Happy Summer!
CSA weather report…warm
Important…if you send anyone to the CSA to pick up food for you, please tell them to BRING BAGS!
This email includes…
- What you need to know
- CSA Farm Tour is this
SATURDAY!
😊
- Food safety and
COVID-19…
- What to people eat who
are in good health (physically and mentally), active, and over 100 years
old?
- Get to know your
Alliums…always a good idea (did you read the part about the Garlic Scapes)
😊!
- What you actually got
last week
- And now, for something completely different…
*Anything in any of our CSA 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)…
Most immediate helpful hints…
- Bring at least TWO bags to the CSA EVERY WEEK
for wet and dry food items (and never the twain should meet)
- When packing up your CSA food, start at the left side
of the long table and work your way to the right and out the garden door.
Why? We set out the food to be packed in that order so the heaviest food
items will be on the bottom of your bag, and your food won’t get squished
(another way to make your food go bad faster), and if you separate the wet
from the dry foods you’re doing pretty good on having your food last
longer! 😊
- When you get your food home, if it’s in a plastic bag
take it OUT of the plastic bag and store elsewhere…even if it’s in another
plastic bag (the original bag will be too wet and your food won’t be happy
there for long)
- Plan on using your food in the order of how long it will reasonably stay fresh (if stored properly). This week…1)Lettuce, 2) Swiss Chard, 3) Sugar Snap Peas, 4) Garlic Scapes, 5) Lavender (you can dry it).
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.
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 –
- Check in at the desk with our friendly CSA worker
- 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 at 7:31pm the food is donated to a local food organization that’s waiting to pick it up and get on their way.
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.
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), and 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 suggestions/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 #4
June 23, 2022
- Peas: Sugar Snap – 1 bag
- Garlic Scapes* - 1 bunch
- Swiss Chard** – 1 bunch
- Lettuce – 1 head
- Lavender – 1 bunch (and yes, it’s edible 😊)
Total Items: 5
Herb Share – June 2B
Chives AND Parsley, Curly
*Garlic is one of the world’s 100 healthiest
foods (good info and recipes)! And I would imagine any part of the Garlic plant
that’s edible, which includes the Garlic Scapes!
https://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=60
PLEASE DON’T MICROWAVE GARLIC SCAPES (or Garlic…ever)!!!
Why? One minute of microwaving Garlic (and I’m sure the Scapes as well) turns
it from a powerhouse of being anti-cancer, antiviral, antibacterial,
antifungal, good for heart health, and more, to being about as useful as eating
a piece of paper (contains some fiber and not much else). On the other hand,
takes 45 minutes of conventional oven/stove cooking to do this. And here’s the
study this statement is based on…
If you let your Garlic sit out for 10 minutes after you
crush/chop and then microwave (for no more than 60 seconds), it will restore
some of the anti-cancer properties, but not as much as when you use other
cooking methods.
**Swiss Chard is one of the world’s 100
healthiest foods (good info and recipes)!
https://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16
2.CSA Farm Tour is this SATURDAY! 😊
This is one of the two opportunities we get each year to meet the young men and women growing our food! Have a home garden of edibles? These are the people to ask if you have any questions, PLUS at the farm stand there are vegetable, flower, and herb seedlings for sale (organically grown by the farmers of Green Thumb Farm 😊) for you to grow on a windowsill, porch, or in your yard/garden (and it’s 10% off since you’d be going on the CSA farm tour).
Saturday, June 25th
10am/11am/12pm
Green Thumb CSA Farm Tour
Green Thumb Farm
829 Montauk Hwy.
Water Mill
FREE
Pick your tour time, and let’s go! 😊This is one of the two times we CSA Members get invited to tour our farm and get to take something home to eat…for FREE! 😊 It’s a walking farm tour for CSA members and immediate family only! Rain or shine (unless we’re talking torrential rain/thunder storms).
There will be a 10% discount to all CSA Members who take the tour on all purchases made at the Green Thumb Farm farm stand after your tour. Sweet! 😊
Dress appropriately for walking on dirt roads and in the fields (sandals/high heels not recommended), and for being in the sun during peak sun exposure hours (sunglasses/hat/sunscreen, etc.). I’ve never gotten ticks on one of these tours yet, but I’d do a thorough tick check once you got back home (they have a roving band of marauding Guinea Hens that take care of eating most of them I believe 😊).
Planning on going to lunch after the last tour at Barrow Food House in Riverhead (farm-to-table and reasonably priced for the area), and everyone’s invited (they have indoor and outdoor dining options).
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…
After keeping the CSA going thru 2020 and 2021 (with everyone staying healthy using the simple practices of wearing face coverings, hand washing, and social distancing), this is where we are now at this moment in time…
- Face coverings are optional
- Hand washing upon entering the theater is STRONGLY
recommended (it’s always a good idea in preventing COVID as well as the
flu and colds)
Why COVID HATES soap (works better than hand sanitizer or
gloves), and we’re talking plain soap, NOT antibacterial soap (the use of which
causes antibiotic resistance which could kill us all ☹)…
https://healthmatters.nyp.org/how-does-handwashing-with-soap-kill-the-coronavirus/
- We will try and keep the CSA area relatively uncrowded
- Enter near the Box Office entrance, and exit thru the door that leads out to the Cinema garden and upper parking lot stairs
4. What to people eat who are in good health (physically and mentally), active, and over 100 years old?
Spoiler alert…a lot of unprocessed seasonal, local, plant
foods, which is what we get from our CSA every week. 😊
In this case, they’re talking about the Okinawan diet (one of the Blue Zones
for healthy living)…
If you don’t know about the Blue Zones, or want more info
(and you can sign up for their free newsletter for the latest info and
recipes)…
https://www.bluezones.com/#section-1
5.Get to know your Alliums…always a good idea (did you read the part about Garlic Scapes?) 😊!
Great NY Times article on the whole Allium family…
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/dining/onion-scallions-shallots.html
Over the course of our CSA season we might get Garlic, Garlic Scapes, Leeks, Scallions, and/or Spring Onions.
6.What you actually got last week
Week #3
June 16, 2022
- Leeks* – 1 bunch - $5.00
- Garlic Scapes** - 1 bunch - $4.25
- Radishes: Red (with a few other colors in some of the
bunches…Purple/White)*** – 1 bunch – $4.25 - the Radish tops are edible
(see your Veg Info Sheet for recipe)
- Lettuce: Leaf, Green – 1 head - $4.00
- Parsley: Italian**** – 1 bunch - $3.75
PLUS…Basil Seedlings ($6.75) to replace any Black Beans ($4.00) that were less than satisfactory from June 2, 2022 (our first week)…there were enough for everyone
Total Items: 5
Total Amount: $21.50
We pay $20 per week for our CSA share…some weeks we get a bit more, some a bit less. This week, it was $1.50 over $20.00. Doesn’t sound like a whole lot, but it adds up over the course of the CSA season (so far the total is up to $4.75 over what we paid). 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 last year it was almost four weeks worth extra so we’re talking almost $80 worth of food we got gratis…it’s all good! 😊
*Leeks are one of the world’s 100 healthiest
foods (good info and recipes)!
https://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=26
**Garlic is one of the world’s 100 healthiest
foods (good info and recipes)! And I would imagine any part of the Garlic plant
that’s edible, which includes the Garlic Scapes!
https://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=60
PLEASE DON’T MICROWAVE GARLIC SCAPES (or Garlic…ever)!!! Why?
One minute of microwaving Garlic (and I’m sure the Scapes as well) turns it
from a powerhouse of being anti-cancer, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal,
good for heart health, and more, to being about as useful as eating a piece of
paper (contains some fiber and not much else). On the other hand, takes 45
minutes of conventional oven/stove cooking to do this. And here’s the study
this statement is based on…
If you let your Garlic sit out for 10 minutes after you crush/chop and then microwave (for no more than 60 seconds), it will restore some of the anti-cancer properties, but not as much as when you use other cooking methods.
***Radish tops are edible (raw or cooked)…take
a tip from the Sophisticated Caveman (though we disagree about pre-washing them
and how he stores them)! 😊
https://www.thesophisticatedcaveman.com/how-to-eat-radish-greens/
****Parsley is one of the world’s 100
healthiest foods (good info and recipes)!
https://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=100
8.And now, for something completely different…
Even though this article is a few years old (I managed to
not see this till now), it still feel timely for all that’s going on in the
world at the moment. Even in the midst of challenging times, people turn to
food not just for comfort, but for creativity and even political activism…
Thursday, June 23rd
10am to 11am
IEatGreen radio show
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.
Saturday, June 25th
10am/11am/12pm
Green Thumb CSA Farm Tour
Green Thumb Farm
829 Montauk Hwy.
Water Mill
FREE
Pick your tour time, and let’s go! 😊This
is one of the two times we CSA Members get invited to tour our farm and get to
take something home to eat…for FREE! 😊 It’s a walking farm
tour for CSA members and immediate family only! Rain or shine (unless we’re
talking torrential rain/thunder storms).
There will be a 10% discount to all CSA Members who take the
tour on all purchases made at the Green Thumb Farm farm stand after your tour.
Sweet! 😊
Dress appropriately for walking on dirt roads and in the
fields (sandals/high heels not recommended), and for being in the sun during
peak sun exposure hours (sunglasses/hat/sunscreen, etc.). I’ve never gotten
ticks on one of these tours yet, but I’d do a thorough tick check once you got
back home (they have a roving band of marauding Guinea Hens that take care of
eating most of them I believe 😊).
Planning on going to lunch after the last tour at Barrow
Food House in Riverhead (farm-to-table and reasonably priced for the area), and
everyone’s invited (they have indoor and outdoor dining options).
Sunday, June 26th
7:30am to 12pm
Huntington Village Farmers Market
228 Main St.
Huntington
From now till November.
Tuesday, June 28th
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
Thursday, June 30th
10am to 11am
IEatGreen radio show
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.
Sunday, July 3rd
7:30am to 12pm
Huntington Village Farmers Market
228 Main St.
Huntington
From now till November.
11:30am to 2:30pm
Wildman Steve Brill
Belmont Lake State Park
625 Belmont Ave.
West Babylon
Adults - $20/Under 12 years old - $10
For more info and to register…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/tour-calendar
Or call 914-835-2153
If you’ve never gone, do you self a favor and check this
out. A great event for the whole family. If you’ve gone before, you know Steve
is the biggest cornball on the planet 😊 but he’s BRILLIANT when
it comes to knowing his foraged foods. A goal I have is to take at least four
of his tours in one year for each of the seasons. If I get to one this year
I’ll be thrilled. 😊 And if you’re
going…read all his directions and follow all his recommendations! You’ll be
glad you did. 😊
Tuesday, July 5th
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
Thursday, July 7th
10am to 11am
IEatGreen radio show
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.
Sunday, July 10th
7:30am to 12pm
Huntington Village Farmers Market
228 Main St.
Huntington
From now till November.
Saturday, July 23rd
5:30pm to ???
CSA Culinary Extravaganza – July edition
Paulie Gee’s (and possibly Van Leeuwen’s for dessert)
60 Greenpoint Ave.
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
RSVP…
respond to this email with the number in your party (ex. –
zoubeck +1), OR leave a voice message including the number in your party at
631-421-4864
Check out the menu…
https://pauliegee.com/greenpoint/
Feel free to ask me any questions about the menu. All the
Pizzas are great and have had a number of them over the years (vegan and non).
Usually Dylan & I will get a Soup & Salad…usually The Gates of Eden…and
one Pizza (and I’ll usually get a Beer or some Wine) and split everything (but
that’s just us 😊).
Schedule (not written in stone, will need to be checking in
with Paulie Gee’s re: the reservation, etc., but this gives a pretty good idea
of the general plan)…
5:30pm to 6pm – gather (don’t think they will seat unless
entire party is present)
6pm to 8pm – dinner
8 to 8:30pm – one block stroll to Transmitter Park on the
water
8:30pm – if anyone’s up for dessert, will head over to Van
Leeuwen (check out the website…but they don’t list the options they have at the
Scoop Shops…cones, cups, sundaes)…
https://vanleeuwenicecream.com/
Friday, August 5th to Sunday, August 7th
NOFA Summer Conference
Hampshire College
Amherst, MA
For more info and to register…
https://www.nofamass.org/nofa-summer-conference/
What’s NOFA? It’s the Northeast Organic Farming Association
and it’s the group that certifies farms organic including NY (and they did this
before the federal government got involved).
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A FARMER TO GO…or to enjoy this event 😊!
Anyone I’ve ever told to go and went had a great time, and wanted to go back. I
haven’t gone in a number of years and might just make it to this one. The theme
for this year’s conference is Decolonizing and Regrowing our Food Systems: The
Work Of Our Time. A little info about the NOFA Summer Conferences…
https://www.nofamass.org/conferences/
There will be workshops, parties, movies, and a LOT more.
It’s fun for the WHOLE family (there are specific workshops for children aged 5
to 12 and the kids love them). The food is served buffet style, is all organic,
and geared to most any diet…from raw foods to paleo and everything inbetween
(you can always contact them if you have specific questions).
If I go it’s going to cost me about $300 which includes the
conference AND room and board (Fri – dinner, Sat – breakfast/lunch/dinner, Sun
– breakfast/lunch). It’s quite the steal of a deal!
Sunday, August 21st
11:30am to 2:30pm
Wildman Steve Brill
Belmont Lake State Park
625 Belmont Ave.
West Babylon
Adults - $20/Under 12 years old - $10
For more info and to register…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/tour-calendar
Or call 914-835-2153
If you’ve never gone, do you self a favor and check this
out. A great event for the whole family. If you’ve gone before, you know Steve
is the biggest cornball on the planet 😊 but he’s BRILLIANT when
it comes to knowing his foraged foods. A goal I have is to take at least four
of his tours in one year for each of the seasons. If I get to one this year
I’ll be thrilled. 😊 And if you’re
going…read all his directions and follow all his recommendations! You’ll be
glad you did. 😊
Saturday, October 1st
1:30pm to 4:30pm
Wildman Steve Brill
Belmont Lake State Park
625 Belmont Ave.
West Babylon
Adults - $20/Under 12 years old - $10
For more info and to register…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/tour-calendar
Or call 914-835-2153
If you’ve never gone, do you self a favor and check this
out. A great event for the whole family. If you’ve gone before, you know Steve
is the biggest cornball on the planet 😊 but he’s BRILLIANT when
it comes to knowing his foraged foods. A goal I have is to take at least four
of his tours in one year for each of the seasons. If I get to one this year
I’ll be thrilled. 😊 And if you’re
going…read all his directions and follow all his recommendations! You’ll be
glad you did. 😊
Sunday, October 16th
1pm to 4pm
Wildman Steve Brill
Sunken Meadow State Park
Rt. 908K
Kings Park
Adults - $20/Under 12 years old - $10
For more info and to register…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/tour-calendar
Or call 914-835-2153
If you’ve never gone, do you self a favor and check this
out. A great event for the whole family. If you’ve gone before, you know Steve
is the biggest cornball on the planet 😊 but he’s BRILLIANT when
it comes to knowing his foraged foods. A goal I have is to take at least four
of his tours in one year for each of the seasons. If I get to one this year
I’ll be thrilled. 😊 And if you’re
going…read all his directions and follow all his recommendations! You’ll be
glad you did. 😊
Sunday, November 6th
11:30am to 2:30pm
Wildman Steve Brill
Belmont Lake State Park
625 Belmont Ave.
West Babylon
Adults - $20/Under 12 years old - $10
For more info and to register…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/tour-calendar
Or call 914-835-2153
If you’ve never gone, do you self a favor and check this
out. A great event for the whole family. If you’ve gone before, you know Steve
is the biggest cornball on the planet 😊 but he’s BRILLIANT when
it comes to knowing his foraged foods. A goal I have is to take at least four
of his tours in one year for each of the seasons. If I get to one this year
I’ll be thrilled. 😊 And if you’re
going…read all his directions and follow all his recommendations! You’ll be
glad you did. 😊
Saturday, November 19th
12:30pm to 3:30pm
Wildman Steve Brill
Sunken Meadow State Park
Rt. 908K
Kings Park
Adults - $20/Under 12 years old - $10
For more info and to register…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/tour-calendar
Or call 914-835-2153
If you’ve never gone, do you self a favor and check this
out. A great event for the whole family. If you’ve gone before, you know Steve
is the biggest cornball on the planet 😊 but he’s BRILLIANT when
it comes to knowing his foraged foods. A goal I have is to take at least four
of his tours in one year for each of the seasons. If I get to one this year
I’ll be thrilled. 😊 And if you’re
going…read all his directions and follow all his recommendations! You’ll be
glad you did. 😊
###
