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.
To all those who came to the CSA Farm Tour last
Saturday…thanks! I know our farmers appreciate it when CSA members take the
time to come and see where our food is grown, and get to meet the people
growing it 😊. And to those who couldn’t make it this
time, put Saturday, October on your calendar and hopefully, you’ll be able to
join us then 😊.
CSA weather report…warm and breezy
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CSA SHARE IN YOUR CAR FOR ANY LENGTH OF
TIME (it’s too hot and it will not be happy, and won’t last as long as it would
if it were happy…which happens at about 40 degrees 😊).
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)!
CSA Event coming up this month…for more info, see
the CSA Events email
Sunday, June 28th – for more info see below
CSA Culinary Extravaganza – June Edition
Sweetgreen
Huntington
This email includes…
- What you need to know
- CSA Culinary
Extravaganza THIS SUNDAY!
- Food safety and
COVID-19…
- How to not miss any CSA
pickups AND getting in touch with your CSA (you’ll want this info in your
“back pocket” for the one time it might come in hand
- 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.
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 go 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.
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.
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 #4
June 26, 2025
- Garlic: Green* – 1 bunch
- Peas (not sure yet if they’ll be the shelling kind or
not shelling…eat the whole thing 😊) – 1 bag
- Swiss Chard – 1 bunch
- Lettuce – 1 head
- Mint – 1 bunch
Total Items: 5
Flower Share -Week #3
Maybe…maybe not 😊
Herb Share – June B
Chives AND Dill
*Green Garlic…
Green Garlic is NOT the same as Garlic Scapes, but is sort
of the same as Garlic Greens since you have and do use the green part of this
Garlic plant.
Read on 😊…
https://www.thekitchn.com/why-spring-garlic-is-the-best-garlic-229770
https://www.thekitchn.com/jump-into-spring-with-green-garlic-lets-try-something-new-218135
https://www.forksoverknives.com/how-tos/green-garlic-garlic-scapes-ramps-whats-the-difference/
Sunday,
June 29th
6pm
CSA Culinary
Extravaganza – June Edition
Sweetgreen
Walt Whitman
Shops
160 Walt
Whitman Rd.. Space 1021C
Huntington
Station
RSVP – respond to this email or leave a
voice message at 631-421-4864 (leave your name and the number of people in your
party)
Directions…Go to the Walt Whitman Mall, find The
Cheesecake Factory and if you’re facing The Cheesecake Factory, Sweetgreen is
to your left.
For more info
on Sweetgreen and to see their menu…
Why Sweetgreen?
Of all the fast casual “bowl” food places (CAVA, Chopt, Just Salad), Sweetgreen
is the one that has the most organic and local foods used in their menu (though
if you only get their food delivered, you’ll never see the LONG list of their local
and organic sources of food). Price range for bowls/salads are from $12 to $18.
Check out the
video of the Sweetgreen story. The story of 3 hungry college guys looking to
eat healthy and eat local, started with one small spot in DC, and now, there
are too many locations for me to bother counting them…
https://www.sweetgreen.com/locations
The origin
story of Sweetgreen…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2MNNPX_x1I
The way it works is that everyone orders what they want for
themselves and will get separate checks.
Let me know by responding to this email (or leaving a voice
message at 631-421-4864) and telling me…
- Your name and the number of people you’d be bringing
If you’ve never been to (or ordered from) Sweetgreen before,
check out their website to look over the menu (you can ask me about most any
dish though I haven’t eaten everything on the menu…but I do have my favorites 😊).
Coming so far …
suzanne j. zoubeck (+2 – Dylan Skolnick and Charlotte Sky)
Hope to see you there!
Even though it’s been a while since the word “pandemic” has
been bandied about, people are still getting COVID (there’s new variant going
around) 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…
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…
- Face coverings are
optional
- 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/
- Will try and keep the
CSA area relatively uncrowded if any future outbreaks of any infectious
diseases occur
- Enter near the Box
Office entrance, and exit thru the door that leads out to the Cinema
garden and upper parking lot stairs
4. How to not miss any CSA pickups AND getting in touch
with your CSA (you’ll want this info in your “back pocket” for the one time it
might come in handy)
Let me give you all the details on your options regarding
how not to miss CSA pickups going forward. I know this is a lot of info
but I want to give y’ass every possible option I can think of to not miss out
on any of our CSA Shares.
1. If you're running late and it's something you didn't
know in advance and can get to the Cinema Arts Centre by 9pm or 10pm, call the
Cinema Box Office (631-423-7611 xt. 0 - I'd put this number in my phone under
"CSA contacts" or however you think you'll remember to find this
number and have easy access) between CSA hours (after 3:30pm but before
7:30pm), ask to speak to someone at the CSA and you'll be transferred, let us
know you'll be running late, and we can pack a bag for you that will have your
last name on it (when you pick up your CSA Share, make sure it's your last name
on the bag because, for example, if you get an Herb Share and someone else
doesn't, you don't want to miss out on your Herb Share and vice versa), and get
there before the Box Office closes for the night. That time depends on the
length of the movies playing (which change every week) so when you call to ask
us at the CSA to pack your CSA Share I'd ask the Box Office person what time
they'll be closing AND I'd give a call when I was on my way to let them know so
they wouldn't lock the front door (just in case 😊).
2. If you know in advance that you might be running late,
you can contact me (will put below the parameters of when I'm available as I'm
not a 24/7 person in terms of how to get in touch with me), and let me know and
I'll (as in the above), pack up your CSA Share so you can pick it up at the Box
Office before it closes. HOWEVER, if you don't get there by the time they're
going to close, they will have our donating organization come over to take it
as we can't store any CSA food at the Cinema overnight.
3. If you know in advance that you can't pick up at all
on a Thursday, there are options...
A. Have someone you know pick up for you so you can get
it from them the next day OR, if you're going away for the weekend, when you
get back. The only thing they need when they stop by our CSA is knowing where
to go (the Cinema's Sky Room Cafe), what time to show up (3:30pm to 7:30pm),
your name (you'd be surprised at how that's not as obvious as one would think 😊)
AND, to bring at least two bags to pack up the CSA Share to separate wet and
dry foods (and one being plastic or some other material that won't leak water).
B. Have another CSA member take your CSA Share home with
them and...see above. If you don't know any of our CSA members and you'd like,
I will send out an email asking for help, and 9 times out of 10 there will be a
CSA member who'd be glad to hold on to your CSA Share till you're able to pick
it up at that person's home (or another location agreed upon by both people).
They understand not wanting to miss a week of the CSA Season so they're happy
to help. 😊
All this might sound complicated BUT last night I had to
pack up CSA Shares for TWO of our long time CSA members. One woman works for
the Suffolk County Department of Health in the Infectious Disease Department
and has 3 small children so she's always running, and the other woman has a job
where her daily commute is in Westchester (administrator for a group related to
teacher's union contracts for all of New York State) so....traffic (she'll call
from her car OR she knows in advance that she'll be working late).
Have to tell you though, missing at least one CSA pickup
per season is almost like a rite of passage for every CSA member (new and not
new 😊). People miss them for any number of
reasons. From life's unexpected events (like getting caught up at work 😊,
to completely forgetting, to late planning that's not working out as one
wanted. At one point a number of years ago I was a member of our CSA AND
another one (wanted to compare the two CSA Shares 😊),
and I FORGOT to pick up my 2nd CSA Share one week (and was so annoyed at myself
that I never forgot again 😊). If I can completely
forget to pick up my CSA Share (of a CSA site that I'm not managing 😊),
it can happen to anyone 😊.
How to get in touch with suzanne...
1. email gtcsahuntington@gmail.com
- 24/7 HOWEVER there are times when I won't see them. On Thursdays, odds are I
won't see emails from noon till the next day (Friday) after noon.
2. personal phone ( 631-421-4864 )- for the
purposes of the CSA I use my home phone which is a land line. I want to
separate my home and "work" life so I don't use my mobile phone and
even if it's someone I know, I won't respond to anything connected to the CSA
from my mobile phone. HOWEVER, I won't see any phone messages left on this
number during the same times as the above (won't see voice messages left after
noon on Thursdays and won't check them till Friday after noon...and I don't check
them remotely)
3. Cinema phone ( 631-423-7611 xt. 0 ) - I'd keep this
number in your mobile phone too under "CSA" or any other place you'll
remember where it is. Unlike the above, you can ONLY use this number during CSA
hours (Thursday 3:30pm to 7:30pm) for the purpose of letting us know you're
running late and want your CSA Share packed and left at the Box Office, OR a
last minute plea to try and find someone to take your CSA Share home with them
so you can pick it up the next day (I wouldn't count on this since the pool of
people who will be asked is small BUT I also would still give it a try because
it has worked from time to time).
Lastly, for the past several years, our CSA farm, Green
Thumb Farm, has been VERY generous with us and over the course of our season,
they've given us around $80.00 worth of food that we didn't pay for (so far in
the past two weeks, we've gotten $3.25 more than we've paid for...if you look
at the CSA Wall Chart every week, you'll see that the total amount of money is
usually more than the $23 we pay the farm). SO, that means as far as losing
money, you can "afford" to miss at least one or two CSA pickups (and
possibly 3 or 4) and not lose money BUT, I understand we still want our weekly
veg (and Flowers and Herbs 😊), and miss it if we
don't pick it up or arrange to have our CSA Share held for us.
5.What you actually got last week
June 19, 2025
- Radishes: Purple – 1 bunch - $4.75
- Mustard Greens – 1 bunch - $4.75
- Sorrel – 1 bunch - $4.75
- Lettuce: Boston, Red – 1 head - $4.50
- Cilantro – 1 bunch - $4.75
Total Items: 5
Total Amount: $23.50
We pay our farm $23 per week for our CSA share…some weeks we
get a bit more, some a bit less. This week, it was $.59 over $23.00. 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 $3.75 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! 😊
Yarrow (everlast…can be dried)
6.And now, for something completely different…
#9 happens to have been turned into a movie called My
Penguin Friend which was shown at the Cinema Arts Centre last summer (different
from The Penguin Lessons which the Cinema Arts Centre played this past spring).
*Please keep in mind that any events or services listed do
not indicate a direct endorsement from Green Thumb Organic Farm or Green Thumb
CSA – Huntington
Saturday, June 28th
6pm to 10:30pm
12th Annual Farm to Table Benefit
Sylvester Manor
Shelter Island
$750/$550 (ages 21 to 30)/up to $25,000
For more info and to buy tickets…
All proceeds
directly support the operations and mission of Sylvester Manor. The event
features an extended cocktail party with sushi bar, locally sourced dinner, and
dancing.
Sunday,
June 29th
6pm
CSA Culinary
Extravaganza – June Edition
Sweetgreen
Walt Whitman
Shops
160 Walt
Whitman Rd.. Space 1021C
Huntington
Station
RSVP – respond to this email or leave a
voice message at 631-421-4864 (leave your name and the number of people in your
party)
Directions…Go to the Walt Whitman Mall, find The
Cheesecake Factory and if you’re facing The Cheesecake Factory, Sweetgreen is
to your left.
For more info
on Sweetgreen and to see their menu…
Why Sweetgreen?
Of all the fast casual food places, Sweetgreen is the one that has the most
organic and local foods used in their menu (but if you only get their food
delivered, you’ll never see the LONG list of local and organic sources of
food). Price range for bowls/salads are from $12 to $18.
Monday,
June 30th
10am to 2pm
Summer of Joy
Southampton (exact location given upon registration…see
website for details)
$220 (discount if attending all 3 sessions…see website for
details)
5% of the proceeds for this event will be donated to the
Alexandra Demoura Rip Current Awareness Foundation
For more info and to register…
https://www.yoga-foundation.com/summerofjoy
The theme for June is Red (wear, think, and embody red 😊…red
is a color with strong and varied associations, generally linked to passion,
love and energy). AND 😊, the beverages, meals,
and yoga practices will all have a “red” theme.
CSA member, Danielle Tarantola, has organized, and will be
teaching, a Summer of Joy! For more info about Danielle…
https://www.yoga-foundation.com/teachers
Each half day (out of a 3 day series) will have…
Welcome talk and beverage
1 hour asana practice with Danielle
1 hour to spend at a local beach (transport provided) OR
enjoy the pool where the event is taking place (see website for details)
Seasonal vegan lunch by Christina Finkel of V is for Vegan
(see website for menu details…looks pretty yummy 😊)
Closing meditation with Danielle
Now it’s time to explore the Hamptons (goodie bag will be
provided with promotional offers from local small businesses)
Tuesday, July 1st
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.
6pm to 8pm
Eric Eaton & Friends
Urban Coffee
101 Broadway
Greenlawn
FREE
For more info about Urban Coffee (no website)…
https://www.facebook.com/urbancoffeegreenlawn/
https://www.instagram.com/urbancoffeeny/?hl=en
CSA member Eric Eaton has started a singer/songwriter series
at Urban Coffee. This will be an almost weekly event (except not the first
Tuesday of the month when it will be poetry night). It’ll be an evening of
home-brewed songs and home-brewed Coffee 😊. Eric will be playing
songs of life, love, hope and peace, and then we’ll see what original tunes
Katherine has to offer. So, come on down and grab some refreshments for your
taste buds and ears!
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.youtube.com/watch?v=v76MyFuXfqc
Saturday, July 12th
6am to 8am
Biodynamic Gardening Class
KK’s Farm
59945 Main Rd.
Southold
$24
For more information and to register…
This session is entitled…Light. Students will join the
teacher, Sonomi Obinata, in learning a simplified version of Biodynamic
practices (like organic…but different). The class will learn about the role of
Silica in how it effects photosynthesis. Everyone will participate in observing
how silica effects the plants as the sun rises. Afterwards, the group will
explore composting. Coffee provided!
11:30am to 2:30pm
Foraging Tour with Wildman Steve Brill
Belmont Lake State Park
625 Belmont Ave.
North Babylon
For directions of where to meet up…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/travel
Adults - $25/Children under 12 - $15 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 find more info about this tour…
https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/tour-calendar
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,
he’s entertaining (silly and corny and sweet), and you’ll go home with some
interesting and delicious local seasonal foods to eat.
Monday, July 28th
10am to 2pm
Summer of Joy
Southampton (exact location given upon registration…see
website for details)
$220 (discount if attending all 3 sessions…see website for
details)
5% of the proceeds for this event will be donated to the
Alexandra Demoura Rip Current Awareness Foundation
For more info and to register…
https://www.yoga-foundation.com/summerofjoy
The theme for July is Orange (wear, think, and embody orange
😊…orange
is often associated with to warmth, optimism and enthusiasm). AND 😊,
the beverages, meals, and yoga practices will all have an “orange” theme.
CSA member, Danielle Tarantola, has organized, and will be
teaching, a Summer of Joy! For more info about Danielle…
https://www.yoga-foundation.com/teachers
Each half day (out of a 3 day series) will have…n
Welcome talk and beverage
1 hour asana practice with Danielle
1 hour to spend at a local beach (transport provided) OR
enjoy the pool where the event is taking place (see website for details)
Seasonal vegan lunch by Christina Finkel of V is for Vegan
(see website for menu details…looks pretty yummy 😊)
Closing meditation with Danielle
Now it’s time to explore the Hamptons (goodie bag will be
provided with promotional offers from local small businesses)
Monday, August 25th
10am to 2pm
Summer of Joy
Southampton (exact location given upon registration…see
website for details)
$220 (discount if attending all 3 sessions…see website for
details)
5% of the proceeds for this event will be donated to the
Alexandra Demoura Rip Current Awareness Foundation
For more info and to register…
https://www.yoga-foundation.com/summerofjoy
The theme for August is Yellow (wear, think, and embody
yellow 😊…yellow is associated with positive emotions
like joy, happiness, and a sense of fun). AND 😊, the beverages, meals,
and yoga practices will all have a “yellow” theme.
CSA member, Danielle Tarantola, has organized, and will be
teaching, a Summer of Joy! For more info about Danielle…
https://www.yoga-foundation.com/teachers
Each half day (out of a 3 day series) will have…
Welcome talk and beverage
1 hour asana practice with Danielle
1 hour to spend at a local beach (transport provided) OR
enjoy the pool where the event is taking place (see website for details)
Seasonal vegan lunch by Christina Finkel of V is for Vegan
(see website for menu details…looks pretty yummy 😊)
Closing meditation with Danielle
Now it’s time to explore the Hamptons (goodie bag will be
provided with promotional offers from local small businesses)
Saturday, October 4th
2pm to 4pm
Biodynamic Gardening Class
KK’s Farm
59945 Main Rd.
Southold
$24
For more information and to register…
The title of this class, appropriately enough, is Preparing
for Winter. Come along with Sonomi Obinata, and learn strategies to keep your
garden healthy during the winter.
###
