Glendale CSA Blog

Watch This Space

2012-01-21T14:25:00.000-08:00

Thoughts on King

2012-01-16T13:23:00.000-08:00

On this national holiday for Dr. King, we have an opportunity to look back at his writings and speeches to see what they tell us about today and to wonder "what if...?" For example, we might reread his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech and say "Occupy."

I see connections between Dr. King and today's food movement.
• In my view, today's interest in food justice has a link back to King's last major project, his Poor People's Campaign, which addressed a range of issues, including hunger, poverty, and access to food.
• The food movement's concern for the rights of farm workers reminds me that King always showed up to support workers in their search for economic justice. "All Labor has dignity," he said. (That is the title of a new collection of his writings, just out this week.)
• And when we invoke the term "community," I recall that King was a grassroots organizer who knew that all politics is local, and all change is local; and I remember he spoke of his vision of a 'beloved community.'"
• Lastly, today I learned about a direct connection between King and farming. When he was a young man, King went to Hartford, Connecticut to work on a tobacco farm, and the experience influenced his decision to become a minister and to dedicate his life to social change.

The issues King addressed in his time are still relevant today.

Eat. Work. Grow The Movement 2/24 and 2/25

2012-01-14T05:55:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest news from Just Food on their 2012 Conference.

Join Just Food, local food lovers and advocates, CSA members, community gardeners, urban and rural farmers, food professionals and entrepreneurs for two days of hands-on workshops, discussions, skills-building sessions, and good food. Learn about cooking and food preservation techniques, CSA trends, and the food justice movement in New York City and beyond, as well as ways you can mobilize to create good food projects in your own community.
We will be adding information about the workshops that will be offered soon so keep your eye on our website!
Help your CSA win a free canning class!Once again, this year we are excited to offer a free canning class to the Just Food Network CSA with the highest percentage of members in attendance at the conference. Register today and be sure to tell us which CSA you belong to in order to secure this prize for your community!

2011 Weekly Share Photos

2012-01-12T20:06:00.001-08:00

Just posted on the "Forms & Veggie Tip Sheets" page of our website--the full set of photos of Season 2011 by member Tom Tavcar, a familiar face from weekly distro. In addition to helping facilitate the distro operation, Tom documented each share, artfully arranging the veggies, fruit, eggs, and flowers which he then turned into a PowerPoint page for the binder which we kept at the sign-in table. Members who flipped through were mighty impressed. The man has a true gift. Anyone interested in joining the CSA will now be able to see the entire 2011 season. How could anyone resist?

Season 2010 share photos can be viewed at the flickr site, along with other weekly photos.

Garden Of Eve Winter CSA 1/7/2012

2012-01-07T20:45:00.001-08:00

It was like a bright morning in early Fall as walked to the Rutledge Ave. pickup site, turned into 89th St, and then a right into the community drive where Toby was setting things out for us all. We opened our two boxes and were struck by the amount of green for this time of year. Just what the doctor ordered! Also, farm fresh eggs, a good load of carrots, and home-made soup. This winter share is working out OK. And, we ran into a few members and chatted and we met someone new.
Our VEGETABLE share included; Arugula, large bunch; Broccoli 2 lb; Kale, 1 Bag; 2 Daikon Radish; Garlic, 3 Bulb; Braising greens 1 lb; Collards, 1 bag; Carrots, 1 1/2 Lb.; Beets, 1 large bunch; Salad Turnips; Mizuna, 1/2 lb; Eggs, 3 dozen; 2 Baking Potatoes.
Our Vegan SHOPPING BASKET SHARE included Broccoli 1 lb; Braising greens, 1/2 lb ; Kale, 1 Bag; Salad Turnips; 1 1/2 lb carrots; 2 lb Apples; Collards 1 bag; 2 Baking Potatoes; Garden of Eve grown and made frozen organic carrot OR butternut squash soup; NYS Grown and processed OG Kasha (buckwheat) OR OG buckwheat cereal.

We had the butternut squash soup for lunch--and tasty it was, though maybe a little chicken brothy--and for dinner we had salad (with apples) and arugula pesto, which we put over pasta. Our fridge is filled with leafy greens and other veggies and we're glad we signed up for the Garden of Eve Winter Share. --KB

Comments, Anyone?

2012-01-05T20:00:00.001-08:00

This blog is open to comments from readers. And you are encouraged to do so.
To comment on any post, just go to the bottom of the post and click on Comments and a box will come up for you to write your own response. You can post as Anonymous, or you can select other choices. When you hit Post, it may ask you to copy some strange letters (what is that called?). Email us if you have any difficulty posting comments to this blog.
You can also comment on comments....
Thx.

Community

2012-01-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

It is fitting that our first post for 2012 should relate to Community.

• News: The real estate section of the Times has discovered Queens. As noted previously (scroll down to 11/27), a piece on Glendale . And now, in the 1/1/2012 edition, a profile of Ridgewood. Two neighborhoods among others that are well represented in our CSA.
• Glendale is 100 years old we are told, and that is a cause for celebration! And that is what the Glendale Property Owners Association is doing at their January meeting on Thursday 1/5 at St. Pancras. UPDATE: Here is press coverage of the meeting/celebration in the Ridgewood Times and the Glendale Register.

Has anyone heard the rumors that 2012 is going to see a Queens revival, or renaissance? We have and it is curious and exciting. Makes sense to us, a good place to live.

Travis & Neysa

2011-12-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

A visit to homegrown. org, the social networking site for the Farm Aid folks, is usually an uplifting, but just an hour ago we checked in and the most recent posting was pretty sobering. It is from a young woman named Neysa who, with her partner Travis, took up farming in 2009 and shared their progress on their blog Dissertation to Dirt .

Sad to say, Neysa reports that they have left farming. From her posting "Why We Farm: The Final Chapter:" After three years of trying to make farming our living, Travis and I are leaving the fields. We’ve taken different jobs, and we’re not planning on farming again until we can do it from a place of financial security and stability....Young people cannot reasonably have careers in farming in America. Here are a few reasons why it hasn’t worked out for me...[and they cite wages, land access and support].

Neysa's post elicited quite a few responses from the readers of homegrown, and I have a few of my own. She identified the big issues from a farmer's perspective, and of them support is one we can all do something about. Farmers do not ask for much; they will do the work, they just could use some support. Perhaps the most important thing we can do is provide markets for them. Each of us can help with that by shopping at greenmarkets or joining CSAs. Our personal choices about where we shop matter, and choices, good or bad, become habits. Are we in a Shop & Stop habit, or a CSA/greenmarket habit? Do we eat processed foods or fresh produce? Do we cook or order in?

And is there more we can do collectively? Does the story of Travis and Neysa (and surely other farmers) underscore the importance of the 2012 Farm Bill, which has been for a while and still is being debated in the august halls of Congress? What can we do about that?

We should not lose farmers like Travis and Neysa. Remember: No Farms, No Food.

CROPS AND ROBBERS

2011-12-17T20:16:00.001-08:00

Here's a lightening up post. Just out this month is "Crops and Robbers" (Berkley; $7.99) by Paige Shelton. It's the third book in a series of "Farmers Market Mysteries," which are set in a small town, and so are full of colorful mayberry fried green tomatoes characters--and, it has a jams and jellies subtheme, which should appeal to the many fans of Dotty's CSA demo of this past season. (And, the book has recipes!)

From the jacket: Thanks to her delicious farm-made jams and preserves, Becca Robins's business has been booming. But when an unhappy customer turns up dead in Becca's kitchen, she's afraid it will really sour her reputation.

Who knew there was so much drama in a farmers' market? Publishers make good money publishing for niche audiences. If farmers market books sell (and this series does) can CSA-related fiction be far behind? It's probably just a short step to "The CSA Murders," a series filled with a colorful cast of community characters, with titles such as "The A Week, B Week Feud"; "The Worker Bee Who Didn't Show (She Didn't Even Call)"; "Worms in the Corn"; and "The Skull in the Swap Box." Not to mention a CSI/CSA crossover.

FARMERS MARCH

2011-12-05T09:53:00.001-08:00

A few hundred interested and concerned citizens gathered on the Lower East Side yesterday to show their support for major change in the food system. I went down with a few CSA friends to the Farmers March site--the amazing La Plaza Cultural community garden, which has been around since the mid-'70s and which shows what can be accomplished when people work together on the local level. The folks on the LES sure know how to do community gardens! We listened to farmers and community organizers speak on major farm and food issues, and while that might sound like more of the same, each speaker brought something new to the usual topics of land availability for new farmers; the costs of running a farm; the need for more (or less) legislation and oversight; the dangers of processed food, GMOs, and fracking; the importance of greenmarkets, CSAs and community gardens. What came through for me was the strong commitment of each speaker, their individual personalities, and the truths that they brought to us from their very varied experiences. A common thread was the need for rural and urban to work together because we have the same things at stake.

There was some anger, some sense of urgency, but also much positivity along with a simple do-it-yourself practicality. "Plant everywhere and anywhere," one farmer said; another advised that when we buy food we should have three criteria: buy local; buy organic; and buy family farm scale. Yet another reminded us that while we vote with our ballots on election day, we can vote every day with our dollars, and we need to make good choices and spend our money where it will make good.
After the speeches, we marched through the Lower East Side and down to Zuccotti Park, the OWS site. Along the way people on the stoops of buildings and in the doorways of businesses watched and took pictures of us and our signs. I overheard one father saying to his son "big farms...small farms" and I was glad to hear that. It was a long walk across Houston Street and down past City Hall, the line stretched several blocks (with police escort), and when we reached Zuccotti it was dark. The talks there were in a smaller, more intimate setting, and we joined in on the OWS mic check style of speaker-audience repetition, which was new to me but OK. It ended with a seed sharing, where beet, barley and wheat seeds (non-GMO) were give away for anyone to plant in the space of our own choice.

Today's Times carries this report and see this 50-minute video from Zuccotti Park.

Garden of Eve Winter CSA on Rutledge Ave., Glendale

2011-12-03T21:13:00.001-08:00

Today was the first distribution of the 2012 Garden of Eve Winter CSA. Despite the cool weather, Toby Sheppard Bloch hosts a warm and welcoming distro site in the community drive behind his house on Rutledge Ave. What a terrific place for a CSA distribution! There are 22 members, with a variety of shares, and everything comes pre-boxed. See that blue cooler? There are two large frozen chickens in there--special orders. How many firsts is that?

(Doubleclick the image to make it larger)

COMMUNITY: Glendale in the News

2011-11-27T08:42:00.000-08:00

Glendale is featured in today's NYTimes real estate section--see Tucked Away and Neatly Tricked Out by Joseph Plambeck. As with anything in the Times you gotta ask, "Did they get it right this time?"--you be the judge on that .

It's been a while since the Times covered this terrain--last time being October 2001 with a nice piece, same real estate section, called Glendale, Queens; A Neighborhood of 'People Playing Nice' That one had more history to it, and fascinating stuff it was; today's piece strives to get across that while there have been some changes since 2001, Glendale remains an attractive enclave and a desirable place to live for many reasons. Plambeck cites residents who moved in from neighborhoods such as Bushwick and Williamsburg. (One assumes people are still playing nice.) Since it is real estate, the piece is directed at prospective home buyers as well as prospective businesses, and the delicate balance of the two is the challenge for Glendale's future.

One thing that is new and which might have been included is the Glendale CSA. Perhaps we can send a letter to Macaluso, Crifasi and other real estate companies informing them that having a CSA in a neighborhood adds to property values--and maybe they could consider mentioning it when showing off a house. Agent: "And do you know that there is a Community Supported Agriculture group here in Glendale?" Buyer: "O really? Where do I sign?" SOLD!

Today In History: "Harvest Of Shame" Broadcast, 1960

2011-11-25T08:10:00.001-08:00

On the day after Thanksgiving 1960, families gathered in their living rooms, in front of their television sets, to watch "Harvest of Shame," a broadcast of CBS Reports hosted by Edward R. Murrow which exposed the plight of migrant farm workers in America. We can view the 52 minute segment on YouTube here. Then go to background and followup.

Queens County Farm Museum Recycles Leaves!

2011-11-23T17:19:00.000-08:00

Wow! If you signed up with the Queens County Farm Museum you got their newsletter today-and learned that you can bring them your leaves and they will recycle them for compost:

Queens County Farm Museum is one of various sites around New York City accepting donations of bagged, residential leaves this fall. Through a partnership with NYC Leaves, we aim to lessen the amount of leaves going to our landfills and use this natural resource to create valuable compost for our growing fields. Participants are welcome to drop off leaves at the farm every Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10am-3pm. (Please note that we are closed Thanksgiving day.)

Looking Forward....

2011-11-21T07:13:00.001-08:00

The Just Food 2012 conference is scheduled for two days in February. Save the date....

Several Glendale CSA members attended the conference in February of this year. You can read their reports by looking at the blog post for March 12, 2011.

Bittman's Thanks Giving

2011-11-21T05:45:00.000-08:00

It's hard to keep up with the prolific Mark Bittman--but it's sure worth trying. Sunday's paper carried Bittman's Thanksgiving column, "No Turkeys Here "where he lists various "signs of hope...as well as people and organizations who’ve been prodding American food back on a natural, sustainable, beautiful track."
I always learn a lot just following Bittman's many links, adding a few to my Favorites for future monitoring. Marion Nestle, #1 on the list, I read regularly; now I look forward to following #10 Barry Estabrook's "Politics of the Plate" blog, which is new to me. I am thankful that Bittman included #16, Tim DeChristopher's eloquent statement to the court prior to his sentencing. It is riveting. And of course, #15 on the list Wendell Berry: "The farmer, poet, novelist and essayist is a leading voice for sustainability and common sense, and perhaps the first scribe of the food movement."

• Another bit: CSA member Lynn posted on our Facebook page the "Secret Farm Bill" piece by Bittman from earlier in the month. It's a real 101 on the Farm Bill--aka, the Food and Farm Bill--which is something we all need. And, as usual, there are links a'plenty.

DISTRO #24 What We Got

2011-11-19T14:25:00.000-08:00

Our final distro of the year, and we did all right: Sweet potatoes, onion, squash, carrots, potatoes, radishes, collards, pea shoots, broccoli, lettuce, kale; apples; eggs.

Farm News & Share Info for November 19, "B" Week

2011-11-18T12:30:00.000-08:00

Last week of the CSA! Who can believe it? Thanks so much to all of our great members for your support. It was a challenging season but we feel blessed to be in a location where the land protected us this season with her resiliency, draining floods, nurturing plants, and bringing us some decent weather along with the storms. We’ve enjoyed the warm fall and are gearing up for winter shares!
Don’t forget to sign up for winter shares at www.gardenofevefarm.com for pick up at Riverhead, Roslyn, Bushwick, Williamsburg, Kensington-Windsor-Terrace or Glendale, till Dec 1.
Returning member signups (with the usual returning member discount!) are likely to start in December, depending on your location.
Vegetables:
Sweet potatoes
potatoes
1 bu kale
1 head lettuce
4 leaves collards
2 heads kohlrabi
Leeks
1 lb carrots
1 bu radishes
1 butternut OR spaghetti OR carnival squash
0.25 lb pea shoots
Fruit share: apples
Egg share: ½ dozen pastured eggs
Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm
www.GardenOfEveFarm.com

Distro #23 What We Got 11/12

2011-11-13T12:53:00.001-08:00

Our worker bees are: Tom, "Big Happy" Strawman (our mascot), Meghan, Kerstin, farm apprentice Riley, and Roe.

Farm News & Share Info November 12, "A" week

2011-11-11T06:57:00.000-08:00

FARM NEWS & SHARE INFO
We’ve finally had our first frost the night of November 6, which put an end to any warm weather crops… fortunately we plan ahead with lots of cold-hardy greens, which keep producing despite being frozen at times. For those of you with kids, one of our favorite recipes is macaroni and cheese with broccoli – a great way to work those veggies into some standard comfort food. Fennel is great slow-roasted with plenty of olive oil in a closed dish in the oven (after about 45 mins to an hour, it gets soft and sweet), while you’re roasting those winter squashes.

We’re looking forward to celebrating the harvest at two CSA celebrations, one east and one west. On Sat Nov 19 from 7pm-midnight (!) we invite all our CSA members, friends and family (and anyone from anyplace else who wants to make the trip) to join us at the farm in our processing barn/dance hall, for an end of season “We Did It” celebration. Email farmer@gardenofevefarm.com with questions and to RSVP (no charge).
On Sat Nov 12 from 7-9 pm, there will be a CSA potluck harvest dinner at Greenpoint’s Church of the Messiah, 129 Russell St; southside of McGolrick Park. RSVP to williamsburgcsa@gmail.com. We won’t be in attendance personally (unfortunately) this year, but this is always a great event, and chance to meet other CSA members.
Vegetables
1 Head Escarole
2 pounds potatoes (1 quart w/o scale)
3 pounds sweet potatoes (1 1/2 qt w/o scale)
1 bunch parsley
0.5 lb braising greens
0.25 lb baby greens
1 head of garlic
1 winter Squash (var. Carnival)
Fruit share: approximately 7 apples (3 lbs)
Egg share: 1/2 dozen pastured eggs
Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm
http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/

RECIPE: Creamed Collard Greens

2011-11-08T14:00:00.001-08:00

If you still have those giant collard greens in the 'fridge and don't want them to go to waste, here is a recipe we have used for years--and it is mighty fine.
Creamed Collard Greens, from the Food Network website (which has a lot of collard green recipes)
Ingredients
4 bunches collard greens, tough stems and ribs removed
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 large shallots, minced
2 cups heavy cream
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Directions
Fill a very large pot three-quarters full with water and bring to a boil. Add the collard greens to the water and make sure they are all well submerged. Return the water to a boil and simmer until the greens are tender and bright green, 10 to 15 minutes.
Drain the greens and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain the greens well, squeezing out excess water with your hands or by placing in a kitchen towel and squeezing. Chop the greens finely and set aside.
Melt the butter in a skillet or Dutch oven large enough to hold all of the greens. Add the garlic and shallots and cook over medium heat until softened but not browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the cream and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook until reduced by half, about 25 minutes - watch carefully as the cream can quickly boil over!
Add the greens and toss until warmed through. Season generously with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add to a serving dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan
Comments: There is a picture on the website along with this recipe--ours looks much more creamy white. And, yes, you gotta watch while you reduce as the cream can get out of control.
We had it along with the GofE potatoes froma few weeks back--roasted golden brown. O yum!

Farm Aid 2011

2011-11-06T19:20:00.001-08:00

Hey, if you are weary of endless appeals to go to justfood.org, why not go on the road again to the site for farmaid.org? Like the justfood.org, it is jam-packed with fascinating info--good music videos, yeah, but also some really impressive features which show how much Farm Aid has grown since 1985. If you think it is about one big concert a year, uh uh.

The Farm Aid folks know that it is the decisions each of us makes every day of the year that matter for the survival of family farms in America. That's why they started the Good Food Movement to connect us to farms and food. Good food from family farmers helps you and helps farmers. Getting food directly from farmers at farmers markets or through community-support agriculture (CSAs) puts your dollars directly into the hands of family farmers and you receive the best quality food . But for more family farmers to thrive , we must get the food that they grow into urban neighborhoods, grocery stores, restaurants and schools.

Neil Young says it pretty well in a video here.

And, their online community site homegrown.org provides a wealth of farm news and features that we won't (but should) see in our daily newspaper.

Distro #22: What We Got 11/5

2011-11-05T20:36:00.001-07:00

The tables for this B week had Fall colors in the sweet potatoes, carrots, and winter squash, but there sure was plenty of green in the broccoli, collard greens, lettuce, mizuna, braising greens, and dill; the apples were Rome apples--"good for baking" we are told; and pastured eggs.

Nineteen members purchased the Glendale CSA canvas bag. Disco discussions included: Where's Riley?; glad to see dill; the sweet potato leaves a few weeks ago were very tastey; recommendation for Jamie Oliver's cookbook "Jamie At Home" which is organized by seasons; mizuna?; how to sign up by mail for the winter share; GofE pastured eggs OK for those with soy allergy; when do signups start for next season (December); what kind of apples?; welcome back Kimberly.

Announcing: The Glendale CSA Canvas Bag

2011-11-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

Announcing: The Glendale CSA canvas bag! Just off the press and available at distro beginning this Saturday, the Glendale CSA canvas shopping bag is just right for picking up your weekly share. And while you are running errands around town, carry your bag and you will be doing important CSA outreach as you get the word out and recruit new members. The Glendale CSA bag is available for a limited time at a special 2011 early bird price of $9. (We cannot guarantee that price beyond 2011. Quantities are limited and we will take orders for more as needed.) When you see this bag, you will want one. Just $9!

Source:Eco-Bags Website: http://www.ecobags.com/

Material: Recycled cotton, Style: Can 801

Dimensions: 15.5" tall x 19" wide, 7.5" bottom gusset; 22" handle

Share Info for 11/5 "B" Week

2011-11-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

Vegetable share:
Carrots, 1 lb or 1 bunch
Braising/spicy salad greens
Mizuna, 1 bu
Dill, 1 bu
Broccoli, 1 head or 1 lb
Collards, 1 bu
Lettuce, head
Winter squash
Potatoes
Fruit share: Rome and Red Delicious apples (4 lbs total).
Egg share: ½ dozen pastured eggs
Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm
www.GardenOfEveFarm.com

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T13:24:00.001-07:00

What We Got: Distro #21, 10/29

2011-10-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

It was wet and cold, and the worker bees were steadfast on the last distro of October. Chris brought us a real bounty--sweet potatoes, broccoli, mixed greens, kale, cilantro, bok choi, daikon radish, fennel and Happy Rich. About that. Joe looked it up on his smartphone, and we found out it is related to broccoli. Chris advises us to use all of it--stems and leaves. Just cut it, and toss it with oil in a skillet. OK, will do. He planted it the day before the hurricane, when he knew he wanted to get some things in the ground because there would be some loss and he wanted to do what he could to make up. So, that was August and today we have Happy Rich, along with daikon radishes which were also planted that same day--which gives us an idea of how long it takes things to grow.

These sweet potatoes are fine; don't mind the cracking, it does not affect anything, says Chris. Distro discussion topics included: what is happy rich; what to do with fennel; how long did the flowers last; members who are librarians; noshows, and why; will we have enough apples for everyone; did people not take daikon radishes; where does the surplus food go and what is done with it; the Garden of Eve Winter Share; and the forthcoming Glendale CSA canvas bags.

Here's farmer Chris, Roe, Noelle and Lauren (who helped with signs), farm apprentice Riley, and Becky--and lots of greens.

Any questions, comments about this week's share? Why not Comment below or go to the Google Group for members?

Farm News & Share Info for 10/29

2011-10-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

Shira looks pretty happy about that supersize sweet potato. They grow 'em big out there on the North Fork! The folks at GofE harvested five tons worth. That's a lot--of work. Thx, everybody at Garden of Eve Organic farm.

Farm news:
This past week was a nice dry week, and we were able to harvest 10,000 lbs of sweet potatoes. They have to be dug up, and fishing around in the mud, Chris found one that was about 6 lbs – really huge! This is really exciting for Chris because he is always happy when he can provide the CSA with bounty. You’ll be receiving lots of sweet potatoes for the rest of the season, which everyone enjoys. We built our own “curing room”, and keep them with a heater at 85 degrees so that they develop a slightly thicker skin that will keep them from rotting quickly, so they can be stored through the winter.
Vegetable Share:
3 lb Sweet potatoes
1 bu kale
1 bulb Fennel
1 lb beets
Bok choi – green or purple
1 head endive (looks like frizzy lettuce, can be eaten raw or cooked)
1 daikon radish
1 head or 1 lb broccoli
1 bu cilantro
0.5 braising greens (i.e. greens for sautéing, baby kales, mustards, mizuna, etc.)1 bu salad turnips
Fruit share: 4 lbs apples. Sorry, it’s just going to be apples from here on out till the end of the season – but there are so many delicious ways you can use apples! Roasted apples, applesauce, apple fritters, and more.
Flower share: last week was the last week of the flower share. See you with flowers in the spring!
Egg Share: ½ dozen pastured eggs
Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm
http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/

Today is National Food Day

2011-10-24T18:46:00.001-07:00

Today is National Food Day, which we can all find out about here:

The six basic principles are;
• Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
• Support sustainable farms & limit subsidies to big agribusiness
• Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
• Protect the environment & animals by reforming factory farms
• Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
• Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

After visiting the website, do you have any thoughts, impressions, or responses you would like to share with CSA members? Comment below.

Distro #20, What We Got 10/22

2011-10-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

GARDEN OF EVE WINTER CSA

2011-10-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

SIGNUPS ARE NOW OPEN FOR THE GARDEN OF EVE WINTER CSA.
See the farm's website for info:
http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/WinterCSAShare.htm

Glendale Pickup: 89-03 Rutledge Ave.
Pickupdates are:
December 3, 2011
January 7, 2012
February 4
March 3
April 14
May 5

Share Items for October 22, "B" Week

2011-10-20T20:24:00.001-07:00

Vegetable share:
Broccoli
Carrots
Potatoes
Mesclun lettuce
Kale
Cilantro
Turnip
Fruit share: apples
Flower share: 1 pot organically grown hardy fall chrysanthemum! It will keep blooming hopefully almost till Thanksgiving, if you keep it well watered (probably needs to be watered almost every day). This is the last week of the flower share!
Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm
http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/

[NOTE: Egg share: 1/2 dozen eggs. The egg share will continue through the last distro.--Glendale CSA]

Farm Photo

2011-10-19T22:33:00.001-07:00

What We Got 10/15 Distro #19

2011-10-15T13:30:00.001-07:00

You've probably heard us say, "Know your farmer...." Conversely, farmer Chris wants to know who he is growing for; and that means us! He spent a really generous amount of time speaking with worker bees and early birds about crops, weather, what we get on A/B weeks, and how he plans. He said the farm has 900 CSA members total so he plans for 1,100 knowing there will be loss and the unforeseen. Of course, there's a lot more to it, but this week's share tells us he is doing a lot right.

We got: carnival acorn squash, sweet potatoes, onion, collards, cabbage, peppers (sweet), eggplant, bok choi, broccoli, lettuce; apples, bosc pears, bartlett pears; eggs; flowers.

The general meeting: Accounts; We have $745 in the bank; Survey: it looks like events at distro are especially popular; was question #3 on income helpful?; we should look further into communication responses. Answers generally clustered in the 4-5 range, meaning members seem to be happy. Other: Bags--we want them this season if possible. Member request: set up a way to swap shifts. Attending: Bill, Dotty, Kevin, Roe, and Tom.

Hope you got the canning bug from Dotty's food demo on jams. That's a skill to have--it's fun, makes good gifts, and makes sense in parlous economic times. Can't beat that! Thx, Dotty. And see the Forms and Documents section of the website for her RECIPE Peach Jam.

The food program at All Nations expresses thanks to all Glendale CSA members for our generosity. Their food pantry opens at 1PM on Saturday, which works out just right, and they distribute everything we send that day. There is a line when we arrive. (Ours is not the only food they distribute, but it is farm-fresh, healthy, and has variety.)

FARM NEWS & SHARE INFO for October 15, "A" Week

2011-10-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

“It’s amazing what sun can do for vegetables!” is Farmer Chris’s deep thought for the week. What a nice, hot, sunny weekend, helping the broccoli and other crops to rebound from wetness. We hope you are enjoying Indian Summer, remember our Gleaning event is on the farm this Sunday from 10am-noon, together we’ll harvest some crops that have been left behind for various reasons, and donate the produce to Long Island Cares food bank.
If you are on Long Island (or heading our direction), we have our Pumpkin Festival “funpass” every Sat and Sun in October from noon-4pm including a bounce house, pony rides, pedal kart track, and farm train which are a lot of fun for kids. Free for CSA members!

Vegetable Share:
broccoli
head lettuce
bok choi
onions
collards
winter squash
sweet potatoes
Fruit share: pears, and apples.
Flower share: zinnias, sunflowers, celosia, cosmos, etc.
REMINDER: Flower shares end on Oct 22 – this is the next-to-last week for flowers!
Egg share: ½ dozen pastured eggs
Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm
www.GardenOfEveFarm.com

Folks, This Ain't Normal

2011-10-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Just out in stores today! See the book's website for description and special features. In FOLKS, THIS AIN'T NORMAL, [Salatin] discusses how far removed we are from the simple, sustainable joy that comes from living close to the land and the people we love. Salatin has many thoughts on what normal is and shares practical and philosophical ideas for changing our lives in small ways that have big impact.

Distro 18 What We Got 10/8

2011-10-08T14:06:00.001-07:00

Chris drove the truck in from Riverhead and spent time with us. Expanding on his report in the weekly email, he told us they did a full field analysis and we will get items through the 11/19 distro. They harvested a good amount of squash, though not in the varieties he would have liked--they lost most of the acorn squash, but have some butternut--and we can look forward to sweet potatoes. He also said one of his workers has a side project raising a small number of turkeys, and if anyone is interested, contact the farm (or us).

Above: Roger, Wyatt, Stan, Roe, farmer Chris, Kristy and Charissa with peppers*, radishes, collards, edamame, leeks, chinese cabbage**, broccoli, carrots, and potatoes.

Distro discussions included a lot of talk about the eggs, which are especially popular this year. Members definitely taste the difference, and Margaret told us that her husband is allergic to soy (which is in everything it seems) and so the soy-free eggs are most welcome. Buying a Winter Share is one way to keep those eggs coming, folks!
Giannina told us all about her experiences at the County Fair at the Queens County Museum a few weeks back. She and her family had a terrific time, lots of fun on the rides, etc., and the petting zoo is a really good one. (Only drawback was that everything cost.) She says she saw the (blue ribbon) Goodmans.

Soup seemed to be the cook's preferred choice, what with the cool weather upon us. Members offered suggestions for potato-leek soup, and broccoli soup. This definitely is a "soup" oriented share this week.

*Are the peppers hot? We did not think so, but a report back said, YES they are HOT! (Let us know....?)

**Chinese cabbage=bok choi. Chris says remove outer leaves, slice diagonally, sautee. (And why not add the radishes...)

TYPO in the Weekly Email

2011-10-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

The weekly email was just barely off the press when I was notified that the date listed for the Additional Items workshop is incorrect. It is, sort of. And it is good to see that people actually read the email. Thx, Dotty.

Correction: The next Just food Workshop will take place on Monday, October 17, 2011 Additional Products - Planning, sourcing and problem solving for additional product share options. The workshop will focus on fruit, eggs, and meat but other options will be mentioned as well.

No change to the request that a GCSA member attend and report back. These workshops are fun. Go here and you will see that I cut and pasted in haste, grabbing from the 2012 workshops!

Might as well use this space while I have it to mention that in addition to the regular monthly series of workshops, which I highly recommend, there is a "CSA for Everyone" Series which deals primarily with low-income issues, as well as a series on how to start a CSA--which Queens needs more of. Go here

Farm News & Share Info for October 8, "B" Week

2011-10-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

Farm News from Chris:
This has been a challenging last couple of months and although we were not wiped out by the hurricane the amount of rain has been a huge issue affecting quality of many crops. Even our conventional farming neighbors – who spray constantly to fight fungus and pests – are telling us of their extreme crop losses, similar to ours. Crop losses are very disappointing to me as the farmer as I like to succeed in growing quality produce. We work all season to sprout seeds in the greenhouse, plant out into the field, cultivate to keep weeds down, and this season what we’re seeing, is that during the last few weeks of ripening of many different types of vegetables, the frequent rains are causing rampant fungus (mold) in the fields, causing the ripening squashes, greens, onions, and more to just rot right before (and sometimes after!) they are ready to be harvested.

We do take action with all the organic tools and resources at our disposal, and work as hard as possible to limit damage and produce a quality product. I’d like to explain a bit about the challenges and losses of this year in an attempt to help you feel good about what you are receiving. We have had to deal with tomato blight, double our annual rainfall total (most of which in the last month and a half), hurricane winds, and pests and insects that were transported with winds. So what does this mean you will be seeing in your CSA share?

You will see some cracking of root crops like sweet potatoes, carrots, and potatoes from the repeated wet/dry cycle. You have also seen an early end to tomatoes in the share. Heavy rain and pooling of water leads to leaf disease on all kale, collards, cabbage, broccoli, head lettuce, beans beets and many more. In extreme cases plant roots can suffocate leading to the plant wilting to the ground. That has happened to broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts. You will see some of the broccoli has some rotting in the center of the florets, due to rain sitting on the heads for longer than normal. The other night for dinner we cooked and ate some pretty raggedy looking broccoli, and it still tasted great.

I met with Cornell Cooperative Extension today to get help in identifying three different crop diseases and one caterpillar that I’d never seen before – it turns out that all are tied directly to the wet weather. They believed the steps that we had taken were sound and accurate given the tools we have under the national organic standards. They shared stories with me of other farmers seeking advice, and the vast damage and loss of crops in our region this season.

Under the circumstance we try to stay optimistic about the situation and not come across as sounding as though we are complaining. All seasons are different and rarely are they void of conditions at some time that will have an impact on quality, quantity or diversity. We fared better than some Hudson Valley, Vermont, and Black Dirt farms that have already ended their CSA seasons (prematurely), but probably worse than farms in some other areas. Every region, even just as little as 100 miles away may have a totally different growing experience in a season. Since it looks like this season is going to have a tough finish for us, as the rains continue to come (as I write this , too! 6+ feet of rain this year and growing…) we hope that you will make an effort to remember the good things you received during the spring and summer and remember that we are still working as hard as we can under the conditions to produce as much food for you as we can.

Share items for Oct 8:
Vegetables
Cabbage
Edamame (edible fresh soybeans)
1 head lettuce
Carrots 1 bu
Radishes
Potatoes
Leeks
Possibly one additional item TBD
Fruit share: sekel pears (mini-pears), apples
Flower share: zinnias, sunflowers, celosia, cosmos, etc.
Egg share: ½ dozen pastured eggs
Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm
http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/

NYTimes Magazine: Food Issue

2011-10-02T04:13:00.000-07:00

Questions:
• How suspect are packaged greens?
• How can you tell if food is genetically engineered?
• When I purchase vegetables and meat labelled "organic," why are they so much more expensive than similar items without the "organic" label?
• Can food be as addictive as a drug?
• Why does it matter that families eat together?
• Are there real opportunities for consumers to make an impact on factory farming, unsustainable agriculture and animal cruelty?
• If you could have only one cookbook what would it be?

Answers:
Find them in the magazine section of today's New York Times, the annual Food & Drink Issue, which is a fun read over this morning's breakfast of Garden of Eve pasteured eggs with GofE peppers--or fruit with yogurt if you like.

Michael Pollan answers a few of the above questions and others, and he covers a lot of ground. I was surprised at his claim that frozen food is nutritious as fresh; surprised that he "is dubious" on gluten-free issues; and I reread several times his answer to a question about ending food subsidies. He thinks it would not be a quick fix to a real problem. Food for thought, always, as are his breakfast recommendations.

Other writers weigh in on eating before or after exercising, the single best way to make coffee, the possibility that algae will be used as flour in the future, and whether the time you eat matters. You might have less patience for Chris Buckley on a business lunch and advice on "the best..." places to spend your money. In the end though, the Times does indeed come through in a pinch--What IS that one cookbook? See here.

What We Got 10/1 Distro #17

2011-10-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

We worked without the tent today, got lucky with the weather as usual, and were happy to see farmer Chris, who stayed a bit and talked about the farm. We learned that all the rain has had an effect, unfortunately, as veggies do not like to sit in water. Here's farmer Chris, Tom, Roe, Alex, and Andrea & Samantha. We were all busy bees, including Shelley is off camera.

We got: Sweet potatoes, 2lbs.; Winter squash, 2; Beets, 1.5 lb.; radishes, a bunch; broccoli, a bunch; parsley, a bunch; sweet peppers, 3; green beans, .5 lb.; collard greens, 4 leaves. The fruit share had 4 apples, bartlett pears, 1 lb.; grapes, 1 lb. Bosc pears, 1 lb. Eggs and flowers. We gave: A few bags of leftover items went over to the food pantry at All Nations.

Distro discussions included what to do with Kohlrabi (still), with collards, with sweet potatoes, a new book on what happened to the tomato, should we have Glendale CSA canvas bags...and quite a few members said they are interested in the Winter Share and want to know more.

Farm News & Share Info for October 1, "A" Week

2011-09-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came out to our Garlic Festival this past weekend, it was a lot of fun, especially since initially we were expecting rain all weekend! We enjoyed hosting over 3,000 people at the farm over two days! Of course now we are exhausted, but not too much so to pick your veggies for this week’s CSA share. We are enjoying the cooler temperatures of fall, and have just opened the winter share signup online here, for Riverhead, Williamsburg Brooklyn, Bushwick, Roslyn, and possibly Glendale: http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/WinterCSAShare.htm

We are also considering offering a winter share box that would contain organic, seasonal, but NON-local produce like citrus, artichokes, fruits, greens, etc. probably mostly from FL and CA. (we even have a neighbor who runs a farm in Florida in the winter – not local, but we know the farmer – where does that fall on the Food PC spectrum?) Please feel free to let me know if this is something you’d be interested in.
Vegetables:
0.5 lb collards
1 bu Radishes
2 lb Sweet Potatoes
1 Butternut OR Carnival winter squash
1 lb beets
1 lb peppers
1 bu parsley
1 eggplant
Fruit share: apples AND pears
Flower share: zinnias, amaranth, sunflowers, celosia, cosmos, etc.
Egg share: ½ doz pastured eggs
Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm
www.gardenofevefarm.com

Junk Food Vs. Real Food

2011-09-26T21:32:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's Times included yet another fine Mark Bittman contribution to the food debates. In "Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?," Bittman examines the many issues around why so many Americans seem to prefer junk food--and, in the end, he advocates for a simple return to cooking. Here are some bites:
• '"[A] typical order for a family of four — for example, two Big Macs, a cheeseburger, six chicken McNuggets, two medium and two small fries, and two medium and two small sodas — costs, at the McDonald’s a hundred steps from where I write, about $28."
• "You can serve a roasted chicken with vegetables along with a simple salad and milk for about $14, and feed four or even six people. If that’s too much money, substitute a meal of rice and canned beans with bacon, green peppers and onions; it’s easily enough for four people and costs about $9."
• "The fact is that most people can afford real food."

Bittman is pretty fair about human behavior. He takes into consideration a range of real life matters such as time, energy, availability, food deserts, while also criticizing the role the food industry plays: "The ubiquity, convenience and habit-forming appeal of hyperprocessed foods have largely drowned out the alternatives ...[while]...the engineering behind hyperprocessed food makes it virtually addictive." He packs a lot into one column, and its fun to follow his argument, whether or not you agree in part or in whole with his call for cultural and political change. And the 14 photos that accompany the article online offer a quick tour of fast food dives and bad eats! (Feel free to comment below.)

What We Got 9/24...and what to do with it

2011-09-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

--Potatoes, a quart; onion, 1; kohlrabi 2; carrots, a bunch; jalapeno peppers, 2; broccoli, a bunch; lettuce, a head.

--7 Bosc pears (brown), 3 Bartlett pears, and 7 plums; Eggs and Flowers.

There was some discussion about what to do with Kohlrabi, which stood out among the other pretty conventional, but very welcome, share items. Of course, the Veggie Tip Sheets are a good source--and then today's NY Times Magazine came through with a whole slew of slaw recipes. See "Shred Your Inhibitions" for kohlrabi, fennel, carrot, beet and other slaws.

RECIPES: CARROTS

2011-09-22T08:19:00.001-07:00

We are probably getting carrots this week, and coincidentally the new Just Food Newsletter recommends these four recipes, which they culled from various sites:

This is about the time of year where CSAs begin to see carrots. If you've gone through your favorite recipes and are getting tired of eating them raw, here are a few unique and simple preparations to liven things up.

Indian Spiced Carrot Soup with Ginger from Bon Appetit (via epicurious)

Moroccan Carrot Salad from Serious Eats

Sunburst Carrot Salad (with pepitas and cilantro) from 101 Cooks

Blue Cheese Cole Slaw from Smitten Kitchen via NPRStorage tips: Remove the greens immediately, if they are still attached, as these draw moisture away from the roots. Don't wash the carrots until you plan to use them, and store them in a plastic bag in the fridge. Carrots should last at least 10 days if stored this way.Carrots can also be sliced or diced, blanched, and frozen in a plastic container to preserve them longer.

Farm News & Share Info for 9/24, "B" Week

2011-09-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

Farm News
We’re preparing for our Garlic Festival this weekend and hoping for good weather. There is still time to enter the cookoff at noon either Sat or Sun! Details are on our website
Gleaning is Sunday October 16 from 10am-noon. Come at 10am sharp if possible, we head out to the fields and pick some items we have left to donate to those less fortunate than we are. After we harvest it, the Long Island Cares truck takes it away to food pantries across Long Island. Each year we donate thousands of pounds of produce. Come out and join us for this biblical ritual which still makes a difference to people, even today!
Vegetables
1 bu carrots
1 head lettuce
2 kohlrabi
1 lg or 2 small large onion
1 bu kale
1 Qt potatoes
Italian hot peppers
Fruit share: 1 lb plums, 1 lb Bartlett pears, 3 lb Bosc Pears. Note: It can be difficult to tell when Bosc Pears are ripe, because they DO NOT change color when ripe. Leave them out of the fridge for 2-3 days until they soften slightly. Touch them daily and smell them to see if they are ripe, then use.
Flower share: zinnias, goldenrod, sunflowers, celosia, etc.
Egg share: ½ dozen pastured eggs
Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm
www.GardenOfEveFarm.com

Garden of Eve Garlic Festival

2011-09-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

THIS WEEKEND: Long Island Garlic Festival
Long Island's 8th Annual Garlic Festival, a two-day celebration of the wonders of "Garliciana," with festival vendors featuring a wide variety of garlic inspired foods, crafts, music, and just plain garlic. Farm tours, kids games, and more!
THERE'S EVEN GARLIC ICE CREAM! New this year - Chocolate Garlic Ice Cream!
STOCK UP On Long Island's FRESHEST AND TASTIEST GARLIC for eating, or take some home to plant in your garden! Enjoy live music all day, farm trainrides, cooking demos and garlic growing workshops.
CLICK HERE to see the Live Bluegrass Music Schedule
Admission just $3 per person, children under 6 free. CSA members from any Garden of Eve site are free.
Enter the GREAT GARLIC COOKOFF which will be run both Sat or Sun at noon. Bring a hot or cold dish for approximately 15-25 people, which will be judged by popular vote. Admission is free for cookoff entrants. Winners get 3 lbs of organic garlic and a Garden of Eve T-Shirt Click Here for Cookoff Entry Form

WHEN & WHERE: 10 am to 6 pm, Saturday Sept 24 & Sunday Sept 25, 2010 at the Garden of Eve organic farmstand, 4558 Sound Avenue, Riverhead, located at the intersection of Northville Turnpike and Sound Avenue. Directions Here

More info and photos are on our website.

[The above post is from Garden of Eve]

The Nation Food Issue

2011-09-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

The current issue of The Nation is devoted to the food movement,. Check out Frances Moore Lappe's essay "The Food Movement: Its Power and Possibilities" and several short responses by Eric Schlosser, Michael Pollan, ("How Change is Going to Come in the Food System.") and others. There's plenty to chew on here.

Distro 9/17: What We Got

2011-09-19T18:44:00.001-07:00

We understand that post-Irene things may be a little short, but actually we got 13 items in the veggie share--beets, acorn squash, zucchini, sweet peppers, eggplant, corn, garlic, sweet potato leaves, fennel, beets, green beans, collard greens, hot peppers--plus apples and plums in the fruit share. (And eggs and flowers....) If you put all that together, even if quantities were smallish for some items, its impressive, providing the elements for some really good meals for us for the week to come.

It was good to see Paula Lukats from Just Food who wanted to talk to members about, well, anything. And we hope you signed up for the Just Food Newsletters. There are usually two each month, and they are good reads. We can cull and glean only a few items from each for the newsletter. It's better to get the whole enchilada delivered to your inbox. (If you were not at distro and want to sign up for the newsletters, you can do so at the Just Food homepage.)

THIS SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 18 MEET UP!

2011-09-16T05:45:00.000-07:00

29th Annual Queens County Fair September 17th & 18th, 11am-6pm A traditional county fair with blue ribbon competitions in livestock, produce, home crafts, arts & crafts, and more. Enjoy the Amazing Maize Maze, visit the ConEdison Ecology Booth (where you can adopt a worm for your home compost bin), get great planting tips, recycling ideas, and enjoy free crafts for kids! The fair features pie-eating and corn-husking contests, arm wrestling competitions, hayrides, carnival rides, and midway. Visit our Bavarian Garden, Irish band on Saturday and German band on Sunday, craft and food vendors and more. This is a fun event for the entire family!

Admission: $8.00 adults; $5.00 children (12 & under) Note: Additional fees apply for Amazing Maize Maze, carnival rides/games, and various other fair activities.

Glendale CSA members will meet up at noon at the farmhouse entrance.

Breaking News: Glendale CSA member Robbin Goodman won a blue ribbon for her cucumbers! Congratulations, Robbin. There will be a small award ceremony tomorrow at 3PM at the County Fair. Yeah!

Farm News and Share Items for 9/17 "A" Week

2011-09-15T06:12:00.000-07:00

Vegetable Share:
Winter squash
1 bu collard greens (if you think collards are bitter, try sautéing them with a little apple juice added!)
Sweet potato leaves
1 garlic
Beets
Peppers
Eggplant
String beans
Fennel
Fruit share: plums, peaches
Flower share: zinnias, amaranth, sunflowers, celosia, etc.
Egg share: ½ dozen pastured eggs
The sweet potato is one of the world's most cultivated crops, and is grown all over the world, but especially in Asia and the Pacific. The leaves are high in protein. Chinese herbalist lore says that the leaves can improve the respiratory and renal system function. Like spinach, chard and other greens, sweet potatoes leaves are highly versatile. Here is a recipe for stir-fried sweet potato leaves:
Ingredients: One bunch of sweet potato leaves; 1-2 hot dried red chilies (optional); 1-2 cloves of garlicSalt, soy sauce, pepper to taste
Method
Fill a pot with water and put it on the stove over high heat. The pot should be large enough to hold the leaves, and there should be enough water to cover the leaves. Strip the leaves from the branches. The thin stems that attach the leaves to the branch are tender enough to eat, so there is no need to remove only the leaves. Wash and drain the leaves.
Mince 1-2 cloves of garlic.
Chop the chilies fine, and combine with the garlic.
When the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat and carefully add the sweet potato leaves. After 2 minutes, remove and rinse with cold water. Chop the leaves. (This step was recommended by the cookbook to remove traces of natural slime from the leaves.)
In a large skillet or wok, heat some vegetable oil over high heat. When it is hot, add the garlic and chilies.
Cook for 30 seconds, stirring often.
Add the greens, then stir-fry the mixture until the greens are tender, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add salt, pepper, soy sauce, or other flavorings to taste.
Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm
http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/

Just Food Event: Let Us Eat Local 9/21

2011-09-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

Just Food's "Let Us Eat Local" is an annual event that raises funds and honors people in the food movement. This year they are honoring farmer Joel Salatin, among others. Check it out here .

What we got 9/10

2011-09-10T20:38:00.001-07:00

Corn 4, onions 2, eggplant 1, beans 1/2 lb., sweet peppers 1 lb., kale 1 bunch, potatoes 1 lb., fennel 1 bulb, basil 1 twig, hot peppers 2, tomatoes 2. Vegetables:peaches 6, Plums 1 lb. Eggs, and flowers.

Farmer Chris drove the truck in today and spent a good amount of time with us talking about the current state of things and prospects for the rest of the season. He told us they planted a few things (mostly greens) just before the hurricane; and they had to harvest the winter squash quickly after. There's about 20,000 pounds of that ready to go. And, we may get some green tomatoes next week, but that might be it for tomatoes. We talked about the farms upstate and how the CSA season is over for some of them. In the picture are Caroline, farmer Chris, Gisselle, Hayley, Kevin B. and Roe. (Click to make larger)

Along with potatoes, fennel is the new item this week--recipes are welcome here (Comment) below) or on the Google group. Or check out the Just Food Veggie Tip Sheets here.

Share Info for September 10 "B" Week

2011-09-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

SHARE INFO
Vegetable Share:
One red tomato
4 sweet corn
Beets OR beans
1 qt Potatoes
1 Onion
0.3 lb Kale
Peppers
eggplant
Fruit share: 1 lb plums, 6 peaches, possibly one additional item
Flower share: hydrangeas, goldenrod, sunflowers, celosia, etc.
Egg share: ½ dozen pastured eggs
EveKaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm

BULLETINS

2011-09-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

BULLETIN: FRIDAY 9AM: Share info just arrived; newsletter forthcoming.

BULLETIN: TODAY'S GENERAL MEETING IS CANCELLED.
It is rescheduled for Saturday, noon at the Wenzels. More info in weekly email.
Please RSVP if you plan to come. Thx.

Bulletin: The weekly email will be published later than usual this week. We need to wait until the farm sends out the info, which might not be until Thursday or Friday. Thx.

What We Got 9/3

2011-09-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

We are grateful that our first post-hurricane distro included tomatoes 3 lbs., green beans 1 lb., eggplant 1 lb., sweet peppers 1 lb., corn 7, swiss chard a bunch. Fruit was 5 red peaches, 3 yellow peaches and a pound of plums. Plus flowers and eggs. A lot for a farm to get together, and we can never know all that went into it. If color is your thing, you got it--there was plenty of red, yellow, and green in those items. And if the corn was not supermarket style, we'll cut away some and keep some and that's all part of CSA.

Farm News

2011-09-02T18:56:00.001-07:00

Hurricane Irene and the impact on Garden of Eve Farm, by Farmer Chris

After a very stressful week of anticipation, hurricane Irene arrived on Sunday morning. Thankfully downgraded from early forecasts of 100 mile an hour winds, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Earlier in the week, it had become clear that we were going to be in the path of the storm, so we took action to protect buildings, crops and animals. Animals were the easiest, fortunately their run-in shelters were strong wood buildings where they could easily take shelter. Our flock of lambs actually chose to spend much of the hurricane grazing outside on the grass – impervious to the winds and driving rain! We moved the chicken trailers to a area where the wind was broken by surrounding forest, but far away enough from the trees so that they couldn’t be hit by any falling.

Crops can’t be moved and we knew we would be faced with some loss. We spent Friday and Saturday frantically harvesting everything we could including lettuce, Swiss chard, tomatoes , cucumbers, zucchini, beans and winter squash – many of the things you find in your share this week.

We sealed all the barns and greenhouses and even parked our trucks around the sides of our largest greenhouse to reduce the impact of the wind. All objects that could blow away were put away. Saturday afternoon it began to rain and we went home feeling as though we had thought of everything we could do to protect our fields, buildings and animals.

We made calls that week to check to make sure insurance was in place on buildings and greenhouses. In anticipation of loosing crops I planted some more beds of seed before the storm came so that it would be safely in the ground and would sprout after the weather calmed. We had received ladybugs on Wednesday and decided to hold them in our cooler and not subject them to the winds and have them blow away. Forget about fire – ladybugs need to worry about hurricanes!

Friday and Saturday night we had trouble sleeping not knowing what to expect. Sunday morning Irene arrived and we awoke to trees swaying and snapping and leaves blowing down. I sat by the window with binoculars to try and get a look at the greenhouse, barns and fields every chance I could. With our kids Forest and Shira, we were very anxious to get outside as it is very unusual for us to be inside during the day. Not knowing the extent of the damage made it worse. When the winds calmed I went out to check the fields and got a call from Hassler, Farm Manager, that the greenhouses and buildings were OK.

There were trees down on fences and leaves everywhere. Corn was laying on the ground and broccoli and kale were on their sides. I looked at the leaves and it appears that they will be able to rebound once the sun comes out and the wind calms. Overall I felt we escaped the storm better than expected. We spent a couple of hours clearing the roads of downed trees, me using a chainsaw and Forest (6) and Shira (4) copying me with their little hand saws.

Monday morning Forest and I went up at sunrise to open the greenhouses and release the lady bugs in the kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and broccoli beds. We got to take a closer look at the crops.

The damage was greatest on the summer crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and winter squash. The cucumbers and squash are pretty much destroyed from the wind whipping tender leaves and stems. Beets, Swiss chard and cauliflower plants lost leaves, their roots were damaged, and some young seedlings were damaged. Tomato plants fared well but all the fruit was knocked off, and the late blight fungus, which has already been present in spots this summer, may rebound now that there is so much wetness all around, and kill of the remaining plants. Only time will tell.

We are so late in the season now that these crops can’t be replaced. Although there may be some harvest of these items in small quantities, there may not be enough for a full CSA share for any of these crops.The seed I did plant before the storm did sprout and we did keep some broccoli seedlings in the greenhouse that were supposed to be planted last week as we knew they would be damaged.

The good news is that we had harvested tomatoes, Swiss chard, and cucumbers before the storm for your share this week. Most of the Corn, eggplants and peppers were OK – but these crops would normally be coming to an end at this time of the year anyway, as the heat of the summer ebbs. We have onions, potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash and beets in good quantities to give out in future shares, although tops are damaged roots are fine. Kale, collards, fennel, bok choi, cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli and surprisingly lettuce survived. We are thankful the winds and rains weren’t as severe as expected as plants were pushed to the breaking point and were nearly ripped out of the ground. If you do see holes in leaves of it is probably a result of the storm.

We do feel grateful for being spared worse damage, and our hearts go out to the farms in the Hudson Valley and other areas where flooding was much worse. We are proud to be able to have kept our commitment to you throughout the storm season (to date) – we brought you a pre-hurricane Saturday share as planned, and also this Wed share as scheduled, when many farms have cancelled shares due to lack of electricity, crop loss, etc.

Year in, year out, no matter what happens to the weather, we are constantly thinking ahead to how we can best provide value and quality to our CSA members. We never forget the commitment you have made to our farm, and the stability and success here that you help make possible. Thanks also to everyone who sent us warm wishes before the storm – it did help to know that whatever happened, you were thinking of us and the farm.

MEETUP AT QUEENS COUNTY FARM MUSEUM, SEPT. 18

2011-09-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

The big Glendale CSA event for September will be a meetup at the Queens County Farm Museum on Sunday, September 18. The museum is holding its annual two-day County Fair, and we can enjoy it all together! Celebrate agriculture, celebrate community, and have some fun! If you are a grower, why not sign up for one of the competitions and win yourself a blue ribbon?

From the museum website:
29th Annual Queens County Fair 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
A traditional county fair with blue ribbon competitions in livestock, produce, home crafts, arts and crafts, and more. Enjoy the Amazing Maize Maze, visit the Con Edison Ecology Booth where you can adopt-a-worm for your home compost bin, get great planting tips, recycling ideas, and enjoy free crafts for kids! The fair features, pie-eating and corn-husking contests, arm wrestling competitions, hayrides, carnival rides, and midway. Visit our Bavarian Garden, Irish band on Saturday and German band on Sunday, craft and food vendors and more. This is a fun event for the entire family! Admission: Adults $8.00; children (12 and under) $5.00
(Admission does not include maze, carnival rides/games and various other fair activities)

To enter the blue ribbon competitions in: Arts, Crafts, Vegetables, Baking, Canning,
Floral Arrangements, Junior Arts and crafts please e-mail your mailing address and request a fair entry journal or access the journal through this link:http://www.queensfarm.org/documents/Fair-EntrycategoriesforWebsite1.doc

Folks, we have CSA members who have been QCFM members for years and love it. If you have never been, this is the day to make your first acquaintance. It won't be your last. Any member with ideas to make this a fun time, come to the meeting on 9/7 or email. Hope to see you there!

REPORT FROM UPSTATE

2011-09-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

Glendale CSA co-founder Kimberly Ferstler is working upstate as a farm apprentice at

Solstice Hill farm, which is located in Schoharie County, one of the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Irene. Here is her first-hand report from the scene:

As Irene approached, up here at Solstice Hill Farm we prepared by harvesting all the tomatoes that were just about to come ready, not just the ripe ones, in hopes that that would keep us in tomatoes for our CSA and markets (tomatoes are a popular item, as I'm sure you know) in case we lost the tomato plants to the storm. We would have harvested more (melons, lettuce, etc) if we had cooling facilities of any size, but without it there was no point, and we would just have to wait to see what Mother Nature brought. The greenhouse was also closed up and battened down as tightly as we could, as last year a storm of a smaller size ripped up the plastic and damaged some of the structural hoops.

Luck for us held out. Being at the top of a hill, we were spared the major flooding that occurred near us all throughout Schoharie County and neighboring counties. Our tomatoes were blown down, but not killed and we spent all Monday morning re-staking them up. The leaves were also stripped off the winter squash, and the summer squash (which was struggling already) pretty much died. We find ourselves in the awkward position of harvesting both melons and winter squash, after this odd summer. We also had some minor flooding in the fields, but it was worse during the Spring rains. However, in the larger area around us the flooding was the worst since 1914. The valley areas of the Mohawk and Schoharie Rivers had devastation; bridges torn away, houses swept away, flood waters up to 18 ft high, entire farm fields lost ending the season for some farmers. We felt very isolated for a few days, there was a state of emergency enacted because so few main roads were passable. Schoharie is a fairly poor county, and sometimes we feel forgotten even though we are less than an hour from Albany, but thankfully Governor Cuomo toured Middleburgh and the town of Schoharie in the days following Irene and the area was designated a federal disaster area so FEMA funds will be available for those who lost so much.

Back up at the farm, having been spared, we started getting requests for veggies from Corbin Hill Road Farm which runs a set of CSAs in the Bronx and Manhattan. They had contracted with a number of Schoharie County farms to supplement what they would grow themselves, and with one of their major suppliers flooded beyond repair for the season they were looking to us to fill in a gap. We wish we could do more to help them, but we're not in a place where we can ramp up, it's too late here (because of the Zone 5 season) to begin planting. So we were able to get them 130 onions, 125 chard bunches and 50 kale bunches this week to help feed some lower-income New Yorkers. We're also keen to continue to feed the greater Capital region, too, at the two markets we sell at, plus our own CSA members!

In town (Cobleskill) after the water drained a shelter was set up at the middle school. The National Guard has been on the roads, helping ferry people to the shelter, and locally the generosity has been high enough that the shelter is no longer accepting food and water donations (though money and toiletries are still welcome). Anyone wishing to help Schoharie County can do so through the Schoharie County Community Action Program: http://www.sccapinc.org

You can read more about the way farms were affected here:

Farms Hurt by Hurricane Irene

2011-08-30T05:27:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Irene came through NYC with some flooding in certain areas--and that should not be minimized, as people were affected--but overall things were nowhere near the dire predictions prior to her arrival. Most media accounts address Irene's affects on homes and businesses, but not farms. Here is a post-Irene followup on our partner, Garden of Eve Organic farm, as well as on farms upstate--where the effects were devastating.

Garden of Eve reports: So far it seems like things are not too bad, the greenhouses seem fine, and all the farm structures unscathed. We didn’t have any flooding, but we did have a tremendous amount of wind that will certainly affect the mature crops – won’t quite know exactly the impact until we get out in the field tomorrow. Tomatoes knocked from bushes, lettuce leaves shredded, plenty of trees down on the fences, etc. Fortunately we did have time to plan ahead and we pre-harvested as much as we could on Sat before the storm. It will, however, affect shares for the next few weeks.

The New York State Farm Bureau, an advocacy group, reports that they are assessing the damage, and so far it looks like this: Stranded farms, stranded livestock, infrastructure damage and power issues appear to be the immediate concerns.....Crop damage appears to be severe in areas around the Schoharie Valley and Mohawk Valley. ...Damage to roads and bridges could also create problems for dairy farms that need to haul milk on a daily basis.

The Albany Times Union has an article and photos.

So many upstate farms have direct connections to us down here in NYC through CSAs and greenmarkets. In good times the farmers drive long hours to bring us their fresh produce. Just days after the storm, it is affecting NYC greenmarkets (not to make us the priority). For a local view, look at this Village Voice blog. Also keep an eye on http://www.justfood.org/ and http://www.grownyc.org/ sites.

------------------------------------------
UPDATE 8/31: The NYTimes has a pretty comprehensive piece on the flooding of upstate farms. See here for "Upstate Farmers Find that a Fertile Flood Plain Is a Two-Edged Sword."

This story is developing...more to follow....

Distro #12, What We Got

2011-08-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

On the morning of the hurricane day, when the shelves of Trader Joe's were empty and when the city had closed the greenmarkets in the city parks, the Glendale CSA was up and running, thanks partly to Joe, whom we know as a pretty regular driver, and Hassleer, whom you may know from the Garden of Eve farmstand at McCarren Park greenmarket. They made the long trip in, arriving a little early around 7:15 (yikes!), and they unloaded and helped set up. As always we discussed shares and amounts, caught up on farm news, and they imparted some wisdom--did you know there were male and female melons in today's share? Could you tell?

We configured the layout with crates of veggies in the center, thus providing room for members to make their rounds protected by the tent, which they did during periods of rain. Then, we moved the fruit, flowers, and eggs over to the other tent. Mostly, though, we had pleasant weather conditions and it was pretty much a normal Saturday morn plus some discussion on hurricane prep (Click on pictures to enlarge)

We got 3 carrots, 1 onion, basil, 1 eggplant, 5 corn, 1 stem basil, peppers 1lb, tomatoes 2 lb, green/yellow beans, (1 melon, 5 nectarines, peaches 1 lb.) This is all good stuff to stock up on. We had 88% pickup, members brought their surveys or filled them out there, and we had a few bags to go over to the food program.

Share Info & Farm News for 8/27 "B" Week

2011-08-24T20:30:00.001-07:00

Farm News: The farmers and apprentices had a chance to visit the Cornell Cooperative Extension research farm down the road from us this week. The Extension vegetable experts showed us this year’s organic experiments, testing the effectiveness of different organically approved products on pests, fungus, and soil nutrition. 68 acres of their 70 acre farm are devoted to research on conventional, chemically sprayed crops – with just 2 acres for organic research. Most agriculture research is actually funded by chemical companies – surprise surprise - so that the Extension agents will then produce research that shows how well their products work. Not nearly as much money being thrown around by organic companies as there is by Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer CropScience etc. Anyhow it’s great that organics are included at all – it’s been a long fight to get this far, and organic techniques are more and more accepted and even incorporated into conventional farm practices in our area.
Vegetable Share:
5 sweet corn
2 lb tomatoes
1 lb purple, white, or green peppers
1 lb eggplant
basil
3 carrots
1 onion
Fruit share: one large Garden of Eve-grown organic seedless watermelon, and 1lb Donut “UFO” peaches and 5 nectarines (not 5 lb, 5 pieces)
Flower share: hydrangeas, sunflowers, amaranth, zinnias, celosia, etc.
Egg Share: 1/2 dozen
Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm
http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/

(Photo from Garden of Eve Farm website)

In the Papers:

2011-08-24T11:35:00.001-07:00

Members who attended the Farmer Meet 'N' Greet event back in May were enchanted by Chris's account of the early years of their long journey--how he and Eve started out as environmental activists and later went into farming. They've come a long way in ten years or so, and their experiences came into play earlier this month as they hosted a team of officials from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration who were touring Long Island's North Fork to learn firsthand how small farmers deal with sanitation and other issues of food safety.

The visits were written up in the local paper and in an article in the New York Times "On Food Safety, a Long List but Little Money" that explains the key challenges to writing regulations: "...the standards must take into account a huge variety of crops, farming practices and farm sizes." Eve is quoted on some of the concerns that farmers have regarding rules and oversight, and the piece mentions measures that concerned farmers are taking on their own to ensure our food is safe--one example being the processing barn that Chris built two years ago for washing, preparing, and storing produce.

To its credit, the USDA was at least trying to elicit the views of the farmers, and that itself is an advance. Everyone can reach their own positions on these issues, and certainly there's a lot to discuss.

It was good to see our partner farm in the newspaper and to learn how Chris and Eve, busy as they are, feel it is important to find the time to host a team, show them around, and present their views. They are true leaders in their farming community.

EXTRA: Chris is active with a Long Island group the Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE). Check it out and you will see they are doing some fine work on a range of topics, including hydrofracking and plastic bags.

Basil Recipes from WSJ

2011-08-23T00:34:00.001-07:00

If you've exhausted your basil recipes over these last few basil-filled weeks, you might check out the variety of recipes from the Wall Street Journal of 8/20--see "Basil & Friends." In addition to some helpful care instructions that supplement what we learn from our Veggie Tip Sheets, you'll find several that use more than one share item, such as the "Chilled Zucchini-Basil Soup." If you are reading it online, also check out readers' comments. Of basil, author Dorie Greenspan says, "Few other herbs play so well with others that they can turn up in both sweets and savories, soups and salads and with pasta, fish and fowl--and neither steal the show nor fade into the background."

Distro 8/20 What we got

2011-08-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's share was so plentiful, we did not have enough room on the tables, so we set up two of those nice folding tray tables at the front of the pickup line. We got 2 big carrots, 1 zucchini, 3 purple eggplant, 2 cucumbers, 4 peppers, 1 bag of corn,1 jalapeno pepper (a bonus), lettuce, a heaping pint of cherry tomatoes, 1 bunch basil ,2 tomatoes, 1 heirloom tomato--and cantaloupe melon and 6 peaches for fruit shares. Eve drove the truck in and stayed with us a while to explain the four kinds of heirloom tomatoes.

Several members brought along their completed surveys while others requested copies to fill out right there amid all the bounty and hustle and bustle that makes distro what it is. Good idea. Vox populi.

Noelle came by with the new distro banner and we all got our first look! Thx, Noelle for all your work and your donation of the banner.

There are more pix on flickr !

Share Items & Farm News for 8/20, "A" Week

2011-08-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

FARM NEWS & SHARE INFO
One benefit of the 4 inch downpour on Sunday (our farm visit day!) was that it made it easy to pull carrots out of the ground – so here they are in the share! And tomatoes are finally in, in quantity – flavor is excellent this year… though late blight is reappearing with this wet, cool weather, and creeping around the fields… keep your fingers crossed for the fall crop.

Vegetable Share:
Tomatoes

corn

sungold OR cherry OR grape tomatoespurple, white, or green peppers

basil

eggplant

1 head lettuce

carrots

Fruit share: one large Garden of Eve-grown organic melon, and 6 peaches

Flower share: gomphrena (good for drying, just hang them upside down until dried) OR sunflowers, celosia, cleome, etc.

Egg share: ½ dozen pastured eggs

And what we didn't get

2011-08-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

Maybe your Saturday afternoons are spent with CSA produce, washing, cutting, bagging, planning for the week to come. Maybe you look at all the CSA items spread along your kitchen counter, including the table scraps you put in that bucket for the compost bin--and you sense something is missing. And you're glad when you realize you have none of that wrapping that comes with the food we buy in the supermarket or even from Trader Joe's!

Our food comes to us naked from the farm. And why not? It is local. Can you imagine how much plastic Chris and Eve do NOT use for their 1,000 member CSAs? Imagine all the food on and under the tables at distro on Saturday morn, and how much it would take to tray and wrap it all? That's gotta count for something.

Distro 8/13 What We Got

2011-08-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

Chioggia Beets 1 lb; Purple eggplant 1 lb.; Cucumbers 4; Onions 2; Peppers 3; Zucchini 2 lbs.; Cherry tomatoes, heaping pint; Tomatoes 2; Basil, a bunch; Hot peppers 2; honeydew melon, 1; Asian Sun Jewel melon 1; white peaches 3; eggs, 6 from pastured chickens.

We saw the name Chioggia beets and we said, "Huh?" Turns out it is one of the top 10 feel-good foods. See here.

The large tomatoes were a welcome surprise. There were two kinds, actually, one with a name new to us. When Farmer Chris told us we said, "What? Some German name? Morgen-what?" Our resident tomato expert Robbin filled us in. It is Mortgage Lifter. Aha! And it is not an heirloom. You can find out about it here.

While we are in the tomato aisle, here is a bit from Bittman earlier this month: "The Proper Way to Treat an Heirloom." He says: What I’m offering are suggestions for ways to make tomatoes interesting once you’ve eaten them plain for the umpteenth time and tomato season isn’t even halfway over. Be sure to check his recipes on the left. (NY Times Magazine August 6, 2011)

That leaves the melons from the fruit share. Farmer Chris highly praises the sun jewel melons, which they grow themselves and which are, therefore, organic. You tell us what you think. Feel free to Comment below.

Farm Visit is ON, Rain or Shine

2011-08-13T23:54:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

I wrote to Eve to ask if they were going to cancel due to weather and this is her reply:
We're not going to cancel, its rain or shine just like the farm...if its bad we could still do stuff in the greenhouse, and we have a covered area for lunch.Thx, Eve

Who knows what the weather will be like out there in Riverhead between 11AM and 1PM? If any brave souls go out there, please report back to the rest of us; Chris and Eve always have good information--and take pix (you'll have good odds on the photo contest!).

* If you choose not to go out there today, remember they have the Garlic Festival in September. However that is not CSA-related and it does not include a tour of the farm.

Distro 8/13 Food Tasting & Demo

2011-08-13T20:18:00.001-07:00

Jams and Jellies joined veggies as the main focus earlier today when Dotty presented her food demo & tasting event. In addition to spoonfuls of fine tasting homemade jams & jellies, Dotty offered much practical information as she demystified what for some of us can seem pretty intimidating at first. Dotty is a great coach, and she drew on her vast experience, leaving members with a real "can do" outlook. Thx, Dotty, we had a "Ball."

Look at our website in Forms and Documents for Dotty's recipe and instructions--see Recipe Peach Jam.

FARM VISIT THIS SUNDAY

2011-08-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Seriously folks, this is probably the one single event that you do not want to miss. It will deepen your connection to the farm and the CSA in a way that is meaningful and lasting. Every time you pick up your share, you will see in your head where it came from. Kids remember farm visits all their lives. But mostly, you will have a marvelous few hours in the fields, followed by good talk and a potluck lunch with fellow members.
Here is the info on Garden of Eve website:
Farm Tour and BBQ lunch for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members and the public! We'll walk the fields, visit the chickens to collect eggs, and taste-test the growing veggies as we go! There are lambs, chickens, bunnies, and turkeys to visit, as well as our 50 acres of fast growing baby veggies. Our livestock guard dogs are back to work, the honeybees active, the songbirds going crazy, and the pastures springing back to life.
Picnic lunch (organic hot dog and veggie burger, our own spring greens salad, Long Island Potato chips and natural soda or juice) will be available for $10, bring a bag lunch if you prefer; we'll also have sandwiches, snacks and sodas for sale at our Organic Farm Market. Bring lots of water, sun protection and clothes you can get dirty.

NEW: GARDEN OF EVE FARM PHOTO CONTEST!
Come to the farm this Sunday for our farm tour and BBQ, take photos, and email them in to us in a format that we can download by Friday August 26. Farmers will select their favorites – everything on the farm is game – the fields, the food, the people, the buildings. Maximum 15 photos allowed per person. Only one prize per person.
First prize is $75 credit towards a winter share or next year’s summer share
Second prize is $50 credit
Third prize is $25 credit
Garden of Eve Organic Farm & Market reserves the right to use all photos submitted in our marketing material, with credit to the photographer. Thanks!!

Glendale CSA: If you need a ride send an email to glendalecsa@gmail.com with NEED RIDE in the Subject line; if you are going out and have space for someone, send an email with HAVE RIDE in the subject line.

"Know your farmer, know your food."

Banner

2011-08-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

Coming soon to a distro near you--our new distro banner! Member Noelle was rightly concerned that passersby had no clue as to who we are and what we are doing, so she came up with a design concept, ran it by the group for approval, and now it is good to go! The banner is on order and should arrive...soon? We think it will be pretty adaptable--for tables, fences, walls.
Heck, we could probably march with it! Thx, Noelle!

Share Items & Farm News for 8/13 "B" Week

2011-08-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

Farm news: This week we volunteered to be one of the farms on Long Island to be visited by a variety of NYS officials concerned with food safety, including the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, the Director of Food Safety for NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, and members of the press. They will be visiting our packing barn (built last year) and seeing many of the procedures we’ve already put into place to ensure food safety.
Many of these officials, though they work to regulate agriculture, may have never actually been on a farm before! It is our goal to teach them about some of the realities of vegetable growing and packing.
Last year we did voluntarily put together a “Good Agricultural Practices” (GAP) plan, and as part of this planning were asked to consider what we would do if forced to do a recall on some of our product. We are proud to note that one of the wonderful things about CSA is that we have a direct relationship with all of you, so much so that were anything to go wrong (though we hope to ensure it won’t), we would be able to notify each of you personally and immediately – a very different scenario from that facing mega-factory farms and supermarket consumers, neither of which can always accurately say where their product goes, or where it came from. The tour is this afternoon – next week we’ll let you know how it went!
Vegetables:
Mesclun or head lettuce
2 lb zucchini
3 cucumbers
1 onion
1 box cherry tomatoes (pint or half pint TBD)
1 bunch chioggia beets
sweet corn
eggplant
Fruit share: 1 Garden of Eve grown organic sunjewel melon (honeydew), AND 1 Garden of Eve grown organic watermelon, AND 3 yellow peaches
Flower share: zinnias, sunflowers, celosia, etc.
Egg share: ½ dozen pastured eggs
Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm
http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/

SPECIAL TREAT UPDATE: There will be a jams & jellies tasting and demo, presented by Dotty, all morning. (This was too late for the weekly email.)

Food for Thought

2011-08-09T19:47:00.001-07:00

Just Food keeps us informed about wider issues, including legislation related to food and farming. These three items from Just Food newsletters cover local, state, and national initiatives. They are included here for your information; You can sort things out yourself.

• Senator Gillibrand Proposes Federal Funding for CSAs
The CSA community received some exciting news last week when U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduced an amendment to the Farm Bill that would create a competitive grant program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) dedicated to the promotion of Community Supported Agriculture.

Senator Gillibrand's Community Supported Agriculture Promotion Act's competitive grant program would award federal funds to non-profit organizations, extension services, and state and local government agencies to provide grower support - ranging from marketing and business assistance to crop development - to new or current CSA farmers, as well as assist in the development of innovative delivery and distribution programs. These efforts can help attract more consumers to CSA, facilitate the formation of multi-farm CSA arrangements, and promote participation in CSA through outreach and education activities.

Preference would be given to projects working with family farms, farms operated by or employing veterans - a provision authored by Senator Gillibrand - and those that expand CSA reach into "food deserts," or low income communities without access to fresh food around the country. You can read all about the Community Supported Agriculture Promotion Act here.

• NYC Council Passes Food Legislation
On July 28, the New York City Council passed a package of food and agriculture-related legislation. The bills call for: tracking and reporting on where city-procured food comes from (legislation 0615-2011-A); and for a free, searchable database of city-owned land, to make it easier to locate vacant lots that could be transformed into urban agriculture sites (legislation 0248-2010-A). Last month, prior to the vote, Just Food and others mobilized to give testimony on these bills. See details of the meeting, including all testimonies, here (pdf). [SORRY.THIS LINK DOES NOT WORK--kb]

• Focus on the Food & Farm Bill Food justice advocates, agri-corporate lobbyists and government officials are gearing up for the next Farm Bill--or what many advocates argue should be called the Food & Farm Bill, as it's the nation's largest piece of legislation that addresses the food we eat, how much it costs and how it's produced. Just Food will feature a new resource each month to raise awareness and action around the next Farm Bill. This month: Food & Water Watch's Petition to Congress for a Fair Farm Bill .

Fascinating stuff. The 2012 Farm Bill looms on the horizon, and we expect more articles on this important effort. If this is something you are interested in, or not, feel free to comment below. --KB

Distro 8/6

2011-08-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

Today was another great distro day--a full bounty from the farm and lots of cooperation among members. Pictured here from today's team are Robbin, Kevin B., Steve, Paul, Roe, Joe from the farm, and Tom--Kim S. and Bill are off camera but were center when it came to work. We were all pretty intense on the counts, and it turns out we got more than the weekly email said we would. Onions, zucchini, purple eggplant, cucumbers, peppers, jalapeno pepper, purslane, corn, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and basil; sugar baby watermelon, peaches, apricots; eggs; flowers.

The third week for Purslane--with a little grumbling from some quarters, to be honest, but Steve G. loves the stuff; so as they say, de gustibus non disputandum est--concerning taste, it must not be disputed. (Or, as John Lennon says, whatever gets you through the night.)

No dispute, it is always good to see Florence. That's TWO onions, Flo.

The basil was red today! Or is that purple. Same taste, someone said. (Purple pesto?) Our worker bees applied themselves assiduously and turned two big trays of loose basil into 52 tidy bundles for easy pickup by our members. And here's Tracy, Amy from Rutledge, and worker bee Paul. In background, 1/3 electric car. See more pics on flickr.

Farm News & Share Items for August 6, "A" Week

2011-08-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

FARM NEWS FROM FARMER CHRIS: “When Are We Getting Tomatoes?”
The slow struggle towards tomato season starts in the greenhouse in March after making selections from seed catalogs and looking for qualities such earliness, color, taste and disease control and yield. Selections are made and the first seed is planted. A lot of heat is needed to get the seed started at a time of year when nighttime temperatures can drop in the teens. We try to conserve energy by using heat mats that don’t heat the air but just the tray of soil on top of it, that contains the seed and is set at 80 degrees to simulate a warm june day. After the seeds germinate it will be 4-6 weeks until they are ready to set out in the field which is mid to late May, and still risky due to heavy winds and possible cool wet weather.
Preparing the soil for where the 10,000 tomato seedlings are planted begins in August of the previous year. Vetch is a legume that we plant with rye or triticale (a type of wheat) to pull nitrogen from the air into the soil. Legume cover crops reduce our need for fertilizer that is often shipped in from long distances. These crops grow until the ground freezes and then go dormant and start growing again when the soil thaws. We then apply 15,000 pounds of compost to the acre in the spring, apply lime or gypsum (natural crushed rock) for calcium and for PH adjustment (to make the soil less acidic) so that our plants will grow strong!
Tillage is needed to kill off the rye and vetch before they grow 6 feet tall. This is done right when the vetch flowers but before seed is produced, the time when vetch puts maximum nitrogen into the soil. Chopping and disking vetch with the tractor is a lot of work and can only be done when soil conditions are soft, drained and workable (i.e. it can’t be done when it’s constantly raining, like this spring). We first disc the cover crop to kill it off, then plow the soil deep with a conservation plow called a chisel plow and then go over it with a implement called a spader that loosens the soil. We then wait two weeks for the organic matter to break down and then use the spader one more time before planting.
If lucky the tomato seedlings are not leggy and are of high quality and the weather is perfect for setting the plants out. When the plants are set drip irrigation tape is placed for watering and the plants need to be cultivated, monitored for disease and weeded weekly. If this sounds like a lot of work to you, just wait. We are just beginning. The plants need to be staked to keep them from laying on the ground making weeding and picking impossible and disease more likely since plants can’t dry off. Staking means driving a wooden stake every four feet deep enough in the soil so the plants can be supported. We drive 3000 stakes 6 feet tall to support the tomatoes. Then plants need to be tied up by weaving twine from side to side. Three to four lines are needed we use over 20 miles of twine. Mulch also needs to be applied if it is straw bales need to be broken and spread under and between the row.
Plants are scouted as often as possible to catch any disease that could spread and wipe out the crop. The biggest threat is late blight and it can wipe out a tomato or potato field in a week or two if weather conditions are favorable and the spore can travel hundreds of miles with a passing storm front. It has already claimed conventional potato fields in our area which had to be destroyed. There are strong chemical fungicides that work but must be applied after every rain episode.
We can’t use those on our organic farm. We can use elemental copper which can prevent the fungus from colonizing the plant if caught early but is not completely effective. Conventional sprays can’t even completely protect a crop as we learned by stories in our community. So you can imagine the stress we feel in waiting for the first tomato of the season. Now when you ask, “when are we getting tomatoes?” you know what flashes through our mind, as we weigh what to say…
Vegetable Share:
Sweet corn
0.5 pint sungold OR red cherry tomatoes
Sweet Italian, Frying, Green or Purple bell peppers
Basil
Zucchini (green and/or yellow)
Cucumbers, white and/or green
1 head lettuce
Purslane
Fruit share: one lb apricots, Garden of Eve-grown organic cantaloupe, watermelons, and/or sunjewel (honeydew) melon, and possibly peaches
Flower share: zinnias, sunflowers, celosia, etc.
Egg share: ½ dozen pastured eggs
Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm
http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/

Here is the Recipe: Citrus Corn Salad

2011-08-01T22:43:00.001-07:00

Here is the recipe card that Kim prepared and distributed at the food demo. She would be happy to share how she made it with anyone interested. She says it is simple to do, like the recipe.

Cooking Demo: Citrus Corn Salad

2011-07-30T04:04:00.001-07:00

In today's first ever Food Demo, member Kim Seiler prepared Citrus Corn Salad for all. Ingredients: corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, honey--all from Garden of Eve Organic farm.

And Kim made up some terrific recipe cards for everyone to take away with them.
THX Kim!

And since we are on corn, don't forget to check out the Just Food Veggie Tip Sheets; read the article on how Chris brought organic sweet corn to LI. And send in your very own corn recipes to the Google Group.

Share Items & Farm News for July 30 "B" Week

2011-07-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

SHARE INFO & FARM NEWS

After an extremely hot, wilting week, we are happy to have a cool start. Being fully exposed in wide open fields on a 98 degree day for 12 hours is a true test of human endurance. Our staff started early on the two hottest days last week, and worked to harvest, cool, and pack your vegetables. Swapping heat wave stories in town, some people suggested we should “just stay inside”. Even the National Weather Service stated “stay cool and avoid prolonged exposure to heat and sun.” Not an option for us! We take our commitment to our CSA members very seriously, and continue working to ensure that we have a great quantity and quality of veggies for you each week of the season.

We are thankful for our new packing barn (built last spring), with plentiful drinking-quality running water and walk-in coolers to store everything we harvest.

Keeping the crops in the field watered is a challenge. Lettuce and the fall crop of tiny cut flower seedlings got pretty scorched. However most things that like heat are doing well. We could almost see the sweet corn and winter squashes growing, day by day.

Vegetable share

1 small newly harvested garlic

5 sprigs Basil

3 Sweet corn

mixed zucchini (green and/or yellow)

Cucumbers, white and/or green

3 Sweet Italian peppers

0.5 lb Purslane

1 bu Parsley

Fruit share: one Garden of Eve-grown organic cantaloupe OR honeydew OR watermelon, and 2 lb peaches, 1 lb cherries

Flower share: dill flower, zinnias, sparkler flower (cleome), etc.

Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht

Garden of Eve Organic Farm

http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/

Potato Pigweed (Purslane) Salad: An Experiment

2011-07-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Not sure what to do with the pigweed you just picked up? Wondering why you didn’t put it in the swap box? Well, you are not alone. For help I looked at the recipes on the Forms and Documents section of http://www.glendalecsa.com/ - this is always a good place to start. All the recipes were appealing but I was in an experimental mood and decided to do a twist on a summer favorite, Potato Salad.

Here’s what I used:
6 medium size Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, unpeeled

2 cups washed purslane leaves, chopped coarsely

One small onion, chopped

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice (or to taste)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or to taste)

garlic clove, chopped fine

Salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook the potatoes with their skins on until just tender. Drain and plunge into cold water. Let cool. Leave the jackets on the potatoes or peel and slice into disk of even size. Place into a bowl with the purslane and scallions.

In a small bowl whisk the dressing ingredients until emulsified. Pour over salad. Note –You don’t have to use all of the dressing. Mix well. Chill.

The salad was yummy at room temperature and even better chilled.
Don’t have all the ingredients – experiment. Try scallions instead of the onion; think how pretty this dish would be with red skin potatoes; add a little Dijon mustard to change the taste of the dressing....
Anyone else experiment with the pigweed?

--Stacey Kerr

What We Got on 7/23: Purslane? (Pigweed)

2011-07-24T03:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's Garden of Eve bounty included 10 items in the veggie share: onion, corn, zucchini, cucumbers, fennel, melon, lettuce, dill, basil--plus PURSLANE, an item not on Eve's tentative list. Purslane became a fun and informative focus of discussion and we all left knowing a whole lot more than we knew before we started. The old, reliable Just Food binder includes a sheet for purslane with a good overview, including that it is high in Omega-3, so that was start. It is also known as "pigweed." (It is most definitely a weed, and I use that in the most honorific sense, as weeds can be quite fine things, and edible.) Russell is familiar with it, having grown up with Mexican cuisine, so he demystified and provided some tips. Dotty encouraged us to just pick a piece off and taste it, and damn she was right! Member Chris G. is a chef and he stayed a bit and told us how the fine restaurants he has worked in use purslane a lot--in salads as well as in other dishes, including sauces. His learned discourse on purslane, and its many uses, held us rapt. There is always knowledge and experience at distro, and members are good about sharing.

There was plenty of basil, and in this case I wish we had pushed members to be a tad on the greedy side (sorry). Make a circle with your thumb and forefinger, and that should probably be the portion the farm intends when there is so much. Basil is just right for freezing for later use, and Rob explained to me how to first blanch and then immediately cool basil as part of the freezing process.
Why was the melon in with the veggies? Garden of Eve grows melons themselves (and so these are organic) and they include melons in the veggie share for everyone when they can. I hope we get their watermelons.
Lastly, the overflow went over to the food program at Agape, and Roe and Kevin spent some time there going over things with the director of the program. One fact is that the numbers of clients are up. Where they used to feed about 60 clients, they now service about 100.

Screenings: The Greenhorns

2011-07-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

A new film about young farmers, "The Greenhorns" will be screened in Queens at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, on Sunday August 7.
Who are the Greenhorns? The Greenhorns is a grassroots non-profit organization made up of young farmers and many collaborators. Our mission is to recruit, promote and support the new generation of young farmers in this ample and able 21st century America.
What is "The Greenhorns" film? The Greenhorns documents the emergence of a new cultural icon, the young American farmer...These young 21st century farmers are the ‘greenhorns.’ Viewers may be surprised by such a diverse and sophisticated group of growers: punky urban gardeners, radical Christians, ex-suburbanites, Industrial Designers, former teachers, children of migrant farm workers, inner city kids and many more. The film’s arresting visual style renders this crowd in open fields and dewy meadows, and just as eloquently on urban rooftops, community greenhouses, repurposed refinery lots and neighborhood backyards....Dozens of interviews with experts and movement leaders give another shade of meaning to the current ‘greenhorn’ phenomenon. Authors Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Richard Heinberg and others help viewers understand why these farmers strive the way they do.
Time: Sunday, August 7 at 6PM Price: free with museum admission, $10; The Greenhorns will be shown with two other films.

Share Items for 7/23 "A" Week

2011-07-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

SHARE INFO & FARM NEWS
We did pick our first few tomatoes (about 10 of them) this past weekend – so hopefully we’ll be able to get them into the share soon. The dry weather does help hold off the blight fungus but we’ll see what happens as the rest of summer unfolds…--Eve
Vegetable Share:
1 bu Carrots
Zucchini (green, yellow)
1 bu Swiss Chard
Cucumbers, white and/or green
1 head lettuce
Basil
Arugula
Fennel
Dill
Possible additional items TBA
Fruit share: 1 lb sugar plums, 1 pt organic blueberries, 1 box blackberries, and peaches
Flower share: sunflowers, zinnias, snapdragons, sparkler flower (cleome), agyranthemum, etc.
Egg share: ½ dozen pastured eggs
As always, this list is tentative.

Edible Views Kohlrabi Recipe

2011-07-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

Eve recommends the Edible Views website, which just yesterday put up a recipe for kohlrabi on their blog. Edible Views--it is connected to a small business--covers a lot of ground and they are worth looking into especially if you are a gardener/grower. Along with recipes for many of the items we get in our CSA share you will find informative text and pix.
I hadn't laid eyes on this alien-looking vegetable until I was a working member of a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm.
A different kind of coleslaw:
3/4 cup mayo (I prefer canolaise)
1/4 cup vinegar
1 T sugar
1 t celery seed
Mix in to taste: salt, pepper, hot sauce
Chop 1/2 head of cabbage
Peel & julienne 2 kohlrabi bulbs
Handful of chopped parsley
Enjoy!

BONUS: The old Straight from the Farm food blog also has a good number of Kohlrabi recipes, some pretty creative and CSA-based. Here's the link to their recipe page, so just scroll on down to the K's. You will notice that some of the recipes have old dates, and the author/cook has not posted much recently, but here they are.

Sunday 7/17

2011-07-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

POTLUCK TODAY 2-5 PM

Come on over. See emails, flyers for specifics.

UPDATE

We had a wonderful time. It was all we hoped it would be.

Thank you, Steve & Robbin

and all who made it such a pleasant afternoon.

...and the food from Garden of Eve Organic Farm was presented in so many wonderful recipes.

Distro #6 What We Got 7/16

2011-07-16T23:36:00.001-07:00

When you look at it all together, the share for this weekend looks mighty colorful. Corn was the big surprise as it was not on the list, and it was most welcome along with that giant onion! If the zucchini and broccoli were a little on the small side--that's called farming--the lettuce was a big head. Good to see the Kohlrabi, which members are finding how to use, hot or cold. And the fruit shares are really rockin' week after week at this time of year. Kudos to worker bee Lynn who counted out and bundled up the basil in those GofE twisties so everyone got a generous portion.

POTLUCK 7/17

2011-07-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

Just days away is our first CSA Members' Potluck, and it is all coming into focus nicely.
Don't miss this one; it's an opportunity to relax, and enjoy some time together. And so far the weather forecast looks fine; all signs indicate it will be a fine summer day.

All the info you need is in the emails and flyer, but if there is a question we did not answer, send it along. Please let us know you plan to attend and what you plan to make by signing the sheet at distro.

Looking forward to seeing you all....

Share Items & Farm News for 7/16 ("B" Week)

2011-07-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

We’re trying to get the tomatoes staked, and scouting for “late blight”, the fungal disease that wiped out many farms’ tomatoes and potatoes in 2009. It has been found on many farms in our area. For those who are not familiar with “late blight”, it is the disease which caused the Irish Potato Famine.

Many of the farms that currently have late blight are conventional farms that have been spraying heavy fungicides daily. We of course don’t use those substances, we are able to use elemental copper which bursts the fungal spores. However, if the blight gets established it’s almost impossible to eliminate. We have taken steps to remove all the plants and plant materials that show any signs of possible infection – we tear them out of the ground and put them in plastic bags and dispose of them. We hope that this hot dry weather will help kill off the fungus. However, everyone in our area is pretty nervous about the possibility of losing this year’s tomato and potato crops.

We are planning ahead and have been planting additional crops which would fill out your CSA share, in case the tomatoes don’t make it. We’re planting fall broccoli and cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, etc. The good news is that since we completed the upgrade of our main greenhouse this past spring, the seedlings are looking even better than they have in past years, due to our use of improved technologies for greenhouse benches, trays, ventilation, soil mix, and watering.
Share items for July 16:
Vegetable Share:Kohlrabi; 2 lb mixed zucchini (green, yellow); 4 sprigs Basil; 1 large onion; 1 head Broccoli; 1 head lettuce; 2 lb cucumbers
Fruit share: 3 pints organic blueberries and 1 box organic blackberries

Flower share: sunflowers, zinnias, snapdragons, bachelor buttons, and more!

Egg share: ½ dozen pastured eggs

Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht

Garden of Eve Organic Farm

http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/

DROUGHT IS FRONT PAGE NEWS

2011-07-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

In her farm news emails, Eve has told us of the way rain and sun have affected the farm this year, making it more difficult than usual. Today's New York Times front page carries a story of what is now being called by some "the Great Drought of 2011." "Drought Spreads Pain From Florida to Arizona" tells how farmers in the whole southern half of the country are experiencing an especially brutal season. And that can't be good for the rest of us.

Farmers with the money and equipment to irrigate are running wells dry in the unseasonably early and particularly brutal national drought that some say could rival the Dust Bowl days.

There is a slide show accompanying the article which tells it all pretty succinctly.
Mr. Pickle, like many farmers, has relied on irrigation so expensive that it threatens to eat into any profits. The water is free, but the system used to pull it from the ground runs on diesel fuel. His bill for May and June was an unheard of $88,442.

Feedback

2011-07-11T20:26:00.001-07:00

Over the past few weeks we have asked members for feedback and here are a few samples of what we got back:
• The food is good. I love the summer squash and lettuce.
• The produce also seems to be more plentiful than last year. From a civic perspective, the location is perfect for the delivery.
• Saturday was awesome! We were delighted to get out share, and we enjoyed meeting a few people. Everyone is so friendly. Thanks for all that you do to make this work so well.
• Anyway, our first week's impression is that we like the experience, veggies taste great and we feel good about it. But we were still assessing the financial side of it!
• Generally the group works very well helping each other
• So far I have been happy with the CSA experience. The distro was easy and well-organized and I have been enjoying the fruits and veggies. I have also found the tip sheets to be helpful.
• I thought everything was perfect! We're really enjoying all the fresh veggies/fruit/eggs!
• Two membrs thought the arugula a few weeks ago was past its prime
• One member reported a green yolk in an egg.
...and this from the farm:
• You guys seem to be doing great
This blog takes comments. Feel free to Comment below....

Agenda for 7/10

2011-07-10T00:53:00.001-07:00

Here is the tentative agenda for the 7/10 Meeting.

AGENDA
Welcome/Opening remarks
Reports: Accounts (Bill W.); Farm/CSA (Kevin B.); Workshift (Kim S.)
Item: Distro (So far...?)
Item: Potluck on 7/17
Item: Events for 2011 (Set specific events?)
Item: Google Group for Members
Item: Member Proposal for Banner (proposal/design from Noelle)
Item: Surveys -- mid-season, end-of-season (purpose; plan; set date)
Item: Open questions?
Item: What needs to be done? (Who will do it?)

The meeting will be at the distro site, 72-07 88th St., from 2-4PM. (It helps if you RSVP, but come anyway, any time.)

Recommended: Farmageddon

2011-07-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

In the new food documentary Farmageddon, one speaker explains that we basically have two food systems in this country--one is the Big Agra factory system and the other is the small farm, sustainable system--and we have a single set of rules for both. And that is where a lot of the problems come from. This is one of the many useful insights conveyed in this film as it presents testimony by farmers who tell what happened when they came under the radar of the Department of Agriculture for producing and selling raw milk.

One of the reasons I went to see the film yesterday was that Joel Salatin is in it. He is a clear and articulate voice, and someone we really need to listen to. I was glad to see that Salatin is not a "star" that outshines the other farmers interviewed--I found them all to be reasonable, articulate and full of common sense, even when speaking of intrusive, late-night raids by DOA agents that bordered on terror.

One of the points made by most of the farmers is that the DOA needs to listen to small farmers and consider their unique situation when making and enforcing rules. Those of us who benefit from a relationship with small farms have a stake in that, and we can help in various ways, including by finding out about the work of one of the groups that backed these farmers, the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund.

Farmageddon has received generally favorable reviews in the mainstream press, and is playing for one week at the Cinema Village down on 12th St. I give it four bottles of raw milk.

Busy, Busy, Bittman

2011-07-08T07:28:00.000-07:00

Good food takes time, and so does good writing. Despite that, the prolific Mark Bittman had three pieces in the New York Times in the last 7 days, and that is worth noting.
Saturday, July 2: In his Op-ed piece on home cooking, "Make Food Choices Simple: Cook"
Bittman aims to be simple--and achieves it while covering some ground: dining out, shopping, spending and saving, TV cooking shows...This is my favorite piece of his so far, and it is his most personal. One sentence stands out as he contrasts dining out and staying in: When I cook...everything seems to go right.
Sunday , July 3: A profile of chef Ferran Adria as he prepares to close his his restaurant El Bulli. He is famous, the place is famous--and I never heard of either. Bittman--who says he has been to the place a dozen times (it is in Spain)--interviews chef Adria, cooks beside him, and turns in some well-made paragraphs, I admit. If, as some say, a CSA is comprised equally of some foodies, some healthies, and some activists, I would probably not be behind door #1. So I passed on Chef Ferran and his molecular gastronomy, and tossed aside the whole Sunday Magazine. But I returned later and I admit that, on second reading, I found some interesting stuff about staff meals. De gustibus....
Wednesday July 6: Another Op-ed piece for the Times, "Banned from the Barn" is Bittman's take on the legislation, pending in many states, that would make it illegal to take photographs without permission on farms. Focusing on efforts in Iowa, Bittman makes me think of the great muckraking tradition that helped make America great. He reveals who is driving much of this--Big Agra--and why it is wrong. Bittman taught me a new word, "ag-gag", for which I thank him, and he says, "We need more visibility, not less." I only regret that he seems to restrict his focus to journalists and the need for them to have access (which is right) while saying little about community activists, who have been the source of many a revealing secret tape. Lastly, if we cannot take pix on a farm, will we also not have the beautiful photographs that show the land, the crops , and the people such as we have on our flickr site?
Anyway, I will put a "Likes this" thingie on Mark Bittman's writings, and I appreciate that the stodgy old grey lady, the Times, placed these pieces in a prominent section of the paper. It helps.

Tentative Share Info & Farm News for 7/9 "A" Week

2011-07-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

Farm news: We have been happy to have the fields dry out somewhat, which gave the veggies a chance to recover from dampness. We can’t use any chemical fungicides, which are used very often on conventional farms. Lots of rain and damp weather can lead to leaf diseases that kill the vegetable plants, such as powdery mildew, downy mildew, early blight and even late blight. Zucchini, melons, tomatoes, and cucumbers are some of the most susceptible to these leaf molds. Our watermelons and cantaloupes, which I know many of you look forward to, were actually entirely UNDER WATER last week during one of the huge thunderstorms that hit our area. So at this time, a period of dryness helps. By now, around July 4th, we’ve actually just about finished planting EVERYTHING that will be harvested for the entire year! It’s a happy time for Farmer Chris, as juggling the three-ring circus of June planting, weeding, and at the same time also harvesting for CSA, is very taxing. Now we mostly focus on maintaining what’s out there, watering and weeding and taking care of it till harvest. We’ve already even planted all the winter squashes, to be harvested in September and October for your fall shares, and are starting to harvest the first potatoes – red white and blue!

Vegetable Share:

Mixed zucchini (green, yellow)

Basil

1 bunch beets

1 head Endive (frizzy, like a lettuce, not the little spears you see in the supermarket)

1 head lettuce

1 bu kale

Bok choi or tat soi

Kohlrabi

Fruit Share: organic blueberries and raspberries

Flower Share: sunflowers, zinnias, snapdragons, bachelor buttons, and more!

Egg Share: ½ dozen pastured eggs

Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht

Garden of Eve Organic Farm

http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/

Distro #4 7/2/2011

2011-07-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

Eve delivered this week's shares, along with Joe, and it was a pleasant surprise to see her. There were a lot of hands onboard to unload the truck and set up and when we were done all looked mighty impresive. There were about 25 trays of produce in all, including 7 cartons of blueberries! Eve stayed a bit, asked where we got our scales and she liked our little sign holders.
She said she will send the check for the admin fee, and she hopes to get started on the new idea for 2011--a webstore where we can order items such as Long Island honey for dropoff at distro.
Above, from left: Julia, Eve, Roe, Theresa, Tom, Kevin, Joe, George and Steve.

Veggie Storage Tips: Herbs & Leafy Greens

2011-07-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

To make greens last their longest, store washed and dried greens wrapped in damp cloth or paper towels in the refrigerator drawer. Romaine lettuce and hearty greens can last up to 10 days this way; leaf lettuce for 3-4 days.

Store herbs unwashed and wrapped in damp towels in the crisper drawer. You can preserve herbs even longer by freezing them. Just pack unwashed leaves into an ice cube tray, fill the compartments with olive oil, and freeze. (You can also puree the herbs with a splash of olive oil instead of keeping them whole if you prefer.) Store wrapped in aluminum foil or in freezer bags once frozen.

This information is from the Just Food CSA Newsletter, July 1 issue (Vol. 4, Issue 19). You can sign up for this newsletter here.

Share Items & Farm News July 2, "B" Week

2011-06-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

Vegetable Share:
1 head lettuce
1 bu Toscano/Tuscan kale
1 bu scallions
0.5 lb spinach
2 pieces Loose dill
1.5 lb zucchini
2 pieces loose basil sprigs
EXTRA ITEM: 1 head broccoli – note that due to the heavy rain during the past month, some of the heads do exhibit brown spots or some discoloration in the center of the head. This is due to having standing water on the head, but it is not a disease and does not affect it’s edibility or flavor, so please enjoy.
Fruit Share: 3 pints organic New Jersey blueberries, and 1 pint organic NJ raspberries
Flower Share: cut flowers: Teddy Bear sunflowers, corn cockle, snapdragons, cosmos, and more!

Looking back at last year’s share list for this week, I wrote, “It has been extremely hot and dry”. Wow – what a difference. Just goes to show you how flexible farmers have to be, to produce the same crops in years with totally different conditions. This year has been mainly wet and on the cool side. With the weather out of our control, we just try to make the best of what we’re dealt. That’s another reason we appreciate you, our CSA members, who are willing to eat what we’re harvesting and what’s grown well this season – which changes every season! Thanks!

Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht
Garden of Eve Organic Farm
http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/

Distro 3, 6/25 Early Birds See No Food (At First)

2011-06-27T20:29:00.001-07:00

High drama right off the bat as the farm truck did not arrive as expected at 8...or 8:30, when a call was placed to Eve. She was on the other phone with Howie the driver, who, we learned, was somewhere in Brooklyn either at Carroll Gardens or Kensington Windsor Terrace--our sister CSAs, both of which do not open until 10AM. The good people of Glendale have promises to keep, as Frost said, and we get out early to run errands--so apologies to all our early birds who waited around or who made a second trip. Glendale is first in the farm dropoff list and Howie now knows that. These unfortunate events do make you realize how important that truck is, and let's keep in mind how early folks on the farm get up and how hard they work to load up and drive the truck an hour and a half to the big city so we can have our CSA shares. So we welcome and look forward to working with Howie, who is our key connection to the farm.

Anyway, everything worked out and we had a whole lot of good food--veggies, fruit, eggs (and flowers!)--just take a look at these photos. So thx Garden of Eve workers.

Here's Noah S. , Joe, Howie, Kevin B., Dotty W., and Kim S. Joe works on the farm and gets the trays filled accurately. Howie is the driver. THX!

Share Info for June 25 "A" Week

2011-06-23T05:52:00.000-07:00

TENTATIVE SHARE ITEMS THIS WEEK
Vegetable share:
1 bu sweet salad turnips
1 head lettuce
1 bu kale
1 bu scallions
1 bu cilantro
1 bu arugula
1 bu beets
zucchini
Fruit share: 3 pints organic New Jersey blueberries, and 1 pint local Long Island strawberries
Flower share: cut flowers
Recipes, descriptions, and care instructions are available for most of these in the Just Food Veggie Tip Sheets on the Glendale CSA website.

RECIPES

2011-06-19T13:39:00.001-07:00

We started the 2011 CSA season with a simple, one question random survey of members and friends who picked up at distro on weeks A and B. Here are the results

Question: Where do you go for recipes?
Responses: About 40 old German cookbooks; epicurious; allrecipes.com; I just go online and search by item; Victory Garden Cookbook; fatfreevegan.com; Cooks Illustrated and Cook's Country; we basically cook the same week to week so we have the recipes in our heads; I have a shelf of cookbooks, including the Moosewooods;
...and here from the Glendale CSA Twitter site, NineCrayons recommends a food blog: chickinthekitchen

Members had praise for the Just Food Veggie Tip Sheets available here.
You are invited to add to the list by using the Comment function just below.