We hope everyone enjoyed last week’s bountiful selection of greens!  This week proves to be no exception – except you will be getting garlic scapes, Japanese salad turnips and baby arugula!

Tomorrow (and hereafter) pick-ups will be in the garden area of Flushing Town Hall.Same pick-up time: 6 – 8 pm.

Your volunteers this week – Nora and LarryA big thank you to Joyce and Larry- last week’s volunteers!

Fruit Shares

For those folks who ordered fruit shares, it is 14 weeks of (tree) fruit and usually starts in July. GEF will let us know when it will start and we will let you know.

Goodale Farms

For those members who ordered a share or their products ala carte, they are expected to be delivered tomorrow. To order from them  click here  to log in to your account. When to place your order: Except for holiday weeks, the form is available from 6:00 am on Thursday until 12:00 noon on Monday.  If you still want a share or there are issues regarding your orders, contact us via email or see Emily, CSA Goodale Coordinator.

Lewis Waite  

Lewis Waite online ordering is back! If you ordered from them, delivery is tomorrow.You all should have received an email from the online farm vendor Lewis Waite. They partner with many other regional farms and organic food vendors and best of all – they deliver bi-weekly to our pick-up site! 

Volunteer Sign-up

We are looking for more volunteers, so if you can offer extra shifts over the course of the season, please let us know. All members should have received the  Summer Fall 2019 CSA SignUp link. Please choose your date/time volunteer commitments. We understand these might change over the course of the season so you can change them online or by emailing us. Any questions, email us or see Larry, core member/volunteer coordinator at the pickups.

Golden Earthworm Farm U-Pick Strawberry Schedule

Our farm, Golden Earthworm, has sent the below U-Pick Strawberry Schedule. All CSA members and their guests are invited to visit the farm in the month of June. Please show your pink U-Pick Strawberry slip that came in the plastic packet with last week’s share. If you don’t have your slip or have misplaced it, you can sign in and show ID. Please follow the farm’s guidelines below.

HOURS – OPEN TO CSA MEMBERS ONLY

Saturdays: 9am-5pm: June 8, 15, 22
Members are also welcome to come pick during Public Hours, Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays – see above.

PRICE: $7 per quart (No entry fee), CSA Members receive 1 quart free and additional quarts at 10% discount

GUIDELINES

Groups – Any groups over 6 need approval by farm staff prior to arrival. Please e-mail Kelly in the farm office if you would like to bring a group to U-Pick. Groups arriving without prior approval will not be allowed into the fields.

Bags/Containers – Please do not bring containers or bags to pick into.  We will give you new quart containers for picking. 

WE ARE A SMOKE-FREE AND VAPE-FREE FARM – Please no smoking anywhere on the farm, including in the driveway.

NO PETS are allowed on the farm property per food safety regulations. Please keep them at home!

And finally, please keep a close eye on your kiddos and teach them to step over (not on) the plants.  We love sharing our farm with you and we hope you will treat it as if it were your own. ♥

And now......What's In The Share (note items are subject to substitution) - also check the Golden Earthworm Farm website

Baby Arugula
Super tender, baby arugula!  The leaves are so tender that they will bruise easily.  Wash gently and dress with a light vinaigrette just before you’re ready to eat.  The leaves will get soggy if they sit in the dressing for long.  Enjoy!
Storage: In an airtight container/bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw in salad. When to use: Within 3 days.  

Garlic Scapes
We wait all year to harvest the flower scape of the garlic plant.  See photo above — the garlic plant sends up greens and then a flower starts to form at the end of the scape.  Don’t eat the very tip where the flower head is.  Cut that off.  The rest of the curly scape is decidedly edible and delicious!  I like to toss in oil and grill until tender.  You can also roast them whole in the oven.  They take on a texture similar to asparagus and a mild garlic flavor.  (The garlic bulb itself will be harvest separately in July.)
Storage: In an airtight container/bag in the refrigerator.  Uses: Raw or cooked. When to use: Within 5 days.

Boston (Butter) Lettuce
This early-season lettuce is back again this week.  We’ll have one more week after this one, and then they’re done for the season… 
Storage: In an airtight container/bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw in a salad. When to use: Within a week.

Toscano Kale
This is an Italian varity of kale that goes by many names – Toscano, Dinosaur, Lacinato…  The leaves are very sturdy, so they hold up well in soup and they make great kale chips!
Storage: In an airtight container/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
This planting of radishes germinated so well that we have more left in the field!  Instead of leaving them there, we cleared out the field and everyone is getting a small bunch again this week.  Next week the red radishes are coming in.  I hope you’re enjoying them! 
Storage: In an airtight container/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
If these are new to you, you’re in for a treat!  Theses turnips are excellent raw and there’s no need to peel them.  Just wash them and take a bite!  Juicy, sweet, a little spicy, yummy…right?  These are CSA cult favorite and you’ll soon find out why.  They are very versatile.  Excellent raw dipped in hummus or sprinkled with salt.  Great roasted or in soup.  The greens are edible, so don’t toss them!  I like to saute them in a little olive oil with garlic. 
Storage: In an airtight container/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.

FARMHOUSE FAVORITE RECIPES

Roasted Garlic ScapesGarlic Scape PestoKale ChipsTuscan White Bean & Kale Soup
FROM YOUR FARMERS – MATT, CAROLINE AND THE GEF FARM TEAMFARMING 101: SOIL FIRST!  As a member of our CSA program, you can feel good knowing that you are eating food grown in a way that protects and nourishes the soil, regenerates soil biodiversity AND sequesters CO2 in the soil! #farmersfightclimatechange  Forget all the “talk” about sustainable farming — this is all those best ideas put into practice!  Our farming practices go beyond organic and is collectively know as “regenerative agriculture”.  We plant cover crops, we rotate crops to give our fields a rest, we make and use our own compost and we implement conservation tillage (never disturbing below the very top layer of soil).
Thank you for helping us farm for the future!

CSA HOUSEKEEPING
So, how did things go last week?  Did you find your pick-up location ok? Do you have any questions about storing your produce? Did you find some good recipes? Most importantly, how did everything taste?  We love to hear from you, so please get in touch if there is anything we can do to help. We want you to be delighted with your weekly share!  So if you’re not (for any reason), please tell us and we’ll make things right!

Have a great week, friends!
XO Maggie, Farmer Matt, Kelly & the Crew

Flushing CSA(646) 801-4021
Facebook.com/flushingcsa
FlushingCSA@gmail.com