Happy Summer!
CSA weather report…warm
Don’t leave your CSA Share in your car - over 40 degrees and
it’s not happy (and inside your car with closed windows it’s probably hotter
than you’d think… and it is – check this out…
Important…if you ever 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
- Food safety and
COVID-19…
- Win an all-expense paid
trip to Farm Aid 2023!
- How to get in touch with
the CSA/suzanne and why you might want to
- Still time to order Bulk
Tomato Shares (and why you might want to 😊)
- Emergency situations at
the CSA (hurricanes/electronic communication glitches/medical emergencies,
etc.)
- Another contest!
- Click activist
- 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. Not sure as to what that is? Just ask! 😊
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 РSky Room Caf̩ 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 sign-in 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 (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.
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!
August 31, 2023
- Squash, Summer
- Leeks – 1 bunch
- Eggplant - 1
- Beans, Snap – 1 bag
- Pepper, Sweet
- Radicchio – 1 head
- Parsley – 1 bunch
Total Items: 7
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…
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
3.Win an all-expense paid trip to Farm Aid 2023!
You can win a trip to Farm Aid by donating before September
9th here (and in the small print I see you can enter without donating…but I’m
sure the folks at Farm Aid would appreciate it if you did 😊)…
https://fandiem.com/sweeps/win-a-front-and-center-vip-experience-at-farm-aid-2023
See the CSA Events email for more info about this event and
the organization, Farm Aid, under the date, which is Saturday, September 23rd.
If you’d like more of your money to go to Farm Aid, rather
than the group organizing this contest, enter the contest without donating and
then make a separate donation to Farm Aid.
4.How to get in touch with the CSA/suzanne (and why you
might want to )…
This is information you might not care about at all…until
you do, So, for the one time you might need this, please keep this contact info
in a place where you’d find it if you wanted it.
Why might you want to get in touch with suzanne and/or the
CSA?
- You’re running late getting
to the CSA and can’t get there by 7:30pm (you have the option of getting
your CSA Share packed up for you and picking it up before the Box Office
closes which changes from week to week depending on the movies being
shown, but would usually be at least 9pm)
- You can’t get to the CSA
at all and would like it if someone could hold your food till Friday, or
Monday if you’re going away for the weekend (if you know in advance, don’t
wait till the last minute as the more time we have, the better chance
we’ll be able to find someone to help out)
- You’re scheduled to work
at the CSA and need to cancel
- Some other reason I’m
not coming up with at the moment 😊
Options for getting in touch (the short story is that I’m
not available 24/7, nor am I plugged in to any electronic communication thingy
24/7, and so these are the parameters)…
- Email - gtcsahuntington@gmail.com
(can email me 24/7 HOWEVER, will not see ANY emails on Thursdays from noon
to 11pm)
- Phone
- 631-421-4864 – my home
landline (can call 24/7 and only leave voice messages, BUT will not hear
ANY messages or respond on Thursdays from noon till Friday afternoon)
- 631-423-7611 xt. 0 –
Cinema Arts Centre Box Office and DO NOT leave messages with the Box Office
as we may not get these messages in a timely manner or at all, and ask to
(or insist if you need to) speak to someone at the CSA They will transfer
the call to the Café and someone from the Café will get someone from the
CSA (can ONLY call this number for the CSA on Thursdays from 3:30pm to
8pm)
5.Still time to order Bulk Tomato Shares!
Here’s your chance to enjoy CSA Tomatoes all winter long! 😊
Why would you want all these Tomatoes?
Why not? The CDC has just named them the world’s healthiest fruit
(in case you didn’t know…botanically speaking, Tomatoes are a fruit and it was
only due to an act of the US Supreme Court in 1893 that they became known as a
vegetable)…
https://www.delish.com/food-news/a44869072/tomatoes-healthiest-fruit/
If you think 20 lbs. is too much to deal with but would
consider 10 lbs., let me know by email, voice message or at the CSA, and will
see if there’s someone else who wants to split a box with you.
To get in while the going is good, the remaining delivery
dates are September 7th and September 14th so email, or let suzanne
know at the CSA this week, when you’d like the Tomatoes delivered, and bring a
check made out to Halseys Green Thumb OR cash, in the amount of $45 per box of
Tomatoes.
What’s the easiest thing to do with 20 lbs. of Tomatoes? Use
the easy peasy freezy method and freeze them whole (it’s so easy, someone with
NO cooking skills/ability can do this).
Here’s how…(suggestion – freeze in amounts you’d use for one
recipe so you don’t have to hack at a larger amount with an ice pick, etc. 😊)…
https://wholefully.com/how-to-freeze-tomatoes/
Why would you want 20 lbs. of certified organic in-season
Tomatoes? Because the ones we buy when they’re not in season are AWFUL and
tasteless, and are picked when they’re partly green and gassed to make them look
red! And if they’re not organic…fuggedaboutit! Just take a gander at all the
toxic chemicals used in the average non-organic Tomato…
https://whatsonmyfood.org/food.jsp?food=TO
While it’s true you can’t use frozen Tomatoes on a sandwich,
you can use them all winter long to make Soups, Sauces, and add to any cooked
dish you like.
However, you could use them on Sandwiches and Salads if you
dried them. More labor intensive but SO worth the effort (one of our CSA
members made them and had some in Olive Oil for me to try, and they were the
best “sun” dried Tomatoes I’d ever had…they used a dehydrator).
How to dry Tomatoes using the sun, your oven, or a
dehydrator…
Sun…
https://www.thespruceeats.com/homemade-sun-dried-tomatoes-1808065
Oven…
https://www.thespruceeats.com/oven-sun-dried-tomatoes-4064025
Dehydrator…
https://www.thespruceeats.com/dehydrated-tomatoes-recipe-1809681
And then of course, there’s the more traditional option of
canning of Tomatoes. When canning Tomatoes…FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE
LETTER! If you don’t, you run the possibility of giving yourself botulism and
getting VERY sick. Canning is NOT the time to improvise, rush, or cut corners
(but a good time to let your inner clean freak fly 😊)…
https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-heat-pressure-steam-can-tomatoes-preserve
6.Emergency situations at the CSA (hurricanes/electronic
communication glitches/medical emergencies, etc.)
- It’s hurricane season till November 30th
(our CSA’s last day is December 14th)! 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 our 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
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 as it could be helpful for you and those of us at the
CSA. Again…show up, and at 3:30pm and 5:30pm if there were no emails
please offer to work if you’re able and available. 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 to 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 on any given week…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, etc., 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! 😊
- If there’s an emergency
situation in progress, consider offering to help out at the CSA whether
you’ve been asked to or not.
7.Another Contest!
Another opportunity to win a home freeze dryer if you enter
by Thursday, August 31st…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRvmBJZyeH0
Really good overview of freeze drying…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNqSpuExyhQ
How to freeze dry herbs (looks pretty amazing)…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktQuR7Vaby0
8.Click Activist
Want better food? Demand a better Farm Bill…
https://advocacy.organicconsumers.org/page/55966/action/1
We get a new one every FIVE years (and we don’t get to vote
on it and our elected officials and government doesn’t really let us know
what’s in it) so this is your chance to put your two cents in.
9.What you actually got last week
Week #12
August 24, 2023
- Squash, Summer: Gold, Kousa, Patty Pan, Yellow,
Zucchini – 1 pc. - $.50
- Beans, Snap: Green – 1 bag (.6 lb.) - $4.50
- Celery – 1 bunch - $5.75
- Eggplant: Purple Rain – 1 pc. - $2.00
- Peppers: Shishito* – 1 bag (.4 lb.) - $5.75
- Pepper, Sweet: Green AND Purple – 1 pc. each color (2
total) - $1.50
- Lettuce: Loose Leaf, Red – 1 head - $4.25
Total Items: 7
Total Amount: $24.25
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 $2.25 over $22.00 (my
compulsive self is keeping track of all this 😊). Doesn’t sound like a
whole lot whether it’s over or under, but it adds up over the course of the CSA
season (at the moment it’s a total of $23.50 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 (which we’ve just gptten)…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! 😊
Herb Share – August 2B
Chives, Garlic AND Parsley, Italian Flat Leaf
*Basic Shishito info…
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/shishito-peppers-guide
The only recipe you’ll ever need/want…
https://themodernproper.com/shishito-peppers
But if you want to move on to the next level…
https://www.foodandwine.com/vegetables/shisito-pepper-recipes
10.And now, for something completely different…
British comedian Alexei Sayles on food additives…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IeAEAo0SVE
If you’ve seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade you saw
him in a bit part playing the sultan of Hatay. And if you want to know more
about him…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Sayle
Greetings!
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, August 31st
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.
Friday, September 1st
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, September 3rd
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.
Tuesday, September 5th
10am to 11am
Tai Chi class (may not be held this week because of holiday)
Cinema Arts Centre
Sky Room Café
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, September 6th
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, September 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, September 10th
1pm
Wildman Steve Brill foraging tour
Sunken Meadow Park
Kings Park
$20 Adults/$10 under 12 (suggested donations…he’s worth it 😊)
For more info and to register (at least 24 hours before the
tour)…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/tour-calendar
If you’re never gone on a foraging tour with Steve Brill, do
yourself a favor and go. Kids and dogs welcome (as long as the park is dog
friendly). Not unlike myself, he provides a lot of instructions to be read
before his tours. READ THEM! It’s important and useful info.
Saturday, September 23rd
Noon to 11pm
Farm Aid
Ruoff Music Center
Noblesville, IN
For more info about the concert and Farm Aid…
To buy tickets (sold out but there might be some released in
the coming days/weeks)…
If you’re not going, you can listen or watch the event (info
here)…
https://www.farmaid.org/festival/about-the-festival/
You can win an all-expense paid trip to Farm Aid by donating
before September 9th here (and in the small print I see you can enter without
donating…but it would be nice if you could 😊)…
https://fandiem.com/sweeps/win-a-front-and-center-vip-experience-at-farm-aid-2023
You watch this video about Farm Aid and hear the founders
(Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp), and relative newcomer Dave
Matthews, talk about the work that’s done by Farm Aid (made me happy and proud
to be connected to our CSA)…
Saturday, September 30th
10am
Far Rockaway Seashore
Far Rockaway
FREE
For more info and to register (at least 24 hours before the
tour)…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/tour-calendar
If you’re never gone on a foraging tour with Steve Brill, do
yourself a favor and go. Kids and dogs welcome (as long as the park is dog
friendly). Not unlike myself, he provides a lot of instructions to be read
before his tours. READ THEM! It’s important and useful info.
1:30PM
Belmont Lake State Park
North Babylon
$20 Adults/$10 under 12 (suggested donations…he’s worth it 😊)
For more info and to register (at least 24 hours before the
tour)…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/tour-calendar
If you’re never gone on a foraging tour with Steve Brill, do
yourself a favor and go. Kids and dogs welcome (as long as the park is dog
friendly). Not unlike myself, he provides a lot of instructions to be read
before his tours. READ THEM! It’s important and useful info.
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.
Saturday, October 7th
10am
Far Rockaway Seashore
Far Rockaway
FREE
For more info and to register (at least 24 hours before the
tour)…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/tour-calendar
If you’re never gone on a foraging tour with Steve Brill, do
yourself a favor and go. Kids and dogs welcome (as long as the park is dog
friendly). Not unlike myself, he provides a lot of instructions to be read
before his tours. READ THEM! It’s important and useful info.
Saturday, October 14th
10am/11am/12pm
Green Thumb CSA – Huntington Fall Harvest Tour
Water Mill
FREE
SAVE THE DATE
To RSVP…(will give info closer to tour)
This is your last chance to visit our CSA farm (Green Thumb
Farm) for this year! It’s a tour on a tractor pulled wagon led by some of our
farmers (probably Ray & Jesse), Pumpkin picking (not necessarily Pumpkins
from our farm…it’s more for the kids and decorating than for culinary purposed
BUT these can be eaten), and a 10% discount on everything purchased at the farm
stand! This event is rain or shine (barring torrential downpours when it would
be cancelled). This event is for CSA members and immediate family only (if
you’re sharing a CSA Share with someone, usually one person will go in June and
the other in October…and if a share partner, reserve in the name of the CSA
member).
Sunday, October 29th
9am to noon
Vanderbilt Museum
Centerport
$10 Adults and 10 years old and older/$9 Members/FREE under
10 years old
To purchase tickets…
For more info…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/tour-calendar
If you’re never gone on a foraging tour with Steve Brill, do
yourself a favor and go. Kids and dogs welcome (as long as the park is dog
friendly). Not unlike myself, he provides a lot of instructions to be read
before his tours. READ THEM! It’s important and useful info.
1pm
Belmont Lake State Park
North Babylon
$20 Adults/$10 under 12 (suggested donations…he’s worth it 😊)
For more info and to register (at least 24 hours before the
tour)…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/tour-calendar
If you’re never gone on a foraging tour with Steve Brill, do
yourself a favor and go. Kids and dogs welcome (as long as the park is dog
friendly). Not unlike myself, he provides a lot of instructions to be read
before his tours. READ THEM! It’s important and useful info.
Saturday, November 18th
1pm
Sunken Meadow State Park
Kings Park
$20 Adults/$10 under 12 (suggested donations…he’s worth it 😊)
For more info and to register (at least 24 hours before the
tour)…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/tour-calendar
If you’re never gone on a foraging tour with Steve Brill, do
yourself a favor and go. Kids and dogs welcome (as long as the park is dog
friendly). Not unlike myself, he provides a lot of instructions to be read
before his tours. READ THEM! It’s important and useful info.
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