Happy Spring!

If you didn’t get an email regarding working at the CSA this week, you’re not on the schedule.

Flowers for sale!

We’re getting Peonies this week, and I’m selling my 2 Flower Shares. They’re $16 per bunch so if you’re interested, email me before noon and will hold them aside for you, or ask about them at the CSA when you get there! 😊

Last Saturday morning’s CSA Gathering was delightful (and delicious) but just didn’t have time to write about it this week. You’ll hear the deets next week 😊!

CSA weather report…

Warm and breezy

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…

What you need to know
Last call for next Wednesday’s CSA Culinary Extravaganza…only TWO spots left!
Food safety and COVID-19…
Click activism…it doesn’t necessarily take that much to make a difference!
How best to contact the CSA/suzanne
Emergency situations at the CSA (hurricanes/electronic communication glitches/medical emergencies, etc.)
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 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. Consider stashing wet and dry bags in every vehicle you own or might end up driving (or someone would use to pick up for you) and stash them in the glove compartment, hatch, trunk…whatever 😊 so you never have to end up not having anything to pack your CSA Share in.

Time – 3:30pm to 7:30pm

Place – Sky Room Café in the Cinema Arts Centre at 423 Park Ave, Huntington

Parking – park in the all the way around at the back of the building by the day care center (you’ll see a fenced in playground area with a sandbox)

When you arrive at the CSA –

Check in at the 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.

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 #3

June 18, 2026

Garlic Scapes – 1 bunch
Lavender* – 1 bunch (yes, it’s edible and is used for cooking/beverages 😊)
Spinach – 1 bunch
Lettuce – 1 head
Strawberries

Total Items: 6

Flower Share #2

Peonies

Please let me know if any of these links are no longer functioning 😊…

Lavender - Here’s some ideas of what to do with it whether fresh or dried (you can always do what I do…chuck it in the back of your car and it dries and becomes a natural air freshener 😊)

This article gives you the info about substituting dried Lavender for fresh and vice versa… https://purplehazelavender.com/lavender/cooking-lavender/#:~:text=It's%20important%20to%20note%20that,of%20dried%20flowers%20to%20fresh.&text=3

This sounds like a good place to start…How to cook with Lavender so your food doesn’t taste like soap…

https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/how-to/article/cooking-with-lavender

How to cook with Lavender…

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/learn-how-to-cook-with-lavender-plus-10-recipes-that-use-culinary-lavender

https://www.marthastewart.com/8118459/how-use-lavender-cooking-baking

When in doubt, Martha always has some good ideas…

https://www.marthastewart.com/8118459/how-use-lavender-cooking-baking

How to use Lavender in the kitchen and around the house…

https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/herbs/lavender-uses

Other ideas of how to use Lavender (for the home and kitchen) both fresh and dried…

https://preparednessmama.com/lavender-harvest/

https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/10-things-to-make-with-lavender/

Talk about a lazy gourmet! Put it in a bottle of gin, let it sit, and start drinking! 😊 http://sarahsharratt.com/recipe/lavender-infused-gin-recipe/

Tea

Easy peasy…Lavender Tea (and check out the health benefits as well as the contraindications 😊)… https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/how-to-make-lavender-tea

https://senchateabar.com/blogs/blog/how-to-make-lavender-tea

Lavender Lemonade with Honey (and has directions for using fresh Lavender flowers, not just dried)… https://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/lavender-lemonade-recipe

https://www.countryhillcottage.com/lavender-cookies/

Rub for grilling meat…

https://www.bhg.com/recipe/lavender-rub/

With Potatoes…

https://boulderlocavore.com/lavender-roasted-potatoes/

https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Roasted-Potato-With-Lavender/

https://www.thekitcheneer.com/2014/06/13/lavender-rosemary-smashed-potatoes/

https://farmflavor.com/lifestyle/5-ways-to-cook-with-fresh-lavender/#:~:text=Add%20It%20to%20Baked%20Goods,the%20star%20of%20the%20show

2.Last call for next Wednesday’s CSA Culinary Extravaganza…only TWO spots left!

Wednesday, June 24^th

6pm to 8pm

CSA Culinary Extravaganza – June edition

Blind Bat Bistro Brewery

94 Washington Drive

Centerport

To RSVP – there’s only TWO spots left so if you want to attend, respond ASAP 😊. If there’s enough interest, will ask if we could do this again if we fill up.

Whether you email or call, the info needed is your name (if you’re sharing with someone and you’re not the official CSA Member, your name and who your CSA Share Partner is), AND the number of people that will be in your party 😊

Email – gtCSAhuntington@gmail.com

Phone – 631-421-4864 (land line…no text option…no caller ID…can leave voice messages 24/7)

This will be the LAST event at Blind Bat as the owners, Paul & Regina, are opting out of the restaurant business so get it while you can! They’ll have a menu created just for us, we’ll pre-order, and have a delicious last supper of homemade, local and/or organic food, and beer/wine. It’s a small eatery, so the next TWO people to sign up can attend (capacity is 16 and there’s 14 folks already on the list). Here’s their website to give you an idea of what they serve (omnivore, vegan, and gluten-free friendly 😊)…

https://blindbatbrewery.com/

3.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…

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.Click activism…it doesn’t necessarily take that much to make a difference! 😊

Join me in Telling Congress Not to Deregulate Pesticide-Producing GMOs!

The House version of the 2026 Farm Bill would completely deregulate a category of genetically modified organisms the industry calls “plant-incorporated protectants.” These are crops that are genetically engineered to produce their own pesticides. These pesticides aren’t on your food, they are your food! Pesticide-producing GMOs include Bt crops, which are responsible for the engineered Cry1Ab toxin showing up in the blood of 8 out of 10 newborns. They also include the scary new gene-silencing GMOs in crops like Bayer-Monsanto’s SmartStax corn. This corn isn’t just genetically modified, it’s engineered to genetically modify the insects that feed on it. Who knows what it’s doing to us!

https://advocacy.organicconsumers.org/page/99373/action/1?chain

5. How best to contact the CSA/suzanne

First thing you might think is…I don’t need or want this info.

I get that BUT, there might come a time when you wish you knew…for example…

Something’s come up at the last minute and you know you’re going to be running late and would like to have your CSA Share packed and waiting for you at the Cinema Box Office to pick it up before the theater closes
You’re scheduled to help out at the CSA and something comes up at the last minute and you need to cancel
Something comes up and you can’t make it to the CSA at all and you’d like to see if someone can take your CSA Share and hold on to it till you could pick it up from them

You get the idea 😊.

I am not a 24/7 connected person, have no desire to be, and try and keep my CSA and personal communications separate, so…

Phone…you can leave a message on my landline (yes, they do still exist 😊) at 631-421-4864 at any time 24/7 (keep the ringer off when sleeping), BUT on Thursdays if you leave a message it needs to be before noon otherwise I won’t hear it till I get back from the CSA Thursday night
Email – you can email 24/7 at gtCSAhuntington@gmail.com but again, if you email after noon on Thursday, I won’t get it till I get back from the CSA Thursday night
On Thursdays I am totally incommunicado from noon to 3:30pm so if you want to get in touch with me between those times, the best option is to make sure you call or email me before noon OR wait till after 3:30pm and call the Cinema Box Office at 631-423-7611 xt. 0 to reach me up till 7:30pm
On Thursdays after 3:30pm (and up to 7:30pm), call the Box Office at the Cinema Arts Centre at 631-423-7610 xt. 0 and ask to speak to someone at the CSA and they will connect the call to the Café and we’ll talk to you directly. If you leave a message with someone at the Box Office, we might not get it in a timely manner or at all, as it’s not the Cinema staff’s job to take messages for the CSA.
FYI – I don’t get emails on my phone at all, and CSA members aren’t able to text me as I don’t deal with CSA issues on my cell phone

Consider putting the two phone numbers (suzanne – 631-421-4864 and the Cinema 631-423-7611 xt. 0) in your phone under “CSA” or “Green Thumb CSA – Huntington” (or whatever works for you to remember where you put them 😊) and you can put in the notes the details of when to call, what days to call, etc.

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

It’s hurricane season from June 1st till November 30^th (our CSA’s last day is December 10^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).

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’re asked to or not.

7.What you actually got last week!

Week #2

June 11, 2026

Beans: Black Turtle, dried – 1 bag (1/2 lb.) - $4.25
Radishes: French Breakfast – 1 bunch - $5.00
Kale: Lacinato* – 1 bunch - $5.50
Purslane** – 1 bunch - $4.75
Lettuce: French Crisp – 1 head - $4.50
Strawberries – 1 pt. - $6.50

Total Items: 6

Total Amount: $30.50

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 $7.50 (an all-time high amount!) over $23.00. I keep track and it adds up over the course of our CSA season and so far the total is $10.75. 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. Last year it was five and a half week’s worth extra, so we’re talking $119 worth of food we got gratis. No idea what it might be this season but in the end…it’s all good! 😊

Flower Share #1

Sweet Williams

Herb Share – June 1A

Spearmint AND Sage, Purple

*Other names for Lacinato Kale…

Black Tuscan Palm, Cavolo Nero, Dinosaur, Flat Black Kale, Italian Kale, Palm Tree Kale, Tuscan Kale

**Don’t know how many of you either have eaten Purslane before or know what it is, but I am THRILLED we’re getting it this week 😊. It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten this in our CSA Shares. It’s a good source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids so it’s like eating fish, without the fish (and a heck of a lot cheaper 😊)!

What’s with all the articles? Unfortunately, I NEVER will find just one that has all the info that the multiple ones have, AND I want to be as informed as I can about the foods I eat so am giving you the same info that I find useful and interesting 😊.

HOWEVER, if you have an issue with having or getting Kidney Stones (or are very salt sensitive), talk to your doctor before adding Purslane to your diet (the main issue is its oxalic acid content…though boiling any oxalic acid food at least lessens, if not eliminates, the oxalic acid being a problem), and I’d advise everyone to read this as a good general article for the pros, cons and suggestions how to use it…

https://draxe.com/nutrition/purslane/

Am a fan or Dr. Axe as he is an alternative doctor but also goes over the conventional medical info too.

And according to this article, if you add Yogurt to a Purslane dish, the Yogurt will lower the effects of the oxalates! I learn something new every day whether I want to or not 😊!

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/purslane#TOC_TITLE_HDR_6

AMAZING health benefits of eating Purslane…(some is good but going overboard and eating too much is pretty much never a good idea 😊)…

https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-purslane

GREAT easy hints and a good looking recipe for a Purslane Dip (yum! 😊)…

https://ourpermaculturelife.com/20-ways-eat-purslane/

Easy hints on what to do with it (Salads, Soups, etc.)…

https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/what-to-do-cook-with-purslane-article

Good source of recipes using Purslane…

https://foragerchef.com/category/wild-green-recipes/verdolagas-purslane/

Here's a study talking about all the good things in Purslane…

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3934766/

And it’s a great source of Vitamin A and E!

https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1484

HOWEVER…unless you’re an experienced forager, there’s something that LOOKS like Purslane that you might find growing on your property or elsewhere but it isn’t and it is POISONOUS. So don’t go eating something if you’re not totally sure what it is, it’s not worth it…

https://www.healthygreensavvy.com/spurge-vs-purslane/

8.And now, for something completely different…

Shrinkflation up close and personal (mostly food but some other things too)…

https://www.boredpanda.com/smaller-sizes-shrinkflation-pics/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter_Bored_Panda_Weekly_Automation&utm_term=2026-06-01&lctg=6cd6f6f3-344e-4278-9d78-9a12c7114e60

Events…both near and far

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

Thursday, June 18^th

1pm to 2pm

Support Birds All Summer Long (online event)

To watch…

https://www.youtube.com/live/79Cl9MgyKWM

Got a home garden? You want birds. Like eating organic food? You want birds. Birds eat bugs so we like that 😊. This is a production of Cornell University’s Cornell Lab of Ornithology. If you can’t catch it live (I can’t), you can save it and watch it afterwards. If you’re a fan of birds and/or would like to know more about the ones where you live, you can sign up to get emails from Cornell’s Lab here…

https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/

Friday, June 19^th

8pm

Rainbows of Pride

Take a Bow Playhouse

1530 Old Country Rd.

Plainview

$25/$10 – students with current ID

To buy tickets online (can also be purchased at the door if not sold out)…

https://www.ligmc.org/concerts

CSA member Anna-Karin Demirciyan will be singing with the LI Gay Men’s Chorus. If you go, make sure to say hello 😊!

Saturday, June 20^th

8pm

Rainbows of Pride

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stony Brook

380 Nicolls Rd.

E Setauket

$25/$10 – students with current ID

To buy tickets online (can also be purchased at the door if not sold out)…

https://www.ligmc.org/concerts

CSA member Anna-Karin Demirciyan will be singing with the LI Gay Men’s Chorus. If you go, make sure to say hello 😊!

Sunday, June 21st

HUDSON RIVER MUSIC FESTIVAL

https://www.hudsonrivermusicfestival.com

Wednesday, June 24^th

6pm to 8pm

CSA Culinary Extravaganza – June edition

Blind Bat Bistro Brewery

94 Washington Drive

Centerport

To RSVP – there’s only TWO spots left so if you want to attend, respond ASAP 😊. If there’s enough interest, will ask if we could do this again if we fill up.

Email – gtCSAhuntington@gmail.com

Phone – 631-421-4864 (land line…no text option…no caller ID…can leave voice messages 24/7)

This will be the LAST event at Blind Bat as the owners, Paul & Regina, are opting out of the restaurant business so get it while you can! They’ll have a special menu created for us, we’ll pre-order, and have a delicious last supper of homemade, local and/or organic food, and beer/wine. It’s a small eatery so the first TWO people to sign up can attend (capacity is 16 and there’s 14 folks already on the list). Here’s their website to give you an idea of what might be on our menu…

https://blindbatbrewery.com/

Saturday, June 27^th

11am and noon

Green Thumb Farm Spring CSA Farm Tour

Green Thumb Farm

829 Montauk Hwy

Water Mill, NY

To RSVP –

Whether you email or call, the info needed is your name (if you’re sharing with someone and you’re not the official CSA Member, your name and who your CSA Share Partner is), which time you want to tour the farm AND the number of people that will be in your party 😊

Email – gtCSAhuntington@gmail.com

Phone – 631-421-4864 (land line…no text option…no caller ID…can leave voice messages 24/7)

For CSA members and immediate family only. We get to tour our farm twice a year and this is the first one. It’s a walking tour of approximately one hour given by one of our farmers. They don’t do any agritourism so this is a rare chance to get a behind the scenes tour of how our food is grown, to meet the people growing our CSA food, and to ask our farmers if you have any questions about our CSA food OR about your own home gardens. For everyone attending the CSA tour, there’s a 10% discount on all purchases at the farm stand AND they have an amazing selection of seedlings for your home garden. After the last tour, anyone who’d like is welcome to do one of two things…1) eat at the delicious food truck called Hardwood Poke Co. BUT, if they’re sold out after the noon tour there’s Plan B – 2) accompany us to a most excellent restaurant called Barrow Food House in Aquebogue/Riverhead (on the way back). It’s a farm-to-table place that’s very reasonably priced for the area (can get a meal for $16 to $26 on average).

Hardwood Poke Co…

https://www.hardwoodpoke.com/

Barrow Food House…

https://barrowfoodhouse.com/

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