. He has distinguished himself as a kind and deeply caring leader. He has found ways to bring so many of us together through respect and acceptance including bridging the gap between “theists” and “humanists.” While at the UUFH, he encouraged our involvement with the HIHI Project for the homeless. He directed the RE program to continue through June to encourage students and families to participate in Gay Pride Sunday. He guided our involvement in the Long Island Leadership Institute. He has led or served on many public service committees including the Public Issues Committee for the L.I. Council of Churches, L.I. Jobs for Justice, the Mobilized Interfaith Coalition Against Hunger on Long Island, and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

Rev. Paul is a humble and selfless individual. He is a compassionate and loving person who cares deeply about our Fellowship. He is proud to be a Unitarian Universalist and a liberal religious thinker, and is a wonderful example of how to live a good UU life.


Sunday, January 15th

10:30am

A Wonderful Dance…final UUFH service lead by Rev Paul Ratzlaff
UUFH
107 Browns Rd
Huntington

Written by Rev Paul…
As I celebrate my retirement from UU ministry, I will continue the dance theme with which I began my ministry. It’s been a wonderful dance! Indeed over the more than seven years that I have served with you, I have been encouraged to make rich efforts to improve our world, thanks to you! The family portion will observe Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, and the choir will sing.

Our annual tradition of passing a special collection plate on Martin Luther King Sunday in support of anti-racism, anti-oppression work within the UUA family continues at this service. Forty percent of the collection will go to UUA initiatives nationwide, while the remaining 60% will support our own Fellowship's social justice work in combating bias. Ring in 2012 by attending this farewell service while supporting Journey Toward Wholeness in its mission to oppose racism and create equity in diversity.


2pm

Dove Thomas’ Memorial Service
UUFH
107 Browns Rd
Huntington

Simple flowers to help decorate the UUFH in celebration of Dove are encouraged.


Friday to Sunday, January 20th to 22nd

30th Annual Organic Farming and Gardening Conference
NOFA-NY Winter Conference 2012
The Cooperative Economy
Saratoga Springs
New York
For more info and to register:
http://www.nofany.org/events/winter-conference


Saturday to Saturday, January 21st to 28th

Spa Cooking at Rancho la Puerta with Bhavani
Tecate, Mexico
For more info and to register:
http://www.rancholapuerta.com/activities/events/ev120121.html

Rancho La Puerta encompasses 3,000 picturesque acres, including a a six-acre organic farm! Rancho La Puerta’s Cooking School hosts cooking classes that celebrate the magic that happens whenever good cooks use just-picked local, seasonal, organically grown ingredients. This sensory experience, combined with your opportunity to cook, side-by-side with Bhavani, and then sit down to a fine meal you helped prepare, provides an unforgettable culinary experience.

Bhavani offers three hands-on cooking classes during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta's culinary center. You also will have the opportunity to harvest produce from their organic garden, Tres Estrellas.

February 15th

3rd Annual No Farms, No Food Rally
Albany
For more info:
http://newyork.farmland.org/new-york-policy/2012-no-farms-no-food%c2%ae-rally-%e2%80%94february-15-albany

Join farmers, food advocates, local officials, environmentalists and other New Yorkers at the State Capitol to urge state leaders to support funding and legislation that protects farmland and the environment, increases the availability of nutritious food grown in New York and strengthens the farm and food economy. Bus transportation roundtrip from New York City to Albany will be available. Online registration is coming soon!


Friday and Saturday, February 24th and 25th

Fri – 8am to 7:30pm
Sat – 8am to 6pm

Eat. Work. Grow the Movement: Just Food’s 2012 Conference
Food and Finance High School
525 W 50th St
NYC
$15 to $50
To purchase tickets:
http://jfconference2012.eventbrite.com/
For more info:
http://justfood.org/events

Join Just Food, local food lovers and advocates, CSA members, community gardeners, urban and rural farmers, food professionals and entrepreneurs for two days of hands-on workshops, discussions, skill building sessions, and good food. Learn about cooking and food preservations techniques, CSA trends and the food justice movement in NYC and beyond, as well as ways you can mobilize to create good food projects in your own community.

On Friday, we’ll conclude with a Good Food Jobs Fair and on Saturday, we’ll celebrate the end of the conference with an Expo featuring exemplary local food artisans, sustainable businesses, and organizations.


Wednesday, February 29th

13th Annual Organic Turf Show
For more info and to register:
631-963-5454
http://neighborhood-network.org/index.htm

The Neighborhood Network Turf Show, which is designed for turf care professionals, features vendors of 100% natural horticulture products, and workshops on organic care of lawns, athletic fields, and even non-toxic indoor pest control. Come learn about the latest in organic turf and land care.

More info TBA.


Saturday, March 31st

1st Long Island CSA Fair
Cinema Arts Centre
432 Park Ave
Huntington
FREE

Will include a showing of the movie The Real Dirt on Farmer John (great CSA theme in it).


Saturday, April 14th

8:30am to 4pm

Spring Gardening School
The Academy of St Joseph
Brentwood
$55 (includes continental breakfast, box lunch, afternoon refreshments, soil test, plant diagnosis and exhibits)/$50 if you register before March 2nd
For more info and to register:
http://ccesuffolk.org/2012-spring-gardening-school/2012-04-14

Copy of the registration brochure that lists the classes being given…
http://ccesuffolk.org/assets/galleries/Gardening/SGS2012811.pdf

This is a GREAT opportunity to learn about gardening (mostly organic) AND attend a plant sale of the highest quality AND participate in a raffle of some very lovely prizes. Take my word on this…I can’t imagine you’d be disappointed if you’re interested in growing plants of any sort. I’ve attended a bunch of years and will be going again this year on April 21st. I’d go both days but the LI Small Farm Summit is today otherwise I’d be here. Teachers I’d recommend are Peter Garnham, Caroline Kiang, Colette Mealy-Wampole, Sandra Menasha, Sharon Ott, and Dr. Tamson Yeh…not that the others probably aren’t wonderful but these are people I know and have studied with before (Kiang/Mealy-Wampole/Ott/Yeh), or that I’ve wanted to study with. PS – the food provided has been, in the past, standard college cafeteria fare…you might want to bring your own. That said…if you take a class at places like the Brooklyn Botanic Garden or the NY Botanic Garden, one class might be more pricey than the full day of classes/workshops you get here. It’d be a bargain at twice the price.


Small Farm Summit 2012
Hofstra University
900 Fulton Ave
Hempstead
For more info or to volunteer and get involved:
http://www.longislandsmallfarmcentral.com/

Keynote speakers: Will Allen, CEO of Growing Power (featured in the movie Fresh) and Chef Ann Cooper, the Renegade Lunch Lady (former executive chef of the Ross School in East Hampton).


Saturday, April 21st

8:30am to 4pm

Spring Gardening School
Riverhead Middle School
Riverhead
$55 (includes continental breakfast, box lunch, afternoon refreshments, soil test, plant diagnosis and exhibits)/$50 if you register before March 2nd
For more info and to register:
http://ccesuffolk.org/2012-spring-gardening-school/2012-04-14

Copy of the registration brochure that lists the classes being given…
http://ccesuffolk.org/assets/galleries/Gardening/SGS2012811.pdf

This is a GREAT opportunity to learn about gardening (mostly organic) AND attend a plant sale of the highest quality AND participate in a raffle of some very lovely prizes. Take my word on this…I can’t imagine you’d be disappointed if you’re interested in growing plants of any sort. I’ve attended a bunch of years and will be going again this year on April 21st. Teachers I’d recommend are Peter Garnham, Caroline Kiang, Colette Mealy-Wampole, Sandra Menasha, Sharon Ott, and Dr. Tamson Yeh…not that the others probably aren’t wonderful but these are people I know and have studied with before (Kiang/Mealy-Wampole/Ott/Yeh), or that I’ve wanted to study with. PS – the food provided has been, in the past, standard college cafeteria fare…you might want to bring your own. That said…if you take a class at places like the Brooklyn Botanic Garden or the NY Botanic Garden, one class might be more pricey than the full day of classes/workshops you get here. It’d be a bargain at twice the price.

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