Week #2 June 11, 2015

Happy Spring!

This is the second week, of the 18th year, for Green Thumb CSA – Huntington, at our CSA’s new location at the Cinema Arts Centre’s Sky Room Café (423 Park Ave, Huntington)! It’s going to take a while for the CSA to get its bearings in the new space so please be patient. 

Strawberry Picking CSA Farm Tour coming up at our farm (Green Thumb Farm) in Water Mill on Saturday, June 20th (read #5 and #6 for details).

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 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 a Tomato & Mozarella Bruschetta plus a 16 oz bottle of water for $4.00 (while supplies last), plus they have a new Fiesta Salad. It’s a mix of romaine lettuce and spring mix, topped with spanish rice, salsa, black beans, jalapenos, cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots. Sprinkled with tortilla strips and cheddar cheese and paired with a creamy ranch dressing for $8.


This email contains…

1.We bag our own!
2. The CSA doesn’t need you this week (but I know we will  )
3.This week’s list…occasionally subject to change without prior notice because farming is like that!
4.Veggie Info Sheets
5. News from the Farm
6.Events (things to do both near and far)
7.Produce wrangler and counselor
8.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!

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. The CSA doesn’t need you this week (but I know we will  )

We’re talking about working at the CSA.

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.

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  ).

And, for some reason EVERYONE wants to work on June 18th so I’ll tell y’all right now that only 6 people are needed, so you’ll get an email from Hayley, our CSA work coordinator, to let you know if you’re on the schedule (if you don’t get an email, you’re not).



3.This week’s list…occasionally subject to change without prior notice because farming is like that!

June 11, 2015
Week #2

1.Strawberries
2.Lettuce
3.Asparagus
4.Rhubarb
5.Beans, Black Turtle: Dried (take the Beans out of the pods…I found out last year that not everyone knows this)

Total Items: 5

Flower Share – Week #1 (?)

Herb Share – June 1A
???



4.Veggie Info Sheets

The attachments to this email are your Veggie Info Sheets. You’ll be getting them every week, and if you print them out and put them in a notebook (and put in plastic sleeves if you want to keep them clean), you’ll have a CSA cookbook by the end of the CSA season!



5. News from the Farm

This is the start of our 20th CSA season (20 years in NYC). The years seem to go by so fast. As the season begins, we would like to welcome back all of our returning CSA members who’ve supported our local, seasonal, certified organic, family farm though the years, and also welcome all our new first time members as well…A MOST GRATEFUL AND JOYOUS WELCOME TO YOU ALL!!!

As June begins, in the first few weeks we will have Strawberries, Rhubarb, Onions, Lettuces and herbs (many of our herbs, especially Oregano, Thyme, Savory and Mint can be dried or frozen as well as used fresh).

We’ll have several types of Peas (Sugar Snap, Chinese flat pod aka Snow, and shelling) ripening by the middle of the month. Our farm is seasonal, so enjoy each vegetable, herb and fruit while it’s here, because it’s only here for a short time, and then the next ones arrive…Snap Beans, Summer Squash, Tomatoes, Beets, Carrots, Broccolis, and all sorts of other crops.

Welcome to your Green Thumb Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program for another year!!!

Our Strawberry Picking CSA Farm Tour is a walking tour, and will be held on Saturday, June 20th. We’ll be meeting in the field on Rose Hill Road near the corner of Montauk Highway. The tour times are 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm and 1:30pm. For more info you can call the farm at 631-726-1900 between 9:30am and 4:30pm. This tour is for CSA members and their immediate family members only! If CSA members are sharing with someone often one person visits the farm in June, and the other will visit in October when we go Pumpkin picking.

Organically yours,
Farmer Bill (Halsey)


6.Events

Friday, June 12th

7:00pm to 9:00 pm - doors open at 6:30

Art in Concert
Huntington Fine Arts
266 E Pulaski Rd
Greenlawn, NY 11740
$20 in advance (RSVP by June 9th but maybe it’s still not too late)/$25 at the door
For more info and to get tickets:
631-351-4060
huntingtonfinearts@gmail.com
www.huntfinearts.com

CSA member Lenore Hanson is the Associate Director over at Huntington Fine Arts and she’s excited about this fun evening of art making and music. There will be two models and a jazz band composed of four young students from the Manhattan School of Music. Participants should bring art supplies to draw, paint or sculpt, and friends for a fun evening of live music, live models and light refreshments! The fee is to cover the cost of the models and the band.


Saturday, June 20th

10:30am to 2:30pm

Annual Strawberry Picking CSA Farm Tour
Green Thumb Farm
Montauk Highway
Water Mill
FREE
For more info:
631-726-1900 (between the hours of 9:30am and 4:30pm)

Our Strawberry Picking CSA Farm Tour is a walking tour, and will be held rain or shine (unless we’re talking torrential downpour). Dress for sun exposure and wear closed toe shoes that are appropriate for walking in dirt and mud. If you’re bringing children, the tour is one hour so plan accordingly regarding bringing a stroller that can handle a gravel/dirt road. We’ll be meeting in the field on Rose Hill Road near the corner of Montauk Highway. The tour times are 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm and 1:30pm. This tour is for CSA members of Green Thumb CSA – Huntington (and the 4 other Green Thumb Farm CSA pickup locations…at the farm, Brookhaven Labs, Cobble Hill BK and Long Island City Queens) and their immediate family members only! If CSA members are sharing with someone (who, as far as the farm is concerned, is technically not considered a CSA member…though they are happy you’re enjoying the fruits and vegetables of their labors ), often one person visits the farm in June and the other will visit in October when we go Pumpkin picking, and register using the CSA member’s name.


Wednesday, June 24th

7 to 9pm

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream Cookbook event
Powerhouse Arena
37 Main St
DUMBO, Brooklyn
FREE (ice cream for purchase from Van Leeuwen truck)
For more info about this event:
http://www.powerhousearena.com/events/book-launch-party-and-food-tasting-van-leeuwen-artisan-ice-cream-by-laura-oneill-benjamin-van-leeuwen-peter-van-leeuwen-and-olga-massov/
Must RSVP:
rsvp@powerhousearena.com

Got my RSVP in and I’m there! Anybody coming? Van Leeuwen rocks the house. And yes, they also do vegan.


Saturday, July 11th

2pm to 4pm

If I Could Write a Book: the Beverly Fite story
Cold Spring Harbor Public Library
Large Meeting Room
95 Harbor Rd
Cold Spring Harbor
FREE
Advance Registration Requested
631-692-6820

CSA member Lenore Hanson’s mother-in-law, B Hanson (also a long time CSA member), is the subject of this documentary directed by Emmy Award winning director Ron Rudaitis. B Hanson will be here for a Q & A after the film. I’ll be there…will you? 

From pre-Civil Rights Alabama to Rodgers and Hammerstein-era Broadway to present-day suburban Long Island, this whimsical and heartwarming documentary tells the story of the life, career and indomitable spirit of a truly inspiring American voice. Join B (Beverly Fite) Hanson on an emotional and revelatory journey back to Alabama in search of the real story of her father's disbarment and ultimately the meaning of her own life's journey.



7.Produce Wrangler and Veggie Counselor

In addition to being the CSA founder, organizer, and matchmaker, I’m also a Produce Wrangler and Veggie Counselor!  Please feel free to ask me/contact me about ANYTHING to do with ANYTHING you get at the CSA! I’m happy to share my knowledge about cooking, food storage, etc. and if I don’t know, I’m happy to keep on learning so we can both find out. Oh yeah, and my basic cooking style is lazy working class gourmet (few ingredients, not a lot of time, good results). I’m a fan of the Working Class Foodie videos, and I steal their credo…local, seasonal and affordable…
http://blip.tv/wcfoodies/



8.And now for something completely different…

Can you name all the cubes?
http://lernertandsander.com/cubes/

There are some doubles (Red Cabbage), and I can spot the Chiogga Beets we get at the CSA, as well as a bunch of other vegetables (and fruit…I see a Cantaloupe) you’ll see in your CSA share over the course of a season.

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