CSA 2021 held Thursdays at the Cinema Arts Centre 423 Park Avenue, Huntington NY 11743
This year is from June 3rd to December 10th, 2021
You MUST join to get a share. Feel free to visit during any pickup and ask about the CSA if you call first to arrange your visit, you may get to take home an organic goodie. Please mention this post!
CONTACT INFO:
Attn: Suzanne
P.O. Box 1009, Huntington, NY 11743
631-421-4864
E-mail: GTCSAhuntington@gmail.com
Happy Spring!
We’re looking into options for being able to have our restaurant outings again (TBA…first one very well might be Dr. Andrew Weil’s True Food Kitchen) and we can chat about this subject at the June CSA meeting.
I visited our farm (Green Thumb Farm) a few weeks ago and our farmers (Jesse, Ray Jr., and the rest of the gang) are working hard (7am to 6pm seven days a week…soon to go to 6am to 6pm 7 days a week), and eagerly waiting to bring you the vegetables (and some fruits 😊) of their labors. Their farm stand opened on Friday, April 29th, and it’s open every day from 9am to 5pm, so if you’re in the neighborhood stop by and let them know you’re a member of Green Thumb CSA – Huntington (it always puts a smile on the faces of the Halsey family members working at the farm stand).
Organically yours,
suzanne
631-421-4864
What is a CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) brings together community members (shareholders), farmers & agricultural land in a relationship of mutual support based on an annual commitment to one another, a commitment that ensures the survival of local agriculture today & for future generations. Basically, you purchase a share in the harvest, receive the highest quality food at the lowest possible price & support local farms. There are many ways of running a CSA & differences whether the CSA is located on a farm or at a pick-up site. Three things all CSAs have in common are 1) a commitment to the CSA for a specified period of time, 2) payment made in advance of the season or the first pick-up, whichever comes first and 3) the CSA member shares in the risks & benefits of the farmer’s growing season. CSA was a concept initiated by a group of housewives in Japan approx. 60 years ago due to their concern for the ever decreasing amount of land used for farming & the increased importing of food & rising prices resulting from this. One of the first CSAs in North America was formed in 1985 in Massachusetts by Robyn Van En & Elizabeth Henderson. There are now over 7,000 CSAs farms across the country.
How does it work?
If you, or someone you know, is interested in joining, call/email & have information sent/emailed. If the season has started, stop by & visit so you can see what it’s like. Any questions? Answers are a phone call/email away. A contract is filled out & payment is made. If you join after the season has begun, Farm Fees are prorated. You then become a member/shareholder of the CSA. You have purchased a share of the farmer’s produce for the coming season and receive a weekly supply of vegetables, herbs & fruits (approx. 6 different food items per week). We receive approx. 150 varieties (6 kinds of mini-tomatoes!).
What is Green Thumb?
Halsey’s Green Thumb Organic Farm grows our produce, herbs and flowers. The farm is located in Water Mill (the Hamptons). Green Thumb Farm is one of the oldest & largest certified organic farms in NY. It’s a family farm. Brothers Jesse & Ray Halsey are 11th generation farmers. Their uncles, Bill and Larry, are farmers (10th generation). Sisters Patti & JoHanna (their mother & aunt) run the farmstand, and grandmother Peachie works there too! They’re direct descendants of Thomas “the Pilgrim” Halsey who began farming in Southampton in the 1600s. Of the farm’s approx. 130 acres, 30 acres are original family land from the 1600s, they bought more acreage over the years as they could afford it, and approx. 25 acres are leased. All the land farmed has been certified organic for over 30 years by the Northeast Organic Farmers Association (NOFA-NY), now USDA certified organic thru NOFA-NY Certified Organic LLC (www.nofany.org). Approx. 40% of the produce they grow is sold to CSA members so it’s a very important way of supporting this local farm. In addition to Huntington, Green Thumb Farm has a CSA at the farm, and CSA drop-off sites at Brookhaven Labs (employees only) & Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.
How fresh is it?
Sunday evening, the number of CSA members is given to the farm. Tuesday & Wednesday, that number is used to pick what’s needed for the CSA on Thursday. After harvesting, the produce is chilled to keep it at the peak of perfection. Thursday, it’s driven to the drop-off site in Huntington. The only way it could be fresher is if it came from your own garden. The food most people eat travels an average of 1500 to 2500 miles to their plate, most of it from Florida, California, Mexico, Central America & beyond. There’s a loss of nutrients & an expenditure of fossil fuels in the process. It helps the environment and your health to eat locally!
How many people does a CSA share feed?
It depends. What a person eats, how they prepare it & what constitutes a meal is very personal for each individual. One share will generally be sufficient for one adult vegetarian. However, juicing a grocery bag full of greens might only make juice for one day. If you are a single person, or a family who eats out/works/travels a lot, you might consider sharing a CSA share with one, or even more than one, person or family (if you don’t have anyone to share with, our CSA provides a matchmaking service...for vegetables only!). A person who takes a pint of strawberries & three stalks of rhubarb eats the strawberries in one bowl & eats the rhubarb stewed in one day, will have less to eat than a person who makes a strawberry rhubarb pie. Get the picture? Start with one CSA share & if needed, you can purchase additional shares.
How long is the season?
This year it’s a 28-week growing season from June to mid-December.
How do I get my CSA share?
CSA shares are picked up Thursdays, 3:30pm to 7:30pm, at the Green Thumb CSA - Huntington pick-up site. Come to the pick-up site & sign in. There’s a wall chart provided by the farm telling us what our CSA share is for the week. Ex: Lettuce - 1 head, Carrots OR Beets - 1 bunch, Tomatoes - 2 lbs, Leeks - 1 bunch, Parsley OR Cilantro - 1 bunch, Strawberries - 1 quart. Each CSA member bags (and sometimes weighs) their produce so bring paper, plastic, and/or canvas bags.
What if I can’t make it to the pick-up site?
You can have someone pick it up for you. They must remember to sign in & bring bags! We advise new CSA members to contact two other members who live near them for emergency pick-ups &/or pick-up rotation. There are no refunds for missed pick-ups. Any food leftover at the end of the evening is donated to local food pantries.
I hear that CSA members are asked to work at the pick-up site. What does that involve?
Each CSA member is asked to work two hours minimum, and twelve hours if you wish to receive a refund of the Work Deposit. CSA work requirements around the country range from 0 to 80 hours, the average being 20. Shift times are 3:30pm to 5:30pm, and 5:30pm to 7:30pm. You could complete the twelve hours in three evenings, six evenings, or get someone to work with you & cut the time it takes in half. Someone can work in your place (must be old enough to drive). CSAs on farms often require farm work (picking, weeding). Our CSA work requirements are fulfilled at the pick-up site putting produce on tables, explaining what it is & what to do with it, sweeping & mopping the floor to keep it clean/safe & cleaning up at the end of the night. It’s a nice opportunity to meet & greet fellow CSA members.
What’s a Flower Share & are other things available?
In addition to your basic CSA Share, you can purchase a Flower Share. Each share is a bunch of certified organic flowers available for 11 weeks (not necessarily consecutive). Buy more than one! We can also purchase Herb Shares & Bulk Tomato Shares.
What are some of the benefits of joining this CSA?
Get reasonably priced, locally grown, organic food! You support a local certified organic farm family & help them continue farming & not spend valuable time marketing their food. You’ll help the environment by supporting a farm that doesn’t use toxic substances to pollute the earth & promotes biodiversity thru a variety of crops grown for taste & nutrition, not shipping properties. You’ll get e-mail alerts to keep up-to-date on what’s delivered each week, recipes, news from the farm, local food events & food news. Meet folks who care about healthy eating & sustainable agriculture as much as you do! Tour the farm in June to go Strawberry picking & in the fall, go on a hayride farm tour & pick Pumpkins! By eating locally, you cut down on food miles which also pollute. The food tastes awesome, looks like a work of art & is grown with generations of skill (and love)!
*END* dated:04/21
