THE BEET: Volume 13, Issue 13
THE BEET : VOLUME 13, ISSUE 13
In this week’s BEET:
- Announcements
- This week's share
- Letter from Ted
- Lewis Waite Farms- Cheese and other goodies!
- People's Climate March!
- Recipes
CSA Pickup Today 5-7:30pm
PS 56 at Gates and Downing (enter on Downing)
A Few Announcements:
If you haven't signed up for Volunteer hours, please do so!
Congratulations to our treasure, Liz Vento- on her new, adorable baby! Sarah Chinn will be taking over as treasure for the rest of the season. If you have any outstanding balances, or other monetary concerns- please email her:
This Week's Share
- Cilantro
- Tomatoes
- Chilies
- Onions
- Peppers
- Sweet Corn
- Choice of Choy or Yukina Savoy
- Red Potatoes
- Carrots
- Watermelons (fruit share)
A Letter From Ted
All work and no play makes for a dull boy indeed. When my teenage son asked if he could fly out to California to meet some guys he’s been playing online games with, the first thing I said was, “no chance in h@!!” And then I asked if I could go with him. Two days in Ventura, California are probably not worth the two days getting to and from California – days spent racing around airports and many hours folded into tiny airplane seats, but I didn’t know that before hand. Once I established that my kid’s friends were not middle-aged pedophiles or ax murderers (was it wrong to be worried about this?), I headed off to tour both the region’s agriculture and its wild places.
Friday. I toured the Oxnard plains, a perfectly level landscape between the Pacific and the coastal mountains on which farmers have planted tens of thousands of acres of cabbages, lettuces, herbs, tomatoes, peppers and berries of all kinds. Almost every acre is covered in plastic. There were perhaps a thousand acres of tunnel-grown raspberries. If you see raspberries in the grocery store under the Driscoll brand this time of year, there is a good chance they came from Oxnard. I was impressed with the scale and productivity of the region, but distressed at the quantity of pesticides used to produce their bounty. Spray tractors, pesticide holding facilities and men and women in white suits and gas masks were commonplace. After touring farms (which is what farmers do on vacation), I headed up to the spectacular Los Padres National Forest to do some hiking. Only in California can you go from a beautiful sandy ocean beach, through a huge agricultural region and into a vast mountain wilderness within an hour and a half.
Saturday. I attended the Ventura Farmers’ Market where there were avocados, oranges, table grapes and berries of all kinds, along with many vegetables, but certainly not more than you’d see at Union Square this time of year. One organic farm was there – Tutti Frutti – but they said I couldn’t visit because the drought had rendered the farm “more brown than green.” So, after having breakfast tomales, which were nearly as good as our Candelaria’s, I headed back to the Los Padres (via the incredible Mariposa Highway) for another day of hiking in the mountains. California is a bit much by the standards of this Northeasterner. I felt a little like a hobbit too long away from the shire. I napped on 6-inches of needles on the top of 7500-foot Reyes Peak under a stand of pines I couldn’t name, and awoke refreshed, ready to pick up my son and go home.
-Ted
Lewis Waite Farm
Delicious Artisan Cheeses, Grass Fed Beef, and more!
Our partner farm, Lewis Waite, offers many great add-ons, such as aged cheese, raw-milk cheeses, grass fed beef & lamb, pasteurized chickens, eggs, jams, coffee, trail mix, mushrooms, tea and other spices, and even turkeys for Thanksgiving!
Each of these items can be ordered ahead of time- and will be delivered on Thursday to PS. 56 with the main CSA pick up. Usually the order must be placed by the previous Sunday, for a Thursday pick up. Each time is a one-time order- so only get as much as you need, and then you can order more later. Payment is directly to them via either paypal- or you can mail them a check.
Check out all of their great product here.
PEOPLE'S CLIMATE MARCH
The largest climate march in history is happening in just over 2 weeks on, Sunday, September 21st at 11:30AM.
This September, world leaders are coming to the UN to talk about climate change, and how to dramatically reduce global warming pollution. This March is about a world with an economy that works for people and the planet; a world safe from the ravages of climate change; a world with good jobs, clean air and water, and healthy communities. Let's march!
The route has been approved by the city of New York, and starts at Columbus Circle.
To get involved and march, and for more details click here.
RECIPES - It's Salsa Time!
Watermelon Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 cups seeded finely chopped watermelon
- 1/2 cup finely chopped peeled cucumber
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- Baked tortilla chip scoops
Directions
Roasted Tomato Salsa
(from Once Upon a Chef)
INGREDIENTS
- 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
- 2 small yellow onions, cut into wedges
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 Serrano chili peppers, stemmed (use less for a milder salsa)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from one lime, plus more if needed