Happy Autumn!
CSA is NOT in the Sky Room Café this week!
We’ll be in our alternate location in the lobby of the building that’s located
past the garden outside of the Café to the right of the staircase going up to
the upper parking lot (or make a left if you’re coming from the upper parking
lot headed down the stairs towards the Cinema Arts Centre). The Café is being
used for a concert by the Huntington Folk Music Society and will close down
around 4:30pm, but you still can get Popcorn, drinks and limited snacks at the
small concession next to the Cinema’s Box Office.
IF you are trying to contact the CSA by phone on
Thursdays by calling the Cinema Arts Centre…KEEP CALLING till someone picks
up! The Cinema Arts Centre is having an intermittent unsolved (and so
far unsolvable) problem with people calling, it doesn’t ring at the Cinema, so
no one picks up, and people give up. You could also try calling 631-423-7611 in
addition to the usual 631-423-7610.
THANKSGIVING…next week, the CSA will be held
on Wednesday, November 21st. The time will be the same (3:30pm to
7:30pm) UNLESS we hear from the farm about an earlier start time (closing will
be the same). Will let you know if the time changes.
CSA weather report…rain/snow mix and windy
turning to all rain (hopefully it’s too warm for ice…low to mid-30s but will
feel like mid-20s)…TOO cold to leave your CSA food in the car!
Since someone just asked…last day of CSA…Thursday,
December 13th.
HURRICANE ALERT!
We’re not having a hurricane YET but please read this now…
This is hurricane season and will be followed by the
possibility of snow and ice before the CSA ends for the season. So, please be
aware…
- If you don’t get any emails on any given week, show up
to the CSA at the usual time and place, and if you’re able…show up to
offer to work at 3:30pm or 5:30pm in case there’s a need. The reasons for
non-communication could be A) computer problems (storm or no), B) power
outages, and C) the X factor (unknown at the present time but…stuff
happens).
- Keep in mind that the farm will show up and deliver
food like the post office talks about the weather…rain, sleet, etc., so
your CSA share will be at the Cinema Arts Centre waiting for you, unless
there’s several feet of snow (or a serious ice storm or flooding) and no
one is able to go anywhere. We’ve had food delivered during Hurricane
Sandy, and during snowstorms.
CSA words to live by…when trying any new food that
you’ve never eaten before…START SLOW! Read up about it (make sure
it doesn’t interfere with any medications you might be taking or any health
conditions you might have), see what traditional/conventional ways it’s
prepared (cultures that have been eating certain foods for many years basically
have a good idea what they’re doing and we can learn from that), try a small
portion, see how your body/digestive system reacts, and proceed from there.
Then try preparing in different ways and see what you come up with, and feel
free to ask for suggestion/info/recommendations!
Paraphrased wise words by a nutritionist that I read and
don’t remember where I read it or who said it, BUT it’s pretty smart info
regarding eating seasonally in our part of the globe…
Spring… is all about detoxing (what we get
from the CSA at this time is a lot of green things that are really good to help
clean us out from whatever we accumulated during the winter)
Interesting piece about spring greens (out of the 14 listed,
we get 12 of them with our CSA…watercress nutritionally and botanically similar
to Peppercress) and detoxing…
Summer is all about being hydrated (the
popular summer foods are all full of water…Tomatoes, Lettuces, Summer Squashes,
etc.)
Fall/winter is all about storing energy (we
get all the dense vegetables…in both nutrients and energy…Sweet Potatoes,
Winter Squashes, dark leafy greens, etc…. that are the energy powerhouses to
fuel us through the winter) to get you through winter to make it to…Spring!
Week #23
November 15, 2018
- Carrots* (and if we get the Carrot tops/greens…they’re
edible) – 1 bunch
- Kale** - 1 bunch
- Peppers, Sweet***
- Squash, Winter: Butternut**** - 1
- Fennel***** – 1 bunch
- Mizuna: Red – 1 bunch
Total Items: 6
*One of the world’s healthiest foods…
**One of the world’s healthiest foods…
***One of the world’s healthiest foods…
****One of the world’s healthiest foods…
*****One of the world’s healthiest foods…
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=23
DO NOT LEAVE MESSAGES FOR THE CSA WITH THE CINEMA BOX
OFFICE STAFF!!! We don’t always get the messages…at all (people
forget…and it’s not their job), and the Box Office staff doesn’t always give
correct info. Ask to be transferred to the Café to speak to someone at the CSA.
If not, the CSA will not be responsible if your food isn’t left at the Box
Office to be picked up, or for anything else you might have wanted to
communicate to the CSA staff.
This email includes…
- What you need to know
- Like Burgers (or know people who do)? Check this out…
- News from the farm
- Events…both near and far
- Contest
- What you actually got last week
- And now for something completely different…
Anything in these emails not directly related to the
functioning of the CSA feel free to take or leave at your discretion, and
anything related to health issues always consult with your physicians before
taking any actions.
1.What you need to know (will be either new info to
first time CSA members, or reminders/old hat to returning CSA members)…
Before you leave the house…BRING BAGS
to pack up your food (CSA members are responsible for packing up their own
shares) – canvas/plastic/paper…bring whatever suits your fancy. The CSA does
NOT provide bags for CSA members. If someone is picking up food for you,
please remind them to bring bags with them.
Time – 3:30pm to 7:30pm
IF you need to pick up later than 7:30pm, call the Cinema
Arts Center Box Office between 3pm to 7:30pm at 631-423-7610 xt. 0 (make sure
to ask to speak to someone at the CSA) and we can pack a bag for you and leave
it at the Box Office but it MUST be picked up before the Box Office closes
(call the Box Office to check the time…lately it’s been somewhere between 10pm
and 11pm). If not, it won’t be there on Friday.
Place – Sky Room Café in the Cinema Arts
Centre at 423 Park Ave, Huntington (if otherwise, you’ll be informed)
Parking – park in the lot all the way around
at the back of the building by the day care center (you’ll see a fenced in
playground area with a sandbox)
When you arrive at the CSA –
- Check in at the sign-in desk
- Read the Wall Chart that tells us every week what we’re
getting, how much we’re getting, and what the farm charged us for it…some
weeks it’s take one of everything but SOME WEEKS IT’S NOT!!! So you have
to make sure you read the Wall Chart every week, and not assume anything.
You can also ask your fellow CSA members that are working at the CSA that
day what the story is (they should have name tags on).
Before you leave the CSA – Make sure you have
everything on the list! If you get to talking with people, have kids with you,
etc., it can be easy to get distracted, but if you arrive home and find out you
don’t have everything that was on the list, you’re out of luck because at
7:31pm the food is donated to a local food organization that’s waiting to pick
it up and get on their way.
We send a 2nd email with the list for the week
and the Veggie Info Sheet attachments that you’ll get because of a) concern if
I send one email with attachments it might end up in junk/spam and you might
not be in the habit of looking for it there yet, and b) modern communications
technology not being all it’s cracked up to be so trying to hedge success rate
in getting info out to you.
22 out of 25 top Burger chains got a failing grade because
they don’t have policies in place to restrict the use of antibiotics (HUGE
problem wordwide) in the beef they use for Burgers…
The only ones that got an “A” were…
Shake Shack (Melville, Westbury, Lake Grove, New Hyde Park)
Working on rolling out their own Veggie Burger but for now,
they have the “Shroom” Burger that’s not vegan
Burgerfi (Woodbury, Commack, Oceanside)
Has veggie burgers and a vegan option
Bareburger (Plainview, Great Neck, Port Washington,
Rockville Center)
While not included in this survey/study (my personal fave),
they would have gotten an “A” if they were…
Has vegan and veggie burgers (however, not happy they also
serve the Impossible Burger…a GMO food not thoroughly tested or ever eaten by
humans or animals…though they’re doing animal testing which is not making some
animal rights folks very happy)
3.News from the farm
Green Thumb Farm
CSA Newsletter #9 - November 13, 2018
Hello everybody,
We are approaching the middle of
November, and it is definitely starting to feel like winter is upon us - waking
up to frosty windshields and crispy fields! Thank you to all of the
members that made it out to our final CSA tour for the year - it was great
talking to everybody and touring around a place that is so special to us - our
farm!
The crews have cleaned out the rest
of our peppers and eggplant in preparation for these days, and they will not be
around for much longer in our coolers. Brussels Sprouts are the best they
have been in over 5 years, and that is something to celebrate! Cauliflower has
been difficult finding windows for harvesting with an abundance of rain;
however, we have been getting a good amount of green and cheddar regardless - with
the white and purple varieties beginning to show its presence in the fields.
Farmers Ray and Jesse have also
begun harvesting their trial run of Turmeric last week, better late than
never(even though it is harvested early on the scheme of things)! Most of it is
a beautiful orange tint which most people are used to seeing, though it is a
little bit lighter because it is harvested young. In addition, we also
grew some black Turmeric and white mango Turmeric, which have different uses
and benefits. With less than half left to harvest, some should make its way
into the deliveries! We definitely have areas of the production to improve
upon, but have learned a lot.
The farm is getting tucked in more
and more as we approach December: tractors are getting cleaned and packed
into the barn, fields being cover-cropped, awnings have been removed, and the
trucks have all being checked and replenished with anti-freeze.
Not too many weeks of this CSA
season left, we hope you have all been enjoying it! Talk to you soon, stay
warm!
Organically Yours,
The Green Thumb Farm Family
4.Events…both near and far
Thursday, November 15th
10am to 11am
iEat Green with Bhavani online radio show
Progressive Radio Network
Always interesting guests. You can also check out the
archives for other shows.
6 to 7pm
Green Inside & Out
WUSB-FM 90.1FM
To stream online…
Host Beth Fiteni’s guests this week will be Kevin
McAllister, founder & President of Defend H2O (all about clean water for
Long Islanders to drink, and for our local environment), and Ariel Alexovich,
Associate Public Information Office for the Division of Sustainable Development
Goals for the UN
Community Solidarity’s Vegan Thanksgiving’s Bonanza Events…
Community Solidarity is the Huntington based organization
that gets any leftover food at the end of the night from Green Thumb CSA –
Huntington (we’ve worked with them for a number of years). There are TOO many
events to list and you’re better off checking out the above post to see what
they are, and to sign up if you’re interested in volunteering/attending, or
donating money.
2pm to 7pm
Healthy Planet’s 25th Annual Turkey-free
Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner & Lecture
Sustainability Institute at Molloy College
7180 Republic Airport
Farmingdale
$10 – Members/$15 – General Public/FREE – under 12 years old
(however, add $10 to each category if not bringing any food to share and
eating)
To reserve, purchase tickets and become a member of Healthy
Planet:
Come for all or part of this event…I usually show up for the
lecture and raffles
2pm – Live music, complimentary soup course, socialize
3pm – Potluck begins (bring only vegan food…see website for
details…or don’t, and eat the food provided by everyone else plus some donated
from vendors)
4:30pm – Member announcements and lecture…guest speaker to
be announced.
5:30pm – Raffles and more (our farm donates a “basket of
plenty” for this event as a raffle prize)
Friday, January 18th to Sunday, January 20th
NOFA-NY’s 37th Annual Winter Conference: Climate
of Change
Saratoga Hilton & City Center
Saratoga Springs, NY
To register and for more info (and/or to join NOFA-NY)…
NOFA is the Northeast Organic Farmer’s Association and it’s
the organization that certifies organic farms in 7 states in the northeast (NY,
NJ, RI, MA, CT, NH, VT)…long before the federal government got involved. Great
group worth joining and/or donating money to. Our CSA farm, Green Thumb Farm,
is a certified organic by NOFA-NY and has been for MANY years (somewhere
between 20 and 40).
Friday, January 25th to Sunday, February 3rd
9am to 9:30pm
The Real Truth About Health
Hilton Long Island
598 Broadhollow Rd.
Melville
FREE (vegan lunch, dinner and Ice Cream included every day)
For more info and to register (they need to have an idea of
how much food to provide, etc)…
They did it last year, and they’re doing it again! CSA
member Karen Rubino went and already told me she’s planning on going again. I
missed it, but paid to get permanent online access to all the lectures. This
year I plan to attend at least some of them (10 days 12 hours a day…quite a
commitment of time). You can also watch the lectures streaming live (and need
to register for access). Some of the speakers this year include…Brian Clement
(Hippocrates Health Institute), Joel Fuhrman MD (latest book, one of many, is
Super Immunity), Joel Kahn MD (holistic cardiologist), Vandana Shiva (I MUST go
see her… a read “shero” of mine J ),
Jeffrey Smith (expert on GMO issues), and MANY more (a total of 35 speakers).
The focus is a vegan lifestyle, but there’s something for everyone if you’re
interested in healthy living, eating, and alternative/holistic medicine.
5.Contest
Book publisher Chelsea Green (a personal fave) has a holiday
giveaway of some cookbooks (one of which is on my very long list of books to
acquire…The Occidental Arts & Ecology Cookbook)…
Get on their email list for sales alerts (there’s one coming
up with 35% everything) and 25% off your first order.
6.What you actually got last week
Week #23
November 8, 2018
- Leeks* – 1 bunch - $4.50
- Broccoli** - 1 bunch - $4.50
- Peppers, Sweet: mix*** - 1 lb. bag - $3.75
- Radish, Winter: Daikon**** - 1 ¼ lb. bag - $2.50
- Potatoes, Sweet***** - 2 lb. bag - $4.75
Total Items: 5
Total Amount: $20.00
(We pay $20 per week for our CSA share…some weeks we get a
bit more and it adds up over the course of the season. So far, the total comes
to $20.25! We seem to always get at least one CSA share’s worth of food every
year that we don’t pay for…some years two, and some between one and two…it’s
all good! J )
Herb Share – Nov 1A
Rosemary & Sage
*One of the world’s healthiest foods…
This recipe comes recommended by CSA share partner Joanne
Schenendorf… easy and tasty (and vegan)…
**One of the world’s healthiest foods…
***One of the world’s healthiest foods…
****Not sure what to do? Here’s a bunch of ideas (if we get
the greens, they’re edible too for a stir-fry or in soups/stews)…
And for its health benefits…
with a few recipes…
*****One of the world’s healthiest foods…
7.And now for something completely different…
Anyone planning on a deep-fried Turkey this Thanksgiving?
Whether you are or not, check this out…
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