Fort Greene CSA

2009-08-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

B WEEK – August 11, 2009

Storage Tips for this Week's Share

Potatoes: Potatoes should be stored in a cool, dry place away from light. Any moisture will encourage sprouting (avoid the refrigerator!). Avoid storing potatoes with onions, as the onions will encourage potatoes to spoil.
Eggplant: Store your eggplants uncut and unwashed in your refrigerator in a sealed plastic bag. This way, eggplants will keep for up to a week. You can freeze eggplant for up to six months after blanching or steaming.
Tomatoes: Store tomatoes at room temperature to promote flavor, healthy appearance and freshness. Temperatures below 50 degrees will destroy the natural sugars in tomatoes. Tomatoes can be refrigerated for use at a later time but should be served at room temperature for optimum flavor.
Cilantro: Set cilantro into a small container with 1 to 2 inches of water, covered loosely with plastic wrap. Cilantro can be refrigerated for up to two weeks.
Sweet Peppers: Place whole, unwashed peppers in a sealed plastic bag and refrigerate for a week or more. Store sweet peppers unwashed.
Squash Blossoms: The shelf life for squash blossoms is brief. Gently rinse in a pan of cool water and store in ice water in the refrigerator until ready to use. The flowers can be stored for a few hours or up to 1 or 2 days.
Apricots: Apricots ripen at room temperature, but you can speed the process by placing them in a paper bag with an ethylene gas-producing fruit (apple, pear, banana). Keep apricots away from direct sunlight or heat. A ripe apricot will yield to a gentle squeeze, and will refrigerate up to 2 days, unwashed, in a paper or plastic bag
Donut Peaches: Once ripe, a peach will keep in the refrigerator up to one week. Do not store unripe peaches in the refrigerator, in a plastic bag or in direct sunlight.; they will ripen in a closed paper bag in one to three days.

Faces of Fort Greene CSA: Coordinator Edition
Stephanie Goichman, Volunteer Coordinator

Founder of the Brooklyn Bike Brigade Parade. Also a Journalist, Singer-Songwriter, Circus Hooper, Fire Performer, Dancer, Audio Tech, Seamstress for the Band, Idea factory and generally Giggly! Going to Burningman in a few weeks! I care about where my food comes from and I am an Aquarian with Sagittarius rising.

This Week's Recipe: Tortilla Española

6 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

6 cups thinly sliced potatoes (about 3 pounds)
2 cups thinly sliced sweet onion
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
4 large eggs
Oregano sprigs (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place the potato and onion in a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons oil, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toss well. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally with a metal spatula to prevent sticking.

Combine eggs and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Stir in potato mixture; let stand 10 minutes. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour potato mixture into pan (pan will be very full). Cook 7 minutes or until almost set, gently shaking pan frequently.

Place a plate upside down on top of omelet; invert onto plate. Carefully slide omelet cooked side up into pan; cook 3 minutes or until set, gently shaking pan occasionally. Carefully loosen omelet with a spatula; gently slide omelet onto a plate. Cool. Cut into wedges. Garnish with oregano, if desired.
- from Epicurious

Opportunities for Involvement:

* Share your photos on the Fort Greene CSA Flickr page by sending photos to ryanscott.photography@gmail.com!

* If you have an idea for a great member event, let us know! We are always open to suggestions to make our CSA an integral part of our Fort Greene community.

* If you're web savvy, we can always use help maintaining our website. Have other special skills? Email us at volunteer@fortgreenecsa.org and let us know how you'd like to help out. The CSA is for all of us -- let's make it a fantastic season together.

August 5th Newsletter

2009-08-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

A WEEK – August 5, 2009

Faces of Fort Greene CSA: Coordinator Edition
Cambra Moniz-Edwards, General Coordinator

Cambra is originally from Northern California. She moved to the Clinton Hill area when she first came to New York 3 years ago, and can't imagine living anywhere else! She joined the Fort Green CSA last year, and liked it so much that she jumped at the chance to help organize its second season.

Cambra recently earned her Master's degree in Media Studies (with a focus on radio and sound art) from The New School in Manhattan. She's enjoying using the summer to travel, read, cook, and look for a job!

Photos taken by our ever-talented CSA member Ryan Scott. Check out our Flickr page if you haven’t already at http://www.flickr.com/photos/28816593@N07/

Using It All Up by CSA Member Ann Monroe

I have to start with a couple of confessions. First, I don't do beets. I don't like them, so I don't cook them. (I did once try a “Chocolate Surprise Cake” - the surprise being that there were cooked beets in it – but while it's true you couldn't taste the beets, you couldn't taste much chocolate either.) So no help from me on beets.
Second (and I don't know if this is a confession or a boast), I am the one who made a ruckus about all that cabbage, cucumber and beets, the result being that this week we're getting fennel, peppers & basil instead. If you don't like fennel, I apologize. But how can you not like fennel?
Fennel: Since we had cabbage last week, I tried a fennel and cabbage slaw. Basically a cole slaw with a mayonnaise dressing with the addition of sliced fennel, toasted ground fennel and anise seeds, and chopped fennel fronds. In spite of all that fennel, it didn't taste all that different from ordinary cole slaw, but if you're cautious about fennel, it might be a good place to start. Having gotten the cabbage out of the way, I moved on to my number one favorite fennel dish: fennel and radish salad. It's very easy: thinly sliced fennel, thinly sliced radishes, dressed with oil and lemon, sprinkled with chopped fennel fronds. Heaven.
Cucumber: I've never cooked cucumbers before, but this week I did – twice. First. a cucumber and shrimp curry. Toast curry powder in oil, add chopped onion, then the shrimp. When the shrimp is barely pink, remove it, and toss the cubed cucumbers in the oil-and-onion. Add a little broth and simmer briskly till the cucumber's just tender and the broth has thickened a bit. Stir in your choice of creamy liquid (cream, sour cream, yogurt, coconut milk), put the shrimp back in to warm up, and serve.
On to the very odd-sounding cucumber and gooseberry soup. (Google it in quotes and you'll find only two hits, both for this recipe.) Cook a chopped onion in butter, add peeled, chopped cucumbers (3-4), and a couple of potatoes, also peeled and chopped, and a cup of gooseberries, and stir them around. (Several of the Ft. Greene Greenmarket farmers are selling gooseberries right now. If you like rhubarb, you'll like gooseberries.) Then add chicken broth, cook until everything's tender, and puree. (Best done in a blender – in a food processor it comes out a bit chunky.) Add as much sour cream as your conscience and waistline will allow, and serve with a dollop of sour cream on top. (The recipe says to add strips of smoked trout or salmon, but I can't report on that because my husband accidentally bought unsmoked salmon. But it sounds good.) You can serve it warm or cold, but I think cold is better. It's rich and a bit sour and very very good.
Plums: Ah, lovely plums. These, bless their hearts, turned out to be easy to stone (many varieties are not!). I made a honey-plum crisp with half of them (google “plum and honey crumble” - yes, another English recipe – but who makes better desserts than the Brits?). Basically, you cook the plums lightly in butter with honey and brown sugar, then top with a mixture of flour, ground almonds, butter and sugar, and bake. Serve warm or cold, with cream or ice-cream or by itself.
The rest of the plums (apart from the ripest, which we kept to snack on), I baked with vanilla sugar – an extremely good way of cooking both plums and apricots. (Vanilla sugar is plain old white sugar that's been stored in a jar with a vanilla bean or two.) You can serve them as is, possibly with a mild cheese. But I didn't have enough vanilla sugar left, so mine were too sour. Solution: add some powdered sugar (and maybe a bit of brandy), puree them, and freeze them into a sorbet.

Ann Monroe blogs about food and sustainability at www.annmonroe.com

Storage Tips for this Week's Share

Tomatoes: Store tomatoes at room temperature to promote flavor, healthy appearance and freshness. Temperatures below 50 degrees will destroy the natural sugars in tomatoes. Tomatoes can be refrigerated for use at a later time but should be served at room temperature for optimum flavor.
Corn: Store corn in the refrigerator for up to three days. Keep the husk attached to the corn during storage; it will help protect and retain the corn’s moisture content. Cook sweet corn as soon as possible
White Onions: Onions should be kept in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, but beware of the moisture accumulation that causes them to spoil. Eat them within 2 weeks.
Basil: Store basil dry to prevent the leaves from turning black. Basil that is to be used within five days should be wrapped in a dry paper towel and kept in an airtight container at about 50 degrees (you can wash it just before use).
Red Amaranto (Callaloo): Keep Red Amaranto (Callaloo) greens refrigerated in a plastic bag for up to 3 days.
Beets: Remove the greens, leaving an inch of stem. Keep the greens unwashed and refrigerated in a plastic bag. Store the unwashed beet roots in a plastic bag as well. Placed in the crisper bin, they will keep for several weeks.
Apricots: Apricots ripen at room temperature, but you can speed the process by placing them in a paper bag with an ethylene gas-producing fruit (apple, pear, banana). Keep apricots away from direct sunlight or heat. A ripe apricot will yield to a gentle squeeze, and will refrigerate up to 2 days, unwashed, in a paper or plastic bag
Red Sugar Plums: Ripen firm plums at room temperature in a paper bag, with the top folded over but not sealed, for a couple of days. Ripe plums should keep in the refrigerator up to three days.
Sunflowers: Place in water. Inhale and enjoy!

This Week's Recipe: Curried Callaloo

1/3 cup of Sweet Bell Pepper, chopped and de-seeded
3 Scallions, crushed and chopped
1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
3 cups chopped Callaloo leaves
3 Medium Potatoes, diced
½ cup Fresh Corn
2 Sprigs of Thyme
1 Tomato, chopped and de-seeded
½ cup Curry

Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan; sauté the scallions and bell pepper in the vegetable oil. Add the other ingredients and let simmer for 7 minutes while constantly stirring.

Serve hot with Yams, Dumplings, or Boiled Green Bananas—or as a side with anything!

Opportunities for Involvement:

* Share your photos on the Fort Greene CSA Flickr page by sending photos to ryanscott.photography@gmail.com!
* If you have an idea for a great member event, let us know! We are always open to suggestions to make our CSA an integral part of our Fort Greene community.

Make your own compost at home!

2009-07-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

On July 22, member Ann Monroe brought her homemade worm bin to the distribution tent to give a lesson in how to make your own compost, at home! Below are the instructions that she typed up, so those who couldn't catch her in person can still get in on all the good, green fun. Enjoy!

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN (CHEAP) WORM BIN

If you've googled “worm bin” you know that you can buy very expensive ones. Here is a cheap one. (Adapted from http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Easywormbin.htm – which has pictures! - but which is dead wrong about how to harvest worms. I've tried their method, and the one below is much easier. Gives you nicer compost, too.)

Materials Needed
• Two 8-10 gallon plastic storage boxes (dark, NOT see through!) Rubbermaid makes them. We got ours at Lowe's for about $5 each but they don't seem to have anything smaller than 14 gal anymore – which would do at a pinch. (NOTE: DO NOT get bins with wheels or without lids. Plain lidded bins is what you want.)
• Drill (with 1/4" and 1/16" bits) for making drainage & ventilation holes
• Newspaper
• About one pound of red wriggler worms

Step 1: Bookmark this site: http://www.redwormcomposting.com/. Bentley is a fount of information on all things wormy, and if you buy your worms from him, you can email him for help if you have problems and he really will get back to you. (A pound of red wrigglers – which is what you want – will cost $35, but assuming things go well, it's the only pound of worms you'll ever have to buy.)

Step 2: Drill about twenty evenly spaced 1/4 inch holes in the bottom of each bin. These holes will provide drainage and allow the worms to crawl into the second bin when you are ready to harvest the castings.

Step 3: Drill ventilation holes about 1 – 1 ½ inches apart on each side of each bin near the top edge using the 1/16 inch bit. Also drill about 30 small holes in the top of one of the lids.

Step 4: Order your worms (worms from the garden won't work as efficiently & besides, do you really want to dig up a pound of worms?)

Step 5: A day or two before your worms are due to arrive, prepare bedding for the worms by shredding newspaper into 1 inch strips. Worms need bedding that is moist but not soggy. Moisten the newspaper by soaking it in water and then squeezing out the excess water. Cover the bottom of the bin with 3-4 – or more - inches of moist newspaper, fluffed up. Bury about 1/2 pound of food scraps in the bin.

Step 6: When the worms come, add them to the bedding. Cover the bin with the lid that has the ventilation holes in it.

Step 7: Place your bin in a well-ventilated but easy to reach area; we keep ours in a corner of the living room. Don't put it where it gets direct sunlight. Place the bin on top of blocks or bricks or upside down cans to allow for drainage. (You can use the lid of the second bin as a tray to catch any moisture that may drain from the bin. This "worm tea" is a great liquid fertilizer. )

Step 8: Feed your worms on a schedule that's convenient for you. A pound of worms will eat roughly ½ pound of scraps a day. After a while you'll get a feel for how often to add food. In the beginning, it's better to add too little than too much; if the scraps decay faster than the worms can eat them, your bin may begin to smell. But until you get a feel for it, you should check them at least every other day. Bury the food each day in a different part of the bin so you can see how they're doing.

Feed your worms a varied, vegetarian diet. (They will eat the food faster, reducing the risk of smells, if you cut it into small pieces.) They prefer food that has begun the rotting process; an easy way to do that is to put bags of scraps in the freezer overnight (which softens them) and thaw them the next day before giving them to the worms. Don't feed them dairy, meat, fat, feces...anything animal; they don't like it and it will attract nasty bugs. Or worse.

When the newspaper is all gone, the food scraps mostly gone, and the material in the bin looks like very soggy dirt, it's time to harvest. (Now you know why you bought two bins.) Fill the empty bin (drilling holes in it as you did the in first if you didn't do both at once) with damp newspaper, bury about a pound of food scraps and let them ripen for a day or two. Then put the old bin directly on top of the newspaper in the new bin.

Leave the lid off the old bin, and dig through it thoroughly, reaching into corners (a garden fork is good for this) as often as you can remember to – several times a day is good. (The worms will not climb out – all they want is to get back into the dark.) DO NOT FEED THE WORMS IN THE OLD BIN ANY LONGER. You want to make their lives unpleasant so they will move down.
As the bin dries out, and as you disturb them, the worms will begin to crawl through the holes in the old bin into the new one below. After a few days, when the top bin has gone from sodden to damp, and most of worms are gone, put the lid on the bottom bin and start feeding it. (If you leave the old bin on top of the lid, you'll find more worms coming out and landing on the lid and you can brush them into the new bin.) When you're pretty sure the worms have all left the top bin, you can use or package the compost, empty and rinse the bin, let it dry and then put it away until the next harvest.

July 1st Newletter

2009-06-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

B WEEK – July 1, 2009

Storage Tips for this Week's Share
Kale: Keep dry, unwashed greens in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge. Will keep approximately 2 weeks.
Zucchini: Store them unwashed in a perforated plastic bag in the vegetable bin, or refrigerate them in a sealed Tupperware container lined with a kitchen towel.
Kohlrabi: Remove the greens from the bulb and plan to use them within a week. The bulb can be put in yet another plastic bag for use within two weeks.
Cucumbers: Be sure to get them into the refrigerator right away. Placed in a sealed plastic bag, they will keep for at least a week.
Sweet Onions: Should be kept in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, but beware of the moisture accumulation that causes them to spoil. Eat them within 2 weeks.

Opportunities for Involvement:
* Share your photos on the Fort Greene CSA Flickr page by sending photos to ryanscott.photography@gmail.com!
* If you have an idea for a great member event, let us know! We are always open to suggestions to make our CSA an integral part of our Fort Greene community.
* If you're web savvy, we can always use help maintaining our website. Have other special skills? Email us at volunteer@fortgreenecsa.org and let us know how you'd like to help out. The CSA is for all of us -- let's make it a fantastic season together.

This Week’s Recipe: Squash Blossoms
**This week, we give you two squash blossoms recipes which you’ll surely have the opportunity to try throughout the season.**

Stewed Squash Blossoms
(recipe from Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless)
20 good-size, fresh squash blossoms
1/2 medium onion, diced
fresh hot green chiles to taste (roughly 2 jalepeño or serranos) stemmed, seeded, and finely minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium-large tomato, roasted or boiled, cored, peeled, and chopped
small handful fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons crumbled queso fresco

Clean squash blossoms by removing the stamens from inside the flowers and trimming off rough-looking bases. Rinse well and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch sections.
In a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, fry the onion and chile in vegetable oil until tender (about 5 minutes). Add tomato, flowers, and herbs. Cover and let steam over medium-low heat until the flowers are tender (about 8 minutes). Uncover, season with salt and sprinkle with cheese. Scoop into a small bowl to let cool before serving.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms
(recipe from Maria Alvarez, from Greenmarket's New Farmer Development Project)
Serves 4 as an appetizer

16 squash blossoms
1 cup feta or queso fresco
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk, beaten into eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
4 tablespoons olive oil

Gently wash blossoms. Slice open along one side and remove pistils. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese into each and twist ends to seal. Dip blossoms into egg mixture, coat with flour and set aside. Repeat with remaining blossoms.
Heat oil in heavy skillet. Add blossoms, frying on one side until golden brown. Turn and cook other side. Serve immediately.

Food Justice Action Alert

2009-06-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

....This just in from Just Food....

Council Member de Blasio, Manhattan Borough President Stringer, and food justice advocates rally in support of groundbreaking resolution to improve access to local, just and sustainbly-produced foods and decrease NYC's ecological "Foodprint"

A groundbreaking council resolution was introduced today in the City Council by Bill de Blasio, and calls for a citywide "FoodprintNYC" initiative to create greater access to local, fresh, healthy food, especially in low-income communities as well as city-run institutions.

By increasing the availability of local, just and sustainably-produced food, New York City can decrease its ecological "Foodprint" -our food system's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change through the production, processing, packaging, shipping, storage and disposal of food. The resolution could help the city meet its goals of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, while increasing access to local, healthy food to NYC, particularly underserved communities.

Join Just Food and other members of the NYC Foodprint Alliance at the press conference tomorrow to rally support for this new food and climate justice resolution!

When: Wednesday, July 1, 11:00 AM
Where: City Hall Steps
Who: Councilmember Bill de Blasio, Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer, members of the NYC Foodprint Alliance, other elected officials and over one hundred activists

For more information on the press conference, contact:
Matthew Wing (CM de Blasio): 212-788-6969/917-601-1572
Carmen Boon (BP Stringer): (212) 669-3882
Meredith Turner (Farm Sanctuary): 646-369-6212

For more information or to join the NYC Foodprint Alliance, contact: Nadia Johnson at Just Food, nadia@justfood.org.

Idealist.org Podcast!

2008-11-11T11:30:00.001-08:00

The Fort Greene CSA has been featured on a special podcast, created by CSA member Cambra Moniz-Edwards. Click here to check it out!

Handout for November 5th - Last One!

2008-11-05T11:05:00.000-08:00

Here is the handout for our LAST distribution of the 2008 season. This edition features a mushy thank you from your CSA Coordinator as well as two very different pumpkin soup recipes & more!

Radish Recipes!

2008-10-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

In case you missed yesterday's cooking demonstration and are wondering what to do with the radishes you picked up in your share yesterday, here is Just Food Community Chef Felicia's recipe for Radish Salad, plus a bonus recipe from Just Food for Sauteed Radishes. Bon Appetit!

Radish Salad, by Felicia Rose

2 cups finely shredded radishes
3 tbsp olive oil or sesame oil
1/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp pepper to taste
optional: small handful of cilantro, baby arugula, or other young tender greens

Toss shredded radishes with oil, salt, and pepper. Add greens/herbs if using. Toss again and serve.

Serves 4

Sauteed Radishes, by Felicia Rose

1 lb radishes, quartered
2 tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
2 cups watercress or cilantro leaves

Heat butter or oil over medium heat. Add radishes and salt. Saute for about 5 minutes If radishes are still too firm, add 1/4 cup of water and then braise. Continue to add water, a little at a time, until radishes are slightly soft. Once water is absorbed and the radishes are at desired tenderness, add the water cress or cilantro and saute until wilted.

Serves 4

November Newsletter

2008-10-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

Here is our last monthly newsletter of the season, edited by CSA Member Patrick Keeler. Included in this installment are reflections on the past season, a cookbook review, and yummy recipes for butternut squash lasagna and parsnip and cheddar soup, plus much more! Happy reading!

Handout for October 22

2008-10-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the handout for this week's delivery. This week's handout features recipes for Green Beans with Cilantro and Garlic, Fresh Cheese and Cilantro dip, and Acorn Squash Quesadillas.

CSA Farm Trip

2008-10-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

On October 13, members of the Fort Greene CSA traveled to visit Nolasco Farms, the 10 acre farm in Andover, NJ where all our vegetables come from. Sergio gave us a great tour of his land and showed us some of the equipment he was able to buy with the funds he received from our CSA, like this tiller.
He also showed us the vegetables he planted within the last few weeks that will be making an appearance in our shares in the near future, like the beets and kale in the photos below, and also broccoli, swiss chard, spinach, and cabbage.

Another stop on our tour was the farm's greenhouse, where Sergio is storing onions, winter squash, potatoes, and pumpkins that will pop up in our shares in the coming weeks.

Sergio and his wife Paz are also drying hot peppers in the greenhouse. He told us that one of their goals for the future is to rent commercial kitchen space where they can produce their own bottled salsas (made from tomatoes, peppers, and tomatillos from the farm) to sell at his markets.
Following the tour and lunch, some CSA members volunteered to help cut parsley for Sergio to bring to market.
Sergio also explained a lot about the financial side of his farm. In some ways, farming organically helps him save money, as he doesn't purchase any chemicals to apply to his crops. Sergio does use a spray made from seaweed to repel insects, but of course does not buy any pesticides.

Farming organically does create some extra costs, though. For example, Sergio has to purchase hand tools to weed his fields, like the $400 handtiller in the photo below. Seeds are also a big expense - Sergio estimates he spends about $6,000 on seeds each year.
(In this photo Sergio is simply resting the handles of the tool around his waist - the tiller does not attach to the worker using it like that!)

After visiting with Sergio, we climbed back onto the bus and headed to Pochuck Valley Farms in Glenwood, NJ to go apple picking.

All in all, it was a great day - if you didn't make it to the farm this time, we hope you'll join us for next year's trip!

Handout for October 15

2008-10-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here is this week's handout, featuring some recipes for green/under-ripe tomatoes, butternut squashes, and radishes. Enjoy!

Handouts for October 1

2008-10-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

Here is the electronic version of this month's newsletter, edited by CSA Member Jess Arnold. Hope you enjoy!

Also, here is a short handout for this week, featuring storage tips for your share as well as a recipe for a delicious broccoli soup and a radish and celery salad.

Rustic Plum Tart

2008-09-18T09:31:00.001-07:00

You might have noticed that we got just a few plums in our fruit shares this week. If you are running out of ideas about what to do with them, here is my favorite plum tart recipe. Give it a try!

Rustic Plum Tart
from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics

Crust
1 1/3 cups unbleached white flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup chilled unsalted butter
1/4 cup chilled cream cheese
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp ice water

Filling
1 1/2 lbs plums
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp freshly grated lemon peel

1 egg (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate or large rimmed baking sheet

Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl or in a food processor. Cut the butter and cream cheese into 1-inch pieces and incorporate them into the flour mixture by hand or by pulsing in the food processor until they are the size of peas. Mix in the lemon juice and ice water until the mixture begins to form a dough. Shape the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until ready to roll out.

Cut the plums in half, remove and discard the pits, and slice the plums into 1/2 inch thick wedges to make about 5 cups of prepared fruit. Place the wedges in a medium bowl and sift the sugar and cornstarch over them. Add the lemon peel and mix well. Set aside.

Lightly flour a clean dry surface, a rolling pin, and the chilled dough. Roll the dough from the center out into a 14 inch circle. Lift and rotate it from time to time to prevent sticking, dusting with more flour as needed. If the dough seems too soft or sticky, refrigerate for about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to the prepared pie plate or baking sheet and arrange the plums on the dough in concentric circles. Begin at the center and layer until all the fruit is used. If you're using a baking sheet, end the outermost ring of plums 2 inches from the edge of the dough. Fold over the dough to make a border. For a golden sheen whisk the egg with a tablespoon of water and brush i ton the pastry edges.

Bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 30-60 minutes, until the crust is browned and the juices bubble up. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for 30 minutes. Serve while still warm.

Serves 8.

Handout for September 17th

2008-09-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

Here is this week's handout, which features an article on Florida tomato pickers as well as recipes for a Farmers Market Salad and a pasta dish with fresh ricotta, herbs, and sweet corn.

Handout for September 10th

2008-09-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

Here is this week's handout.

On our recipe page this week is a set of instructions for making a sweet tomatillo sauce that is meant to be used as a dessert, and was originally created as an accompaniment to a spicy chocolate cake at the restaurant Rosa Mexicana. Here is the link to the recipe for the chocolate cake if you'd like to try that out as well.

A CSA Haiku

2008-09-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

by Theo Moore

Did I feel the heat?
Could not feel my tongue for days.
Poblanos are hot.

September Newsletter

2008-09-03T11:16:00.001-07:00

You can view the September edition of our newsletter, edited and re-designed by member Caroline Beasley-Baker, by clicking here.

This week's vegetable share will contain sweet corn, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, parsley, onions, sweet peppers, and hot peppers. Fruit shares will have apples, peaches, and plums.

See you at the park!

Handout for August 20th

2008-08-20T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the handout for this week. Please note that instead of beets and onions, we are expecting to receive eggplant and potatoes. See you in the park!

Views from our Farm

2008-08-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, Fort Greene CSA Coordinator Jen and Bushwick CSA Coordinator Jenny headed to Andover, NJ to see the farm our vegetables are coming from and to help harvest for Wednesday's distribution.

First, we met up at the Bronx Farmers Market where Sergio sells vegetables and honey from a neighboring producer. Sergio, his wife Paz, and another regular market worker sell at this market every Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Then we rode in his market van out to the farm where we got a short tour, harvested field peas, and chose the vegetables we wanted to include in our shares the next day.

We also discovered why we haven't received any cantaloupes yet this season - so far most of them have been eaten by deer! Thankfully they have left most of the other crops untouched, so our shares haven't been lacking.

When we had finished the farm work for the day, we headed back to Sergio and Paz's home. While Paz made us a fantastic dinner of flor de calabaza (squash blossom) quesadillas, Jenny and I went to work sorting through Sergio's enormous pile of Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) checks.

FMNP is part of the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) supplemental nutrition program that provides financial assistance to pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and women and their children up to the age of 5. Those who qualify for the program receive FMNP checks worth $2 each that can only be used to purchase locally grown produce at farmers markets.

The vast majority of Sergio's customers pay with FMNP checks, each of which has to be stamped by the farmer, and then hand-counted by a bank clerk when he goes to cash them. Participating in the program means extra work for Sergio, but it's both an important source of income for him and a great help to the community, and he was glad to offer his produce to the young families who received the checks.

After a great dinner, we headed off to bed and arose at 6:00 the next morning to begin making deliveries in the city. We arrived in Fort Greene around noon with the bounty for our CSA.

See the CSA's flickr page for even more photos of Sergio's market and his farm. And stay tuned for more information about our farm trip on October 13th so you can come see the farm for yourself!!

August 13th Handout

2008-08-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

Here is the handout for this week's share, which contains tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, carrots, onions, lettuce, and either parsley or field peas.

Jen visited the farm yesterday and has many photos to share! My pictures and updates will appear here shortly.

August 2008 Newsletter

2008-08-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

Here is an electronic version of our second monthly newsletter. This newsletter features an update on this blog, "a touching tale of a man and his slaw," ideas for simple preparations of your CSA veggies, interviews with several CSA members, and recipes for beets, tomatoes, cabbage, and okra.

Beet the Blahs

2008-08-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I often run out of ideas for things to cook with beets. You can roast them, slice them, and toss them in a goat cheese salad. They're nice pickled. That's the extent of my beet-a-rific cooking, for the most part.

If you, too, are looking for fresh ideas, why not check out Dig This: Beets! over at the Green Guide. They offer general cooking instructions as well as a lot of tasty-sounding recipes. One recipe using raw beets (the best way to eat them, as more of the nutritional value is intact in a raw veggie) definitely caught my eye:

Beet Slaw with Buttermilk Dressing
Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Ingredients
4 medium beets, approximately 1 pound
2 red apples
1 carrot
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method
Peel the beets, and slice into thin strips, or grate on the largest holes of a box grater. If using organic apples and carrots, wash and slice into thin strips or grate, otherwise, peel them first. Place the vegetables in a bowl and set aside. To make the dressing, whisk together the remaining ingredients, taste and adjust seasonings and dress the vegetables. Toss to coat and refrigerate for 15 minutes before serving.

Announcements for August 6th

2008-08-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

This week we are expecting shares to contain tomatoes, corn, okra,
parsely, basil, and sweet peppers.

Don't forget to bring your sweet corn on over to our CSA BARBECUE on
Wednesday evening from 6-8 pm. We will be setting up in the barbecue
area of Fort Greene Park between St. Edwards Street and North Portland
Street. We're asking everyone who comes to sign up to bring something
- please email me ASAP if you haven't already signed up for something.

One final announcement this week - we are also looking at the date of
Monday, October 13 (Columbus Day) for a farm trip so that members with
children would be able to come on the trip. The most popular of the
previous dates was Friday, October 3, so we will most likely take our
trip one of these two days. If you have strong feelings about either
of these two dates, please let me know as soon as you can. We will
move forward with plans for the trip on whichever date most people
prefer.

thanks!
Jen

July 30th Handout

2008-07-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

Many of you demanded it, and we can finally offer it - here is an electronic version of our weekly handout full of announcements and recipes. Click here to download the PDF.

Save paper and read it all online!

Announcements for July 30th

2008-07-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Your shares this week will contain corn, sweet peppers, jalapenos,
cilantro, tomatoes, potatoes, and lettuce.

Also, don't forget that we are working on scheduling our farm trip. So
far only a few people have indicated their availability - if you are
interested in going on the trip, please let us know which days will
work for you by Wednesday. The potential dates, again, are September
5, 12, and October 3. You can either respond to this email or use our
handy dandy Surveymonkey link to let us know your preference

Last but not least, we will be having a BBQ for CSA members in Fort
Greene Park next Wednesday, August 6th. You will receive a separate
email with more information shortly.

See you Wednesday!
Jen

2008-07-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Your shares this week will include cabbage, cilantro, sweet corn
(!!!), swiss chard, cucumbers, lettuce, and parsley.

Don't forget we have a ton of great events this week:

Tomorrow, July 23: Meeting at distribution to talk about ways YOU can
get more involved in the CSA. Help manage distribution, plan an event,
write for the newsletter, or help with advocacy & outreach efforts. We
will be meeting at the distribution site from 6-7 pm. Hope to see you
there!

Thursday & Friday, July 24-25: Screening of Our Daily Bread at Make
the Road NY, 301 Grove Street, at 7 pm. This fascinating film explores
the many ways that food is produced in modern industrial farms in
beautiful wide shots without comment - the ultimate judgment on what
you see is left to you to make for yourself. A must see for anyone who
eats. (Directions: L train to Myrtle-Wyckoff, M train to Knickerbocker
Ave, or take the B54 bus. 301 Grove Street is located between Myrtle &
Knickerbocker Avenues.)

Saturday, July 26: Workshop on preserving and storing your CSA share
from 12:00pm - 1:30pm at the Von King Recreation Center Auditorium,
Lafayette Avenue btwn Marcy & Tompkins Aves.
Caring for Your CSA Share - Don't Let Those Veggies Rot! Do you
sometimes feel overwhelmed by your CSA share? Just Food Community Chef
Martha Ma will offer tips and strategies on how to best enjoy your CSA
bounty. You will learn which vegetables are best eaten immediately,
vegetable storage techniques, and food preservation strategies (like
freezing, pickling, fermentation, & canning). DIRECTIONS: The
Recreation Center is two blocks from the Bedford-Nostrand G stop and
B43 and B38 bus lines.

Hope to see you at one (or all) of these events!
Jen

Announcements for July 23rd

2008-07-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

Your shares this week will include cabbage, cilantro, sweet corn
(!!!), swiss chard, cucumbers, lettuce, and parsley.

Don't forget we have a ton of great events this week:

Tomorrow, July 23: Meeting at distribution to talk about ways YOU can
get more involved in the CSA. Help manage distribution, plan an event,
write for the newsletter, or help with advocacy & outreach efforts. We
will be meeting at the distribution site from 6-7 pm. Hope to see you
there!

Thursday & Friday, July 24-25: Screening of Our Daily Bread at Make
the Road NY, 301 Grove Street, at 7 pm. This fascinating film explores
the many ways that food is produced in modern industrial farms in
beautiful wide shots without comment - the ultimate judgment on what
you see is left to you to make for yourself. A must see for anyone who
eats. (Directions: L train to Myrtle-Wyckoff, M train to Knickerbocker
Ave, or take the B54 bus. 301 Grove Street is located between Myrtle &
Knickerbocker Avenues.)

Saturday, July 26: Workshop on preserving and storing your CSA share
from 12:00pm - 1:30pm at the Von King Recreation Center Auditorium,
Lafayette Avenue btwn Marcy & Tompkins Aves.
Caring for Your CSA Share - Don't Let Those Veggies Rot! Do you
sometimes feel overwhelmed by your CSA share? Just Food Community Chef
Martha Ma will offer tips and strategies on how to best enjoy your CSA
bounty. You will learn which vegetables are best eaten immediately,
vegetable storage techniques, and food preservation strategies (like
freezing, pickling, fermentation, & canning). DIRECTIONS: The
Recreation Center is two blocks from the Bedford-Nostrand G stop and
B43 and B38 bus lines.

Announcements for July 16th

2008-07-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

Shares this week will contain white onions, sweet peppers, eggplant,
basil, beets, zucchini, and cabbage. We are anticipating either
apricots or another variety of berries from Red Jacket for the fruit
shares.

We still could use one more volunteer for the 3:15 - 5:45 pm shift
this Wednesday. If you are available to help out, please let me know
ASAP!

Also, don't forget that this week the Gnarly Vines wine shop is
offering a special tasting for Fort Greene CSA members. Whether or not
you are picking up your share this week, feel free to stop by their
store (350 Myrtle Avenue between Carlton Ave & Adelphi) between 4 - 8
pm to sample wines from Cline Vineyards in Sonoma County, which has
won awards for their sustainability efforts, as well as a few wines
from Hermann Wiemer in upstate New York.

Next week, July 23rd, we will be having a meeting at the distribution
site from 6-7 pm to discuss opportunities to get more involved in the
management of the CSA. We are especially looking for people who want
to write/edit the newsletter, help coordinate distribution &
volunteers, and to help plan events for the summer and fall.

Last of all, please remember that we CANNOT ACCEPT COMPOST at
distribution anymore, so please don't bring food scraps to the site.
You can still bring compost to the Fort Greene Farmer's Market on
Saturdays.

Announcements for July 9th

2008-07-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

This week we are expecting shares to contain the first sweet peppers
and onions of the season, as well as cabbage, basil, cilantro, and
zucchini. Fruit shares will once again be sweet cherries, and we hear
that apricots are just around the corner.

Also, as a general reminder, it is very helpful if you BRING YOUR OWN
BAGS to carry your shares home in. We are running low on plastic bags,
so it would be best for the CSA (and the earth!) if you bring your own
reusable bags each week. If you have extra bags lying around that
you'd like to donate, please bring them to distribution.

Last but not least, we have two special events to announce. First is
that on July 16 the Gnarly Vines wine shop (350 Myrtle Avenue between
Carlton Ave & Adelphi) will be hosting a special wine tasting for CSA
members. They will be featuring wines from Cline Vineyards in Sonoma
County, which has won awards for their sustainability efforts, as well
as a few wines from Hermann Wiemer in upstate New York. The tasting
will happen from 4 pm - 8 pm, so feel free to drop by before or after
you pick up your share (or anytime, if you are a B week member) and
sample some wines.

The following week, July 23rd, we will be having a meeting at
distribution to discuss opportunities to get more involved with the
CSA. We are especially seeking people to plan events, help manage the
distribution site, and edit and write for the newsletter, but are open
to any other suggestions you might have as well. The official meeting
will take place from 6 - 7 pm, but if you cannot make it, please get
in touch with me if you'd like to volunteer more of your time to the
CSA.

Announcements for July 2nd

2008-06-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

First of all, I wanted to announce the winner of our 'Name the
Newsletter' contest. It was a very close race, but the winner is (drum
roll please) The Greene Vine, so congratulations to Patrick Keeler!
We'll be in touch about your fabulous prize shortly. The first issue
of our monthly newsletter will be available at distribution July 2nd
and 9th, so be sure to pick up a copy! We are seeking an editor for
next month's newsletter as well. Please let me know if you might be
interested in helping with this.

Shares for this week are expected to contain romaine lettuce, parsley,
kohlrabi, cabbage, cilantro, zucchini, and your choice of swiss chard
or collard greens. Fruit shares for this week will be a quart of
cherries. Speaking of fruit shares, we currently have one extra B week
fruit share available - please let me know if you are interested in
adding a half fruit share, starting this week Wednesday.

Also, as far as egg shares go, I am very sorry to announce that our
egg share has fallen through for this year. If you already submitted a
payment for eggs, we will have reimbursement checks at the
distribution site this week and next week. If you are an A week member
and would like to be reimbursed sooner than that, please let me know,
and again, I apologize that the egg option didn't work out. Farm-
fresh, pastured eggs can be ordered from Lewis-Waite farms throughout
the season, however. More information on that will be available
shortly.

Last of all, I wanted to announce that we could once again use some
extra help at distribution this week, for both the 3:15 - 5:45 shift
and the 5:30 - 8 pm shift. For the early shift we especially need
someone who will be able to help carry heavier items over to the
distribution site. Please email me if you are able to come help us
out.

Announcements for June 25th

2008-06-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

This week we expect your shares will contain: zucchini/summer squash,
a bunch of basil, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, beets, and (maybe the
third time is the charm) cilantro.

Also, two volunteering related announcements:

First of all, we could use one more person for the 5:30 to 8 pm shift
this week. Please email me ASAP if you can come help us out!

Also, beginning this week, we are going to be starting the early work
shift 15 minutes early, so it will run from 3:15 - 5:45. We want to
make sure we can get distribution started on time, and we're going to
see if this slight change will help make sure that happens every week.
If you are signed up for an early shift and this change presents a
problem for you, please let me know.

Thanks to everyone who has voted for a newsletter name so far! Don't
forget, voting will continue through June 26th. You will also be able
to cast your vote at distribution on Wednesday. You can can vote by
going here.

Announcements for June 18th

2008-06-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

Your shares this (B) week will contain cilantro (for sure this time!),
lettuce, snow peas, beets, swiss chard, kohlrabi, and either some
sweet, young broccoli or basil. Fruit shares will contain a quart of
strawberries and a quart of juice. Our fun summer shares that will be
loaded with items like zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and
melons are just around the corner, so hang in there!

Egg share membership forms available at distribution once again, and
you must sign up by THIS FRIDAY, JUNE 20TH if you wish to purchase an
egg share.

We will be having another cooking demonstration at the site this week,
this time from 5 pm to roughly 6:30 or 7 pm, so arrive during that
time frame if you would like to have a taste of a special dish
prepared with items provided in the shares this week.

As far as volunteer shifts go, we should be set for this week, but we
could use some volunteers for the following time slots: June 25th at
3:30 pm; July 2nd at 3:30 at 6 pm; July 9 at 3:30 pm. You can sign up
by emailing me or by signing up on the volunteer shift calendar at the
distribution site.

Also, don't forget that you can bring food scraps to donate to the
Clifton Place Garden's compost pile. (Plant-based scraps, coffee
grinds, tea bags, egg shells are all OK - meat or dairy-based items
and anything greasy are NOT OK to compost.) We will have some
composting educators at distribution to talk about the how's and why's
of composting, so try to stop by their table!

Finally, I have two items related to our newsletter to share with
you. First, we are having a contest to select a name for our monthly
newsletter. You can submit ideas to me until JUNE 18TH. We will then
ask our members to vote for their favorite, and if your name wins the
most votes, you will win a free CSA t-shirt! You may submit your
ideas at the distribution site on Wednesday or by emailing or calling
me. Our first newsletter will be distributed on July 2nd, and we are
seeking articles, reviews, recipes, etc! If you are interested in
contributing to the newsletter, please get in touch with me.

Announcements for June 11th

2008-06-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

We will be kicking off our 2008 season on WEDNESDAY, June 11th! If
you have a full share or are on an A week schedule, please don't
forget to come pick up your first share of the season between 4 - 7:30
pm at the northeast corner of Fort Greene Park. If you are unsure of
whether you are on an A or B week schedule, please contact me ASAP!

These first shares will include (drumroll, please) lettuce, cilantro,
swiss chard, collard greens, beets, spinach, and kohlrabi. If you can
arrive at the site between 4-6 pm, you will be able to check out a
kohlrabi cooking demonstration by one of Just Food's community chefs.
We will also be distributing recipes and notes on the vegetables in
our shares this week. Fruit shares will most likely be rhubarb and
bottled juice.

A few other quick announcements:

- Please bring bags to distribution to bring home your produce. We
will have a few plastic bags at the site, but it would be best if
everyone got into the habit of bringing their own bags.

- We have secured an egg share for the 2008 season! It will begin on
July 2nd, and you must sign up by June 20th to receive eggs.
Applications with more information about these additional items will
be available at the distribution site for the next two weeks, but I
would also be happy to email the form to you.

- We still have space for one more volunteer on the early shift (3:30
- 6 pm) on June 11. It will be an exciting shift to work with lots of
fun things going on, so if you would like to come help us out, please
let me know!

- PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO MAKE YOUR PAYMENTS. Unless you have already
paid in full for your share, you probably owe a payment by June 15.
Bringing cash or a check to distribution will be a nice, easy way to
fulfill that. We will have receipts on hand at the site. If you have
any questions about how much you owe, please get in touch with me.