CSA Newsletter #13 – September 21, 2012

Contents of Share This Week

Announcements

• PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE return your boxes.  They are the most important thing you can return.  The other stuff egg cartons, and clean, clear plastic bags is secondary. If we ever have a box shortage, we will deliver your shares in brown reusable shopping bags that we would also need to get back.
• Remember that you are always welcome to visit socially and/or to volunteer. Give a call to schedule a time.  Thank you so much!
• All of our newsletters are archived on our website http://www.soulfirefarm.com/?cat=3
• Pasture raised, whole chickens for sale (around 5 lbs). We can deliver with you shares.  Order here.

Food Justice – Assessing Food Security in North Central Troy

For those of you that don’t know, Leah spends 50 hours a week teaching high school biology and environmental science at Tech Valley High School in Rensselaer.  TVHS is a public school where the learning is entirely interdisciplinary, project based and often partnered with the greater community.  What this means for Leah, is that she gets to share the wonders and magic of this world through the eyes of on-the-ground-science while connecting it to actual community-based needs and issues of economic and social justice.

After months of planning, Leah dusted off her community organizer hat and set to the streets of North Troy with her students, and collaborator Abby Lublin, founder of Collard City Growers.  Other collaborators include RPI and School 1 in Troy.  The group spent hours knocking on doors, assessing growing potential of vacant lots and local garndes, and noting existing food establishments.  Over the next several weeks they will assess the ability of the North Troy community to access healthy and fresh food, and subsequently how the existing reality contributes to eating choices and ultimately health in this low income community.  The project will integrate learning about what actually constitues healthy and fresh, as well as looking at statistics of health and eating related diseases in low-income communtiies and communities of color.  (See last week’s Food Justice piece for details on this.)  Already, the students have determined that the area is considered a “food desert” according to the official USDA definition.  And by a long shot.  (We don’t love the term food desert, but will use it here for ease.)

We will keep you posted as the project progresses.  For more on the beginnings of this project https://www.techvalleyhigh.org/news/2012_13/Sept_12/09_21_12_Food_study.html

Recipes

Tatsoi or Chinese Cabbage over noodles

Ingredients
6 cups tatsoi or Chinese Cabbage, chopped
1½ cups carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 additional tablespoon
1 tablespoon seasame oil
¼ onion, chopped 5 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Egg or rice noodles

Directions
Sauté oil and garlic for 5 minutes. Add carrots and onion sauté for 5 mintues. Add tatsoi and sauté till tender. In a bowl, mix together peanut butter, white wine vinegar, and soy sauce. Poor over vegetables and fry for a few minutes. Serve over noodles.

News on the Farm

Fall is upon us.  The unsettled skies offer rain and winds, along with wonderful shows of clouds. Crisp morning dew wets our feet as we do morning chores to the sunrise.  It gets cold when the clouds cover the sun.  I must say dressing appropriately this time of year can be a trick.  The deer are out every night and morning, and the mice are packing in the stores for the winter.

Fall also means is that interns Sindhu and Dane will be leaving in a mere 2 weeks.  Seems far away, but I will be single handed for the final 4 harvest weeks.  If you have not come out to the farm and are still interested, October will be a great time to come help your farmers.

This coming Saturday we will be at the Healthy Harvest on the Hill gathering in Arbor Hill, organized by Azuala Kennedy and other at Healthy Hearts on the Hill.  We will be the only farmers there selling produce and also doing education.  We will even have some hens with us.  Events like this one really stand out for us as amazing spaces to be part of.  True grassroots organizing rooted in a love for community and justice.  It is an honor to be part and to be able to share our food with people.  We also have been authorized by the USDA to directly accept FMNP farmer’s market checks for the remainder of the season, and specifically this event.  Come visit us from 2-6 on Saturday, but more importantly support food justice in Arbor Hill!  .  For more info http://www.albany.com/event/healthy-harvest-51052/.  Hope to see you tomorrow or soon!