Week #1, June 22nd 2011

High School for Public Service Youth Farm

C.S.A NEWSLETTER

Welcome to your first share for 2011! The farm has been a busy place these last few months. The 10th grade Go Green! class has been out learning about horticulture, composting and urban agriculture, building on what they learned in the classroom about the food system with Farmer Stacey. The farm club has been working hard helping to prepare new beds and planting and caring for the beets. We have had lots of volunteers and visitors too, from a food writing class from Columbia to 8th graders from MS 44. Molly Culver joined us to pilot a flower CSA, and even got the wrestling team out to dig soil for their workout. We started an adult apprenticeship program, and have a crew of amazing and energetic apprentices. All this plus of course sewing seeds, caring for transplants, digging new beds, trellising, pruning, sewing more seeds harvesting and of course looking forward to providing the food to all of you! I hope that this weekly newsletter will bring you closer to the farm, the people that grow your food and the vegetables we devote our time to. Please feel free to stop in any time, attend a volunteer day, ask us questions and we always love suggestions. Eat Well & Be Well, -Elizabeth Bee Ayer & Stacey Murphy

YOUR SHARE THIS WEEK:

Escarole, Salad Mix, Chard, Radishes, kale, Green Garlic, Sage & Basil

Next Volunteer Day: July 2nd from 10-4. Get your hands dirty and learn about sustainable agriculture. Want a tour of the farm? The farm is open for tours and volunteering during our farmers market! Molly is looking for more flower apprentices! Find out more at: http://hspsfarm.blogspot.com/p/flowers.html. New this year at our market: The PTA will be selling fruit and juice from Red Jacket Orchards.

NEWS & NOTES:

Roasted Radishes with Radish Greens Ingredients: 3 bunches of small radishes with greens attached 2 tablesppons extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 500. Trim the radishes and wash the greens; pat dry. 2. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the radishes, season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned in spots, about 2 minutes. 3. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the radishes for 15 minutes, until crisp-tender. 4. Return the skillet to the burner and stir in the butter to coat the radishes. 5. Add the radish greens and cook over moderate heat until they are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and season with salt. Serve the radishes right away.

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

For more info email Bee@bkfarmyards.com

HSPS YOUTH FARM C.S.A. NEWSLETTER #1 June 22nd 2011

The radish is believed to be a native of the Near East and was one of the first vegetables to be domesticated. Ancient documents reveal that it was consumed some 4,000 years ago by the Egyptians and Babylonians, who valued it for its medicinal properties. Radishes are a good source of vitamin C and potassium. They are believed to aid in digestion and is used by some in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, mineral deficiencies, and liver and gallbladder troubles.
-Credit: The Visual Food Encyclopedia

FUN FACTS ABOUT: RADISHES

Herb Salad w/ Lemon-Sage Vinaigrette 4 cups salad mix 2 tablespoons basil leaves 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves 1/2 cup baby arugula 5 radishes, washed and thinly sliced (or 1bunch) Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper Optional additions: sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, strawberries, feta cheese Vinaigrette Ingrediants: 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1 garlic clove or 1 shallot, finely chopped Pinch salt 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon honey 4 tablespoons chopped fresh sage Tear the greens and herbs into bite-sized pieces, taking care not to bruise. Toss with the radishes and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. For the dressing, whisk ingredients together until well blended. Gently fold the dressing into the salad, tossing to lightly coat the vegetables.
Adapted from: www.npr.org/2011/06/14/137034621/ oh-the-things-you-can-do-with-a-farm-share-box? MEET YOU FARMER

FLOWERS ON THE FARM!

This season, farmer Molly Culver joins the HSPS Youth Farm staff as our flower farmer. A far cry from your average roses or carnations, Mollys varieties make less frequent appearances in your corner deli, but they are unique, beautiful, and a treasure to behold. The flowers will be sold at our weekly farmers market, and they are also available as a CSA share. Ask for an application at our market stand on Wednesdays! Molly is growing a blend of recognizable favorites like Sunflowers, Zinnias and Snapdragons, along with some rare beauties like Larkspur, Agrostemma, and Scabiosa. Folks may also recognize False Queen Annes Lace, Bells of Ireland, Celosia, Strawflower, Statice, Asters, Stock, Euphorbia and Rudbekia, among others. Cut flowers provide a new educational opportunity for our students, apprentices and the community. They beautify the farm, and attract beneficial pollinating insects like bees. Bouquet making provides a fun, creative outlet, using color and texture. No less rigorous than vegetable farming, flower growing and harvesting is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Though worthwhile flowers can be an additional income-generator for any small farm. Molly is delighted to be working with two Flower Apprentices, Ethan Gallagher, a Crown Heights resident and social worker by profession, and Chelsea Newson, a San Diego native studying public health at NYU.

Originally from Japan, Aki moved to the United States when she was 18. Besides working on the Youth Farm, Aki works for Adopt-A-Farmbox, a small organization that fosters healthy life styles through urban gardening projects. Before joining the farm she did not have any farming experience. Joining the Youth Farm was a dare to myself to see if I could actually do it. She has since realized that farming requires combinations of creativity and meditation, science and art, and is challenging both intellectually and physically, providing her with a very full feeling at the end of the day. When asked what her favorite thing was that we grow on the farm she laughed and responded that she liked everything but the eggplant unless its in baba ghanoush. sponsored by:

Aki Baker: Farm Apprentice