It’s that time of year! First pick-up is today – Thursday, June 1st. We are looking forward to a great 2017 season! We have a lot of new faces this year along with our returning members. Also, we welcome back some students from John Bowne High School’s Agriculture program who will be assisting us this season as part of their community service credit.
Our pick-ups will be from 5:00 – 8:00 pm in the garden area of Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd. and corner of Linden Place. Parking is available in the lot next to the loading dock area.
As with previous years, we will try to send the newsletter by Wednesday afternoon once we receive Golden Earthworm‘s information – this week’s box contents, recipes, news about upcoming events like strawberry picking, films, canning workshops, and other ways the CSA and our network work for you.
We are happy to offer some of the wonderful add-ons we’ve had in the past as well as some exciting new local vendors of artisanal, small batch products who will sell at our distribution site. Once again, members can purchase directly from them. So here is the run-down on what’s the same and what is new:
1) This year we are using a new farm vendor Goodale Farm. While you had to order your share of dairy, eggs and/or meat, if you would like to order anything from them, send us an email and we will arrange it.
2) This year we are trying out a Swap Box – the farm will provide a weekly bag of veggies for our members to swap with a veggie they may not like or want. The “Swap Box” will be labeled and any member is welcome to exchange their veggie for what’s in the box. See your site supervisor or core team member if you have questions.
3) Whitestone (Green Earth Urban Gardens) honey, and S & V Jams are still available to purchase directly from a FCSA volunteer at pick ups.
4) Some of the vendors you met at our Meet the Farmer event in March will return once a month on alternate weeks to sell their delicious products:
Sweet William’s Tortes – Our returning CSA member Elisabeth will have freshly baked fruit pastries made from an old family recipe baked in Flushing. Welcome back Elisabeth! You may place an order today at : sweetwilliamstorteshoppe@gmail.com. Due to overwhelming demand, we will now be accepting advance orders. Available varieties are: Plum, Peach & Strawberry. 8 inch $25. 4 inch $6. Tortes usually sell out within the first hour of CSA pickup. Place your orders…don’t miss out!!
Spice Tree Organic Spices – organic global trotting spice mixes blended in Queens by moms.
Asian Mushrooms – amazing super fresh mushrooms grown for Flushing CSA in upstate NY.
You might also want to bring your checkbook, credit card or cash to buy a Flushing CSA tote bag, local Whitestone honey or jam. We will have them all season starting at pick-up tomorrow.
If you don’t plan on buying a bag, please remember to bring one for your veggies!
5) Please take a moment to carefully read the Volunteer Instructions, as they have been slightly modified since last year in response to feedback and changes designed to improve members’ experience.
Caroline, Dionne, Emily, John, Judy and Larry
In the Share
Mustard Greens Salad Mix, Red Boston Lettuce , Green Boston Lettuce, Bunched Red Kale,
The Farm’s Newsletter:
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| This week in the shares…
Red Boston Lettuce – This tender leaf lettuce is also known as Butter or Bib lettuce and it grows well in the early part of the season in the cooler temperatures. It also loves all the rain we’ve been getting! The most important thing to know about Boston lettuce is that the leaves are so soft and tender that you must use a light dressing. No ranch or heavy dressings here! Try my vinaigrette recipe below, or just drizzle with good quality olive oil, vinegar and salt & pepper. I love to make a special salad with orange sections, red onion and toasted almonds (in my vinaigrette) with this lettuce. Green Boston Lettuce – We always grow these red and green varieties in pairs. They are so beautiful growing in the field and sitting in your salad bowl. Bunched Red Kale – Don’t say you don’t like kale! We grow only the best varieties that you can’t find in stores, and this red stemmed variety happens to be the best of the best! Kale Tip #1 is REMOVE THE STEM! No one likes the stem, so cut it out. You can use it in soups, but it’s really too tough to use if you’re going to eat a raw salad or steam the greens. (I give my stems to the sheep, but if you don’t have any sheep, I understand.) Fine Cooking has an excellent photo tutorial and video to teach you how to easily remove the stems. Kale Tip #2 is Kale is Versatile! This variety is perfect for raw kale salads, which last time I checked, is still all the rage. It’s crazy healthy and crazy delicious, so I’m putting my favorite kale salad recipe below. Kale is also delicious steamed. Just make sure you steam it until just tender. If it’s not cooked enough it will be hard to chew and if it’s overcooked it looses its nutrients and best flavor. So keep an eye on it! After steaming, I usually transfer it to bowl and dress with olive oil, freshly chopped garlic and umeboshi vinegar. (What? Never heard of it? You’re welcome.) Kale is also delicious thrown into smoothies with fruit or juiced. I’ll talk more about juicing and smoothies in an upcoming newsletter. Kale chips, anyone? Kale in minestrone soup? I could go on…. Baby Arugula – This arugula is so baby, I think it definitely falls into the “preemie” category. It’s just about 3 weeks old. Arugula this young is never sold in stores because it is so incredibly tender and delicate and delicious! So be warned that you should handle it carefully when washing and dressing. I think you’ll love it! **Item Note** Bok Choi – This is a wonderful Chinese leafy green – perfect for stir-fries. It’s also delicious raw in salads, which I just discovered this past week. The recipe below is super! |
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Flushing Community Supported Agriculture 