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