For new members who are interested in joining, we will be sending out an email for a lottery after February 26, 2010. Please email board@plgcsa.org if you would like to be part of that.

Thanks!

Monday, November 16
6-9 p.m.

Tickets: $50/$150

Location
Chelsea Market, 75 9th Ave.

Click here for more info and to buy tix.

I have a bag of hot peppers in the fridge because I still haven’t gotten around to making that hot pepper jam.  But, at long last, I finally found out what all the fuss about kale chips was about.  They’re actually something 3 generations of my family will eat.

This year, I’m more content to have meals that are strictly vegetarian.  I’m learning to use and plan what to do with my share. Next year, l plan on doing even better with less waste.  And I look forward to getting to know even more of you.

Eat well.

For our last profile, meet Rebecca. She’s the good twin.

Who are you? Rebecca Johnson

What do you do? Director of Education at the Center for Environment, Economy, and Society at Columbia U. I develop environmental education programs for middle school teachers, journalists and business students.

Where do you live? Lenox Road (not technically in PLG—sorry!)

Where did you grow up? Glassboro, NJ (south, between Philly and Atlantic City). I was born in Bozeman Montana, though. That sounds cooler.

How long have you been a member? 3 years—since the start!

When you do your pickup ? After work, usually sneak in around 7

Where are you coming from? Work….if I’m lucky I’ll have been at a school in Brooklyn. Usually, though, it’s a long haul from upper manhattan

Where are you going to? Home! I always want to clean and prep the veggies right away.

What are you never without at pickup? My shleppy bag. It’s not my veggie tote but it holds my veggie tote and just about everything I carry with me every day. Computer, books, knitting….

What time is it usually? 7-ish

Who cooks your veggies/fruits? ME or maybe occasionally my friend who is a wannabe chef or my boyfriend when we cook together.

Who eats them? ME and any lucky friends who join me for dinner.

What do you think you use the most? The greens, both salad and cooking greens. I love kale and I can add greens to nearly anything. Salads are super versatile for cold dishes.

What’s your favorite fruit or veggie score? Grape tomatoes. When they are good they are like candy

What’s the best part of the CSA? I’m forced to eat my veggies—and they taste good!

Is there a fun fact about you that you would like to share? I’m a twin (but not the evil one)

If you were a fruit or veggie what would you be? Why? I would be a leek: slender, tender, delicate and flavorful and I won’t make you cry like onions do.

Food Systems Network NYC is a membership-based organization designed to foster communication and cultivate community amongst various stake holders and professionals working across the food system. Members gather monthly for Open Networking meetings to encourage collaboration; share information; discuss public policy; and promote opportunities for individuals to partner on specific projects.

Their website has a lot of different resources (including food-policy/security-related jobs) and is a way to connect food advocates together.

Check them out at www.foodsystemsnyc.org.

Food irradiation, a process that became of interest in the 1950s, came mostly in response to much of our food supply being lost to spoilage and insects.  Food irradiation exposes food to ionizing radiation to destroy microorganisms that cause spoilage and decomposition and thus the shelf life of the food is extended.  Strawberries, for example, that have been irradiated will last two to three weeks longer in the refrigerator.  Food irradiation is also used to sterilize food for hospital patients that have severely impaired immune systems.  This process can also be used as an alternative to chemical pesticides for controlling insect damage and to control ripening and foodborne illnesses such as Salmonella.  Currently, the foods that are approved for irradiation by the U.S. FDA includes meat and poultry, eggs, fruits and vegetables, juices, herbs, spices and flour.

Long-term health consequences of eating irradiated foods are still unknown; however animals fed irradiated foods have died prematurely and suffered mutations, stillbirths, organ damage and nutritional deficiencies.  Irradiation has also been linked to cancer in rats and genetic damage in human cells.  These effects may be due to byproducts of irradiation, called 2-ACBs, which do not naturally occur in any food.

Irradiation can also change the flavor, odor, texture, color and nutritional content of food.  For example, yolks of irradiated eggs are more watery and have less color and brightness than non-irradiated eggs.  When radiated at just one-third of the approved level by the FDA, it has been proven that irradiation destroyed the niacin and up to 24 percent of the vitamin A in the egg.

In the US, as in many other countries, irradiated food must be labeled as “Treated with irradiation” or “Treated by radiation” and require the usage of the Radura symbol (as can be seen below) at the point of sale. However, the meaning of the label is not consistent and the amount of irradiation used can vary.  For more information, view the Wikipedia entry.

BRRRR!  It’s cold out there and try as I might to eat healthy salads and protein, sometimes I just want starchy warm comfort food.   All these rainy days have me inside cooking things with two of my favorite Ps – potatoes and pork.  Two of my recent hits, I found on epcurious.com also make use of the recent herbs we got.  One is a German potato salad that satisfies the part of me that loves of salt and vinegar potato chips.  Another is a super simple dish sometimes called Dublin coddle.  I think you could probably doctor this to be vegetarian if you wanted to.  Even I left the bacon out of  Potatoes with Sausage and Parsley.  Imagine!  I also substituted spicy Italian sausage for breakfast sausage.  I happen to be a spicy Italian, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make German potato salad and Irish stewy things.   Both recipes claim to make 6 servings.  But I think they serve two hungry adults as a main with another portion leftover. 

German Potato Salad with Bacon-Vinegar Dressing and Dill

2 1/4 pounds medium-size red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

6 bacon slices, chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons coarse-grained mustard

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Steam potatoes until tip of knife easily pierces center of slices, about 10 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Cover with foil.

Sauté bacon in large skillet over medium heat until brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Discard all but 2 1/2 tablespoons drippings. Heat drippings in skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Whisk in next 6 ingredients. Simmer until mixture is reduced to 2/3 cup, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add potatoes to skillet and toss to coat with dressing. Let stand 3 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped bacon and fresh dill; toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer potato salad to serving platter. Serve warm.

Potatoes and Sausage with Parsley

3 to 3 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 tablespoons chopped fresh celery

2 onions, cut into 3/4- to 1-inch pieces

1 pound breakfast sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 bacon slices, coarsely chopped

1 14 1/2-ounce can beef broth

Arrange potatoes in bottom of heavy large saucepan; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley. Top with onions; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley. Top with sausage and bacon. Pour broth over. Season with pepper. Bring to boil over high heat. Cover pan. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until potatoes are tender and sausage is cooked through, about 40 minutes.

Uncover pan. Boil until liquids are slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons parsley.

What was your favorite part of your CSA this year?  What was the best thing you made?  What did you really want to make only to find you waited too long and mold had set in?  What do you love about your pickup routine each week?  A word, a paragraph or a picture, send us your musings on this year for our end of the season wrap-up.