Here’s what we’re expecting from Woodbridge Farm this week:
1 - Tomatoes
2 - Bell Peppers and/or Eggplant
3 - Hot Peppers
4 - Parsnips
5 - Salad Greens
6 - Leeks
7 - Beans
8 - Swiss Chard
9 - Sweet Potatoes
10 - Herbs
East New York Farms is a really cool program in a neighboring neighborhood. It’s a community-based group that brings together neighborhood gardeners, local entrepreneurs, youth leaders, and regional farmers to create a vibrant public market. The ENY Farmers’ Market will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary with a street fair today on New Lots Avenue, between Hendrix and Jerome Streets. The Anniversary Celebration will feature live performances by local groups including Lyrical Artist, the Gowanus Wildcats, and Non-P. There will also be free ice cream from Ronnybrook Dairy Farm, face painting, a cooking contest, a storytelling and crafts station, health screenings, raffles, and giveaways. The fair is on Saturday Sept 20th from 9am to 5pm, but if you can’t make it today, you can still stop by the market some other time. They’re open every Saturday from 9am - 3pm through November 15th, on New Lots Ave and Schenck.
from Sustainable Flatbush
Here’s what we’re expecting from Woodbridge Farm tomorrow:
1. Potatoes
2. Celery
3. Beans
4. Tomatoes
5. Bell Peppers and/or Eggplant
6. Hot Peppers
7. Choice of Herbs
8. Chinese Cabbage
9. Kale
10. Garlic
The 4th Annual Green Brooklyn…Green City Conference, coordinated by the Center for the Urban Environment, is New York City’s largest showcase of green and sustainability issues, programs, and products. A full day fair and symposium, Green Brooklyn…Green City brings together the community, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies to share ideas with the public about how to live greener in our everyday lives.
Thursday, September 18, 2008, 11:30am - 5:00pm
Brooklyn Borough Hall
Free and Open to the Public
Green Brooklyn…Green City 2008 will feature workshops and discussions led by several of the city’s preeminent leaders in sustainable design, green manufacturing, transportation alternatives, energy efficiency, environmental education, and sustainable food.
A friend of mine recommended this recipe for grilled corn salsa. Since we got corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and cilantro from the farm this week, I think now is the time to try it out!
4 ears corn, in their husks
2 jalapeno peppers
2 vine-ripened, tomatoes, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Soak the ears of corn (in their husks) in a deep bowl filled with cold water for 1 hour, placing a plate or other heavy waterproof item on top of the corn to keep the ears submerged. Preheat a grill to medium. Lay the corn on the grill and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, turning frequently, until the outer leaves are blackened. Grill the jalapenos for 5 to 6 minutes, turning periodically. Remove the corn and jalapenos from the grill and set aside to cool. Once the corn is cool, remove the husks and silk and discard. Cut the kernels off of the cobs and place in a large bowl. Stem, seed and finely chop the jalapenos and add to the bowl with the corn, along with the tomatoes, red onions, garlic, cilantro, mint, lime juice, olive oil and salt. Stir well to combine.
Our second annual PLG CSA farm trip is coming up soon!
Where and When
Date: Saturday September 27th
Leave PLG: 10 am
Arrive at Farm in Salem, CT: 12:30 pm
Return to PLG: TBD (probably around 7 pm)
Activities
We will be going on a walking tour of the farm. Please be prepared for tall grass and muddy areas. In case of a forecast of rain, please also bring rain gear. If you are a photographer, please bring you camera!
Food
The farm will be preparing hamburgers and hot dogs (meat and veggie versions) for us at a small cost. Please also plan to bring a potluck dish to share. We will also need to bring hot dog and hamburger buns, condiments, beverages, and plates and napkins. We expect about 40 people.
You will also be able to purchase pork and beef while at the farm. Please visit woodbridgefarmonline.com for prices.
This is a great opportunity to meet the farmers, get a feel for how a biodynamic farm operates, and see where all of our beautiful food comes from!
If you plan to attend, please email Dara with the following information:
- Your full name and if you will be bringing someone along.
- Do you have a car? If so how many seats are free?
- If you do not have a car how many seats do you need?
- What food item do you intend to bring for the picnic?
Member tip: pickle workshop and festival on Sept 14th . Thanks Gabby!
Throughout history, on every continent, humans have been pickling as a way to preserve food in times of plenty and to ensure proper nourishment long after harvests have been exhausted. Today, refrigeration and a global food system have made pickling all but disappear from our kitchens and memory. Luckily we are slowly coming back to our senses — literally. Fresh, seasonal food is back in vogue and so is preserving it! This workshop covers the basics of the art of pickling and shows you just how simple it is to transform any vegetable into a mouth-watering delicacy.
The workshop will be conducted by food and media educator Martha Ma. Martha is Founder and Executive Director of Nani Ola Productions, which uses multimedia to promote local and sustainable agriculture, clean healthy eating, environmentally and socially conscious lifestyle, media awareness and active citizenship. Martha is also a Certified Holistic Health Counselor, and a Community Chef with Just Food.
Martha will discuss the history of pickling, explain basic fermentation and how it works, and address the health benefits of fermented foods. Then she will demonstrate four different pickle recipes and techniques, including sauerkraut, kimchee and miso pickles, and a vinegar-based pickle using produce from the farmer’s market. Light refreshments will be served and samples of Martha’s pickles will be available.
After Martha’s presentation, the program hosts will lead the group to the Eighth Annual NY International Pickle Day on Orchard Street between Grand and Broome Streets in Manhattan’s old Pickle District.
Here are the workshop details…
THE PLEASURES OF PICKLING
Date: Sunday, September 14, 2008 from 12 - 3 pm
Cost: $25 Members, $30 nonmembers; limited to 20
Location: Culinary Center at the Whole Foods Bowery, 95 East Houston
There’s a fascinating profile on our fruit farmer in NY Magazine. I’ve never met Amy Hepworth, but I’d love too… she sounds like quite a character! In addition to describing how Amy and her partner took over the farm after her father left, the article also gives a great example of Hepworth’s techniques for “minimal treatment”, which I know has been a common question from many of our members.
Surprisingly, not everything that comes from her farm is organic. Her reservations about the “organic” label are not just semantic—many nonconformist farmers think the word has lost its alternative resonance—but scientific. She does not take an absolutist’s position on chemicals, for instance, arguing that today’s “gentle” synthetics are unlike pesticides of the DDT days, when growers sprayed willy-nilly any “shit that worked.” Hepworth chooses how to grow based on what’s best for the soil. In many instances, the best option is organic, but in others, it’s not. In her view, it’s sometimes better to use a small amount of something synthetic than a huge amount of something natural.
Consider a disease called apple scab. “One organic control is five pounds of sulfur per acre every time it rains,” Hepworth explains. “Twelve to sixteen times a year.” Sulfur kills other things, not just apple scab. It can also coat apples with residue, and, when she was using it, Hepworth suspected that it harmed her earthworm population. She switched to a synthetic, noncarcinogenic fungicide that treats apple scab specifically. “It does the job in small amounts,” she says. “Six ounces per acre. I used it three or four times last year.”
Here’s what we’re expecting from Woodbridge Farm this week:
Thanks to everyone who came out to our BBQ last Saturday, and especially to Kimberly and Vince for hosting the party in their back yard! It was great to see everyone and try all the delicious food people prepared, including 3 (yes, three!) different types of fruit cobblers/crisps.
Here are the links to my recipes for Roasted Beets and Peach Blackberry Crisp. If you have a recipe you’d like to share, please send it in!