www.flatbushfarmshare.
com a partnership of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, Hunger Action Network, and Just Food
FLATBUSH FARM SHARE
NEWS
This week’s eats*:
.5 lb. salad mix
1 bunch of arugula
1 bunch of radish
1 bunch of leeks
1 lb. of sweet potatoes
1 bunch of basil
1 bunch of green kale
1 pepper
Fruit Share:
McIntosh Apples & Pears
* Let us know what you think of your veggies!
Email info@flatbushfarmshare.com.
Farm Trip This Weekend! We’ll be
collecting transport payment for the farm trip at
this week’s distribution. Remember to be on time
and bring your lunch and sun screen!
Policy-making meeting Oct 17
at 3pm! For core group members and any-
one interested in participating in a work session
to establish, once and for all, the rules and regula-
tions that make FFS operate, please attend! We
will leave with a product!
Get involved in your local food
movement Come to the Brooklyn Food
Coalition Flatbush Meeting on Wednesday,
September 23rd at 7pm, Brooklyn College Art
Lab, 301 Roosevelt Hall, Bedford Ave between
Campus Road and Avenue I. More info: pier-
anna@aol.com
FFS represented at Flatbush
Frolic! Thanks to Sarah who successfully
managed an FFS table at the Frolic - there was
lots of interest from the community! Thanks to
Sustainable Flatbush for sharing resources with
us!
FFS on NBC Nightly News with
Brian Williams Details on the way, but
spot should air within the next 2 weeks!
love hate
1.16 / SEPT 16 2009
Mid-Season Survey Results!
Thanks so much to all of you for filling out
the survey. It will help us immensely for
planning our 2010 season and for making
the rest of this year as tasty as possible!
The most important things to most of you are the non-economic values of
CSA: the taste of the produce, the farmers’ commitment to organic agriculture,
and support for the environment and small farming. Less important were issues
we actually worked hard to promote: low prices and low-income accessibility!
Many of you did mention you were very happy with the
I was re-introduced value, and a few said that without sliding scale and pay-
to certain vegetables ment options like food stamps, you would not have been
from my Southern able to participate.
Receiving high-quality,
youth that I had As for your favorite and least
local organic produce
favorite vegetables, everyone
avoided ever since
pretty much cancelled out every- every week while
-- collard greens and one else’s vote! But several mem- simultaneously not
turnips, in particular. bers mentioned that awkward worrying about it cutting
It turns out that I
quantities of produce like beans
into rent expense has
or turnips made them difficult
actually like them! to use. Many thought there was been an absolute dream
too much squash or kale (I coudn’t personally disagree come true.
more...though don’t worry; point noted!) Stand-out
least favorites were green peppers and celery. For those confounding items you
leave til the end of the week to deal with, many asked for additional information
on storage, preservation, and canning.
Extra shares were popular, but many members said
Being a member has
delivery mishaps caused doubts early on. In the end,
improved my eating eggs were great and fruit was delicious - despite some
habits and inspired complaints of bruised or overripe fruits. Members who
a new appreciation bought coffee said the logistics of ordering were overly
complicated, but the coffee itself was good. Top items for
of cooking!
extra shares next year are fruit, eggs, bread, and cheese.
All in all, it seems the Farm Share has worked out well for most members (al-
most everyone agreed you eat more vegetables because of it), and we’re happy
to hear 90% of you plan to rejoin next year. We’ll work hard to integrate all
your ideas! In the meantime -- if you see room for improvement, you are always
welcome to join us core group volunteers in making the Farm Share ever better!
FFS member profile: Mark McManus interviewed by Nora O’Connor
What kind of work do you do? I work at CAMBA as a program director for Human
Resources, doing management development and staff trainings.
Why did you join? I believe in promoting local agriculture, for the economy and for
nutrition. It goes back to my family roots, as my Irish ancestors were farmers and some of
my fondest childhood memories are of visiting my great-uncle’s farm in upstate NY.
Your favorite vegetable? I loved the daikon, the Japanese radish with the mustardy,
spicy flavor. I also really liked the kale.
Have you created any new recipes? There were more vegetables than I expected, so
I’ve made a lot of soups using kale. It’s also been wonderful to have fresh lettuce.
What’s your favorite neighborhood spot? The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Some-
times I take the bus up there to have lunch in the café and stroll around.
Pasta with Arugula (several ways)
Looking for things to do with arugula other than throw
it in salads? I love the peppery bite of arugula as a foil to
pasta. Here are several simple ways to prepare it. I usually
start the water boiling and cook the pasta while I am preparing the arugula.
These dishes work well with a stubby pasta, something like penne, fusilli
(spirals) , radiatore, farfale (bowties) or rotelle. In all cases, I just trim off
the roots and use most of the stems. Any of these makes enough for 1 lb. of
pasta. - Lisa Knauer
...with raw cherry tomatoes & feta
1 bunch argula, washed, dried, broken 1 clove garlic, minced
into 1” pieces (incl stems) 2 Tbsp olive oil
1 c. cherry/ grape tomatoes, quartered romano cheese, grated
ground pepper to taste ½ c crumbled feta cheese
Quarter tomatoes in bowl large enough to hold the cooked pasta. Add
chopped garlic. Pour olive oil and stir gently. (if you have time, do
this about an hour beforehand so that garlic is mellower). Add broken
arugula, and stir gently again.
When pasta is cooked, drain quickly and toss into bowl on top of
tomatoes and arugula (the hot pasta “cooks” the sauce slightly). Toss,
add crumbled feta, toss again, grind pepper and sprinkle some grated
romano cheese. Sprinkle a little more olive oil if necessary and serve
with additional grated cheese and pepper.
...with cherry tomatoes & feta (cooked)
Same ingredients as above, but slightly different preparation.
Heal olive oil in a large, heavy skillet, over medium heat. Add garlic,
stir a few times, and add argula (it has to be well dried or else it gets
mushy). Stir for about 20 seconds (until it is just glistening with oil)
and then toss in the tomatoes. Stir for about a minute and remove
from heat.
Place drained pasta in a large bowl, add tomato/arugula/garlic mix-
ture and toss, then proceed as above.
...with carmelized onions, pine-nuts,
& blue cheese
1 bunch argula, washed, dried, broken 3-4 Tbsp pine nuts
into 1” pieces (incl stems) ½ c blue cheese
1 yellow onion, cut into thin rings 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
freshly grated romano, pepper, salt to taste 1 clove garlic
Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet until sizzling. Toss in sliced onions
and cook over a medium-high heat, stirring briskly. Onions should be
wilted and golden to dark brown (a matter of taste). Even slices make
for easier cooking.
Turn heat down to low, let pan cool off a bit, and then toss in garlic
(make sure it’s not too hot or garlic will burn). Toss in pine nuts,
cooking until nicely golden. Add arugula, adding another tablespoon
or so of oil if needed. Sprinkle a little coarse salt (depending upon
how salty your blue cheese is).
Drain cooked pasta and place in a large bowl. Toss mixture from skil-
let on top, and toss thoroughly. Add blue cheese and a bit more oil if
necessary, toss again, add grated cheese and pepper.
Garlic Beet Salad, or (ahem:) Salade de betteraves à l’ail
A simple garlic lover recipe for beets. The acidity of the lemon juice and vinegar
cooks the garlic, thus getting rid of the bite of fresh garlic. I think the French name
sounds a little more appetizing, don’t you? ~Josh Ankerberg
6 beets, egg sized, ¼ cubed ½ tsp. cracked black pepper
1 clove of garlic, crushed 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
2 tsp. olive oil, extra virgin (opt) 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
½ tsp. salt (opt) fresh chopped herb - mint,
thyme, basil, or oregano
Cut tops off of beets. Place beets in boiling water (10 mins). Insert fork
into beets to check for doneness. Move beets into an ice bath. Remove skins
when beets have cooled. Cube the beets and place in a bowl. Add crushed
garlic (I like to cut the garlic as the strands come out of the garlic press to
keep the garlic pieces small). Add olive oil and salt; then mix. Let marinate
for a few minutes. Add black pepper and lemon juice and optional ingredi-
ents. Mix and let sit for a few minutes. Serve at room temperature or cold.
Roasted winter squash & squash seeds
One of my favorite preparations is to cut winter squash into cubes (skin on) and
roast in a moderate oven. Season with salt and pepper; with pungent herbs like
rosemary or sage; or a little curry powder. The cubes cook much more quickly than
halves or quarters, and you get more nutrition because you can eat the skin with
most varieties. I roast the seeds as they make a great snack food. ~Lisa Knauer
1 whole winter squash olive oil
(carnival, butternut or kabocha) salt
opt spices: ground pepper; curry powder;
fresh or dried rosemary; fresh sage leaves
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut squash in half; scrape seeds into a bowl.
Roasted squash seeds: You can rinse the seeds off and dry in a
colander but I just remove any large clumps of stringy pulp. Mix in 1-2 T
olive oil and sprinkle with some sea salt. Add whatever spices you like (a
little cayenne and cumin for a southwestern taste; garlic powder if you like
that). Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer.
Roasted squash: Cut squash into cubes 1” in size. Place cubed squash
in a bowl, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and toss until cubes are coated.
Add some salt and whatever spices or herbs you like. If you use fresh sage
leaves, you can use a fairly large amount (12-15 leaves) as sage is fairly
mild and the roasted leaves are yummy. If you use fresh rosemary, about a
tablespoon of rosemary leaves is probably enough. Dried herbs should be
used more sparingly. Grind some black pepper and mix well. If you use
curry powder, about 1-2 tsp. depending upon the size of the squash. You
probably don’t need additional pepper if you are using curry powder. Toss
so that cubes are evenly coated with oil and salt, herbs or spices. Place on a
separate baking sheet,large enough to hold squash cubes in a single layer.
Place both pans in oven. After 10 minutes, take a spatula and turn the seeds
over so they cook evenly. Do the same with the squash cubes. You can also
shake them around a bit. Check in another 10 minutes. After that, check
every 5-7 minutes (it’s hard to give an exact time since everyone’s oven is
different, some squashes have larger seeds, and the cooking time of squash
also varies with the age of the squash). The squash seeds are done when
they are a deep golden brown on all sides. The squash cubes are done when
they can be pierced easily with the tip of a knife or a fork. Let cool.
Roasted squash cubes (seasoned with salt and pepper alone) are wonderful
when tossed with cooked pasta and topped with cilantro pesto (or any kind
of pesto, including sage pesto).