Huntington CSA **2024 Season** Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024 Week #11

 Happy Summer!

 If you signed up to work at the CSA this week but didn’t get an email asking for your confirmation, you’re not working at the CSA this week.

 Farm update – our CSA Farm has stopped accepting new CSA Members for this season, so if there’s anyone who’d like to join our CSA this year we have a Wait List and will be in touch if/when CSA Membership opens up again.

 

CSA weather report…warm

Do NOT leave your CSA Shares in your car! They will not be happy, and neither will you when your food doesn’t last as long as it could. Over 40 degrees in your car and your CSA Share’s not happy (and inside your car with closed windows it’s probably hotter than you’d think… and it is –  check this out… https://abc7news.com/how-hot-can-it-get-inside-a-car-baby-in-gets/2266627/#:~:text=Here's%20a%20look%20at%20just%20how%20hot%20it%20can%20get%3A&text=When%20it's%2080%20degrees%20outside,and%20119%20after%2030%20minutes )

 

Important…if you ever send anyone to the CSA to pick up food for you, please tell them to BRING BAGS (and make sure at least one of them is plastic for the wet foods so you don’t get the dry ones wet which would not be a good thing…will make the foods that don’t want to be wet rot faster)!

 This email includes… 

1. What you need to know
2. It’s Tomato Time!
3. Win a VIP Experience Trip to Farm Aid worth $5,000 with Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, and Neil Young
4. Food safety and COVID-19…
5. Next CSA Culinary Extravaganza coming up on Wednesday, August 21^st!
6. What you actually got last week
7. FREE CSA Cooking Classes on Zoom – if you missed any of the three of them you can watch now
8. Emergency situations at the CSA (hurricanes/electronic communication glitches/medical emergencies, etc.)
9. 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.

 

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 –

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! 😊 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 #11

August 22, 2024 

1. Peppers: Shishito* – 1 bag
2. Beans, Snap OR Bitter Melon**
3. Tomatoes: Beefsteak
4. Basil – 1 bunch***
5. Lettuce – 1 head 

Total Items: 5

 Herb Share – August 2B

Dill AND Thyme

 *Shishito Peppers are a funny veg. About 1 out of every 10 of them can be HOT…or not. To test for heat, cut the Pepper, rub your finger on the cut part and then touch your lip with it and you should get a sense of whether it’s not or not, and if so how hot it might be. It it’s too hot for your liking, make sure you have some FULL FAT milk/yogurt/kefir on hand as low/no-fat dairy won’t do much (dab a bit on your lips and consume a bit till you’ve cooled off). Water also won’t work. The other thing that will work (especially if you’re a vegan) is Rice or Bread. They absorb some of the Capsaisin molecules that make spicy foods hot (so again, dab some on your lips and eat till you’ve cooled off).

 **For Bitter Melon info see separate Bitter Melon email

 ***How to freeze Basil in Olive Oil (and tips for how to use your frozen Basil in Olive Oil)…

https://mortadellahead.com/how-to-freeze-basil-in-olive-oil-quick-and-easy-method/

 If they’re not hot, use in any recipe you’d use Sweet Bell Peppers and if they’re hot, use as you would any Chili Pepper.

 The most popular way of eating them is to pan fry…

https://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/cook-with-fruits-and-vegetables/shishito-peppers/

Or grill…

https://youneedabbq.com/smoked-shishito-peppers/#:~:text=You%20can%20eat%20Shishito%20Peppers,the%20peppers%20taste%20slightly%20bitter.

And you can eat them raw. 😊

2. It’s Tomato Time!

 For the next several weeks, you can order a Tomato Share, which is a 20 lb. box of Tomatoes. The cost is $45. If you’re interested, let me know by email/phone/at the CSA.

 What do you do with 20 lbs. of Tomatoes? Make Tomato Sauce and freeze or can it. OR, the easiest thing to do is to freeze the Tomatoes (wash, dry, core, put in freezer bag in amounts that you’re going to use, pop in freezer, and when ready, leave in fridge to defrost and start cooking.

 If 20 lbs. seems too daunting, or you don’t have room in your freezer, let me know if you want to split a box and will see about hooking you up 😊!

  

3. Win a VIP Experience Trip to Farm Aid worth $5,000 with Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, and Neil Young

 Farm Aid is coming up on Saturday, September 21^st and will be in Saratoga Springs, NY, this year.

 You don’t have to donate to Farm Aid to enter, but I’m sure Willie Nelson and the gang would like it if you did. If you donate at the $100 level they’ll send you a Farm Aid t-shirt.

 For more info and to enter (you can enter till Monday, September 9^th)…

https://fandiem.com/sweeps/win-an-ultimate-vip-experience-trip-to-farm-aid-with-willie-nelson-neil-young-john-mellencamp-and-dave-matthews?7d637d275668ed6d41a9b97e6ad3a556=cfcd208495d565ef66e7dff9f98764da&7d637d275668ed6d41a9b97e6ad3a556=0

 If you want to donate directly to Farm Aid, donate here (the above website does take a cut of your donation to fund their endeavors…and you don’t have to donate to enter the contest) and if you donate $100 here, you’ll get a t-shirt…

https://give.farmaid.org/campaign/599557/donate?utm_source=web&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=nav_menu_donate_link

 

 4. Food safety and COVID-19…

 

Even though it’s been a while since the word “pandemic” has been bandied about, people are still getting COVID and other illness. And the lessons we learned during the past few years can still come in handy today to avoid basic things like colds and the flu.

 

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 while the Cinema Arts Centre was closed (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 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/

3. Will try and keep the CSA area relatively uncrowded if any future outbreaks of any infectious diseases occur
4. Enter near the Box Office entrance, and exit thru the door that leads out to the Cinema garden and upper parking lot stairs

   5. Next CSA Culinary Extravaganza coming up on Wednesday, August 21^st, 6pm

 Check your calendars and see if you’re able to attend our next Culinary Extravaganza! If you’re free and would like to attend, email or call and leave your last name and number of people in your party (for CSA Members and immediate family and if you’re coming on your own you’re welcome to bring a friend).

 We’ll be going to Thai USA in Huntington and CSA Members attending will be able to sample (gratis…in addition to whatever else you might order) up to three dishes (one will be vegan friendly and I think they’re all gluten-free) containing Bitter Melon which we may be getting at our CSA the next day!

 Bitter Melon is the most medicinal vegetable on the planet (anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-HIV for starters) and is eaten all over the world, but not in Europe, Canada or the USA. Yes, it’s Bitter but when it comes to food and health…bitter is better 😊.

 is a way to introduce our CSA Members to this new food. It’s the most “foreign” food we get (unless your cultural background is one of the groups of people who have Bitter Melon as part of their culinary heritage and have already had the opportunity to try it). We Americans go for two tastes…sweet and salty. The rest of the world also adds bitter, sour and umami. Believe it or not, most of us already eat bitter foods. Coffee and Chocolate are in the bitter family BUT most of us also put so much sugar in them to hide the bitter taste that we’re not getting the full medicinal value. More people (about 34%) are eating Dark Chocolate with percentages of 70 to 80% of Cacao and are getting more of the health properties, but only 18% of Coffee drinkers are fans of black Coffee.

 That said, I hope you’ll join us! There will be a raffle and all who attend will automatically be entered (and the raffle prize will be given out at the event 😊).

 

 6.What you actually got last week

 Week #10

August 15, 2024 

1. Beets – 1 bunch
2. Cucumbers
3. Squash, Summer
4. Eggplant – 1 pc.
5. Beans, Snap – 1 bag
6. Peppers, Sweet
7. Lettuce – 1 head
8. Tomatoes, Mini – 1 pt. 

Total Items: 8

7.FREE CSA Cooking classes on Zoom – if you missed any of the three of them you can watch now!

 

The title of this is…So, you’ve joined a CSA! Now what? 😊

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOmk6t_rsS4

 

The 2^nd episode is…Keep on Cooking – Sustaining Momentum as a CSA Member…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK9F0NdlMns

 

The 3^rd episode – Let’s Cook! Watch as recipe creator Frances as she checks out her CSA Share, figures out what to do with everything (to feed herself, her partner, two children and dog 😊), and gets cooking…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6Gk64b0rc8

 

 8.Emergency situations at the CSA (hurricanes/electronic communication glitches/medical emergencies…on my part, etc.)

 

1. It’s hurricane season till November 30^th (our CSA’s last day is December 12^th)! 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 for us 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).

 

2. 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.

 

3. 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! 😊

 

4. If there’s an emergency situation in progress, consider offering to help out at the CSA whether you’re asked to or not.

   

9.And now, for something completely different…

 

Do a bit of time travelling and take a look at American kitchens thru the decades!

https://www.lovefood.com/gallerylist/133539/this-is-how-american-kitchens-looked-through-the-decades

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

 

 

Tuesday, August 20^th to Thursday, August 29th

 

9pm (each episode is available online for 24 hours from 9pm to 9pm)

Square One Healing Cancer Coaching Program (online)

FREE

For more info and to register…

https://sq1.chrisbeatcancer.com/gos-1

 

Whether you’re a patient, caregiver or simply interested in cancer prevention, this might be of interest to you (and I can assume part of this program will be eating certified organic foods). This was developed by Chris Wark, a 20 year cancer survivor who healed himself of stage IIIC colon cancer through nutrition and natural therapies. This program is recommended by Dr. Joel Fuhrman (long time well known holistic MD), who suggests reading his book, Eat for Life (he’s a vegan and recommends a vegan diet).

 

 

Saturday, August 24^th and Sunday, August 25th

 

10am to 5pm

Honey Festival

Waterdrinker Farm Manorville

663 Wading River Road

Manorville

$20 Admission (a portion of the proceeds will go to Camp Paquatuck, a summer camp for children with special needs)/FREE – under 2 years old

For more info…

https://www.water-drinker.com/honeyfestival

 

Honey..bees…fun for the whole family!

 

 

Sunday, August 25^th

 

11am to 3:30pm

Foraging Tour with Wildman Steve Brill

Belmont Lake State Park

North Babylon

For directions of where to meet up…

https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/travel

Adults - $20/Children under 12 - $10 and bring exact change (suggested donations…his knowledge and experience is worth at least twice this amount 😊)

For more info about attending a tour…

https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/sign-up

To register…

Call 914-835-2153 at least 24 hours in advance of the tour and if you need to cancel, call 24 hours in advance (if you do not cancel 24 hours in advance, you will be charged $25 prior to being allowed to schedule another tour)

 

If you’ve never gone on a foraging tour with Wildman Steve Brill, do yourself a favor and go. He knows his stuff and he’s entertaining (silly and corny and sweet), and you’ll go home with some interesting and delicious local seasonal foods to eat.

 

 

Tuesday, August 27th

 

10am to 11am

Tai Chi class

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. & 6^th 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

 

 

Tuesday, September 3rd

 

10am to 11am

Tai Chi class

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. & 6^th 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, September 6th to Sunday September 8^th

 

PLaY Catskills Yoga Retreat: stillness in nature

Roxbury, NY

$400 – weekend/$200 – Saturday only

For more info and to register…

https://playcatskills.com/#events

 

Join CSA Member Debbie Fratello, and other yoga instructors, in a weekend yoga retreat for every body. Price does NOT include housing but does include meals, snacks, beverages, yoga, meditation, sauna, cold plunge, pranayama and hikes.

 

 

Friday, September 13th to Sunday, September 15th

 

10am to 5pm (last admission at 3:30pm)

The 182^nd Long Island Fair

Old Bethpage Village Restoration

1303 Round Swamp Road

Old Bethpage

$10 (in advance till August 31^st)/$20 – Adults/$15 – Seniors and Children 5 to 12 years old/FREE – under 5 years old

For more info, to buy tickets and get on their email list…

https://www.lifair.org/

 

If you want to enter and see if you’ll get a Blue Ribbon (categories to enter are from baked goods and flower arrangements to crafts and poetry and a WHOLE lot in between…entrants can be from children…there’s even a coloring contest…to adults), or just attend, this is quite an event to behold. There will be activities and entertainment for the whole family.

 

To see all the amazing categories one could enter (and the age groups), check this out (and page 4 goes over the history of this 182 year old event)…

https://www.lifair.org/_files/ugd/2de4ab_8a1a8900df2d4ba7aa8327db3b38f751.pdf

 

 

Saturday, September 14^th

 

22^nd Annual Long Island Garlic Festival

Waterdrinker North Fork

4560 Sound Ave.

Riverhead

$20 Admission (not on the website but this is their admission price for pretty much all their events)/FREE – under 2 years old

For more info and to get on their email list…

https://www.water-drinker.com/event-details/garlic-festival-2024-09-14-09-00

 

There will be Garlic to buy and eat, food trucks, live music, activities for the whole family.

 

 

Saturday, September 21^st

 

Noon to 11pm

Farm Aid

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Saratoga Springs, NY

$107 (only tickets left are for lawn seating)

For more info and to buy tickets…

https://www.farmaid.org/festival/tickets/

 

The tickets will surely sell out soon, and I imagine there will be a live feed for the concert on FaceBook or YouTube or on the Farm Aid website.

 

 

Saturday, September 28^th and Sunday, September 29^th

 

10am to 5pm

Hudson Valley Garlic Festival

Saugerties, NY

Tickets per day…

Adults - $10 in advance ($15 at the gate)/Seniors (65+) - $8 in advance ($15 at the gate)/Children under 12 – FREE

Parking is FREE

For more info and to buy tickets…

https://www.hvgf.org/

 

This is the biggest and the best Garlic festival NY has to offer. Come rain or shine, there will be music, crafts, food (with Garlic and without 😊), Garlic to buy, cooking and gardening demos and children’s activities.

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