Happy Summer!
CSA weather report…warm/hot.
Important…if you send anyone to the CSA to pick up
food for you, please tell them to BRING BAGS and
FACE COVERING!
This email includes…
- What you need to know
- Food safety and COVID-19…
- Flower Shares anyone?
- 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 physician(s) before taking any action.
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…and a FACE COVERING.
Time – 3:30pm to 7:30pm
Place – Sky Room Café in the Cinema Arts Centre at 423 Park Ave, Huntington
Parking – park in the 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 –
- Please wear a face covering when entering the building, and proceed to the restrooms to wash your hands with soapy water (more effective than hand sanitizers…COVID hates plain soap…NOT anti-bacterial…the most)
- Check in at the desk with our friendly CSA worker (if there are more than 3 people/couples/families of CSA members in the CSA, you may be asked to wait in the hallway…socially distanced…before entering)
- 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 that day what the story is for the day (they should have name tags on).
Before you leave the CSA – Make sure you have
everything on the list (like the story of the 3 bears…not too much, not too little, but just right 😊)! If you get to talking with people, have kids with you, etc., it can be easy to be distracted and if you get home and find out you don’t have everything that was on the list, you’re out of luck because after the CSA closes for the evening, the food is donated to a local food organization (Community Solidarity…see Events email for more details about them). And if you accidentally took too much, please get in touch ASAP (email or phone) so the food can be returned to its rightful owner in short order.
Veggie info sheets added as needed. This is the link to the: Veggie Info Sheets. Print out, put in a notebook and you end up with a cookbook at the end of the CSA season. Also, there are good tips on storage, prep, and nutrition.
The list…this is a general list and you’ll be sent another email within the next week with the detailed list after I get it (which isn’t till the day of the CSA…the list is subject to change without notice because farming is like that! 😊 However, most of the time it’s accurate and if it’s not…usually only one food item will be changed)…
CSA words to live by…when trying any new food 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 Curly Cress/Peppercress) and detoxing…
http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2012/03/detox-with-spring-greens.html
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…Sweet Potatoes, Winter Squashes, etc…. that are energy powerhouses to fuel us through the winter) to get you through the winter to make it to…Spring!
Week #7
July 15, 2021
- Lettuce – 1 head
- Radicchio: Traviso – 1 head
- Beans: Snap (Green)* – 1 bag
- Onions** – 1 bunch
- Fennel***
- Mint – 1 bunch
- Squash, Summer****
Total Items: 7
Flower Share – Week #4 (maybe)
*Green Beans (Snap Beans…same thing) are one of the world’s 100 healthiest foods (good info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=134
**Onions are one of the world’s 100 healthiest foods (good info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=45
***Fennel is one of the world’s 100 healthiest foods (good info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=23
****Summer Squash are one of the world’s 100 healthiest foods (good info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=62
2.Food safety and COVID-19…
Watch writer J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (son of a Harvard University geneticist and immunologist, grandson of a chemist, and author of Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science), talk about COVID-19 and food safety…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkvw9lZ3v3I
And read in more detail here…
3.Flower Shares anyone?
If you’re interested in starting a Flower Share, reply to this email or let someone know at the sign-in desk at the CSA.
The Flowers show up when they’re ready and at the moment (if we get them this week) there are still 8 weeks left which would cost $72 ($9 per bunch per delivery)
While the farm has put a hold on new Flower Share members, we’re starting a “wait list” and will let them know so they can give us an idea of when (and if) they’ll open up the Flower Shares again.
4.What you actually got last week
Week #6
July 8, 2021
- Lettuce: Leaf, Red – 1 head - $3.75
- Dandelion Greens – 1 bunch - $3.50
- Peas: Snow – 1 bag (.4 lb.)- $3.50
- Onions* – 1 bunch - $4.25
- Beets: Gold (with Beet Greens)** – 1 bunch - $4.50
- Thyme*** – 1 bunch - $3.50
Total Items: 6
Total Amount: $23.00
(We pay $20 per week for our CSA share…some weeks we get a bit more, some a bit less. This week, it was $3.00 more. So at the moment we’ve already gotten $11.75 more than we paid for. This adds up over the course of the CSA season, and we seem to always get at least one CSA share’s worth of food every year that we didn’t pay for…some years two, and some between one and two…it’s all good! 😊)
Flower Share – Week #3
Ageratum
Herb Share – July 2B
Sage**** AND Gem Marigold Flowers (yes…they are edible – as long as they’re grown organically 😊)
*Onions are one of the world’s 100 healthiest foods (good info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=45
**If we get the Beet tops (greens) along with the Beet bottoms (Beets) we get a two for one healthy meal deal!
Beets are one of the world’s 100 healthiest foods (good info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49
Beet Greens are one of the world’s 100 healthiest foods (good info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=151
***Thyme is one of the world’s 100 healthiest foods (good info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=77
****Sage is one of the world’s 100 healthiest foods (good info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=76
5.And now, for something completely different…
Really???
https://www.eater.com/22573966/van-leeuwen-kraft-mac-and-cheese-ice-cream-review?_gl=1*1pbkn2r*
If you want to visit one of their stores in NYC (or have this wacky flavor shipped to your home…I know and love these guys, though not so sure about this one 😊)…
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream - Shipped Right To Your Door
Events…both near and far
Thursday, July 15th
10am to 11am
IEatGreen radio show (new live shows start Sept 1st)
To listen to the show live (or listen to the archived programs)…
Hosted by Long Islander Bhavani Jharoff. Older shows can be accessed in archives.
Friday, July 16th
6pm to 7pm
Green Inside and Out
WUSB-FM/90.1 FM
Long Islander Beth Fiteni is the host. Rotates with Healthy Planet radio with Huntington resident Bob DiBenedetto.
Saturday, July 17th
7:30am to 12:30pm
Huntington Farmers Market
228 Main St. (Elm Street parking lot)
Huntington
Runs till some point in November.
10am to 12pm
Volunteer Day
LI Native Plant Initiative at the Sisters of St. Joseph
1725 Brentwood Rd.
Brentwood
FREE
To RSVP…
Email… info@linpi.org
Directions… Entrance at Brentwood Rd. and 5th Ave. – Park in parking lot across from playground and field and walk across field to greenhouse
For more detailed directions…
Help this worthwhile organization up-pot plants to larger size pots (and find out more about who they are, what they’re doing, and why you might want to start buying plants from them and putting them in your yard and garden).
12pm to 1pm
Food Chain Radio
https://metrofarm.com/food-chain-radio-3/
Host Michael Olsen always has interesting guests on the issues of food, food politics, health, and related topics. Check out the archives.
Tuesday, July 20th
10am to 11am
Green Street Radio
WBAI-FM/99.5FM
To listen live or check out the archives…
https://www.wbai.org/program.php?program=365
Join Long Islanders Doug & Patti Wood (founders of the Port Washington Farmer’s Market…the only all organic greenmarket in New York State), in their weekly show featuring conversations on health and sustainable living.
7pm – Volunteers
8:15pm – Drive-thru distribution
Huntington Food Share
Community Solidarity
Fairground Ave. & 6th St.
Huntington Station
FREE
For more info…
https://communitysolidarity.org/foodshares/huntington
To volunteer…
https://communitysolidarity.org/volunteer
Or to make a donation (they REALLY need a new truck)…
https://communitysolidarity.org/donate/funds
Community Solidarity (formerly Long Island Food Not Bombs) is an amazing group, doing much needed good works. These are the folks our CSA donates food to (and have for the last several years). If you’d like to volunteer, make a donation (they REALLY, REALLY need a new truck), or have need of their services (or know people who might)…get in touch/get information via their website (listed above).
They also need/accept donations of the following…Bicycles, Books, Clothing, Flowers (good for general mental health…taking care of the mind AND the body), Food, Medical Care (is there a Doctor or Dentist in the house? 😊), Plants/Seedlings, School Supplies, Toys and more. For details on donating items, please go to the Home Page, scroll to Donate, and read the appropriate listing (and scroll to Material Goods to see the topics not initially listed)…
https://communitysolidarity.org/
Here’s founder Jon Stepanian’s TED Talk (TEDxNYU) on Community Solidarity and Hunger Relief…
https://www.ted.com/talks/jon_stepanian_community_solidarity_hunger_relief
Sunday, July 25th
11am to 12pm
Stirring the Pot…with Florence Fabricant and Dan Barber
Guild Hall (virtual event on Zoom)
East Hampton
$8 – Members/$10 – General Public
To purchase tickets…
Join Florence Fabricant of the NY Times Dining Section as she interviews chef, restaurateur (Blue Hill at Stone Barns) and farm-to-table advocate Dan Barber. Q & A will follow (I enjoyed his comments about hydroponic farming recently in the NY Times…spoiler alert – he’s not a fan https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/06/dining/hydroponic-farming.html )
Friday, July 30th to Friday, August 6th
NOFA Summer Conference: Cultivating the Grassroots Organic Movement (online)
$45 to $250 (suggested price $125…and there are scholarships available)
For more info and to register…
https://nofasummerconference.org/
Looks like we’ll have to wait another year for an in-person conference BUT at least we have this. What’s NOFA? The Northeast Organic Farmer’s Association and it’s the group that certifies our farm (Green Thumb Farm) as an organic farm (which they did long before the federal government got involved). If you’re a gardener, an eater (aren’t we all? 😊) or someone interested in healthy living, this conference has something for you.
Some of the speakers I’m looking forward to hearing are Elizabeth Henderson (one of the founders of the CSA movement in America), Lee Reich (the fruit whisperer), and Steve Gilman (long time NOFA member/farmer and a wise guy…in the non-mob sense of the word 😊).
And if nothing else…consider joining the NY chapter of NOFA (NOFA-NY) to support certified organic farming in New York…
https://nofany.org/about-us/become-a-member/
Membership starts at $45 and you get a lot for what you pay (bulletins, free and exclusive admission to NOFA events – Field Days, newspaper subscription, discounts on seeds & books – I LOVE Chelsea Green publishing company, etc., and other stuff). Not sure if the yearly winter NOFA-NY conference this year will be in person or not BUT with membership you do get a discount on registration, and if it’s in person with rooming costs.
Sunday, August 1st
11am to 12pm
Stirring the Pot…with Florence Fabricant and Mark Bittman
Guild Hall (virtual event on Zoom)
East Hampton
$8 – Members/$10 – General Public
To purchase tickets…
Join Florence Fabricant of the NY Times Dining Section as she interviews cookbook author and food journalist Mark Bittman, talking about his latest book…Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal (can’t wait to read this one 😊). Q & A will follow.
Sunday, August 8th
11am to 12pm
Stirring the Pot…with Florence Fabricant and Pierre Thiam
Guild Hall (virtual event on Zoom)
East Hampton
$8 – Members/$10 – General Public
To purchase tickets…
Join Florence Fabricant of the NY Times Dining Section as she interviews chef/restaurateur, Pierre Thiam talking about African food and the ancient grain, Fonio (which I can’t wait to try some day soon…served at his restaurant Teranga in Harlem). Q & A will follow.
Sunday, August 15th
11am to 12pm
Stirring the Pot…with Florence Fabricant and Dorrie Greenspan
Guild Hall (virtual event on Zoom)
East Hampton
$8 – Members/$10 – General Public
To purchase tickets…
Join Florence Fabricant of the NY Times Dining Section as she interviews James Beard award-winning cookbook author, Dorrie Greenspan, about baking and her specialty…cookies!
Saturday, October 2nd to Sunday, October 17th
Cider Week New York
For more info (there’s a lot going on) and tickets (some events require tickets, some not)…
The one location participating on Long Island is Wolffer Estate Vineyard (not organic…ah well ☹)…otherwise, NYC (Brooklyn, Manhattan & Queens), and other parts of NY State. Wonder if any of the participating ciders are certified organic? Or biodynamic? Or sustainable? Or at least “natural”? Hmmmm….. 😊
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