Happy Summer!
CSA weather report…warm and breezy
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
- Click activism –
sometimes you don’t have to do much, or spend any money, to help make a
positive change in the world
- 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 #6
July 8, 2021
- Lettuce – 1 head
- Dandelion Greens – 1 bunch
- Peas: Snow – 1 bag
- Onions* – 1 bunch
- Beets** – 1 bunch
- Thyme*** – 1 bunch
Total Items: 6
Flower Share – Week #3 (maybe)
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
2.Click activism…– sometimes you don’t have to do much,
or spend any money, to help make a positive change in the world! 😊
A.Tell the EPA that cutting edge science must be considered!
New scientific studies are showing how pesticides are harming human health and
ecosystems, but the EPA is not using these studies in their decision making
processes and by doing so are putting the economic health of pesticide
manufacturers over the health of humans and our planet…
https://secure.everyaction.com/-P1N8U-DTU2rpH9y0wzwig2
B.Tell the EPA to ban all Triazines (cause human birth
defects and chemically castrate male frogs…not good for humans or the
environment)…
https://secure.everyaction.com/ca-zbYF5I0-6LjRmOqOTAw2
D.Drink organic dairy milk? If so, you might want to take
the time to do this (more than just a click…comment period ends July 12th)…
Stop “big dairy” from undercutting organic milk producers to
stay “organic” and have it mean something (which they don’t want…they’d like to
eliminate the organic standards altogether so “organic” milk won’t exist as an
option)…
https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2021/07/are-big-dairies-undercutting-organic-milk-producers-and-organic-integrity-and-what-can-we-do-about-it/
3.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…
https://www.seriouseats.com/2020/03/food-safety-and-coronavirus-a-comprehensive-guide.html#covid-on-food
4.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.
5.What you actually got last week
Week #5
July 1, 2021
- Lettuce: Iceberg, French – 1 head - $3.75
- Kale: Lacinato/Cavolo Nero/Dinosaur/Tuscan (different
names…same Kale)* – 1 bunch - $4.50
- Parsley: Italian** – 1 bunch - $3.50
- Radicchio: Chiogga – 1 head - $4.25
- Fennel*** – 1 bunch - $3.25
- Sorrel – 1 bunch - $3.75
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 $8.75 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 #2
Sunflowers (assorted…Lemon, Chianti, Evening Sun, etc.)
*Kale is one of the world’s 100 healthiest foods (good info
and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38
**Parsley is one of the world’s 100 healthiest foods (good
info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=100
***Fennel is one of the world’s 100 healthiest foods (good
info and recipes)!
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=93
6.And now, for something completely different…
File under…kids do the craziest things (read below before
clicking in case you’d be offended or grossed out…no pictures thank goodness 😊)!!!!
https://www.insider.com/tiktok-users-dipping-testicles-in-soy-sauce-to-taste-it-2020-1
Events…both near and far
Thursday, July 8th
10am to 11am
IEatGreen radio show (new live shows start Sept 1st)
To listen to the show live (or listen to the archived
programs)…
http://prn.fm/
Hosted by Long Islander Bhavani Jharoff. Older shows can be
accessed in archives.
Friday, July 9th
6pm to 7pm
Green Inside and Out
WUSB-FM/90.1 FM
https://www.wusb.fm/
Long Islander Beth Fiteni is the host. Rotates with Healthy
Planet radio with Huntington resident Bob DiBenedetto.
Saturday, July 10th
7:30am to 12:30pm
Huntington Farmers Market
228 Main St. (Elm Street parking lot)
Huntington
Runs till some point in November.
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 13th
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
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.
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