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 a FACE
COVERING!
This email includes…
- What you need to know
- Food safety and
COVID-19…
- Emergency situations at
the CSA (hurricanes/electronic communication glitches/etc.)
- Probiotics vs.
Prebiotics (and our CSA foods)
- 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.
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 #8
July 22, 2021
- Carrots* (if we get Carrot Tops…they’re edible! See
recipes below) – 1 bunch
- Swiss Chard** – 1 bunch
- Beans: Snap (Green)*** – 1 bag
- Onions**** – 1 bunch
- Sage***** - 1 bunch
- Squash, Summer******
Basil******* AND Thyme********
*Carrots are one of the world’s 100 healthiest
foods (good info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=21
Carrot Tops – with any new food, start slow
and see how your body reacts, check if you’re on any medications for possible
interactions, check with your doctor(s) if you have any concerns/questions
Article and storage info/recipes…you’ll be happy you checked
this out!
https://www.loveandlemons.com/carrot-greens-chimichurri/
Sauteed Carrot Top recipe…great details and suggestions for
freezing them!
https://www.forkintheroad.co/sauteed-carrot-greens/
More recipes…yum!
https://www.thekitchn.com/5-ways-to-eat-carrot-tops-183415
Are you a juicer?
https://vibranthappyhealthy.com/juicing-carrot-greens
If you want to know all there is to know about Carrot Tops
(SIX TIMES as much Vitamin C as the Carrots!!!)…
http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/carrotops.html
And if Harold McGee says they’re ok to eat…they must be ok! 😊
**Swiss Chard is one of the world’s 100
healthiest foods (good info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16
***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
*****Sage is one of the world’s 100 healthiest
foods (good info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=76
******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
*******Basil is one of the world’s 100
healthiest foods (good info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=85
********Thyme is one of the world’s 100
healthiest foods (good info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=77
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.Emergency situations at the CSA (hurricanes/electronic communication glitches/etc.)
- It’s hurricane season! Farmers are more hardcore than
postal workers so your food will be at the CSA between 3:30pm and 7:30pm
on Thursdays, pretty much no matter what. Hurricane Sandy didn’t stop the
CSA. We were at the Unitarian Fellowship in Huntington and there was no
power and there were tree limbs around the property BUT I checked out the
building to make sure there was no danger in being in the building or
entering the property, and with flashlights brought by me, we had our CSA.
If there’s no emails…show up anyway. If there’s some problem/issue with
the food arriving there should be a note on the door of the Cinema letting
you know what’s up (if we’re not already in there waiting for you). In a
storm situation…please bring a flashlight/lantern. It could be helpful for
you and those of us at the CSA. Again…show up and 3:30pm and 5:30pm if
there were no emails and offer to work if you’re able and available. And
if you feel it’s not safe/wise for you to venture out, know that any food
left at the end of the CSA will be picked up and donated by the gang at
Community Solidarity. They have NEVER missed a food distribution day even
in snow and ice storms (regardless of the weather…hungry people will still
be hungry if there’s no food to eat).
- Electronic communication is FAR from perfect. IF you
get no CSA emails or responses to your emails…come to the CSA anyway. It
could be a problem with my laptop, etc. Stuff happens.
- Anything else that might come up (these days…who
knows??? 😊)…no emails, come anyway
and will do our best to keep everyone informed as best we can (look for
notes on front door of Cinema if nothing else). The CSA has always
happened every week during our 20+ seasons…(lifted from the postal worker
motto 😊) - Neither snow nor
rain nor heat nor gloom stays these farmers & CSA crew from the swift
completion of their appointed rounds…to get you your CSA Shares!
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.
6.What you actually got last week
July 15, 2021
- Lettuce: Crisp, Green – 1 head - $3.75
- Radicchio: Traviso – 1 head - $4.25
- Beans: Snap (Green)* – 1 bag (1/2 lb.) - $3.25
- Onions (Spring)** – 1 bunch - $4.25
- Fennel*** - 1 bulb - $3.00
- Mint – 1 bunch - $3.25
- Squash, Summer: Gold OR Yellow**** - 1 pc. - $1.25
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 $14.75 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! 😊)
Snapdragons
*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
First world entertainment…making videos/photos of
wasting/throwing out/trashing perfectly edible food to put online for amusement
purposes…
https://www.eater.com/2020/8/28/21399684/intentional-food-waste-meme-on-twitter-tiktok
I’m neither on TikTok or Twitter, so with any luck (since
this is from August 2020) this is a trend that is over and won’t return any
time soon (if ever 😊).
But on the other side of this issue…TikTok also exposes how
much food is wasted at one person’s job who wishes there were alternatives
(donate…give it away…something other than put in trash)…
https://www.indy100.com/news/dunkin-donuts-tiktok-video-food-waste-b1794085
And another TikTok food waste at work video inspires article
on the problem and what we can do…
https://whatstrending.com/chick-fil-a-food-waste-tiktok/
Events…both near and far
Thursday, July 22nd
10am to 11am
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 23rd
6pm to 7pm
Natural Alternatives
WUSB-FM/90.1 FM
Rotates with Healthy Planet radio with Huntington area
resident Bob DiBenedetto, and Dr. Eugene Zampirone of Dr. Z Naturally.
Saturday, July 24th
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…
631-260-1513
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.
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
)
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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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