THE BEET: VOLUME 19; WEEK 13
FULL SHARE & YELLOW HALF SHARE
PICK UP TONIGHT
5pm–7:30pm at JACK Theater
18 Putnam Ave (between Grand and Downing)
Please wear a mask and practice social distancing!
A few reminders from the CSA Core
Now that your shares are coming in bags, we know it can be tempting to reach around the table, hoping to find the bag with the perfect eggplant or the largest ears of corn. While you're welcome to examine the shares with your eyes, please touch only the bag that you plan to take. We need to keep our volunteers and members safe, and that means as little physical contact with the shares and tables as possible. This also goes for the fruit and eggs; please let the volunteer hand you your egg share (you're welcome to open it and make sure nothing is cracked) and only touch the fruit share that you're taking home.
If you're unable to pick up your share, you can contact the half share group and see if anyone is able to switch weeks, or send a friend to grab it for you!
While we've been getting used to work shifts on the sidewalk and bagged produce, our friends at Windflower Farm have been dealing with tornadoes and the loss of their potluck meals, where everyone on the farm eats together in a big kitchen. Even if you don't usually take the time, please read Ted's letter this week. It's a reminder both of how much the pandemic has changed our lives, and of the human connections we find through growing, cooking, and eating our food.
Have a lovely weekend!
The News from Windflower Farm
Distribution 13, September 1 and 3, 2020
Hello from Windflower Farm, where the weather has turned pleasantly cool and wet.
What’s in your share?
Carrots
Lettuce
Kale
Tomatoes
Peppers
Onions
Beans
Dill
and something from our mystery tote
Your fruit share will include our watermelons or Pete’s peaches. Rosemary and potatoes will be coming next week, if our harvesting machinery works properly, along with edamame, cilantro and chiles.
What’s new on the farm?
On Saturday, a tornado passed just a few miles south of here, leaving downed trees and power lines, and dropping over 3 inches of rain across the area. I believe one person was hurt and some roofs were damaged. A photo taken in nearby Schaghticoke, with a friend’s house in the foreground and the funnel cloud behind it, reminds me of my childhood, when we would watch tornados from my grandmother’s front porch in Illinois. It took a path nearly identical to the one it took 23 years ago, following first the Mohawk River Valley and then jumping the Hudson to the Hoosic River, giving some credence to the curious notion that storms follow water. Several of us were texting back and forth, aware that our greenhouses can become giant spinnakers if the storm gets hold of them. In an ordinary year, this would have been an open house weekend at the farm. We might all have been huddled in our cellar, tents blowing in the wind.
This time of year, we do most of our planting and weeding on Thursdays and Fridays. The remainder of the week is spent harvesting and packing. We had an all day rain here on Thursday and, although there was much to do in the field, we retreated to the indoors for seeding, garlic trimming and machinery repair. The Medina family, clustered together in our new barn, spent much of the day listening to Mariachi music, the accordion and brass instruments blazing in their upbeat way, even when the lyrics are often sad. They also played recordings of several Mexican comedians, whose Spanish was way too fast for me to understand, but who had them in stitches. Their laughter and their apparent enjoyment of one another is a joy to watch. Before the need to take precautions against the pandemic, we all ate together in a big kitchen in the barn, where Wednesdays were potluck. So far this summer, we have not shared a single meal, and I think we all feel diminished for it. Food transcends language and brings us together, and I think we all miss that part of our working lives here. I imagine that you miss that in your lives, too. I find it good to keep in mind that it will not always be this way.
Have a great week, Ted
Recipes
Fall's coming whether you're ready or not, so here's a basic braised lentil recipe for the approaching cooler nights. It's excellent as is, but can easily be altered to suit your tastes or use up what you have on hand. Change the flavor profile by lightly toasting your favorite spices as you warm the olive oil, or add chopped tomatoes or (my favorite) whole cloves of crushed garlic once the lentils have begun to simmer.
Visit our website for more recipes, storage tips, and information.
We'd like to hear from you!
If you have any Beet submissions—recipes, articles, local events, etc—please feel free to send them to information@clintonhillcsa.org.
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