Tips and Articles

The first step is to get your salad greens cleaned: put them into the sink or a basin filled with water. Wash thoroughly to get all the sand off the leaves. Dry in a salad spinner, a clean dish towel, pillow case, or paper towels, but make sure the leaves are dry.

Now, let your imagination take you on a great taste adventure! Here are three salads, all easy and delicious!

1. Beets and Goat Cheese with Chives: olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper
2. Pears with walnuts and Cheese (Gorgonzola or Gruyere, for example): olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper
3. Shaved Fennel and Carrots with raisins: olive oil, wine vinegar, mint, salt and pepper

There are no limits on what goes into a salad - anything from Apples to Zucchini will taste wonderful if your ingredients are fresh and seasonal. Don?t forget to add the herbs of the season, too - basil, thyme, dill, tarragon, mint and chives are just a few that will bring a burst of flavor to any salad. And keep in mind that you can add cooked vegetables (grilled vegetables are great!) and leftover chicken and beef sliced or diced into the salad will make a complete healthy and nutritious meal.

Harvest before seeds become mature and when color is uniformly dark. Wash, peel and slice 1/3 inch thick. Prepare quickly, just enough eggplant for one blanching at a time. Blanch 4 minutes in 1 gallon of boiling water containing ½ cup lemon juice. Cool, drain and package, leaving ½ -inch headspace. Seal and freeze.

Kathleen notes: "Mexicans use epazote in all kinds of beans, particularly black and pinto. A lot of recipes that call for cilantro taste great with epazote. This green is also delicious in any kind of mushroom dish: use as you would parsley or any other herb. Finally, a few leaves stuck into a plain quesadilla gives a great flavor.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Medicinally, an epazote tea with a bit of honey is said to calm the stomach. You?re told to drink it first thing in the morning for parasites or even less severe stomach ailments. It's an acquired taste that I managed to acquire.?

I found another use for lettuce -- in a Veggie Smoothie!

Take a cup of water, 8 ice cubes [about 1oz] and a fresh lettuce or cabbage leaves with maybe a stalk of celery in the blender. Adjust veggie amounts to your taste. Watch out for the red or orange veggies because they will give your drink a funny color.

Greens can also be used in pureed soups: 4 cups stock, 1 cup shredded veggie, cook till veggies are done [15/20 min], then put through blender. This mixture can be chilled and used as a cold soup or heated with an equal volume of milk for a creamed soup.

Word has it that Elise also recommends juicing some of our abundant greens. She freezes this juice in ice cube trays & pops it into soups & stews during ?lean green? times of the year.

The best way to keep the lettuce is to cut the bottom of the stalk and let the leaves fall free. Wash them in a cold water bath, drain and repeat if the water is dirty. Spin, dab or shake the leaves dry and store in the refrigerator in a bag. I use a plastic storage container that was originally for dry cereal to keep my lettuce crisp after I wash it.

1. Fill a large bowl with cold water. Put the greens in the bowl. Using your hands, move the greens gently through the water.
2. Let the greens sit in the water for a minute to allow the dirt to settle to the bottom of the bowl. (Organic greens tend to have sand and dirt, so wash carefully, repeating this step until free of grit.)
3. Using your hands or a large spoon, remove the greens from the water into a strainer. (Do not pour the greens through a strainer, or the dirt will pour with the water back onto the greens.)
4. If you have a salad spinner, spin dry. If not, shake water off the leaves, and wrap in a papertowel or dishtowel.
5. Store in the fridge for 15 minutes to 30 minutes to allow greens to crisp.

• If you will be using your tomatoes right away, choose ripe tomatoes. Ripe tomatoes have a deep, rich color and a sweet smell. They are slightly soft when touched.
• Store unripe tomatoes at room temperature up to 1 week. They will continue to ripen, particularly when placed in a brown paper bag or in a bowl with other fruits. The gases given off by the fruit help the tomato ripen!
• Never refrigerate a tomato that is not fully red or ripe. Cold temperatures ruin their flavor.
• Once fully ripe, tomatoes can be refrigerated for just a few days. But it's best to use them right away.

• Try using stewed, roasted, sun-dried, or pureed tomatoes when fresh tomatoes are out of season.
• You will need about 4 medium-sized tomatoes when a recipe calls for one pound.
• It is sometimes better to remove the seeds when adding fresh tomatoes to a dish. Cut the tomato in half crosswise. Hold a half in one hand and poke the seeds out with your finger while gently squeezing.
• To roast: Preheat oven to 300°. Cut several plum tomatoes in half. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and if desired, fresh or dried herbs. Set cut side-up on a baking sheet or shallow roasting pan. Roast for 3 hours until soft and lightly caramelized on the bottom. Use roasted tomatoes in pasta dishes, salads, sandwiches, stews, or any dish that suits your fancy.
• Tomatoes work well with all kinds of herbs and spices. Try cilantro, basil, oregano, thyme, dill, black pepper, cumin, or coriander.

www.cookinglight.com

www.epicurious.com

www.foodtv.com

www.recipesource.com

www.vegetariantimes.com

On last rainy Saturday morning about eight of us gathered at Hudson Guild for the vegetable canning demonstration.

We participated in canning beets. We learned how to keep our jars germ free thus ensure the long lasting canning. It seemed like a pretty easy procedure, which in short was:

1. Cut up the beets.
2. Cook the beets in vinegar.
3. Sterilize the jars.
4. Make your desired sauce and mix it with an acid.
5. Put the sauce and beets in a jar.
6. Close the jar and boil it for ten minutes.
7. Check the jar if it is sealed. If sealed GOOD.
8. If not, eat them the next week :)

We made a delicious pasta dish using the greens from the beets.
The next probable demonstration is either freezing and canning the vegetable or canning the sauces for holiday season.

We hope to have more participants next time.

The rapidly expanding national organic food industry, at $13 billion of sales projected this year, demonstrated its newfound political clout this past April, for the first time since the national organic standards went into effect in October 2002. For about 10 years before the USDA organic standards were enacted, the debate over what could be labeled "organic" played out between a group that subscribed to a holistic view of organic agriculture that supported small, diverse growing operations that would ultimately lead to national and international agricultural systems promoting social and environmental well-being for communities everywhere; and larger food production, processing, and distribution companies who saw "organic" simply as a growing niche market in the food business that had profit growth potential. After unprecedented debate and public comment our national standards now reflect a compromise from this debate, which address direct issues such as pesticides and genetic modification, but do not deal with issues historically related to the organic farming movement such as local eating and labor rights.

In any case, the standards were too strong for a North Georgia chicken farming operation, Fieldale Farms, who wanted to sell their product as "organic", but did not want to feed their animals USDA certified organic feed, one of the requirements for selling chickens as organic under the new rules. Fieldale Farms contributed $5000 to Representative Nathan Deal's political campaign during his 2002 run for the House of Representatives and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert, at the request of Deal, with no public notification or discussion, inserted a rider in the $397 billion budget bill passed both houses of Congress in February (Section 771 of the Ominbus Appropriations Bill), addressing completely unrelated issues, that would weaken USDA's organic standards and allow Fieldale Farms to sell its chickens as "organic".

With the integrity of the label threatened, a broad coalition of those involved in the original organic standards debate, from local food activists to mega-corporation Tyson foods, fought back. Nathan Deal's clause in the budget bill was repealed by the Organic Restoration Act in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and soon afterwards the first meeting of the Congressional Organic Agriculture Caucus in Washington D.C. convened. The purpose of this group is to protect the integrity of the organic standards in the future, and to lobby for more federal money to be used for organic agriculture research.

The ultimate outcomes of the political debate around organic standards remain to be seen. Will they ultimately contribute to a more sustainable and just system of agriculture, or will they allow for further environmental degradation and consolidation of food production power? It is unfortunate that we have to remain a watchdog over the influence of private interests in policy that is meant to better agricultural production practices and look out for the public good. However, Nathan Deal?s bad deal points to the importance of campaign finance reform, the necessity for watchdog groups that act to serve the needs of the public, and reinforces the fact that we as consumers need to keep ourselves educated and aware.

For more information on the USDA Organic Standards: www.ams.usda.gov/nop/ (Of the National Organic Program)

For more information on the Congressional Organic Agriculture Caucus: www.ofrf.org(Organic Farming Research Foundation)

For more information on campaign finance reform: www.publicampaign.org/

Just Food, the citywide nonprofit organization that develops Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups in NYC, has a broad mission to promote economic, social, and environmental justice through local sustainable food systems. And although CSA is a large part of the work we do, we have other programs we think that you, as CSA members, may be interested in knowing about.

Our other primary program is called The City Farms. The purpose of The City Farms is to increase food production, marketing, and distribution via community gardens in NYC. We work closely with other NYC groups to offer workshops, training materials, and networking opportunities to enable NYC communities to grow more food. Since 1997 we have grown to include over 30 community gardens representing all five boroughs. 2003 is the 2nd year of the Training of Trainers program that encourages skilled gardeners to become gardener-trainers themselves and pass the wealth of their knowledge on to their community. Just Food, for the first time is able to pay a stipend to these trainers. This season The City Farms is also working to open 3 urban farm stands, establish a summer workshop series for gardeners, and place its first Americorps/VISTA member.

In addition to our work with CSA and The City Farms, Just Food also has an education and outreach component. This year, we will be publishing two full newsletters, which as a CSA member you will receive. And if you would like a deeper understanding of some of the issues we discussed in newsletters, you are welcome to attend any of our food and farm issues education seminars. Visit our website for more info: www.justfood.org

This year Just Food will also be reinstituting its annual conference. (Save the date! It?s happening November 15th). We will be collaborating with the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture and other groups to build on educational and organizing activities of existing groups, and to involve more NYC people in issues related to community food security. Some of the food system issues we have identified to be of special interest in NYC include food irradiation, rBGH in dairy, genetically modified vegetables, and farmland preservation.

If you have any questions about Just Food's activities, or would generally just like some more information, please feel free to contact us at 212-645-9880 ext. 12 or e-mail us at info@justfood.org.

The formal 2002 CSA season is coming to an end. This does not mean that the spirit of your CSA experience has to end. Here are a few suggestions for continuing to eat local, healthy foods, and participating in the educational, social and political aspects of the CSA experience.

Where to Get Your Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
There are nearly 20 farmers? markets throughout New York City that are open year-round. Many of these markets have regional farmers who not only have fruits and vegetables but also provide fish, beef, pork, lamb, poultry, eggs, dairy products, honey, and maple syrup. This is a wonderful way to continue to eat fresh, seasonal produce and to support regional farmers.

For the dates, times and locations of all the Greenmarkets in New York City check out the Council on the Environment of New York City?s website at www.cenyc.org/HTMLGM/schedule. Or call Greenmarket at 212.477.3220.

You can also find a list of all the farmers? markets in New York State by going to the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets? website at www.agmkt.state.ny.us/AP/CommunityFarmersMarkets.asp.

Another option to consider is joining your local food Co-op. Co-ops often try to purchase locally produced fruits and vegetables and most label produce that is locally grown. Don?t hesitate to encourage your local Co-op or any store to start purchasing more locally grown vegetables. Your local food Co-op is also a great place to meet others who care about food and farm issues. Contact the 4th Street Coop (212.674.3623), the Park Slope Coop (718.622.0560) or the Flatbush Coop (718.284.9717).

Preserving Fruits and Vegetables
Storing, canning and freezing vegetables are all great ways to extend the CSA season. Take a look at last weeks Just Food article to find out all you need to know about storing and preserving food for the winter. Something to consider when canning is that canning is easier and more fun when done with friends. Have a canning party. If you are concerned with the cost of a pressure-cooker, you might consider sharing the cost with a group of friends. Another option might be to encourage your CSA to communally purchase a pressure-cooker that its members could use. Also, be sure to get in touch with your CSA site coordinator or Just Food about possible canning demonstrations. Check out the Northeast Regional Food Guide; it?s an excellent website with information about vegetables, their growing and harvesting season, their nutritional content and much more: www.nutrition.cornell.edu/FoodGuide/

Growing Your Own Food
If you are feeling ambitious, something you might consider for next year is growing your own food. It?s a great way to supplement your CSA share and can be a source of vegetables all year-round. Remember, planning for next year's garden starts now. See www.nyselfhelpguide.org/tips/tip1011801479-43528.html or call Greenthumb at 212. 788.8070. You can also contact Just Food to find out more information about the City Farms program, which is helping New Yorkers grow more food. Visit their website at www.justfood.org or contact Kathleen McTigue at 212-645-9880 x13.

Help Save Family Farms
As a CSA Member, you already help save local family farms with your food dollars. You can also help out by learning more about and acting on the food and farm issues that interest you. Here are some issues and organizations where you can begin your search:

Farmland Preservation: 202-331-7300 or www.farmlandtrust.org
Factory Farming and Food Irradiation (G.R.A.C.E): 212-726-9161 or www.factoryfarm.org
International Agricultural and Trade Policy: 612-870-0453 or www.iatp.org
General Agricultural Policy Issues: (845) 744-8448 or www.sustainableagriculture.net

Although winter is approaching, your hard work and dedication toward supporting small, local farms does not have to end.

Have a great winter and keep the CSA spirit alive.

On October 21st USDA organic foods labeling standards will take full effect in the United States. The production of organic foods has grown at an annual rate of 20% over the last ten years and currently represents $7.7 billion of the $400 billion generated annually by the American food industry. It is the fastest growing sector of food products. But what is organic food really in the US? This is a question that the new organic standards attempts to answer, but the real validity of these rules cannot be gauged without first knowing a bit about the history of organic agriculture in the US.

The generally accepted definition of organic food is food grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides or herbicides. So in this sense all agriculture before the development of these products in the 1940s could be termed organic. But to many farmers and eaters the concept of organic has more philosophical and holistic undertones.

British author Lord Northbourne originally adapted the term from the word organism, which is how he viewed farms that function as living and balanced systems. The term was popularized in the US by organic food pioneer J.I. Rodale who made direct links between healthy soil and healthy people. Both men contributed to the development of the original concept which included notions of composting, crop rotation, and natural weed and pest control. In a certain sense they were attempting to create sustainable agricultural systems that mimicked natural ecosystems.

The marketing of agricultural products identified as organic began nearly four decades ago. As of 1990, about 50 different private and state organic certification programs operated in the US, but there were no nationally uniform standards. This, of course, presented uncertainties for some consumers who had a general sense that organically grown food was healthier than conventionally grown food, but did not know precisely what the term organic represented. Meanwhile producers lacked credibility in marketing their organic products.

So in 1990 the National Organic Program was proposed under the Organic Foods Production Act in the 1990 Farm Bill. The program required the establishment of clear standards and guidelines for production and handling, labeling, accreditation of state and independent certifying agents, and other such aspects of the organic food industry. In next week?s newsletter you?ll find out what standards they finally settled on and what these standards will mean for you, organic farmers, and the future of organic food.

Special thanks to Sarah Johnson of NOFA New York and Just Food volunteer Ana Lacina.

For CSA members who have yet to eat raw sweet corn fresh off the cob, this is a treat not to be missed, especially as part of the ?No-Cook Sweet Corn Salad? featured in this week?s newsletter. This salad, as well as the ?Corn and Black-Eyed Peas Summer Stew? and the ?A.M/P.M Corn Cakes? were all the tasty outcomes of last week?s August Vegetable of the Month Cooking Demonstration featuring ? you guessed it ? corn! CSA member and chef extraordinaire Helen Baldus led this demo, which was fully attended by CSA members and other members of the Chelsea community eager to learn more about the preparation, cooking, and health benefits of the featured vegetable.

According to the Community Food Resource Center (CFRC), although we call corn a vegetable, it?s really a grain ? a domesticated grass in the family Graminae. Also known as maize, corn was originally cultivated from its wild ancestor, teosinte, at least 7000 years ago in Mexico. Since then, corn has spread far across continents and cultures, both for its nutritional value for humans and animals and for its multitude of industrial uses. Corn plays more of a role in out everyday lives than most would imagine. It?s in adhesives, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, paint, toothpaste, certain types of beer? you name it!

According to CFRC, New York State is one of the biggest producers of sweet corn (i.e., the main type of corn we eat), which is high in A, B, and C vitamins, calcium, iron, and niacin (niacin is important for healthy nerves, skin, and digestion). While there?s no doubt that corn merits its title of August?s ?Vegetable of the Month,? it?s always important to consider where ones corn has come from and how it?s been grown. This is because conventionally grown corn is among the most heavily fertilized, heavily pesticide treated, and heavily irrigated crops ? with equally heavy fossil fuel usage for its tillage and harvesting. Hard to swallow? Not if you?re swallowing locally and sustainably grown sweet corn like the kind we get from Pete and Deb.

SOURCES:
www.ontariocorn.org/products.html
www.campsilos.org/mod3/students/c_history.shtml

Want a 58th variety? Heinz thinks you will. By the end of this summer, supermarket shelves everywhere will be stocked with Heinz Organic Ketchup. The decision to produce an organic version of this nation?s favorite condiment came as a result of increased consumer demand for organic products. Heinz, like so many other major food companies, saw a new marketing niche and jumped on the organic bandwagon. Organic ketchup is the most recent Heinz condiment innovation, which also includes obviously-not-organic orange and mystery colored ketchup for kids, developed in an effort to increase sales in a relatively flat market.

Sporting a green version of the signature keystone label, the new condiment is organic according to the USDA standards. Tomatoes processed into this variety are grown far from New York in Escalon, California, using USDA certified techniques, which may or may not add up to the common consumer understanding of organic.

As the word organic appears more frequently on supermarket shelves, the meaning behind the word organic becomes less clear. Are organic products that carry a brand name up to par with locally produced food products? Are large manufacturers with fields in California cutting into a market that could be secured by our own local, small-scale growers and processors? The answer to all this uncertainty rests in your own kitchen. You can contribute to positive social change though ketchup by using the likely plethora of locally grown tomatoes over the next few weeks to make your own. You can even put on a ?green? label?

16 medium tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/4 tsp. red pepper
1/4-cup sugar
1/2-cup vinegar
3/4 tsp. whole cloves
3/4 tsp. Stick cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Whole allspice
1/2 tsp. celery seed
2 tsp. Salt

Combine tomatoes, onions and red pepper. Cook 20 minutes then strain through sieve. Add sugar and cook until volume is reduced by 1/2 (about 1 1/4 hours).

Meanwhile, bring to a boil vinegar, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, celery seeds, and salt. Cool.

When cool, strain and add to tomato mixture and boil while stirring until thick, about 1/2 hour. Place ketchup in sterilized jars and seal. Immerse jars completely in water and boil for about 15 minutes. Remove and cool jars. Makes 1 pint.

Adapted from Farm Journal's Freezing & Canning Cookbook. 1964. Doubleday.

Now that tomato season has (finally!) rolled around, we?re likely to start seeing more and more of these delicious veggies (or fruits, depending on your definition) at distribution. Something we?re unlikely to see, however, is uniform-looking conventional tomatoes like the ones we?d find at the grocery store. Instead, Chelsea CSA members are likely to find tomatoes of all shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns ? and tastes too. This is one of the many benefits of getting our produce from small local farmers who care about what they grow ? and about the people who eat what they grow. Deb mentioned that some of the tomatoes she and Pete grow are ?heirloom? varieties. While most of us have probably heard this term, there?s a lot of confusion about what it actually means, so I?ve decided to share the results of a little research I?ve done.

Tomatoes, which are in the same plant family as potatoes and eggplant, originated in South America. They have been growing in this country at least dating back to Jeffersonian times. Following WWII, the growing of tomatoes, like many other crops, changed drastically. Chemical treatment, mechanization, and transport over long distances became commonplace. As a result, rather than being bred for taste, tomatoes were bred to be durable, easily transportable, and able to store well. In the process, a lot of genetic diversity of tomatoes was lost. According to one source, over 80% of tomato varieties available in 1910 are now extinct.

The growing of heirloom varieties of produce such as tomatoes is a means of preserving this threatened genetic diversity. Combining several definitions, heirloom tomatoes are ?open pollinated, non hybrid varieties that were introduced prior to WWII and have been developed and maintained by individuals over the years.? More generally, heirloom tomatoes are tomatoes that have been grown over several generations, often through seeds collected after each harvest and passed down through families. The fact that heirlooms tend to be open-pollinated and non-hybrid allows their seeds to be collected and then planted with reliable results.

So as you can see, there is no one taste or appearance characteristic of ?heirloom? tomatoes. Just the opposite, it is variability in taste and appearance that makes heirlooms what they are ? and makes them such enjoyable tomatoes to eat!

Sources:
www.heirloomtomatoes.net
www.serveralt.com/tomato/heirloom_b.htm
http://store.yahoo.com/seedsofchange/glossary.html

At the last meeting of active volunteers, the Chelsea CSA developed a list of guidelines for distribution to prevent running out of items before the end of distribution (as this has happened a few times so far in the season, most likely due to misunderstanding.):

• Consult the easel board or sheet on the box for the quantity of each vegetable.
• Do not exceed the designated quantity for an item.
• Do not change the quantity of the item. If you are to take two peppers and two zucchini, do not take three peppers and one zucchini.
• Feel free to use the SWAP BOX: You can discard an item you don't want in the swap box and take an item, but only from the Swap Box. The Swap Box allows some flexibility in your choice, but some of the most popular items will probably not be appearing in the swap box.
• Other than using the swap box, you cannot substitute one item for another. For example, you cannot take two orders of peppers because you did not take your order of Swiss chard.
• If you do not have a full share and you are the first person of the sharers to arrive at distribution, divide the share in bags, leaving the bag(s) for the person (or people) with whom you share with the volunteer who is checking people off the list. Mark the name of the person (or people) with a note on the bag.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask help from the volunteers at distribution

Pets
Hudson Guild policy is not to allow pets in the lobby. So, if you bring your pet to distribution, you need to leave the pet outside. You could tie a leash to one of the poles outside the building.

I joined the Chelsea CSA this year and was pleasantly surprised by the first week's wonderful mix of produce.

The bouquet of sage was bigger than the usual supermarket sprig, and sage's edible purple flowers were new to me. I sprinkled some flowers and pumpkin pie spice mix on cottage cheese and topped all with canned peaches. Later in the week, I made a cup of herb tea with some dry sage leaves. I love the aroma when I break off leaves or flowers.

Fast and easy seems to be the way to go for myself on hot summer days - with salads, stir fry and omelettes.

Tiny raw spinach leaves alternating with medium size spinach leaves circling a center round of omelette with Parmesan cheese looked a bit like a giant sunflower. The fresh leaves were more flavorful than store-bought spinach.

Last week, Dore Nash mentioned bright lights Swiss chard in her article. I don't know how that type differs from grocery store chard, but Armenians sometimes use Swiss chard or Romaine lettuce instead of grape leaves in making meat and rice stuffed leaves, or chard for cold appetizer leaves filled with rice, nuts and olive oil mixture.

I?m Dore Nash, your average lower Manhattanite used to eating out or on the run. I joined the CSA onan impulse last year after finding a notice in the Chelsea Piers newsletter. I had no idea what impact that once-a-week full share of vegetables would make on my life.

The Chelsea CSA is volunteer-run cooperative, so I arranged my schedule to meet the shareholder obligation to work a minimum of three two-hour shifts over the five-month season. Not a lot of time, considering the benefits of belonging to a mixed-income program which supports access to farm-fresh foods for low-income and elderly as well as more affluent community residents.

Tuesday is pick-up day, which came very quickly each week. I raced from work to the Hudson Guild distribution site on West 26th Street to get there by the 7pm deadline. I was rewarded with three or four very full (sometimes heavy) bags of fresh, organic veggies. The biggest challenge was figuring out how to actually use each week's allotment rather than having it bury my typically tiny NYC kitchen under an organic landslide as the season progressed.

The season began mid-June with lettuce, lots and lots of lettuce in all sorts of varieties including spicy cress. The butter crunch was so tender and sweet you could eat it without dressing. We were introduced to garlic scapes (a tasty sprouted seed pod) and mizune, a Japanese mustard green that reminds me of arugula. July gave us green/wax beans and the beginnings of ?bright lights? swiss chard, which we ate alot of last season. We found that heirloom seeds yield varieties including teardrop-shaped early Jersey Wakefield cabbage (sweet) and long narrow light green Biscayne peppers (mild).August arrived with lilac peppers, roma beans, sunburst patty pan squash and neon eggplant. Tomatoes ripened in the heat but lettuce was gone, since it grows better in cooler weather. There was gala melon and new red potatoes, along with edemame (edible soybeans) for shelling and toasting. September brought tomatillos along with oriental express/black bell eggplant, keuka gold potatoes, delicata winter squash and - our household favorite - leeks.

October continued with small fordhook and bright lights chard, as well as beets (edible green tops), mint, celery and celeriac. There was also black radish (similar to horseradish), cabbage, carnival winter squash, leeks, and pie pumpkins along with Indian corn and gourds for display. November proved surprisingly ?green? with broccoli, parsley, swiss chard and sage (a treat with butter-tossed pasta). We wrapped up the season just before Thanksgiving with brussel sprouts (on the stalk), turnips, potatoes, onions and Jacob's Cattle beans (a red and white heirloom variety).

All in all, it was a great harvest. The CSA program is, among other things, a wonderful introduction to the pleasures and surprises of local as well as seasonal eating. I highly recommend you take a share and enjoy yourself while making a real contribution to our Chelsea neighborhood.