Volume 22, Week 19
Full share &🦎 green🦎half shares
218 Gates Avenue between Classon and Franklin
(IMPACCT Brooklyn at the Gibbs Mansion)
5:00 to 7:30 pm
Please take a moment to fill out the 2023 Member Survey - your feedback is important to us and helps us plan for future seasons!
Sign up for Winter Shares
Winter share sign-ups are beginning! You can find out more information and register for a winter share using this link: Windflower Farm's 2023-2024 Winter Share (wufoo.com). The deadline for signing up is November 1st or until we reach our limit.
A few winter share FAQs -
winter distributions occur MONTHLY on Saturdays - November 18, December 16, and January 6th at 345 Waverly Place (NOT 218 Gates!)
you can add Davis Farm egg and maple shares, and Hickory Wind Farm grain shares to your winter share using the above wufoo form. Other extra shares will be announced shortly and will have separate sign ups.
Winter deliveries are timed to coincide with the deliveries made to your CSA pickup site by Pleasant Valley Farm.
Bring a dish to our Halloween potluck
Once again, the Clinton Hill CSA is celebrating Halloween in style! The last distribution of the season on October 26th will also be our Halloween party: expect costumes, decorations, pumpkins, and our annual potluck - we'd love it if you could bring a treat! You can sign up at the sign-in table or via this google form to let us know what you're bringing - thanks for you help making the CSA super-spooky!
Granola pop up this week
Fort Greene Granola will be back on site this week with bags of their original and seasonal spiced granola! The spiced granola is a special seasonal flavor that’s made for Autumn - it has dried fruits including apricots, raisins, and dates; aromatic spices such as cinnamon, ginger, and clove; and a healthy blends of seeds and nuts like pistachios and organic, locally-grown pumpkin seeds!
Reminder - Pleasant Valley Farm delivers on GREEN weeks!
Place your orders by 8am the Wednesday before delivery. Take a look at their offerings here! We’ll remind you again next week!
This week’s share
Sweet potatoes
Summer squash
Potatoes
Leeks
Parsley
Yellow onions
Swiss chard
Fennel
Arugula
Fruit: Yonder Farm’s ‘Cortland’ apples
Extras: bread, eggs, granola, Pleasant Valley Farm goodies
News from Windflower Farm
I’ve been asked about my trips to New York. Last week, I took my 18th truck load of the season to CSA members in New York. The big Isuzu was loaded with vegetables, hand trucks were on board, and packing lists sat on my dashboard. I checked engine fluids and tires and loaded the truck with essentials: lunch, cash, and a good book on tape. At eight o’clock it was time to head out. None of those 4:00 am farm-to-market departures for me.
I test my brakes heading down Meeting House Road toward Cooke Hollow, turning south at the intersection where the Alleged Farm and MaryJane’s farm sit. I come out of Cooke Hollow, turning right, then left at one of four neighborhood wineries, continuing south. The road I travel runs along a ridge paralleling the Hudson River, one of dozens of farm-to-market roads. Adirondack foothills are to my right, and the distant Berkshires are to my left. I pass the Pratt’s sheep farm, Howard Gifford’s tractor parts shop, and the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds as I make my way toward Troy, 20 miles south of our farm. I plug my phone into the dashboard and start my book: A Gentleman in Moscow.
I zig and zag down Route 40 as it makes its way through Troy, then cross the Hudson River for the first of what will be six times, catching I-787 southbound to Albany, and then I-90 eastbound, over the Hudson again, toward the Massachusetts border. I exit onto Route 9, heading into Columbia County, and the heart of fruit production in the Hudson Valley. I stop at Yonder Farm, where Pete, who I’ve known for more than 20 years, and I chat briefly about the difficult farm season. I head south in earnest once I leave Pete, passing friends at Roxbury Farm and Hearty Roots, both CSAs, as I make my way.
I monitor several fields over the course of the season. One is an organic soybean field along the road in Livingston that is part of the huge Rockefeller property. Although it has become weedy compared to surrounding conventional soybean fields, it looks like it will yield well. I find my way to the Rhinecliff-Kingston Bridge, crossing to the west side of the Hudson, taking in the incredible scenery: the river below and the Catskills beyond. From here, it’s two hours to midtown Manhattan, taking I-87 southbound to New Jersey, and commercial Route 17 south, where I catch my first glimpse of the Manhattan skyline. I then take Route 3 across the Meadowlands, finally crossing the Hudson for the 4th time via the Lincoln Tunnel. I run early and pull over at 9th and 29th, where I’ve become friendly with a woman named PJ who waters the plants on an island at the intersection, where she and I talk gardening and I eat my lunch.
I offload CSA shares at the Google offices at 1:00, then travel to the First Presbyterian Church on Broadway, across from Columbia University, hoping to be there by 2:15. After that, it’s a 4:00 stop at the Cornerstone Center in Washington Heights and a 4:30 near Fort Tryon Park. I depart Manhattan via the George Washington Bridge, my fifth crossing, pleased if I’ve made it through the city without mishap. It takes some time during rush hour to make my way through New Jersey, but then I’m off on I-87 northbound, and the final leg of my journey. It is here that I’d like my audio book to keep me awake for the trip home. Three hours later, I find myself back on Route 40, and on the east side of the river after crossing it for the sixth and final time. I am north of Troy, nearing home, where for most of the summer I am welcomed home by a larger-than-life Dolly Parton on a billboard, reminding me to spread kindness and good cheer. I pull into the farmyard at 8:30, happy to be home.
Have a great week, Ted
PS. Here is some information from our neighbor, Pleasant Valley Farm, who is offering a variety of local products to your CSA.
News from Pleasant Valley Farm
Hello! We are Pleasant Valley Farm located just a bit north of Windflower Farm. We have run a small vegetable farm for over 30 years and transitioned to an online custom order store in 2020. Now, we are expanding and offering a full add-on service for CSAs with over 400 local top quality products. We offer a full range of local and organic meats including chicken, beef, pork and turkey, cheese, yogurt, teas, spices, pasta, grains, beans, peanut butter, jams, bread and much more! All of these products are made locally by awesome farmers and artisans. Currently, we pack orders every other week for your CSA site. The deadline to order is 8am on Wednesday for Thursday CSA distributions. The next delivery date is October 19. If you have any questions, you are welcome to reach out to us directly at farm.pvf@gmail.com. Our store link is https://pleasantvalleyfarm.localline.ca/csa.
Robert Arnold
Recipes
Potato leek kugel (and 36 other leek recipes), roasted fennel with garlic and thyme, and sweet potatoes with tahini butter
Did you know? Our website has recipes, food storage tips, and information about the vegetables you might come across in your share!