Forest Hills CSA

SAVE THE DATE!

      Sunday, May 6, 1 to 4 p.m.

Don’t miss out on our FREE Environmental Festival for everyone!

We’re already cooking up lots of new ideas, but we know we will once again feature:

Earth Friendly Fun for Kids:  Activities & Music, Eco-crafts, & Cooking

Green Vendors, Exhibits & Sustainable Food Market for Adults!

Last year’s event drew 650 people, with families filling the gym and packing programs.  Several of our exhibitors told us that ours was the best event of their season. 

CENTRAL QUEENS YM & YWHA                                           

67-09 108 Street, Forest Hills, NY 11375

 www.centralqueensy.org/EarthDay or 718-268-5011

Some of my family and friends back home say that I live on Sesame Street now.

Sesame Street and the Cosby Show used to be my New York City.  I grew up on a family farm in Iowa where my great-grandfather, grandfather, and father worked the soil.  Working in the fields, garden, and helping raise livestock was the normal thing, and my parents taught me to respect the earth and understand what all goes into growing food. We ate fresh vegetables right out of the garden (and the most delicious sweet corn on the cob ever out of the field) in the summer, then my mom canned everything she could to make it through the winter.  Our eggs came from the neighbor’s chickens, and the beef we ate went from our pasture to the meat locker straight to our freezer.  When your time, love, and energy goes into your food, eating turns into a magical thing.  My tomato plant in my first apartment after college grew slowly, but I remember calling my dad when it produced that first cherry tomato that I had planted, watered, and cared for.

This is me as a toddler in one of our pastures. To those of you who grew up in the city, I lived the life with all the pets and space to run that I ever wanted.

Out of all the places I’ve lived, NYC has been the most difficult to find my way in the grocery stores, produce stands, and Farmer’s Markets.  Yet it’s been the most thrilling to learn more about CSAs and urban farming and teach others how just a few pots of vegetables in their apartments can make all the difference.  Just imagine if everyone in this city had a garden in their yard, on their rooftop, or in a few pots on the windowsill!  They’d understand the incredible need for more CSAs and learn the beauty of creation.  Farming is hard work with amazing rewards and a whole lot of lessons.  So check it out and try a pot of tomatoes, a mix of herbs, or a row of carrots in the springtime.  Educate yourself, then teach your children, neighbors, co-workers, and family about what their neighborhood CSA can do for them!  Many people don’t even know they exist, so let’s show them how to have a life with sustainable, local, organic food!

When not CSA-ing, it can be fun to check out the many urban farmer's markets in New York.

In celebration of our fantastic summer season with the Forest Hills CSA, tonight we’re eating a tasty bok choy and radish stir fry with sweet potato cupcakes for dessert!  I’m excited to read more books about urban farming this winter, make a list of the NYC Farmer’s Markets schedule, and sign up for more seasons with our CSA.  Check out books from the library, talk to the farmers, and learn online about how we can change this city into a healthier, more delicious place!

We Want YOU (to eat healthy, organic veggies!)

November is one busy little month.  Most of us are so jam packed with preparations and travel plans that we don’t stop to take a breath, let alone a look around and enjoy our great city.  This year, let’s remember to breath and, more importantly, have some fun.

If you must go into Manhattan his time of year, which will be packed with the out-of-towner-looky-loos, at least treat yourself to a great new experience.   Check out Citifari’s photo tours throughout the month of November and capture the city in its pre-holiday splendor.  Tours cost between $40-$50 and last around 3hrs. You do not need to be an expert photographer, just a person looking for a new way to experience the city.

Fortunately, the borough of Queens has plenty to keep you occupied.

November is peak leaf season in our great city parks.  We are incredibly lucky to have one of the city’s best right in our backyards. Forest Park is breathtaking this time of year with its gorgeous winding trails. Hope on a bike, grab your skates, or simply strap on some comfy shoes and enjoy a quiet day away from the hustle and bustle.   And the cost?  Free! Free! Free!  (Who couldn’t use a little free entertainment and exercise right before the frenzy of the holidays begins?)

Need your entertainment to be a little more wild? Head on over to Queens County Farm Museum.

November 5-6 and 12-13

(Ok…The pigs have nothing to do with wildlife or 18th Century Taverns but the photo IS from the QCFM website and beyond pure cuteness.)

Check out WILDLIFE WEEKENDS throughout the month and keep your own litter amused and in touch with nature. 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m, Saturdays and Sundays. Enjoy  birds-of-prey, frogs, bugs, and animal shows, hayrides, pony rides and animal feeding all for $9 a person.

Maybe you would rather eat like an animal than feed the animals?  The farm has you covered there, as well. Enjoy a unique experience on November 4, 5, or 11 at 8pm:  Eighteenth-Century Tavern Nights.($80member/$85non-member)

Let’s face it kids, winter’s upon us.  It’s going to snow this weekend.  Saying goodbye to the warmer season can be difficult in the diet-shifting arena and the cravings you may have had a month ago may be manifesting itself as a confused lump of indecision in front of the refrigerator, at that “I really shouldn’t be eating anything else this late” hour.  I encountered this issue last night, as I scavenged for my post-dinner mini-meal.  I wanted something comforting, warm, potentially sweet, but not hot chocolate – tryin’ to watch my girlish figure – I wanted savory, but not salty.  I eventually identified the desire to have an apple, yet that didn’t completely appeal to me because I was cold.  Thus, my brainchild came to life:

5-Minute Apple Delight Stew

1 apple (a hard variety, like Fuji), cut into chunks- peeling optional

3 Tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon each:

cinnamon

curry powder

a pinch of cayenne pepper

1 Tablespoon ground quinoa grain (flour, really. I ground it in the food processor, so it’s not as fine as flour)

1-2 Tablespoons honey (Buckwheat has a nice, dark color and strong, malty flavor- a change from clover)

 

Put apple chunks into a microwavable glass bowl, along with the water, cinnamon, curry and quinoa.

Cover and microwave on High for 4-5 minutes, or until apples are cooked through, but not killed.  Remove from the microwave and mix in the honey, stirring until the whole mixture is completely blended.

Voila, it’s a perfect wintery dessert!

Additions and Variations:

Whipped topping

Substitute pear for the apple

Make it more savory by adding salt and sage instead of cinnamon

Add other ingredients, like berries, pumpkin/squash or even garlic or onion!

Bake in a conventional oven if you don’t need immediate sustenance.   375° for 20 minutes should do the trick.

 

 

Here is another easy recipe that, if you happen to have a giant bag of frozen pumpkin chunks that you prepared last fall sitting in your freezer.  I strongly recommend cutting up one of your post-halloween pumpkins  and doing this.  It’s nice to have fresh pumpkin readily available.  You can also have homemade pepitas!  Anyway, this recipe calls for white wine.  I used Retsina, which is a Greek pine resin-infused wine that is very strong-bodied and strong-flavored.  It is somewhat reminiscent of gasoline.  I used it in the recipe because I don’t like it enough to drink.  It added a really nice touch to this dish, however!  You can pick up an inexpensive 750ml bottle for about 7 bucks if you want to experiment. To play it on the safe side, use a chardonnay or a sauvignon blanc instead.

 

Pumpkin Chicken

1 package skinless/boneless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs), cut into bite-size chunks or left whole

2 cups peeled and cubed pumpkin flesh

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves

2-3 celery stalks, chopped

oil spray

several sage leaves, slivered and then halved

Fresh Turmeric root, grated *optional

water – 2-3 tablespoons

white wine – 1/2 cup (I used Retsina)

salt, pepper

 

Cover your toaster oven pan with aluminum foil (If you are of the mind that cooking with aluminum is bad, leave it out and have more scrubbing to do later).  Coat foil with oil spray.

Arrange the chicken pieces, pumpkin, onion, garlic, celery, turmeric and sage leaves onto the pan, mixing enough to have cohesion.

Drizzle the wine and water over the mixture, then sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.

Finally, spray with olive oil  and cover, but don’t seal, with foil.

Bake at 375º for 30 minutes (might need more, don’t exactly remember)

 

Enjoy!

-Benni

 

Fall is upon us, and it’s time to start thinking about ways to use our CSA bounty in creative ways while keeping the chill that’s creeping in at bay.  My favorite thing to make in the fall is soup, and though it’s the same basic recipe, it’s never the same soup twice because of what we get week-to-week!

I can’t give you a real recipe because it’s so versatile, but I assure you, swap in your own ideas and preferences and you will have a winning soup every week, simmering on your stove, catered to just your tastes!

Start with a bit of meat (if you’re vegetarian, skip this part): bacon lardons, crumbled and uncased sausage meat, ground pork or beef or even turkey.  Just note that if you start with plain ground meats, you’ll need to season it more than you would bacon or sausage meat.  Brown in the bottom of a soup pot.

Add minced onion, garlic, chopped carrots, red pepper flakes (if I’m feeling under the weather – a cold coming on, for example – I add a little more red pepper flakes than are comfortable for me to help me fight off the cold; I’m not a doctor, but it seems to work for me!).  Let them all mingle happily.  Your kitchen should start to smell amazing at this step.

Once the meat is cooked through, add a box of chicken (or vegetable) stock, water if needed (depending on size of pot and how much soup you’re making).  Allow to come to a simmer, then add potatoes if you’re using them.  If not, add your greens here: shredded cabbage(s), chopped kale, collards, spinach, whatever hardy greens you have on hand that arrived in this week’s CSA – even the salad turnips will add a bit of sweetness to the soup!

Let simmer until veggies are as soft as you like them, salt/pepper as you like, and enjoy!

Optionally, add other carbs after the vegetables are cooked: half a cup will add a nice thickness to your soup as it continues to absorb liquid while you cook, or a bit of small pasta shapes, even beans.  Sometimes, I’ll add a dollop of sour cream or a pat of butter on top of a bowl of soup I’m serving for a bit of richness (or if I’ve made the soup too spicy, the sour cream helps temper it a bit) as well.

Play with the method until you find one that works for your tastes- I find myself making the same soup over and over again, but it’s yet to be exactly the same twice!

Enjoy!

Aside from being a member of the Forest Hills CSA, Yvo Sin is also the founder and head writer of The Feisty Foodie. When she’s not writing about food, she’s thinking about food: cooking it, eating it, dreaming about it.  And a small part of the time, she’s thinking about how to eat all of this food without gaining all of the weight….

Trying something new can be intimidating sometimes. Cooking something new may actually cause anxiety! “How do I cook it? What can I eat with it? What do I cook it in/on/with? Will it turn out okay? Will my family eat it?”

Mikey likes it!

The rule at my table is a “taster’s bite.” My mother went by that same motto for fourteen years when she taught in the Head Start program. All you have to do is try one bite of whatever is on the table. I do this even when I’m sure about not enjoying something, like beets (oh, yes, CSA beets have been my downfall, but they’ve still been cooked and tried at my house!). It can take up to twelve times of offering a new food before you child may even try it, and adults may actually have more hesitation at new foods!

Being a part of the Forest Hills CSA, grabbing something new to try at one of the many Farmer’s Markets in NYC, and keeping your mind open to new recipes will lead your taste buds into territories that they’ve only dared to dream about!

The newest thing in our house has been switching up our carb intake. We bake our own bread and biscuits, and recently I took the leap into pizza dough and breadstick territory. I was a bit nervous, but what’s there to lose? One dinner flop once in a while is no big deal.

As it happened, both meals ended up being delicious, and I’m excited to try out CSA toppings this week! A new twist on sweet potato “pie,” perhaps? Leeks and celeriac on pizza? Why not? There are endless possibilities, so go for it! And remember, a salad with organic veggies on the side always tastes great!

Pizza: quite possibly the world's most perfect food.

Pizza Dough

(Pizza Dough III Recipe, from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 cups bread flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons white sugar

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings (mmm, CSA veggies!!!) and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Breadsticks: they're not just for air-drumming anymore.

Best-Ever Breadsticks

(A slightly tweaked recipe from Cooks.com)

Ingredients

• 3/4 C milk
• 1 T sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 T butter
• 1 (1/4 oz) package quick-rise yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp)
• 1/4 C warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
• 3 1/8 C flour
• Topping: garlic powder, 2 T butter

Directions

1. In a saucepan, heat milk, sugar, salt, and 1 T butter. Cool to lukewarm.
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water.
3. Combine milk mixture, yeast, and 1 1/2 cups flour, then beat until smooth.
4. Add enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.
5. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic (about 4-5 minutes).
6. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.
7. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
8. Punch dough down. Pinch off golf-ball-sized pieces, and roll into marker-size strips.
9. Place on greased baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Cover and let rise 15 minutes. Yields about 20 breadsticks.

For some reason, September always puts me in the mood to bake.  Perhaps it’s the crisp autumn air that gives me the urge for comfort carbs.  Or maybe it’s the knowledge that I no longer have to wear a bathing suit for the next few months that makes me crave cakes.  Luckily, each week I receive a wealth of healthy, fresh veggies with which I can create healthy versions of said muffins!

This time around, I have two recipes, both savory.  I prefer to use multiple types of flours because I like to cut down on the wheat.

Have fun!

-Benni DeNinno

Zucchini Scallion Muffins (makes 12)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup soy flour

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup grated zucchini

1 cup chopped scallion

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

(1 clove garlic, pressed, optional)

1/2 cup milk (I used soymilk)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line or grease muffin pan.

2. In medium bowl, mix together flours, sugar, baking powder and salt.

3. In another bowl, combine zucchini, scallion, oil, eggs and vanilla.  Add to dry mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix)

4. Divide batter evenly among cups.  Decorate tops with sprigs of thyme.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 30-40 minutes.  I like to test it at 30 and bake further if necessary.

5.  Cool on a wire rack (or on the stovetop, as I do).  Remove when cool enough for prolonged touch.

6. Enjoy!

Curried Squash Muffins (makes 24)

3 1/4 cups flour (any choice of combinations)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups sugar (brown, preferably)

3-4 teaspoons curry powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cups squash flesh, roasted and scraped

1 cup oil

1/3 cup water

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line or grease muffin pan.

2. In medium bowl, mix together flours, sugar, baking powder, curry powder, cinnamon and salt.

3. In another bowl, combine squash, red pepper, oil, eggs and vanilla.  Add to dry mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix)

4. Divide batter evenly among cups.  Decorate tops with slices of red pepper.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 30-40 minutes.  I like to test it at 30 and bake further if necessary.

5.  Cool on a wire rack (or on the stovetop, as I do).  Remove when cool enough for prolonged touch.

6. Enjoy!

Happy October everyone!  Normally I tell you all the great things to do in our little city, but this month I am going to suggest you pack up and get out of town!

Not getting enough time in the great outdoors?  May I suggest getting in that last chance camping trip.  We’ve had great luck at the cabins in Taconic State Park.  It is less than 2 hours away but you will feel like you are in another world. There are several trails easy enough for the little ones with great rewards.  And if you are like us, non-tent people, you can stay in the cabins with wood burning fireplaces throughout the month, but act fast.  They close in November and won’t open again until spring.  Click on the link to see available camp options and prices.

(Photo from VisitUSA.com.)

One of my families favorite fall traditions is Hershey Dark in the Park.  Now, I know some of you may be saying that such a trip has nothing to do with CSA ideals, but I beg to differ.  Number one, it gets you outside spending some very enjoyable time with your wee folk, no?  Number two (which is where our sustainable living longings get satisfied) is that it is in the heart of the Amish country.  If you ever wanted to know anything about preserving farm grown goodies you need to get yourself to an Amish farm pronto!  Those people can pickle anything, I mean anything,  and make it taste amazing.  Not to mention they are insane bakers that provide all their own ingredients. Calories from a sustainably grown shoo-fly pie don’t count, right?

I suggest swinging by Bird-in-the-Hand or Plain and Fancy, both are amazing Amish run restaurants that celebrate farm to table culture and offer up some baked goods to take home and pass off as your own.  For the preserves paradise you can only dream of head to Intercourse PA to Kitchen Kettle Village.  There are several stores there that will let you sample your way into a relish coma.  We literally spend all day there and leave plenty of space in the trunk for hauling back one of a kind goods that will last all winter long. There is also a handmade pretzel factory near by that offers tours and lets you get your hands in on the action.

Maybe you are a bit of a homebody and don’t want to stray too far? That’s okay too.  The Queens County Farm Museum is packed with October activities.  In addition to the corn maze still being open, which I told you about last month, there is pumpkin picking available all weekends throughout the month.

Then there is Apple Festival from 11-4, October 2nd. Free!!!!!

October 2               
(Photo from Queens County Farm Museum Website.)

On October 30th, you can enjoy the Children’s Fall Festival for a scant $5.  There will be pig races and hayrides, arts & crafts, a haunted house, bouncy houses, music, an ecology both, festival food, and more.  Kids are encouraged to dress up. (The big kids can dress up too!) 11 AM-4 PM.

I hope your October is filled with thrills!

-Brandi

After an unplanned 5 weeks in Nashville spending my days at a hospital and eating out at restaurants nearly every day, coming home to our weekly CSA veggies was a real treat!

Every Tuesday night, I clean and trim our vegetables and then decide what tantalizing treats to toss into our wok for a stir fry.  At the beginning of the season, it was Bok Choy and Radish Stir Fry.  Now, it’s whatever we get in our box!  Last week, I drizzled a bit of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter in our wok to melt and mix on low heat.  Minced onions and leeks became the base of the meal, and I allowed them to sizzle until their scented spices were the new aroma in our kitchen.  Then I threw in chopped carrots and fennel and then some brown rice and shredded chicken.  At the very end, I included an egg to scramble together with the whole mix.  It took a lot of patience to toss it around with my wooden spoon until some of the rice had a little crunch to it!

The thing I love, love, LOVE about stir fry is that it suits everyone!  You can make it vegetarian, vegan, extra meaty, gluten-free, and with any veggies you have in your house! Just throw in some oil or butter into your wok, and then add as many or as few ingredients as you’d like.

This recipe is the one I used as a base recipe at the beginning of our CSA summer season.  We enjoyed it so much that I had my husband pick up some bok choy and radishes at the grocery store a week or two after our CSA goodies ran out.  There was a remarkable difference in how much better our organic veggies tasted!

Bok Choy and Radishes Stir Fry 

(from www.tasteofhome.com)

Ingredients

• 1 head bok choy
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 12 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

• Cut off and discard root end of bok choy, leaving stalks with leaves. Cut green leaves from stalks. Cut leaves into 1-in. slices; set aside. Cut white stalks into 1-in. pieces.
• In a large skillet, cook bok choy stalks in butter and oil for 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add the radishes, shallot, lemon-pepper, salt and reserved leaves; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 8 servings.

Enjoy!