Grand Street CSA

Plum Crumble

2010-07-28T22:40:00.000-04:00

CSA member Amy Carlson suggests this recipe from the New York Times for this week's Italian plums:

Ingredients

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1½ tablespoons plus 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ plus ½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
2 heaping tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger
12 purple Italian or prune plums, cut in half and pitted
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 well beaten egg
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Vanilla ice cream, optional.

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in center.
Thoroughly mix brown sugar, 1½ tablespoons flour, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ground ginger and candied ginger. Add to plums and mix well. Arrange, skin side up, in ungreased, deep 9-inch pie plate.
Combine remaining sugar, baking powder, flour, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. Stir in egg. Then, using hands, mix thoroughly to produce little particles. Sprinkle over plums.
Drizzle butter evenly over crumb mixture and bake 30 to 35 minutes. Crumble is done when top is browned and plums yield easily when pricked with cake tester. Remove from oven and cool.
Serve warm or refrigerate for up to two days or freeze well covered. If reheating, bring to room temperature then warm at 300 degrees. If desired, serve with ice cream.

Total time: 50 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Watermelons are not melons

2010-07-27T23:10:00.000-04:00

Waterberries

Fun fact passed along at distribution this afternoon and confirmed tonight on the internet: watermelons are actually berries.

It has to do with the fruit being produced from a single ovary, and seeds embedded in and spread throughout the flesh of the fruit.

Just to drive you crazy, that means grapes, bananas, and tomatoes are really berries, too.

Fresh Fruit Compote

2010-07-27T15:47:00.000-04:00

CSA Member Donna Gallers shares this recipe:

This refreshing dessert is a great way to use up all that extra fruit from the farm share or farmer's market before it gets over-ripe (or even when it does — just cut away any parts that are bad). It is thickened with kuzu root starch, which is available as a chunky powder in natural food stores, often in the macrobiotic foods section. The kuzu adds no discernible flavor to the dish.

Prep & cooking time: Approximately 45 minutes (plus cooling time if serving chilled)
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

3-4 cups fresh peaches and plums (I used 6-8 small peaches and 6 small prune plums)
Handful of blueberries if you have them
3 tbsp kuzu root starch
1 ½ cups water
1-2 lemon wedges
1-2 tbsp natural sweetener of your choice (optional—you can try agave, honey, maple syrup, etc. I have also used lucuma powder.)

Directions:
Wash, pit and cut fruit into small pieces (approx. bite size). Place in a saucepan and add water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Add the juice of the lemon wedges, and sweetener if desired (I like the naturally tart fruit flavor and often leave mine unsweetened).

Simmer at low to medium heat for about 20 minutes, until fruit softens and breaks apart. (You can help it along by mushing up some of the fruit with a wooden spoon, but leave some small chunks for texture.)

Dissolve kuzu root starch in 6 tbsp cold or room temperature water.** Add to the fruit and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until thick. Pour into dessert dishes. Serve warm or chilled. If served immediately, dessert will be a very thick liquid; for a more gelled texture, chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour (this is how I prefer it!).

Serve plain or be creative with toppings: try chopped nuts, granola, or (for chilled version) a dollop of fresh whipped cream or plain yogurt.

You can also experiment with cooking other fruits, such as nectarines, berries, or cherries. If you like a tart dessert, try adding some cranberries.

**The general rule for thick desserts is: 1 tbsp kuzu dissolved in 2 tbsp water for each cup of liquid, i.e. cooked fruit. So if you cook a larger amount of fruit, increase kuzu and water accordingly.

Donna Gallers is a licensed massage therapist and holistic health coach based on the Lower East Side.
www.donnagallers.com or www.dgallers.vpweb.com

Zero Waste Weekend at Hester Street Fair

2010-07-23T12:20:00.000-04:00

With help from the Lower East Side Ecology Center, Hester Street Fair is hosting a Zero Waste Weekend, this Saturday and Sunday, 10am - 6pm, at the Fair on Hester and Essex.

E-Waste — computer monitors, keyboards, mice, scanners, printers, fax machines, cables, TVs, DVD players, etc. A great opportunity to get rid of the broken-down junk cluttering your closet.
Compost — collecting compostable items and demonstrations for setting up simple composting bins in your home.
Fabric and Clothing — donate your unused clothing and fabric.

Podcast: Farming, Economics, and Government Involvement

2010-07-23T12:05:00.000-04:00

From this week's Just Food CSA Newsletter:

As a CSA member, you are probably lucky enough to know your farmer, how they grow their crops, and you can be confident that your payments are helping a small farm to be both environmentally and economically sustainable.

But what about the large-scale farms that produce most of our food in this country? Where does the money for this kind of agriculture come from, and how well is that system working?

The environmental news & commentary blog Grist recently posted a podcast featuring an interview with "local food economist" Ken Meter to discuss this issue. In the podcast, Meter and host Tom Philpott look at the history of agricultural loans and subsidies, government programs for farmers that have been lost, and lessons that we should have learned from previous economic disasters. The second part of the podcast, in which Meter and Philpott will discuss alternatives to this system (like CSA) that help keep wealth in our communities, will be posted next week.

To listen to Part 1 the podcast, click here.

Just Food's Veggie Tip Sheets

2010-07-20T22:31:00.000-04:00

Some of you have seen at distribution a big notebook with a page for just about every vegetable we might get during the season (and many we won't) — from Aji dulce peppers to Yukina savoy.

The notebook has over 100 tip sheets, with advice about how to store, prep, and cook various items. They're prepared by Just Food, the great organization that helps set up CSAs in NYC (and helped get us started in 2008).

Now Just Food's Veggie Tip Sheets are available in their entirety in your web browser.

For example, from this week's shares, cucumbers:

Cucumbers need to be stored in the refrigerator in order to retain their moisture.

They will keep well for up to 10 days in the refrigerator drawer if they are kept whole.

Once they have been cut, cucumbers will deteriorate quickly.

Also, did you know that only one gene separates a nectarine from a peach? It's the gene that makes peaches fuzzy.

Thanks to core member Jeff Schiller for getting these digital files by correctly answering a trivia question at Just Food's recent CSA picnic. The question: from how many states do NYC's CSAs get their food? Answer: four. (But he's not sure which four!)

The C in CSA

2010-07-19T22:18:00.000-04:00

There are over 100 families participating in the Grand Street CSA this year. In 2008, when this CSA first started, membership was made up largely of people who had heard about it through the LES Parents forum and therefore already had some things in common. But since then, the CSA has grown larger and broader, picking up many people who just happened across distribution one week and signed up on our wait list, not necessarily knowing anyone else who belonged but just wanting to get their hands on our beautiful vegetables.

And slowly the C in CSA — Community — grows up.

Distribution is a great time to get to know your neighbors. Each week, you'll see children playing with each other on the steps at Abrons, and members swapping recipes or just chatting about summer vacation. Communities like ours — casual, collaborative, routine, local — aren't always so easy to find in NYC. Aside from the good food, it's one thing that makes the CSA such a rewarding project.

And, by and large, everyone's been amazingly helpful and flexible. Muted reaction to our disastrous second distribution was a strong indicator of members' willingness to ride the unpredictability of our partnership with the A in CSA. But we wanted to remind everyone of three things you can do to reinforce the cooperative nature of our community:

Put your volunteer shifts in your calendar.
Everyone is required to work two volunteer shifts during the summer. Based on your own indication of availability, we've filled up the whole calendar already. Don't wait until we send you a reminder five days before your assigned shift, please check our calendar now and find your name, then put it in your own calendar so you don't forget.

Please wait until set-up is complete before picking up your shares.
Farmer Dave has a long drive from Connecticut every Tuesday, and he can't always make it down on time. When he's late, please wait until CSA volunteers have finished setting up the bins, labeling the shares, and writing up the white board before you start to bag your own vegetables. (Or better yet, lend a hand.)

Measure carefully.
Please weigh your produce carefully, checking the accuracy of the scale first with an empty bowl. We've run out of a few items recently before the end of distribution, which is not fair to members who can't make it to distribution until 8pm.

That's it. Thanks for your help.

More Chances for Beef Shares this Year

2010-07-16T12:00:00.025-04:00

If you missed our grass-fed beef sign-up this spring, you'll have a few more chances to participate. Woodbridge Farm will be providing us with beef over the next three or four months, and you can sign up whenever you have the urge. The order form below has the details:

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Lo-Down: Henry Street’s Workforce Development Center

2010-07-15T22:12:00.000-04:00

The Lo-Down did a nice write-up today about the Workforce Development Center at Henry Street Settlement, our partner in providing CSA shares to low-income families.

They help applicants create resumes, practice job interview techniques, find vocational training and locate job opportunities. Over the years, they’ve built up many relationships with businesses throughout Manhattan, but especially here on the Lower East Side. The center is able to deliver quality, pre-screened applicants to a wide variety of businesses, a service time-strapped hiring managers have come to appreciate.

Basics of Seasonal Cooking at Educational Alliance

2010-07-15T21:44:00.000-04:00

Our neighbors at Educational Alliance have been running some food programs in conjunction with Just Food. The next one is this coming Wednesday:

Wednesday, July 21st, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
BASICS OF SEASONAL COOKING

Cooking with local and seasonal food is the best way to eat the freshest and most nutritious food. Local food at its peak is full of vitality, energy and nutrients. In this class, you'll learn how to create meals centered on the bounty of locally-grown produce. Cost is $18, pre-registration is required by Monday July 19th.

For registration details, go to the Educational Alliance page for this event.

Sharelog 2010

2010-07-15T16:52:00.000-04:00

Core member Michel Walkley has been keeping a photographic sharelog of her full CSA shares, and I wanted to make sure everyone got to see these lovely pictures of our delicious produce:

And, for the more literally-minded, I've been keeping a record in spreadsheet form (though somehow I missed the exact breakdown for week 3):

I thought it would be interesting for everyone to see what we've been eating, just over one third of the way through our CSA season.

Second Second Tuesday: Bake Sale!

2010-07-12T13:32:00.000-04:00

On the second Tuesday of each month, we're bringing a different event to our regular vegetable distribution at Abrons Arts Center. This week, we'll be hosting a bake sale to benefit Share Our Strength, a national organization working to combat childhood hunger. All proceeds from the bake sale will be going to support programs and services aimed at eliminating childhood hunger from the U.S.

Goods will be on sale from 5pm to 7pm, or until the last treat is sold.

Brings small bills ($1s and $5s) to purchase ... or bigger bills to donate. (You can also donate online.)

Some, but not all, items will be organic. And we'll have some gluten-free goodies, too.

Tell your family, co-workers, friends and foes!

Cheese 7/6

2010-07-06T22:10:00.003-04:00

This week's cheese is again "Cosmic Cow." Which is only important because I wanted an excuse to post a picture of Ted Knight and his puppet.

Cheese 6/29

2010-06-29T18:45:00.001-04:00

Cheeses this week, a short note from the farm - 6/29/2010

"Devons Desire" - A soft ripened cheese made from a Chaource recipe which is a French Lactic curd recipe. This cheese is similar to that of Camembert and Brie in that they have a white mold on them. Since the cheese is aged in the same room with all the other cheeses they will have a few blue mold spots on them. This is ok and safe to eat.
Since there was no cheese last week everyone will be getting "Devons Desire" as well as "Cosmic Cow". A good week for Cheese lovers!

Marinated Asian Kale Salad

2010-06-17T16:15:00.004-04:00

As recollected by Frank Schmidt and Nancy Lasher

Kale – Tuscan is best but any will do – washed, destemmed, and thinly shredded
2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
5 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce (I use low sodium)
1 Tbsp Sugar (other sweeteners fine like agave)
½ Tbsp Minced Ginger
½ Tbsp Minced Garlic
Red Pepper Flakes or Sriracha
Toasted Sesame Seeds

Mix all dressing ingredients together in a jar and mix well. This can be made a day or so in advance.

One to two hours before serving, mix kale and dressing in a big bowl. Stir to coat all kale pieces. Dressing should cover all the kale and have a few tablespoons in the bottom. Stir every 10-15 minutes to make sure dressing coats and wilts the kale. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving. Enjoy.

Note: The flavors are all very strong in this recipe. Feel free to increase or reduce any ingredient according to taste. If it’s too strong, increase the rice wine vinegar and/or add a tablespoon or two of water to the dressing before mixing.

Garlic Scape and Almond Pesto

2010-06-15T01:19:00.001-04:00

Makes about 1 cup

10 garlic scapes, finely chopped

1/3 to 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan (to taste and texture)

1/3 cup slivered almonds (you could toast them lightly, if you'd like)

About 1/2 cup olive oil

Sea salt

Put the scapes, 1/3 cup of the cheese, almonds and half the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor (or use a blender or a mortar and pestle). Whir to chop and blend all the ingredients and then add the remainder of the oil and, if you want, more cheese. If you like the texture, stop; if you'd like it a little thinner, add some more oil. Season with salt.

If you're not going to use the pesto immediately, press a piece of plastic against the surface to keep it from oxidizing. The pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days or packed airtight and frozen for a couple of months, by which time tomatoes should be at their juiciest.

From In The Kitchen and On The Road with Dorie, http://doriegreenspan.com

Note: So you only got 6 scapes this week, you say? If you have a small food processor, cut the recipe in half, OR save up for next week - your scapes will keep!

Volunteer Opportunities at Our Lady of Sorrows

2010-06-13T23:08:00.003-04:00

The food pantry where our extra greens go could use a hand!

Pack up extra fresh veggies from our CSA.
Help set-up for distribution.
Translate during distribution if you speak Spanish or Chinese (any dialect).

You can volunteer to set up on Monday or Wednesday mornings at 10:00 am — you must be able to lift at least 20 lbs.

Or you can help out at distribution: Mondays at 12:30 pm and Wednesdays at 1:00 pm.

The food pantry is located at Our Lady of Sorrows, 103 Pitt Street, on the corner of Stanton Street.

If you're interested, contact us or email Nivia directly at yelverton2009@hotmail.com.

Grass-Fed Beef Coming on Saturday

2010-06-11T15:40:00.002-04:00

If you ordered organic, grass-fed beef in March from Kezialain Farms then it's on its way!

Delivery is coming this Saturday, June 12 at the Abrons Art Center at 1pm. If some people have difficulty getting there this Saturday at 1pm, Meghan can store your beef in a cooler in our cold room at Donnybrook (37 degrees). It's not a freezer but those big cuts off beef will not defrost quickly and she will have them on ice. (Meghan may also be able to store 1 additional share in her home freezer.)

Please bring an additional $7 in cash for delivery cost. The beef packages will vary (different cuts of steak etc) and we will be giving them out on a first come first served basis.

Email Meghan if you have questions or really really can't pick up on Saturday.

Garlic Scapes!

2010-06-09T11:29:00.002-04:00

Wondering what to do with your garlic scapes and all that lovely fresh pasta? Look no further!

Here is a recipe for Spinach & Garlic Scapes Pasta.

2 cups of baby spinach, rinsed & dried
1/2 cup chopped garlic scape
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
salt
fresh ground pepper
1 lb pasta, of your choice

Directions

Place spinach, garlic scapes& parmesan in a food processor& pulse until mixture is chunky.
With machine running, pour in olive oil.
Process until mixture is smooth.
Add butter& seasonings to taste.
Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed.
If the sauce is too thick, add a little pasta water& mix well.
Drain pasta, place in serving dishes& top with sauce.

Eat and enjoy!

Another Chance for Veggies on Wednesday

2010-06-01T23:37:00.000-04:00

Hello members.

Thank you for your patience and perseverance tonight. Our farmer hit a 7-hour traffic jam on the way to deliver our produce, arriving at Abrons after 8pm. For those of you who made it back to distribution, hopefully you’ll agree it was worth the trek.

For those of you that couldn’t come back, you still have a chance to grab your veggies on Wednesday. One of our core members has agreed to store about 14 half shares overnight in a cool (but not refrigerated) space. At about 8 am, she will leave individual half share bags in the hallway outside her apartment for pickup on a first come, first served, honor system basis.

    Seward Park Coops
    415 Grand Street (corner of Clinton)
    Apt. E1404

This is the center bank of elevators, go to the 14th floor, and turn left off the elevators and go to the end of the hall. Your grocery bag of produce will be waiting. The doormen are pretty cool if you just look like you belong. No need to ring the bell, just grab your share. If the lettuce looks wilted, there's a good chance some cold water will perk it right back up again.

This was an extraordinary experience for all of us, so we really appreciate everyone’s patience, understanding, and good humor. Though this hasn't happened before, and we hope will not happen again, we'll be working on some clearer contingency plans to make any future delays run more smoothly. If you have any suggestions, feel free to email us.

Thank you.

CSA Delivery Delayed Today

2010-06-01T16:40:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, Farmer Dave is caught in some nasty traffic on his way to deliver our veggies and cheese. He's estimating that he won't arrive at Abrons until about 6:30pm.

If you arrive before 6:30pm to pick up your share, you'll have to come back later.

Also, please note, that when he arrives, it will take volunteers a few minutes to get the veggies ready for pick up. Please be especially patient as they set up the bins and wait until fully set up to begin picking up your share.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Mt. Sinai Survey: What Do You Eat?

2010-05-28T20:18:00.000-04:00

Just Food's Paula Lukats brought to our attention an online survey on eating habits being conducted by Mt Sinai School of Medicine. Here's what she says:

Just Food works throughout New York City and the region to promote and support CSAs. Rigorous documentation of the impact of the CSA program would allow us to demonstrate the importance of CSAs to funders and policymakers.

The survey is not just for CSA members, it's meant to review a broad spectrum of food habits, but getting CSA members to participate would highlight a particular set of choices.

The survey is taken twice — once now, and again in about a month — and each should take no more than 15 minutes. Here's the link: What do you eat?

Zero-Out Your Scale

2010-05-26T21:24:00.000-04:00

I noticed some of our new members fumbling with our scales at the first distribution yesterday, trying to figure out the right way to weigh out their spinach and kale. The trick is to make sure that the scale is set to zero with an empty yellow bowl sitting on top. Then you'll get an accurate read on whatever you put in the bowl.

A lot of the children who come to distribution like to play with the scales, so you should always give yours a check before you start gathering your greens. (The members on duty should also be re-calibrating the scales periodically, but somehow they never stay set.)

Also, be aware that two of the scales have a loose spring and are designed for measurements up to 32 oz., while two others measure out many pounds (5?). And you might as well learn it now: there are 16 ounces in 1 pound.

Week 1

2010-05-26T09:04:00.002-04:00

May 25, 2010 Week 1
Full Share from Woodbridge Farm

Great to see you all on the first distribution - sunny spring day was the perfect way to start the season!

First Cheese Coming with Veggies Tuesday

2010-05-24T22:06:00.000-04:00

From Farmer/Cheesemaker Dave:

The first cheese will be our "Udderly Delicious," a washed rind cheese that is based on a French Tomme recipe. It's the softer of the two you tried during our last visit. We will then alternate between it and the "Cosmic Cow" which is based on a Gruyer recipe.

We will mix in other cheeses as they become available. We plan to make a camembert and a chaurce which are both classified as bloomy rind soft cheeses. Feta possibly down the road and Yogurt if you think folks wouldn't mind a non-cheese dairy item in the mix.