Thursday, July 13, 2023

Huntington CSA **2023 Season** Thursday, July 13, 2023 Week #6

 Happy Summer!

 

There will be TWO bunches of Flowers available for sale this week if you don’t already have a Flower Share (or have one and want more 😊). If interested, bring $12 cash and see suzanne.

 

CSA weather report…hot with a slight breeze (don’t leave your CSA Share in your car for anything but a short period of time…over 40 degrees and they’re not happy)

 

Important…if you ever send anyone to the CSA to pick up food for you, please tell them to BRING BAGS!

 

This email includes…

 

  1. What you need to know
  2. Help make a CSA member’s dream come true (and it’s not that hard to do 😊)…
  3. Food safety and COVID-19…
  4. A chance to show your support for…
  5. What you actually got last week
  6. Spring Onions vs. Scallions
  7. Click activism – every vote counts
  8. 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

 

  1. Bring at least TWO bags to the CSA EVERY WEEK for wet and dry food items (and never the twain should meet)
  2. 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! 😊
  3. 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)
  4. Plan on using your food in the order of how long it will reasonably stay fresh. Not sure as to what that is? Just ask! 😊

 

Before you leave the houseBRING 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 CafΓ© 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

  1. Check in at the sign-in desk with our friendly CSA worker
  2. 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 (Community Solidarity…read more about them in the CSA Events email under Tuesdays) that’s waiting to pick it up and get on their way.

 Veggie info sheets are added as needed. This is the link to the: Veggie Info Sheets. Print them out, put them 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! πŸ˜Š 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 13, 2023

 

  1. Squash, Summer
  2. Onions, Spring – 1 bunch
  3. Beans, Snap: Green – 1 bag
  4. Swiss Chard – 1 bunch
  5. Lettuce – 1 head

 

Total Items: 6

 

Flower Shares – Week #4

Snapdragons

 

Herb Share – July 1A

Mint AND Parsley


 

 

2.Help make a CSA member’s dream come true (and it’s not that hard to do 😊)…

 

CSA member, Joan Deem, has entered a cooking contest to win a personal cooking lesson from celebrity chef Carla Hall, be featured in Taste of Home magazine, AND win $25,000.

 

She’s in 4th place at the moment and needs to stay here (or move up) to advance to the next level, and get that much closer to winning the whole shebang 😊! AND she’s not a professional chef (she hails from the wonderful world of teaching…but not teaching cooking 😊) so it’s pretty amazing she’s gotten this far in the competition.

 

To help her win and realize a dream, vote here (you can do it for free thru Facebook, OR enter by donating…even $1.00 makes a difference…to the James Beard Foundation…also a good cause for those who love food and appreciate the people who cook for us)…

http://favchef.com/2023/joan-deem

I just voted and if she gets thru this round, we can vote again next week.

 

VOTING ENDS 10PM tonight so VOTE NOW! And spread the word if you think you know of anyone else who’d like to make a dream come true! 😊

 

To learn more about the James Beard Foundation…

https://www.jamesbeard.org/about

 

To learn more about Carla Hall (have loved her since she was on The Chew tv show back in the day and managed to not get to her restaurant in Brooklyn before it closed)…

https://carlahall.com/

 

 

 

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

 

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…

 

  1. Face coverings are optional
  2. 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/

  1. We will try and keep the CSA area relatively uncrowded
  2. Enter near the Box Office entrance, and exit thru the door that leads out to the Cinema garden and upper parking lot stairs

 

 

 

4.A chance to show your support for…

 

It’s that time of year when YOU get the opportunity to nominate the businesses, people, groups, etc., that you think are “The Best of Long Island” (sponsored by Bethpage Federal Credit Union). It’s a yearly thing and while it’s nice to be nominated, it’s even nicer to be voted The Best of Long Island in the category you’re listed in. So, the first step is to nominate those you think deserve the title, and the ones with the most nominations get to be in the group to be voted as The Best on Long Island.

 

Nominations are taking place from now till August 1st, and then the voting for The Best on Long Island begins on October 1st.

 

I’ve just nominated the following in support of our CSA (and included all the info you need to do the same if you’d like 😊)…

 

This is the link to start the nomination process…

https://www.bestoflongisland.com/nominations/

 

The Cinema Arts Centre has been supportive enough to host Green Thumb CSA – Huntington for the past number of years, so I think they deserve to be The Best on Long Island for that reason alone 😊!

 

Category – Arts & Entertainment

Sub-category - Movie Theater

Cinema Arts Centre

423 Park Ave

Huntington

631-423-7610

https://cinemaartscentre.org/

 

Just as on FYI – our CSA farm, Green Thumb Organic Farm, had been voted the best farm stand in NY State by Organic Living magazine (sadly, no longer published…this was a spinoff of Organic Gardening magazine, also no longer published). They listed the best farm stands in every state of the 50 states in the USA, and Green Thumb Farm was considered the best in New York (quite an honor)!

 

Category – Food

Sub-category – Farm stand

Green Thumb Organic Farm

829 Montauk Hwy

Water Mill

631-726-1900

https://www.greenthumborganicfarm.com/

 

Bees’ Needs is the raw Honey company owned by Mary Woltz, the beekeeper at Green Thumb Farm and she is WONDERFUL (and so is her Honey 😊)…

Category – Food

Sub-category – Local Raw Honey

Bees’ Needs

4 Laurel Lane

Sag Harbor

631-702-5657

https://beesneeds.com/

 

If you’re a CSA member and you’d like you or your business to be nominated, let us know and give us all the info we need and will list the info in an upcoming CSA email.

 

 

 

5.What you actually got last week

 

Week #5

July 6, 2023

 

  1. Beets – 1 bunch - $5.50
  2. Onions, Spring: Red – 1 bunch - $5.00
  3. Squash, Summer: Costata Romanesca, Kousa, Zucchini – 3 pc. - $1.50
  4. Mustard Greens – 1 bunch - $5.25
  5. Radicchio: Chiogga – 1 head - $4.75
  6. Lettuce: Romaine – 1 head - $4.25

 

Total Items: 6

Total Amount: $26.25

We pay our farm $22 per week for our CSA share…some weeks we get a bit more, some a bit less. This week, it was $4.25 over $22.00. Doesn’t sound like a whole lot, but it adds up over the course of the CSA season (at the moment it’s a total of $10.75 more food than 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! 😊

 

Flower Shares – Week #3

Snapdragons

 

 

 

6.Spring Onions vs. Scallions

 

Inquiring minds want to know 😊

https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-spring-onions-scallions-and-green-onions-word-of-mouth-217111

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/scallion-vs-green-onion

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/are-scallions-and-green-onions-the-same-thing#:~:text=Scallions%20and%20green%20onions%20are%20literally%20the%20same%20thing.&text=Spring%20onions%2C%20on%20the%20other,not%2Dso%2Dbulbous%20scallion.

 

 

 

7.Click activism – every vote counts

 

Get Bee killing pesticides out of Blueberries (which is one of the reasons why they’re on the EWG’s Dirty Dozen foods this year)…

Sign here: https://bit.ly/3L7aJqv

 

 

8.And now, for something completely different

 

Yes, Pies can be awesome…

https://www.piesareawesome.com/blogs/jessicaspieoneering/jessica-and-her-pies-greatest-hits

 

Events…both near and far

 

*Please keep in mind that any events or services listed do not indicate a direct endorsement from Green Thumb Farm or Green Thumb CSA - Huntington

 

 

Thursday, July 13th

 

10am to 11am

 

IEatGreen radio show

To listen to the show live (or listen to the archived programs)…

https://prn.live/

 

Hosted by Long Islander Bhavani Jharoff. Older shows can be accessed in archives.

 

 

Friday, July14th

 

2pm to 2:30pm

 

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.

 

 

Sunday, July 16th

 

8am to 12pm

 

Huntington Village Farmers Market

228 Main St.

Huntington

 

From now till November.

 

10am till 11:15am

 

Virtual Yoga Class – all levels - modifications offered (Zoom)

$20

For more info…

https://www.openenergylearning.com/class-schedule

To participate text or call..

917-562-5322

 

Join CSA Member Marylou Locker in an open energy and flow class with flowing movement, energizing  breath, and strengthening and balancing postures.

 

12pm to 8pm

 

Farm to Table to Dance

Long Island Farm Oasis

Old Westbury

$180

For more info and to buy tickets…

https://www.ieatgreen.com/ieat-green-along-with-elana-meta-will-host-a-farm-to-table-dance-retreat-on-july-16th-from-noon-to-8pm/

 

Spend a day dancing (movement class), swimming, cooking (cooking class – plant-based), and eating with Bhavani Jharoff and her daughter Elena. Kid friendly for 12+.

 

 

Tuesday, July 18th

 

10am to 11am

 

Tai Chi class

Cinema Arts Centre

Sky Room CafΓ©

423 Park Ave

Huntington

FREE

 

Join teacher Roger Sencer in this free Tai Chi class that’s been held at the Cinema Arts Centre for a number of years. All levels welcome.

 

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

 

 

Wednesday, July 19th

 

7pm to 8pm

 

Winding Down the Day from Yin to Yang (Zoom class)

$20.00

For more info…

https://www.openenergylearning.com/class-schedule

To participate text or call..

917-562-5322

 

Join CSA Member Marylou Locker in a bit of active practice and breathing techniques to prepare for a relaxing night and sound sleep!

 

 

Thursday, July 20th

 

10am to 11am

 

IEatGreen radio show

To listen to the show live (or listen to the archived programs)…

https://prn.live/

 

Hosted by Long Islander Bhavani Jharoff. Older shows can be accessed in archives.

 

 

Friday, July 21st

 

2pm to 2:30pm

 

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.

 

 

Sunday, July 23rd

 

8am to 12pm

 

Huntington Village Farmers Market

228 Main St.

Huntington

 

From now till November.

 

10am till 11:15am

 

Virtual Yoga Class – all levels - modifications offered (Zoom)

$20

For more info…

https://www.openenergylearning.com/class-schedule

To participate text or call..

917-562-5322

 

Join CSA Member Marylou Locker in an open energy and flow class with flowing movement, energizing  breath, and strengthening and balancing postures.

 

 

Monday, July 24th to Saturday, July 29th

 

49th Annual NOFA (Northeast Organic Farmers Association) Summer Conference

Online (7/24 to 7/29) AND at Worcester State U, Worcester, MA (7/28 & 7/29 only)

Sliding scale from $250 to $50

To register and for more info…

https://www.nofamass.org/nofa-summer-conference/

 

Unfortunately, the website doesn’t have info yet about what workshops are being offered AND the 1 to 2 person room accommodations at the college are sold out. This is the NOFA conference that the general public usually attends. The winter NOFA conferences are more for farmers, who (for the most part) aren’t working at that point in time.

 

 

Tuesday, July 25th

 

10am to 11am

 

Tai Chi class (may not be held this week because of holiday)

Cinema Arts Centre

Sky Room CafΓ©

423 Park Ave

Huntington

FREE

 

Join teacher Roger Sencer in this free Tai Chi class that’s been held at the Cinema Arts Centre for a number of years. All levels welcome.

 

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

 

 

Wednesday, July 26th

 

7pm to 8pm

 

Winding Down the Day from Yin to Yang (Zoom class)

$20.00

For more info…

https://www.openenergylearning.com/class-schedule

To participate text or call..

917-562-5322

 

Join CSA Member Marylou Locker in a bit of active practice and breathing techniques to prepare for a relaxing night and sound sleep!

 

 

Thursday, July 27h

 

10am to 11am

 

IEatGreen radio show

To listen to the show live (or listen to the archived programs)…

https://prn.live/

 

Hosted by Long Islander Bhavani Jharoff. Older shows can be accessed in archives.

 

 

Friday, July 28th

 

2pm to 2:30pm

 

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.

 

 

Sunday, July 30th

 

8am to 12pm

 

Huntington Village Farmers Market

228 Main St.

Huntington

 

From now till November.

 

10am till 11:15am

 

Virtual Yoga Class – all levels - modifications offered (Zoom)

$20

For more info…

https://www.openenergylearning.com/class-schedule

To participate text or call..

917-562-5322

 

Join CSA Member Marylou Locker in an open energy and flow class with flowing movement, energizing  breath, and strengthening and balancing postures.

 

 

Sunday, October 1st

 

11am to 4pm

 

Fall Season Chinatown Walk with Dr. Z and the Natural Nurse

$55

For more info and to purchase tickets…

https://www.naturalnurse.com/event/2023-fall-season-chinatown-herb-walk-tour-in-nyc/

 

Lunch not included. Learn about Chinese natural remedies. The Natural Nurse is Long Island’s own Ellen Kamhi, RN.

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