Green Thumb Farm Huntington CSA: Huntington CSA **2026 Season** Thursday, July 9, 2026 Week #6

Happy Summer!

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

Any new CSA Members still owed a cookbook will be getting it next week. Thanks for your patience! 😊

Do any of you out there have children, or grandchildren, who are involved with the Girl Scouts? If so, read #2 and let me know!

Save the date! Sunday, August 16^th, from 2pm to 6pm, we’re having our first CSA Pot Luck Pool Party in Greenlawn (all CSA Members and CSA Share Partners invited…family friendly – bring the kids/grandkids…all dietary lifestyles welcome)! Email with details to follow over the weekend.

CSA weather report…

Warm and breezy...possible rain between 2pm to 6pm

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
Want to see a family friendly feel good movie? This is a MUST see!
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.

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 #5

July 2, 2026

Beans, Shelling: Fava* – 1 bag
Onions – 1 bunch
Peas: Snow – 1 bag
Radicchio – 1 head
Lettuce – 1 head

Total Items: 5

Herb Shares – July 1A

Marjoram AND Savory, Summer

Flower Shares – Week #4

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

*Beans, Shelling: Fava Beans

WARNING…if you’ve never eaten Fava Beans before, do not eat if you’re on MAOI antidepressants ( http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/maois/faq-20058035 ) OR if you have G6PD (also known as favism…rare genetic disease in Sephardic Jews, and people of Mediterranean or African descent http://g6pddeficiency.org/wp/g6pd-deficiency-home/overview-of-g6pd-deficiency/#.WWXB1RtK3ug if you don’t have a problem with Soy there’s a decent chance you don’t have this…and it is rare…and seems to get detected in childhood)

Fava Beans and Parkinson’s (could be helpful…or not…MUST discuss with your doctor/s before eating)… https://www.scienzavegetariana.it/nutrizione/favabeans.html

Video on how to shell and cook fresh Fava Beans…

https://toriavey.com/fava-beans-how-to-cook-soak-peel-freeze/

How to prepare…

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-pick-clean-and-prepare-84710

http://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/how-to-prepare-fava-beans-gallery/list

Info and recipes…

https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-are-fava-beans-995664

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/fava-beans-guide?campaignid=20647728921&adgroupid=161385380344&adid=701356724306&utm_term=&utm_campaign=%5BMC%5D+%7C+Search+%7C+NonBrand+%7C+Category_DSA+Consolidated+%7C+ALL+%7C+EN+%7C+tCPA+%7C+EG&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_content=701356724306&hsa_acc=9801000675&hsa_cam=17057064710&hsa_grp=161385380344&hsa_ad=701356724306&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=aud-475970857561:dsa-1456167871416&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw4ri0BhAvEiwA8oo6F1G9W1KHKeIRvGM9p8yfFA5BI36FOs20p5p8E5UTBy2LIxSu1JBnJBoCqvkQAvD_BwE

Nutrition info…

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/benefits-fava-beans-4574.html

Recipes…

Easiest…however you make Hummus – substitute cooked, skinless Fava Beans for your Garbanzo Beans/Chick Peas and proceed and use however you’d use Hummus

Fava Beans with Snap Peas and Mint

http://www.marthastewart.com/975835/fava-bean-recipes#1143976\

Greek Style Fava Beans with Dill…

https://www.californiagreekgirl.com/greek-style-fava-beans-with-dill/

Fava Bean Dip…

https://thewanderlustkitchen.com/easy-fava-bean-dip/

Fava Bean and Goat Cheese Dip with Radishes

http://www.marthastewart.com/975835/fava-bean-recipes#334606

Fan of grilling? You can grill Fava Beas…

https://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/grilled-fava-beans-recipe.html

http://www.marthastewart.com/975835/fava-bean-recipes#341094

2.Want to see a family friendly feel good movie? This is a MUST see!

I was asked by someone at the Cinema Arts Centre to spread the word about this movie, saw the trailer, and told them that this was like a movie made out of puppies, kittens, bunnies, and anything else you’d find adorable and charming and uplifting…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnSQS43Eil8

Will let you all know the date and time it will be scheduled!

And if you have any family members involved with Girl Scouts (kids/grandkids/you’re a Scout Leader), get it touch as the Cinema Arts Centre would like to spread the word to Girl Scout troops in the area.

However, in all honesty, I have a problem (as a former Girl Scout) with the ingredients used for these cookies as in 2026 they should be able to do a LOT better (certified organic would be my preference…surprise, surprise 😊). BUT, there are TWO companies that make Girls Scout Cookies and one uses better ingredients than the other. ABC Bakers…no thank you, Little Brownie Bakers…not ideal but better than ABC Bakers.

And there are Girl Scouts who aren’t crazy about them either. Some are advocating for changes, and some are going rogue and baking their own and selling those instead…

https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2023-03-08/why-a-cookie-recipe-made-this-nh-girl-scout-go-rogue

Regardless of the cookie controversy 😊, this movie looks like it has a lot to offer in terms of positivity and general good vibes.

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! 😊

A.Help protect farmers from hormone disrupting pesticides! Click here and sign…

https://actionbutton.nationbuilder.com/share/SPK-QEhBREU=

B.Ban toxins in food packaging…

https://mstr.app/667b823c-a158-4685-94b3-617475df733f

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 8pm), call the Box Office at the Cinema Arts Centre at 631-423-7611 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. It’s not the Cinema staff’s job to take messages for the CSA, and THEY MIGHT NOT GET IT RIGHT! If you leave a message with someone at the Box Office, we might not get it in a timely manner or at all, and they may not get it right (which happened recently and someone almost didn’t get their CSA Share because of it). Unfortunately, if you’re calling around 7:30pm, it may be a time where the Box Office is busy selling tickets, and they either might not pick up the phone, or pick up the phone and put you on hold. If they don’t pick up the phone, keep calling, and they should eventually pick up and be able to speak with you. We are at the CSA cleaning up till about 8pm so you should be able to catch us before we leave (though if we are ready to leave earlier, we will).
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 #5

July 2, 2026

Beets: Gold – 1 bunch - $5.75
Garlic, fresh – 1 bunch - $4.75
Peas: Snow – 1 bag (.35 lbs.) - $4.50
Kale: Lacinato – 1 bunch - $5.50
Lettuce: Fusion – 1 head - $4.50

Total Items: 5

Total Amount: $25.00

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 $2.00 over $23.00. I keep track and it adds up over the course of our CSA season and so far the total is $15. 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! 😊

8.And now, for something completely different…

Jiji the black cat tries making Strawberry Shortcake (hope they’re organic 😊)…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3CxA0WdeEE

This is the kind of AI I can get behind. As they say in Japan…kawaii (so cute)!

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 – Huntingto

Tuesday, July 14^th

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.youtube.com/watch?v=v76MyFuXfqc

Tuesday, July 21st

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.