Week #4, July 13th 2011

High School for Public Service Youth Farm

C.S.A NEWSLETTER

What a life! Yesterday was my birthday and I spent most of the day thinking about how lucky I am to be right here at this moment in my life. People often ask me what its like to run an urban farm, if I wish I was in the country with a bigger farm. I must say, that at this point, I feel absolutely thrilled and blessed to be growing food in the city with such an amazing crew of folks. One of the reasons I love working in the city is the opportunity to interact and know you the people that eat our food. I love knowing who I am growing food for; it gives an importance to the benign tasks and a joy at harvest that is so different then working on a farm and sending the food off to a market with unknown customers. The best moment of the week is when all of our CSA shares are bagged up ready to go, our market table is set and full of our produce, and we are counting down the minutes to 2:30. We open the gate and I get to stand back and watch everyone pick out their produce. It makes every minute of difficult labor seem easy. I love that you, all of you, are not just our consumers, but truly our partners. I recently had a discussion with some other young farmers about what makes us a movement not just a profession is that we are doing what we are specifically to provide food for our community and specifically to people who the current system excludes from access to affordable healthy food. We are not just trying to make it as farmers, but we are trying to create a new food system in which farmers and everyone else can lead healthy lives. So today the day after my birthday I would like to extend a big THANK YOU to everyone who spends their time growing, learning about and finally enjoying the produce from our little urban farm! You make my dream possible.

YOUR SHARE THIS WEEK:

Please keep in mind that this is a list of our predicted harvest.

Collards, Chard, Beets, Hot Peppers, Beans, Onions, Basil, and Cilantro

Pasta with Basil and Greens

Adapted from Whole Foods

Volunteer This Saturday: July 15th from 10-4. Get your hands dirty and learn about sustainable agriculture. In the News: Check out all of the press the Youth Farm has been getting on our website at www.hspsfarm.blogspot.com. Do You: Grow food? Make food? Make crafts? Sell at our market! Contact Martha@ bkfarmyards.com for more information. We offere a variety of educational workshops and field trips for summer camps, schools and community groups. please contact Molly@bkfarmyards.com

NEWS & NOTES:

Ingredients: 1 pound dried pasta 1/2 onion, chopped Juice of 2 lemons 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, chopped 1/2 cup basil 1 pound greens (cooked chard or collards) thinly sliced 3 ounces sheep or goat feta cheese, crumbled 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives (optional) Salt and pepper to taste Directions: Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain well. Meanwhile, put green onions, lemon juice, oil, garlic, and basil into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Pour this mixture over drained cooked pasta, then add greens, feta, olives, salt and pepper and toss gently to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.

www.HSPSFarm.BlogSpot.com
600 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn NY 11203

For more info email Bee@bkfarmyards.com

HSPS YOUTH FARM C.S.A. NEWSLETTER #4 July 13th 2011

Chard is related to the beet and is grown for its edible stalks and leaves. Greek writings dating all the way back to the 4th century A.D. contain descriptions of chard, which was admired by both the Greeks and Romans for its medicinal properties (chard leaves can be used as a laxative and a diuretic). Chard can be eaten raw or cooked. The leaves can be used uncooked in salads, cooked and served either warm or cold, and the stalks can be prepared much like spinach or celery. Steaming chard stalks takes between 8-15 minutes, while braising the stalks in the oven takes between 20-30 minutes. Steaming the leaves alone will take between 5-8 minutes. Chard is an excellent source of vitamin C and A, magnesium, and potassium.
-Credit: The Visual Food Encyclopedia

FUN FACTS ABOUT: CHARD

Beet Greens with Ginger & Hot Peppers

Adapted from Madhur Jaffreys World Vegetarian

Ingredients: 1 large bunch beet greens, about 3/4 lb Half to whole hot green pepper 1 inch piece fresh ginger root 1 tbsp oil, peanut or vegetable 4 tbsp water salt Directions: Wash greens thoroughly and shake but do not dry. Remove stems and keep leaves whole or cut into thin ribbons. Slice pepper in half and remove stem, seeds and white pith. Mince finely to make about 2-3 teaspoons. Peel ginger and slice very thinly. Stack slices together and cut into small matchsticks. In a large, nonstick pan, heat oil over mediumhigh heat until hot but not smoking. Add ginger and hot pepper. Stir-fry for about a minute. Add beet greens and heat and stir until wilted. If no liquid remains in the pan, add a tablespoon or two of water; cover pan. Steam for a few more minutes until greens are tender. Remove lid and stir to evaporate liquid, watching carefully so that greens do not burn. Season with salt, as desired. sponsored by:

We hope you enjoyed your first flower share! We enjoyed selecting multicolored Sunflowers, orange Sulfur Cosmos, gorgeous pink and yellow Zinnias just coming into bloom, and golden yellow Flashback Calendula. Green Parsley flower, a new favorite, helped tie it all together. This week, you will enjoy more Zinnias and Cosmos, as well as Bells of Ireland. If your Cosmos wilted earlier than your Sunflowers or Parsley Flower, its because each flower has a different vase life, or post-harvest life expectancy. Commercially grown (and preserved) Sunflowers can last from 7-9 days, whereas Cosmos can last 4-6. Zinnias can last 7-10. In commercial flower growing and marketing, growers, distributors and florists devote a hearty share of their resources to post harvest handling and care, with the main goal of extending vase life. Flowers are kept constantly cool from harvest to market, while being fed a steady diet of floral preservative and germicides. Here at the farm, were learning how to best extend the vase life of our flowers, despite lacking a cooler. As we learn the best organic methods to ensure you a lasting bouquet, remember these techniques to keep your flowers looking fresh and cheerful: keep your flowers in clean water, and change the water often (every 2-3 days). Remove dead leaves and buds. Re-cut stems and rearrange as the bunch diminishes. -Molly
MEET A FARMER

FLOWERS ON THE FARM!

Originally from Texas, Martha moved to New York six years ago after going to school in Chicago and majoring in film. After working for a bit Martha realized that sitting in front of a computer all day was not something she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Since then she has worked as a farm apprenticeship in Long Island and as a volunteer on the Youth Farm last summer. Martha returns this summer as a farm apprentice and market and outreach assistant. On the farm she enjoys working with this years amazing apprentices, interacting with the farms visitors, and learning all of the creative, organic farming techniques used on the Youth Farm. Martha is most looking forward to something were growing by accident-ground cherries (the cherries reseeded themselves this season).

Martha Jackson: Farm Apprentice, Market & Outreach Assistant