Call for Art

The Hudson Valley Seed Library is looking for some creatively seedy people.

Their tag line says it all; Heirloom Seeds with Local Roots. An amazing project to create an accessible and affordable source of locally-adapted seeds and revive the local seed trade. Cool, eh?

Well, these good people sent out a call for artists, because when you order from them not only do you get great seeds, you get a beautiful package too. Anyways, they are looking for new artwork for the covers of its seed packs. They are specifically looking for artwork that helps reflect the diversity of the heirloom seeds offered in the catalog.

Submission and eligibility info here.

Veg Share: Week 2 (June 29)

1 Leek

1 Lechuga (Boston or Romain)

3 Onions - 1 red, 1 white & 1 Spanish

1 bulb Garlic

1 bunch Beets or Carrots

1 pound sweet peas

1 bunch scalion

1 bunch kale

1 bunch cilantro

1 bunch radish

1 bunch rosemary or oregano

How to: Switch weeks

Not only is summer harvest time, it’s vacation time too. Along that line we would like to tell you how to switch your share pick up week (if you have a half share).

Basically, you go on the Southside CSA facebook page (the facebook page is a place for members to communicate. Please use it accordingly) and post your request on the wall. In theory, another like-minded soul who has an opposite distro week than you will see your post and things can be arranged.

It can be a very simple solution to the traveling woes. However, you must remember that these things take time. Successful swaps are usually quite pre-meditated. I have rarely seen a switch hapeen in a flash so plan ahead. Rest assured, you can always give it to a friend or donate it. Any shares not picked up are donated to neighborhood sustainable food & hunger projects.

Recipe Round-Up

CSA’s are all about forming community. Having been a member of a CSA for 6 years now, I can easily say that one of the best things about it (besides getting to use the phrase “my farmer” & all the fresh produce) is all the great recipes you get introduced to by talking to other members during distribution. And while this pic just shows us clammering around the computer to fix bouncing emails and fill in volunteer shifts, in the future we hope you will be filling up our blog with recipes.

Please send us via email, blog comments, or facebook wall posts your recipes and pics. Or sit down with us (and a glass of wine) at distribution and help us post some stuff to the blog.

Weekly we will round the recipes we have received and compile them into one post for easy access. This week we have a salad and a pesto recipe. Cheers to sharing our harvest secrets.

radish. week 1 distro.

radish. week 1 distro.

Red Leaf, Radish, and Pine Nut Salad

(thanks Anu! I am wishing i had been more creative than chop and sprinkle w/salt with my radishes. but boy oh boy, were they good eats.)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 large head red-leaf lettuce (1 pound), torn into pieces
6 radishes, cut into thin wedges
1/4 cup pine nuts (about 1 ounce), toasted

Preparation: Whisk together oil, zests, juices, a rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until salt has dissolved.

Add lettuce and radishes and toss. Serve topped with pine nuts

Spinach Pesto

(thanks anne. she reminds me that i should let all you csa newbies know, you might wanna think about investing in a food processor. I bought one my 2nd season and it changed my life. Do you know how many amazing meals can be whipped up with one of those things. I kid you not, lifechanging. Add it to your birthday wishlist now.)

4 cups spinach leaves (stems removed)
2 tbsp chopped spring garlic or 2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp chopped parsely
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 grated parm
salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor combine the garlic and nuts first until coarsely ground. Add spinach and parsley in handfuls. Pour in olive oil and scrape down sides to get it all in there. Add cheese and puree. Adjust ingredients to taste.


Come hang on the Southside CSA block @ Williamsburg Walks

As a grassroots group that supports getting produce and products from local fields to Brooklyn kitchens, we have jumped into help with another grassroots neighborhood movement, Williamsburg Walks. The Walks is part of the liveable streets movement which begs people to reconsider how their public space is being used. We have dedicated a block to food activism and activities. Our idea is to host a get-together with some food, info, and community-based projects that will be rooted in thinking global while talking local, discussing and demonstrating food security within our community, and celebrating the joys of a bountiful local harvest.

Saturday June 27: Summer Eating. Celebrating the Harvest to come…

North 8th to North Ninth on Bedford Ave.

For all workshops, discussions, and events, some seating will be available, but we encourage you to bring your own beach chairs for guaranteed comfort!

Public Drawing Area from 12ish to Sunset;
Join in the drawing fun at our public mural area. We will be drawing portraits of bees, the unsung garden heroes, trying to promote the petition to legalize beekeeping in NYC. All we are saying….is give Bees a chance! Other cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, Paris, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver regulate beekeeping on roofs and in community gardens, parks, and nature centers. We will be supporting Council Member David Yassky’s Bill , introduced in January to City Council that would legalize beekeeping in NYC while getting our drawing on. Crayons provided.

Bedford Blanket Library Area from 12ish to Sunset.
We will create a blanket oasis on the street where you can plop down and read a good book. If you don’t have one, we have some pretty classic books available on sustainability and local eating for you to borrow.

Urban Gardening Activities from 1-6pm.

Tired of looking at that dusty empty lot on your street? Wishing that stalled construction project was much needed park space? Swing by our block and make some seed balls and help us bomb back the blight and cover the neighborhood in a blanket of wildflowers.

Eating Local Activities from 1-6pm
Food demos with local veggies and fruits. TBD by what is at the farmers market. (For sure you will see quick pickling with spring onions and some fun uses for spring garlic…)

7pm. Sunset Picnic. BYOE.

(Bring your own everything)
Join us in the streets…for an old fashioned picnic. It may sound crazy to plop down a picnic blanket on a street in a dense urban city but we cant think of a better way to celebrate Brooklyn’s local harvest. Brooklynites create so many amazing things in their kitchens, gardens, basements, and roofs…we can only imagine what you can pull together for a picnic. Gather some food from your house, grab a blanket, and lets grub together while the sun goes down and the night lights go on. Musical entertainment provided for your dining pleasure. [ps. if you dont have time to prepare a meal, no sweat, Bedford Ave & the Northside are filled with many amazing dining choices and take-out options.]

Join us the following weeks for some more foodie fun…
July 4 BBQing, the local way
July 11 Eating Local, the Italian way, Polish & Puerto Rican way

Experimenting with Epazote

Epazote

For most people at distribution, it was their first time handling epazote, let alone thinking about cooking with it. This herb, which is almost as important as cilantro in Mexican cooking, is virtually unknown in most markets in the US, even though it is a common seasonal roadside weed in many parts of the country. (Sometimes North of the border we call it wormseed or pigweed).

Epazote Quesadilla @ Bridget

Epazote Quesadilla @ Bridget

Gabby, the chef at Bridgit, showed us some super yummy ways to cook up epazote. Bridgit buys a share for the restaurant in order to order local tasting plates. good stuff!

As far as its culinary uses, typically it is used with black beans and other soupy dishes, it is also extensively used to flavor fish and corn. (Probably nice with tofu too!) I have seen it as part of a quesadilla, sopes, moles, tamales, chilaquiles, enchiladas, potatoes, and eggs. Our household made a nice chicken mole and a big old pot of black beans and some breakfast eggs with our epazote. (Sorry, no pics. Too busy eating!)

nanitHope you have had as much fun experimenting with your epazote too. Here’s some more fodder for your culinary imagination:

And don’t forget dessert! Talk about experimentation…

White Grapefruit & Epazote Sorbet

Deeply Rooted

deeply rootedOn yesterday’s Leonard Lopate show on WNYC was a segment about a new book , “Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness“. Promo line for the segment…

A century of industrialization has created a food system riddled with problems, yet we look to nutritionists and government agencies, scientists and chefs for solutions, instead of looking to the people who grow our food. Lisa M. Hamilton profiles three unconventional farmers in her new book . She will also be joined by Teresa Podoll, one of the independent farmers she spoke with in her book.

Check out the podcast here

food in cityAlso, WNYC started a weekly series earlier in the month. Tune into the Food in the City Series to hear chefs and writers discuss shopping, cooking, and most important -EATING!. Online you can listen to podcasts and watch videos of the guests as they take listeners to kitchens, markets, and restaurants.

Lots of yummy listening. Enjoy!

MimoMex Vegetable Delivery - Week 1

….this week for vegetable share pick up:
2 lechugas (1 head red lettuce & 1 head romain)
2 white onions
1 spring garlic
1 leek
1 bunch red radishes
1 bunch spinach
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch epazote (a spicy green typically used in mexican soups)
1 bunch rosemary OR oregano
1 pound sweet peas
1 bunch mint
W1 - Fresh Mint  1

Weekly Blast - Monday 22nd Distribution

mimomex farm

Help! Bouncing emails

…we still have a few emails coming right back at us. If anyone knows of anyone not receiving these emails, please shoot us a note. Ta!

Monday pick up

Our first pick up – eek, we’re SO excited. This pick up is for full share and “A” week members. All you “B” members out there – think of this as a heads up to the 29th.

  • Vegetables - we do not yet know what veges we will be getting – we’ll update you as soon as we know (this might be Monday!). As the season progresses things will get a little smoother and our farmers will get a little more used to giving us a heads up in good time
  • Fruit - the fruit share has a bit of a lag and doesnt start until weeks 3 & 4
  • Eggs – 1 dozen of the most delicious pastured eggs. (ps the farmer just told us that more eggs are available. Let us know if you want to get in on the cheapest, healthiest, organic protein out there!)
  • Wine – this week we have a bottle of the Bridge Vineyards 2007 Chardonnay. This light Chardonnay with crisp apple, elegant fruit, slate and a mineral finish will go superbly with a light lunch, spring time dinner or a chilled afternoon sip.

Remember – the wine share is open enrollment – so if you’d like to join shoot us an email or ask at distribution. The cost of the wine share is $360/ 180 for full / half share, or it can be pro-rated. Alternatively, if you’d like to just pick up a bottle of the wine share on the spot – we can pop it through for you at $18.

The growing season thus far – news from the farm

Ok. What is one of the coolest things about being in a CSA? The direct relationship you develop with your food. You get to know the family that grows it and the land which nutures it and the weather which affects it. Weather plays a BIG role in the harvest; too much sun, too much rain, too little rain, late frosts, early frosts can all change the size and amout of produce we see in our share.

Well, it’s been rather wet these last few weeks. Needless to say, its taking its toll on New York State Farmers… This basically means that we will begin a little slow but panic not! Remember that when the sun finally comes out (next week) those veges will grow like crazy and our farmers will do their best to make sure that when harvest becomes bountiful, your shares will beef up accordingly.

Williamsburg Walks

…we’re still walkin’! We’ll be on Bedford @ N.8th on Saturdays between 12 noon - 8pm for another few weeks yet. If anyone is up for helping out, doing a demo or just chatting up local food – come check us out. For more info and a great video: http://www.billburg.com/walks/

Deliciously Addictive

My new favorite blog: i heart foodgawker

And for those of you who simply like to gaze at amazing, mouth-watering photos, click - drool - repeat: food porn daily