THE BEET: VOLUME 16; ISSUE 11

FULL SHARE & GREEN HALF SHARE

Pick up today: 5pm - 7:30pm at PS 56 on the corner of Gates and Downing

Of CSA Note!

  • We'd love to highlight members in our page! Maybe you have a local business or project and want to be interviewed for the Beet to let us know more about your life and work and interest in the CSA? We'd love it! Let us know at newsletter@clintonhillcsa.org!
  • If you haven't placed an order from Lewis Waite Farm, give it a go! Lewis Waite offers a la carte meat, poultry, dairy, bread, and a number of delicious pantry staples from a variety of farms and small-batch producers. Orders are placed via Lewis Waite Farm’s easy-to-use online platform. You pay as you go, and order only what you want. Delivery to our CSA pick up site is free, and arrives every other week. The next delivery is Thursday, August 3rd, and the deadline to order is Tuesday, August 1st. 

This Week's Share

  • Tomatoes
  • 'Genovese' Basil
  • 'Magenta' Lettuce
  • Garlic
  • Yellow Onions
  • Bicolor Sweet Corn
  • Green Snap Beans (still handpicked!)
  • Kale or Spinach
  • Choice of pointy ‘Carumba’ cabbage, ‘Zephyr’ summer squash, sweet peppers, or eggplant
  • Fruit: Peaches

News from Windflower Farm

I’ve discovered podcasts! Sure, you’ve been listening to podcasts for years, but, as some of you know, good internet service is only just arriving in rural places, including here in Upstate New York. I’m finding all kinds of good stuff: a new favorite is Invisabilia, where two woman explore the hidden forces behind why we behave the way we do. A little more to the point of this newsletter is the Farmer to Farmer podcast by Iowa farmer Chris Blanchard, who interviews small-scale organic farmers (and others) from all over North America. In one recent episode, Chris spoke with Simon Huntley, a software engineer whose company, Small Farm Central, hosts the online CSA sign-ups of more than a thousand CSAs. He has gathered all kinds of data related to CSAs and shareholder experiences and has a good deal to say about why some succeed and others fail. I think he is every bit as invested as we are in seeing the CSA movement grow, and to do that, he says, it (we) must learn new ways to better meet the needs and wishes of CSA members.

The few subjects he believes farmers should pay particular attention to are food value, farm communication, food choices and authenticity. (In last week’s New Yorker piece about the singer Lorde, I learned that it is “smoldering authenticity,” in particular, that people are after!) Choice is something I hope we can improve. You may have noticed that this week’s share entails choices among more than just the greens. Inspired by Simon’s comments, beyond deciding between spinach and kale, you’ll be asked to choose between cabbages, squashes, eggplants and peppers. If we find that giving you options like this is popular, and doesn’t create too many difficulties, we’ll do it more often. Please, let me know what you think at tedblomgren@gmail.com.

Have a great week, Ted  

Veggie News

Can't keep up with all the produce in your share? Take a cue from the Long Island Vegetable Orchestra and start tuning up your harvest. Read all about it in this week's NYT article. 

Member Spotlight

Meet CSA member Grant Braswell, avid rooftop gardener and local real estate agent:

My wife and I joined the CSA as we had just gone into contract on a apartment that was getting built in Clinton Hill. We are both Avid cooks and we're excited for our new kitchen and larger fridge with which to make some magic ( we were moving from a studio in Chelsea). As fate would have it, our building took a year to finish and so for the first summer we came in on the C train to pick up our vegetables and take them back to Chelsea. Eggs and flowers too! Now that we finally live in the area it makes being part of the CSA so much more convenient but the vegetables are still as tasty.

We love getting the fresh greens as we eat a lot of salad at home ( we wish the Tomato season was longer!). The kale and swiss chard are also great for adding two soups or making a stir fry. We skipped the egg share this season but I think we'll be back next year! They just can't be beat, except with a whisk :-)

The neighborhood is a great place to live in New York City but with lower density than a lot of other neighborhoods. It's always pleasurable to walk my dog around the Brownstone lined streets and recognize some of the neighbors. Rents are still attractive enough to inspire up-and-coming chefs to try out something interesting. We still don't have to worry about an overload of Dunkin Donuts and Verizon stores but I imagine that's just one wave  away.

I have been doing a lot of sales in the area including townhomes on Brevoort and in the Navy Yard. I have a contract out on one of the large two-bedroom apartments in the Clinton Hill coops North Campus. We recently rented out a couple apartments in a beautiful Brownstone on Clinton Ave across from the St Joseph buildings. The building is owned by the landlord of our building in Chelsea. I run the top team on Yelp for New York City and I'm so happy to work in the area I live. We hope to be able to grow in the neighborhood and are actively looking for a larger apartment or townhome for our family.

 

Veronica