Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #15

GEOF-leeks planting
Leeks planting. Image via GEOF

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Nicola Potatoes – 1 quart
Butternut OR Acorn Squash OR Zucchini
Leeks – 1 bunch
Parsley – 1 bunch
Green Bell Peppers – 2 pieces
Long Red Peppers – 2 pieces
Tomatoes – Beefsteak, Plum or Cherry
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Fruit Share
1 bag Pears
1 bag Gala Apples
Ripen pears on the counter, then refrigerate.

Herb Share
Rosemary – 1 bunch
Sage – 1 bunch

Milk Not Jails
Dairy share pick up

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
If you ordered, pick up your LWF items

A few friendly reminders & updates:

STORAGE TIPS
In a bag in the fridge: Parsley, Leeks
In the fridge: Peppers
On the counter: Butternut Squash, Tomatoes
In a cool, dark place: Potatoes

Veggie Box Videos #1
We debuted a new video series featuring local chefs that give tips and demos on what to do with your CSA vegetables! Up first: Gianna Cerbone-Teoli, chef and owner of Manducatis Rustica in Long Island City! In just a few minutes she whips up three delicious dishes with a few veggies for your eating pleasure.

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
Order your next Lewis Waite products for delivery on Thursday, September 26th. Note the NEW ORDER DEADLINES. Please be sensitive to the busy farmers and order on time. Late orders may not be filled. Place your order now!

A CROP UPDATE FROM YOUR FARMERS
As we enter the second half of the CSA season, here’s a quick crop update… Be forewarned that this update details the loss of several summertime crops. Our fall crops are doing marvelously and you can see photos of the beautiful fields below…

Cherry Tomatoes – Typically we are able to give out a full portion of orange cherry tomatoes to each member for a few weeks. This year some unusual things have occurred in the cherry tomato patch. Back in June when we had all the rain the lower 1/4 of the field flooded for a short period of time. All the plants in this section died shortly afterwards. Over the next few weeks, the remaining plants began to develop a disease called bacterial speck. While the plants eventually rebounded and are in decent shape now, the yields have been minimal. We hope to include more cherry tomatoes in the shares soon, but we will have to see how long the warm weather holds out.

Eggplant – For 2 or 3 years our eggplants have been wiped out by Colorado potato beetles. This year we moved them to the farm in Jamesport where there is less potato beetle pressure in hopes of having a successful crop. After a couple of times handpicking and spraying the beetles we were successful at eliminating their colonies and now have a nice planting of eggplant. Since we’ve had such trouble in the past we were cautious about planting a full CSA-sized planting and this is why we have only have enough to give out to some groups each week or two. Everyone will eventually receive the same amount of eggplant. Now we are having some problems with verticillium wilt and perhaps another unidentified disease so occasionally an eggplant makes it into the box which is not up to snuff. Let contact the farm if you receive a bad eggplant and we will happily replace it.

Garlic – Our garlic did very well this year. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of it. There were shortages of Certified Organic garlic seed last fall and we only planted about 1/3 the amount we normally plant. We know you all love garlic and we’re doing everything we can to get our hands on as much seed as possible for next season.

More updates to come next week. In the meantime, check out the beautiful fall crops growing in our fields. Everything is looking great and we’re looking forward to a bountiful harvest over the next few months!

CONNECT WITH YOUR FARM
Golden Earthworm welcomes you to explore their website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.

+ FIND RECIPES
 + VEGETABLE INFO & STORAGE TIPS

If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from!

RECIPES FROM THE FARM
Simple Herbed Potato Salad
Stuffed Green Peppers

Save the Date:
Golden Earthworm’s Harvest Festival on Sunday, October 20th
This year’s Harvest Festival promises to be a delicious and fun outing! If enough people are interested, we’ll organize a bus trip, as we did last year! Stay tuned for more info. Save the date! October 20th ~ 11am-3pm

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #10

cherry tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes! Image via GEOF

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Scallions – 1 bunch
Swiss Chard – 1 bunch
Cucumbers – 4 pieces
Batavian Lettuce – 2 heads
Eggplant – 1 piece OR Green Frying Peppers – 3-4 pieces
Garlic – 1 head
Tomatoes – 1 red OR Cherry Tomatoes – .5 lb bag
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Fruit Share
Yellow Peaches – 1 bag
Donut Peaches – 1 bag
Ripen peaches in a paper bag on the counter, then refrigerate.

Herb Share
Summer Savory
Oregano

Milk Not Jails
Dairy share pick up

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
If you ordered, pick up your LWF items

A few friendly reminders & updates:

UPDATE: The farmers had intended for each box to contain a bunch of Purslane, but there will only be a handful of bunches available for our most passionate purslane fans—Please ask for it! Here’s what the famers have to say: “The purslane has developed a leaf spot (probably a nutrient deficiency of some kind) and we’ve decided to replace it with eggplant or peppers (long green frying peppers). However, we did pick some (37 bunches) anyway for your most ardent purslane fans. It will be a separate white crate.”

NOTES FROM GOLDEN EARTHWORM
Storage Tips
-In a bag in the fridge: Scallions, Swiss Chard, Lettuce, Purslane
-In the fridge: Cucumbers
-On the counter: Tomatoes, Garlic

This week’s share reflects the ongoing transition from mid-summer crops to late-summer produce; Tomatoes have started to come in, albeit slowly, and we have Cucumbers galore! The weather has been absolutely gorgeous and relatively cool, particularly in comparison to July’s heat and humidity, but the trade off is that crops like tomatoes are taking a long time to ripen. As a result, the contents of this week’s share may fluctuate more than usual – please be sure to check back frequently for updates! And don’t forget, if you do not receive an item this week, we will work hard to try to provide it for you in the weeks to come.

A few more specific notes about this week’s share: We continue to have plenty of Batavian Lettuce, Scallions, and Swiss Chard, which have all done very well this season. The cucumbers have really taken off in the past week, and you may notice that they’ve increased in size due to the recent rain we’ve had. The water also helps to make them crisp and crunchy! Purslane is new this week, and is a personal favorite for many of us here at the farm. We will continue to distribute Garlic periodically; it’s such a beautiful sight to see it hanging/drying from the rafters in our front barn and we’re just a little sad to see it come down (though we’re always happy to provide it to our members!). Finally, please be aware that many of the tomatoes have cracks or crevices. Much of this is directly attributable to the wet and cool period we had during pollination. They are still very tasty despite the occasional deformities, and we hope to have many more tomatoes in the coming weeks.

CONNECT WITH YOUR FARM
Golden Earthworm welcomes you to explore their website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.

+ FIND RECIPES
 + VEGETABLE INFO & STORAGE TIPS

If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from!

RECIPES FROM THE FARM
Purslane Salad
Cucumber Purslane Yogurt Salad

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #6

GEOF_zucchini
Zucchini Image via GEOF

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Radicchio – 1 head
Kohlrabi – 3 pieces
Zucchini – 3-4 pieces
Green Romaine Lettuce – 1 small head
Red Romaine Lettuce – 1 small head
Swiss Chard  – 1 bunch
Cipolini Onions – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Milk Not Jails
Weekly dairy share pick up

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
If you ordered, pick up your LWF goodies today!

A few friendly reminders & updates:

CSA BBQ on July 13th
Ready, set, grill! Join us for the CSA’s Annual Cookout on Saturday, July 13th!
When: Saturday, July 13th, 4:30 – 7:30pm
Where: Sunnyside Gardens Park, 48-21 39th Ave
RSVP here via web form
Bring friends and family and your own protein/veggie to grill and a dish to share—we will provide non-alcoholic refreshments, chips and all the BBQ gear. Please, ONLY NON-GLASS containers.
Volunteers are needed to help run the BBQ! Sign up for a shift at VolunteerSpot.
Questions? Contact us!

NOTES FROM GOLDEN EARTHWORM
I was so happy to smell the Cipolini Onions in the barn yesterday! They’re a beautiful early variety, aka “Little Onion” in Italian, best eaten caramelized in a dish or simply roasted in the oven. (See recipe below.) Over the weekend, we grilled up the Kohlrabi and Zucchini with a delicious parsley sauce courtesy of Yotum Ottolenghi. (Recipe below.) I was surprised by just how good the kohlrabi was on the grill! And I just can’t get enough of the grilled (or seared) Radicchio—can you? I’ve hoarded about 6 heads of it in my fridge so I can enjoy it every night for dinner. A little overkill? Perhaps, but I only get to enjoy it a few weeks every year! The Romaine Lettuce is so crisp and sweet. I think a nice cool Caesar salad is on the dinner menu one night this week.

Another week of hot dry weather means a lot of irrigation here on the farm. It also means that our summer crops are growing like crazy, which is good news for you melon, tomato, and eggplant lovers… Did I mention zucchini lovers? I know there are many of you out there who are thrilled to see them make their first appearance in this week’s share. Zucchini plants don’t know when enough is enough, and they produce heavily for weeks on end. We have to pick the same field every day to keep up with them—they grow that fast!

-Maggie

CONNECT WITH YOUR FARM
Golden Earthworm welcomes you to explore their website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share.

+ FIND RECIPES 
+ VEGETABLE INFO & STORAGE TIPS 

If you have questions or concerns about your share, please do not hesitate to contact the farm. That is one of the benefits of knowing where your food comes from!

RECIPES FROM THE FARM
Seared Radicchio with Mozzarella
Roasted Cipolini Onions
Mixed Grill with Zucchini and Kohlrabi

Categories
Archives

In the Box: Summer, Week #2

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Spinach – 1 bunch
Red Romaine Lettuce – 1 head
Green Boston Lettuce – 1 head
Red Boston Lettuce – 1 head
Swiss Chard – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Milk Not Jails
Dairy share pick up

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
If you ordered, pick up your LWF goodies today

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Summer, Week #1

GEOF-salad-turnips-lettuce-mix
Image via Golden Earthworm

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Lettuce Mix – 1 bag (unwashed)
Salad Turnips – 1 bunch
Bok Choi – several pieces
Romaine Lettuce – 1 head
Arugula – 1 bunch
Red Kale – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Milk Not Jails
For those already signed up for a dairy share, Pick up your dairy share!

Everyone else, LAST CHANCE to sign up for a dairy share! Read more…

Categories
*In the box Lewis Waite Farms

In the Box: Summer, “Pre-week”

Radishes! image via Golden Earthworm Organic Farm

Golden Earthworm Veggie Share*
Lettuce Mix – 1 bag
Spinach – 1 bag
Mustard Mix – 1 bunch
Radishes – 1 bunch
Collards – 1 bunch
Chive Blossoms – 1 bunch
Oregano – 1 bunch
Toscano Kale – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Milk Not Jails
-For those already signed up for a dairy share, pick up your dairy share!
-Everyone else, sample fresh local milk & yogurt products! Maybe even sign up for a dairy share… details below.

Welcome to Summer 2013!

Thanks for joining us! Great news abounds at the beginning of the season, so make sure to sign up for the Sunnyside CSA Yahoo Group—you’ll get only important info, never spam. Our website can answer lots of questions, especially the CSA Details and Volunteer sections. You can also Contact Us with questions, comments or suggestions!

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Winter, Week #2

Golden Earthworm Share*
Yellow Potatoes – 4 lb.
Parsnips – 1 lb.
Rutabaga – 1.5 lb.
Watermelon Radish – 1.5 lb.
Red Beets – 2 lb.
Carrots – 5 lb.
Sweet Potatoes – 5 lb.
Savoy Cabbage – 1 head
Green Cabbage – 1 head
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Winter Sun Share
Broccoli
Edamame
Green beans
Butternut squash puree
Tomato puree
Blueberries
FRESH Pea shoots

Golden Earthworm Cider Share

Golden Earthworm Apple Share

Categories
Volunteer

Winter CSA Volunteer Sign ups

Really, we do!

It’s time to sign up for volunteer hours for Winter CSA pick-ups and Lewis Waite pick-ups. If you have signed up for a Winter CSA share from Golden Earthworm Farms or a Winter Sun Farms share this winter, you agreed to fill one volunteer slot this winter during our CSA pick-ups. Each share is asked to fulfill ONE volunteer shift.

Winter Share and Lewis Waite volunteer shifts are open on the Volunteer page.

To sign up for a volunteer shift:

1. Find an OPEN slot on the Volunteer calendar (search through months as needed by selecting a date from drop down calendar).

2. Email our Volunteer Coordinators with chosen date and time:
volunteer [at] sunnysidecsa.com or Contact Us

Lewis Waite distribution is once each month on a Tuesday.
The dates are scheduled for:
Jan 8th
Feb 5th
March 12th
April 9th
May 14th

For these Tuesdays, we need 2 volunteers from 5:45 PM – 7:00 PM and 2 volunteers from 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM (4 volunteers total) to assist with distributing the Lewis Waite orders to members.

Please see the instructions for Lewis Waite volunteering for more information:

NOTE: These instructions are for the summer shift so the times are not accurate, however the instructions are correct for Lewis Waite distribution during the Winter.

Golden Earthworm and Winter Sun share pick-ups are on every third Thursday starting on Dec 20.
These pick-up dates are:
December 20th
January 10th
January 31st
February 21st
March 14th

For each Winter CSA and Winter Sun pick-up date, we need 4 volunteers for a 3:15 PM shift, 2 volunteers for a distribution shift from 5:45 PM – 7:00 PM, and 2 volunteers for a distribution shift from 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM (8 volunteers total):

3:15 – 4:15 PM – Meet the truck from the farm and bring boxes inside Sunnyside Community Services

THIS SHIFT INVOLVES MANUAL LABOR –be prepared to do a lot of lifting and get dirty. Please see the instructions for the 2:30 PM summer shift for more information:

5:45 – 7:00 PM – set-up and first half of distribution. Please see the 4:30 PM summer shift instructions for more information:

7:00 pm – 8:15 pm – second half of distribution and clean up. Please see the 6:30 PM summer shift instructions for more information:

Thank you in advance for signing up for a volunteer shift this winter! We cannot have CSA without volunteers helping with our distributions.

Enjoy the winter CSA!

Sara & Laura
CSA Volunteer Coordinators

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Autumn, Week #25

leeks-GEOF
Leeks! Image via GEOF

Veg Share*
Leeks – 1 bunch
Watermelon Radish – 1 piece
Green Kale – 1 bunch
Russet Potatoes – 3 lbs.
Cabbage – 1 large head
Broccoli – 2 pieces
Baby Carrots – 1 bunch
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Milk Not Jails Dairy Share & À la Carte Orders
Pick up your weekly dairy share AND à la carte orders.

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
Pick up your Lewis Waite orders, including your Thanksgiving Orders!

Sign up for Winter Shares – DEADLINE THURSDAY
ONLINE SIGN UP ONLY! It’s easy, sign up right here via web form and pay with PayPal. You can also sign up via web form then pay by sending a check to our P.O. box. Note: Payment must be received/postmarked by November 15th.

Thank you for your donations to Sandy relief!
Thanks to all who donated food to for Hurricane Sandy Relief last week—it was a great success. Thanks, as well, to CSA member Melissa who had the idea, and put that idea into action! Our partners, Sunnyside Cares, coordinated a very much appreciated food drop-off in the Rockaways. Their efforts continue this week with a fundraiser event, called The RUSH, on Sunday.

Categories
*In the box

In the Box: Autumn, Week #22

Veg Share*
Watermelon Radish – 1 large piece
Red Kale – 1 bunch (an excellent variety to eat raw!)
Bok Choi – 1 bunch
Radicchio – 1 head
Broccoli – 2 pieces
Guy Lon (Chinese Broccoli) – 1 bunch
Beets – 1 bunch
Yellow Potatoes – 1 bag
Kohlrabi – 1 large piece
*Contents of the share may fluctuate over the week.

Fruit Share
Mixed bag of Elstar and Jonagold Apples
(Notes on fruit: The apples should be stored in the refrigerator to keep them crisp.)

Milk Not Jails Dairy Share
Weekly dairy share pick up

A few friendly reminders & updates:
Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras
The next Lewis Waite order deadline is Sunday, October 28th for delivery on November 1st. Anyone, not just CSA members, can order these products and pick up from our CSA. They have an amazing selection of items, all produced by small local farms. Please place your orders for Thanksgiving Turkeys by November 5th to be guaranteed a bird!!