Happy Autumn!
If anyone has sent me an email in the last 48 hours and I
didn’t reply, try calling me at 631-421-4864 before 1pm today to confirm if
it’s anything to do about working at the CSA today and should be confirmed. I
don’t think I’m getting all my emails (in fact, I know I’m not getting some of
them from one person and it’s a major mystery…cell phone emails – fine, work
computer – they’re going where the lost socks go!).
TROUBLING MYSTERY…Did anyone last week take
(or get, if your food was picked up by someone else) Garlic AND Beets (it was a
choice of one between the two of these foods)? Or somehow get more than one
bunch of Kale??? We were short 4 bags of Garlic, and 2 bunches of Kale at the
end of the night.
Everything item of food that can be counted at the CSA…is –
before the CSA starts, and after it ends, to make sure A) the farm gave us
enough food when they delivered it (and sometimes they don’t…no one’s perfect
and stuff happens) and B) to make sure our CSA members are taking all their
food AND/OR to see if they’re somehow taking too much.
I’d like to try and figure out how and why this happened. If
everyone showed up (which, thank goodness, they didn’t), they wouldn’t have
gotten all of their food last week and that’s not a good thing. If anyone has any
clues as to how this happened, please let me know.
PLEASE READ THE WALL CHART before starting to take
your CSA share!!! And if you have any questions, please ask. J
December 10th - last day of the
CSA…this week! Will be in touch about this and that in the coming weeks
(including info about our 2016 season…not sure if the farm wants to start in
April or June as the “youngsters” are taking over the CSA next year for the
first time, and Farmer Bill is “retiring”…at least from the CSA anyway…not from
farming).
CSA Weather Report…mild and sunny and windy, and then
mild and dark and maybe rainy…nice to have a CSA season pass by with no snow,
ice, extreme flooding, or hurricanes (all of which we’ve had in past years)!
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 J )…
1.We bag our own!
2.We don’t totally need your help this week at the CSA
but, if you wanted to put in some hours before the end of the CSA season, we
could still use a little more help between 3:30pm and 7:30pm (especially from
5:30pm to 7:30pm)…
3.This week’s list…occasionally subject to change without
prior notice because farming is like that!
4.Exchange Table this week!!!
5. Like eating fish? Check this out…
6.Carrots started out being Purple, not Orange!
7.Events (things to do both near and far) – let’s start with
these and see if the email universe will let me send them…
8.Click…you can help change the world with a click!
9. What you actually got last week
10.How Bill Gates is causing the collapse of traditional
farming and local food economies
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! 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.
2.We don’t totally need your help this week at the CSA
but, if you wanted to put in some hours before the end of the CSA season, we
could still use a little more help between 3:30pm and 7:30pm (especially from
5:30pm to 7:30pm)…
If you’re available, please..
- Respond to this email from now till 1pm, Thursday, December 3rd
- Call 631-421-4864 from now till 1pm, Wednesday, December 3rd
- Call the Cinema Box Office at 631-423-7610 xt 0 from 2:30pm to 5:30pm on Wednesday, December 3rd, and make sure you talk to someone from the CSA to let us know that you’re coming to work and when
- Just stop by the CSA a little before 3:30 or 5:30pm and see if we still need help.
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 J ).
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 J…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)! J Am glad to provide suggestions for this
one.
December 10, 2015…Last CSA pickup for 2015!
Week #28
1.Lettuce – 1 head
2.Sweet Potatoes – 1 bag
3.Beets: Chiogga OR Red – 1 bunch
4. Broccoli OR Cauliflower – 1 head
5.Collards OR Kale – 1 bunch
6.Squash, Winter - 1
Total Items: 6
4. Exchange Table this week!!!
File under…better late than never!
What’s an Exchange Table?
It starts off with 1 CSA share on a table that is designated
for the Exchange Table (if there are choices in the CSA share for the week,
whoever sets out the CSA share will make those choices so the correct number of
food items for the week will be on the table and that’s the number of food
items that will be on the table the whole night), and when the CSA opens, CSA
members have the option of taking one of their CSA Share items and exchanging it
for one of the food items on the Exchange Table.
You must exchange the ENTIRE food item (and not just part of
it) from your CSA share for the ENTIRE food item on the table (ex – you cannot
exchange ONE Sweet Potato for ONE Beet from a bunch of Beets…you have to
Exchange the whole bag…or the weight or whatever it is for that week)…and take
the whole food item and not just part of it. The reason this is being said is
because it has happened in the past when we used to do the Exchange Table on a
regular basis, and we want to make it as clear as possible as to how it works.
You can make more than one switch…the only limit is what’s
on the table that’s available to be exchanged.
There will be someone stationed at the table to walk
everyone through this.
The reason it’s never been done before this week is that we
haven’t had enough helpers working at the CSA for it to happen.
5.Like eating fish? Check this out…
You might want to consider supporting the following stores
for not selling Genetically Engineered (GE) Salmon (which the US government has
given permission to be sold to consumers…and it won’t be labeled) by shopping
here (and if you’re really ambitious, send them an email/letter thanking them
for not selling GE Salmon)…
And if you want to know why millions of other Americans have
an issue with GE fish, you can read more here…
6. Carrots started out being Purple, not Orange!
This topic came up at the CSA the other week when we had
Carrots so here’s some info on this fun fact…
Nice article on Rainbow colored Carrots (info and recipe),
and a good picture too (we have gotten these over the years at the CSA but not
necessarily every year…such is the way with farming)…
7.Events (things to do both near and far) – let’s start
with these and see if the email universe will let me send them…
Sunday, December 13th
9am to 1pm
Long Island Winter Farmers Market
Jack Abrams School
155 Lowndes Ave
Huntington Station
For more info:
In past years the one certified organic farmer there has
been D & J Organics, and here’s a lovely article about this farm and
family…
And this market runs until April 24th so it
starts about when our CSA ends, and ends about when our CSA starts!
Tuesday, December 15th
7:30pm
Holiday Vegetarian Dinner to benefit Slow Food North Shore’s
School Garden Program
Danyell’s Kitchen
225 Main St
Northport
$45 – Members/$50 – General Public
To make a reservation and for more information:
631-757-6700
Vegan and gluten-free options available. Cocktail hour with
passed hors d’oeuvres, house wine & local craft beer, salad, choice of
entrée, family style sides (potato/rice/veg), choice of dessert from Café
Portofino.
Thursday, January 14th and Friday,
January 15th
The Long Island Agricultural Forum
Suffolk Community College
121 Speonk-Riverhead Rd.
Riverhead
For more info and to register:
It’s cheaper than going to the NOFA-NY conference and
Thursday is when they have the “sustainable” workshops which is when all the
organic farmers show up. And you don’t have to be a farmer to go…just
interested in gardening, or eating healthy, and be interested in learning.
Sometimes I’ll attend other workshops to find out what the other non-organic
side of growing food is up to. They’ve had workshops on GMO crops from time to
time.
8.Click…you can help change the world with a click!
A.Join the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in
asking the USDA to ban Hot Dogs (and other processed/preserved meats) from
school lunches…
Why? The World Health Organization has declared them
carcinogenic to humans and put them in the same category as tobacco and
asbestos.
B. Tell congress that no one should have to own a smart
phone (or have to use one) to know if their food contains GMO ingredients or
not…
C. Tell Target to get rid of single use plastic bags to
fight climate change (which effects our farmers) and protect wildlife…
9.What you actually got last week
December 3, 2015
Week #27
1.Lettuce: Leaf, Green – 1 head - $3.00
2.Sweet Potatoes – 1 ½ lb bag - $3.50
3.Beets (bunch) OR Garlic (bag) – 1 - $3.50
4.Carrots – 1 bunch - $3.50
5.Kale: Lacinato – 1 bunch - $3.75
6.Squash, Winter: Butternut – 1 - $1.25
7.Broccoli – 1 - $2.50
Total Items: 7
Total Amount: $21.00
We pay $18.50 per week for the food the farmer is giving us,
and this week he’s given us $2.50 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 $27.20 total extra (that’s more than one extra CSA
share’s worth of food that we didn’t pay for…yeah! J ).
Herb Share – Dec 1A (THE END!)…our Herb Share is usually the
2nd and 4th week of the month but our farmer says it’s
coming this week and at this point in the season…I’m not going to point this
out and ask him to change it.
Arugula AND Dried Hot Chili Peppers
10. How Bill Gates is causing the collapse of
traditional farming and local food economies
I’ve been referring to Bill Gates the antichrist for a
number of years, and this is a good part of the reason why. He’s a HUGE fan of
GMO food (under the auspices of wanting to stop hunger…anyone in the world of
world hunger knows it’s a matter of distribution and that GMO crops will make
no difference at all with the issue of world hunger) and agriculture
(especially in Africa), and has helped fund and establish organizations that
LOOK sustainable/organic but when you look beyond the surface, you see they’re
GMOcentric and “green revolution” based…and in these cases the term “green
revolution” is a very bad thing (a similar “green revolution” is why thousands
of farmers in India have committed suicide – often by drinking the pesticides
they were persuaded to use with their newly introduced modern agribusiness
based farming techniques)…
This is the original website where the above article came
from…
11.And now for something completely different…
Submitted by CSA member Bettina Barbier…Chickens in sweaters
(or jumpers as they call them in England where the sweaters were made and the
chickens live)!
And then I found out about Turkeys wearing fleece coats…
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