It's that time of year! *First pick-up is Thursday, May 31st.* We are looking forward to a great 2018 season! We have new faces this year along with our returning members. 

*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 Farm'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) For members who ordered from Goodale Farms, first delivery will be next week. June 7th. 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) Organics Collection has arrived at Flushing Town Hall! 

CSA members can now drop off their compostables in “organics brown bins” at Flushing Town Hall on pick-up days.  Accepted compostable materials:

• Food Scraps -fruit, vegetables, meat, bones, prepared foods.
• Food Soiled Paper -napkins, towels, tea bags, plates, coffee filters.
• Yard Waste -plants, grass, garden trimmings, leaves.

Thanks for helping New York City get to Zero Waste by 2030!

3) Whitestone Honey (from Green Earth Urban Gardens), Astor Apiaries, and Sweet William’s Tortes will have “tables” to sell their products starting the third pick-up – June 21 and will alternate every month. Tote bags, S&V Jams, and Queens Hot Sauce can be purchased at pick-up.

*If you don't plan on buying a bag, please remember to bring one for your veggies! *

4) Please be sure to sign-up for your volunteer hours if you haven't already;
you should have received an email from Signup. Let us know ASAP if you have not. Please - it is important that you honor your volunteer commitment; it is part of the cost of CSA membership. As you know, we are an all-volunteer run organization and we need your to help run the season smoothly so you can enjoy your delicious organic produce and add-on items. If the hours are truly a burden, reach out to the Core Team - maybe you have another skill that could fulfill your commitment.

And remember 4 hours is the minimum - many of us put in many more than that and yet we often still scramble. We can use all the help you can offer! (If you have a teen who needs community service hours, we are a great opportunity.)

A quick note on the “light” box “heavy” in greens!  This is what eating with the seasons looks like!  Salad greens and quick growing roots are what’s in season now!  In just a few weeks, the boxes will be brimming with heavier items and hot weather crops like cucumbers, zucchini, onions and summer delights.  Tomatoes come in August, as does sweet corn!  There is always something to savor today and something to look forward to tomorrow!  Now you’re eating like a farmer!  

Mustard Greens Salad Mix – Mustard greens are one of the world’s healthiest foods.  We started growing them a few years ago, but now we’ve perfected their harvest size and variety blend.  Farmer Matt hand-selected eleven different varieties for this custom mix, balancing flavors, leaf textures and colors. I think he nailed it!  You can’t buy this in stores.  It’s a CSA exclusive!  Wash and spin dry and dress lightly in olive oil, a splash of vinegar and salt & pepper.  It doesn’t need much.  Let the flavors shine...
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw in salad. When to use: Within 5 days.  

Boston (Butter) 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. 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 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. 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw in a salad. When to use: Within a week.

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….
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw, Baked (Chips) Cooked (Best in Soups), Steamed, Smoothies or Juiced. When to use: Within a week

French Breakfast Radishes – These are just beautiful, aren’t they?  We can all pretend to be French and eat them with butter and salt.  Sounds strange, but it’s a thing and it’s pretty tasty too.  You can even cook the green tops, so don’t toss them out!  
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator.  Separate the roots from the greens first- then they can be stored in the same bag.  Uses: Raw or cooked. When to use: Within 5 days.

Japanese Salad Turnips – Alert! This is a two-for-one veg which means that you need to SAVE and USE THE TURNIP TOPS/GREENS!  They are seriously the most delicious greens – wilt them like spinach and drizzle with olive oil and salt & pepper.  Now on to the roots.. the turnips do not need to be peeled! They are juicy!  They are sweet and maybe a little spicy. Great raw as a snack, roasted, braised, good all ways, you can’t go wrong! 
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator.  Separate the roots from the greens first- then they can be stored in the same bag.  Uses: Raw or cooked. When to use: Within 5 days.

RECIPES

I try to share recipes that are simple and adaptable for all palates and diets and really showcase the flavor of our produce.  Some are family favorites and some are from our favorite cookbooks or blogs. 

Perfect Green Salad & Vinaigrette 
Use this basic vinaigrette recipe for all our greens to let the flavors shine!
It will become your go-to dressing and it stores well in the fridge.
CSA 101 Recipe | Kid-friendly

Raw Kale Salad 
I eat a lot of kale salads, but this is my hands-down favorite.

Mustard Greens Salad with Pears and Parmesan
You can substitute any stone fruit and any cheese (or non-dairy cheese) in this yummy salad.

Roasted Turnips and Wilted Turnip Greens
This recipe uses the tops and the bottoms of your turnips so nothing goes to waste!

QUICK NO-RECIPE IDEAS
Radishes with Butter & Salt
Lettuce Wraps – Wrap your favorite sandwich filling in lettuce leaves.
Turnip slices dipped in hummus
Kale Smoothie – Blend kale leaves, banana, frozen fruit and  juice or coconut water.

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