Novack Member Diary Week #12

But we did and then went in search of our berry share. Distribution this week was inside and the Greig Farm Share station was on an elevated area at the back of the Woods. I imagine that this little platform also sometimes serves as a stage for musicians and its use tonight — as a stage for about three dozen pick-your-own buckets full of blueberries — kind of encapsulates everything I love about South Williamsburg.

My neighbor had asked me to pick up her meat share. I have to admit, I was covetous. I contemplated stealing the hot italian sausages, but caught myself. (Hopefully this blog post can serve as my confessional.) She later dropped me off a big bowl of delicious beef stew.

As we headed for the door, I saw a bin of kale that seriously looked like it belonged in some 19th century French landscape painting.

I vowed that next season I would sign up for the Full Monty share.

Since a big part of my motivation for doing the CSA was to get out into the neighborhood, I decided that on the way home, I would look for new developments since the summer share season started. (Yes, I should have done this on the way in, when I didn’t have armloads of food, but I wasn’t thinking that far ahead.) In the three blocks home to our apartment, we discovered three additions during the past couple of months:

Across the street from the Woods is the new bike park-community farm known as Havemeyer Park.

Turn right up South 4th and there’s a Citbike kiosk.

Finally, on the outside of the new club TBA on Wythe and South 6th is a mural by Icy and Sot, the Iranian-born stencil artists.

At home, we laid out our Berry and Orchard share. (Please note that my kids ate most of the raspberries while I was dropping off the meat share to our neighbor’s; that green box arrived overflowing.)

The raspberries and cherries didn’t last through the night. We savored them, just quickly.

The blueberries took us through the week:

For breakfast, with plain greek yogurt and honey.

Again for breakfast, on top of waffles.

And finally, for breakfast-for-dinner blueberry pancakes.

I can’t sign off without including one recipe, so here’s our household favorite pancake preparation, courtesy of Ina Garten (although her’s substitutes two bananas for blueberries):

Blueberry Sour Cream Pancakes:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Unsalted butter
• 2 cups blueberries, plus extra for serving
• Pure maple syrup

Directions:

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest.

2. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

3. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles.

4. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes.

5. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of blueberries on each pancake.

6. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned.

7. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used.

8. Serve with blueberries, butter and maple syrup.

Which reminds me, next year we are definitely doing the Maple Share!