Turf's Potluck Fundraiser

On November 14th, Turf held's it first Potluck Fundraiser at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church. CSA members, their friends and family, along with supporters of Turf attended the event. Our food was prepared by our csa members and included vegetables from their shares. Raflles and SRCO's DJ also made the evening fun. This event marked the end of our 2009 csa season and left csa members in anticpation for our 2010 csa!

Cooking Workshop

On October 10th, Turf hosted a cooking workshop for students from the Urban Assembly Academy of History & Citizenship for Young Men (in the South Bronx). Students learned basic cooking skills, became familiar with traditional Mexican foods, and learned the importance of eating local foods. Turf’s Chef Iris and Erika (our high school intern) guided students through the process of making quesadillas, salsa, and guacamole with fresh ingredients from Turf’s CSA Program. We ended the cooking workshop by eating the food we prepared and sharing favorite food and cooking stories.

Tips for Storing Greens

Turf CSA has been receiving a lot of fresh greens and csa members are practicing different ways of storing them. What works best for me is:

*Washing my greens as soon as I get home

*Loosely wrapping (slightly wet) greens with dry paper towels

*Placing wrapped greens in a zip lock freezer bag and leaving a small opening for air

*Placing zip lock bag on the bottom level of my refrigerator

When I follow these steps, I am able to keep lettuce and other greens for up to 4 days.

Above greens include kale, baby bok choi, and argula.

Turf Summer Reading Recommendations

Check out Turf’s recommended books at Parkchester’s Public Library!

Learn more about the benefits of eating healthy and how food is grown, produced, and sold in the United States. Books currently on display (look for Turf's display in the back of the library) include:

The New Vegetarian Grill by Andrea Chesman
All About Vegetarian Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer
Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
and more…

Turf will continue to add new books to this display throughout the summer. Parkchester's Public Library is located at 1985 Westchester Avenue in the Bronx.

Farmers' Markets Near Parkchester

The New York Botanical Garden (Greenmarket)
Mosholu Parkway Gate at Kazimiroff Blvd., in garden
Wednesday, 10 AM to 3 PM
Late June through October

Harvest Home Castle Hill Market
Castle Hill Avenue, between Castle Hill & Hart Ave.
Saturdays, 8 AM to 4PM
July through November

Hunts Point Farmers' Market
Msgr. Raul del Valle Square, Southern Blvd and E 163rd St.
Wednesday and Saturday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM
Late June through Mid November

Phipps West Farmers' Market
Located at Drew Gardens, east of intersection of East Tremont Ave and Boston Rd.
Wednesdays, 10 AM to 3 PM
Mid July through Mid November

Turf's First Cooking Demo

On Saturday, July 11th, Turf CSA members and friends were treated to a wonderful cooking demonstration by Iris (Turf’s Chef), Lydia (Turf’s youth volunteer) and Erika (Turf’s high school intern). The cooking team prepared two fresh salads and two salad dressings using ingredients commonly included in our weekly farm share and ingredients found in one's pantry.

With culinary skill and a sense of humor, Iris filled large salad bowls with wonderful fresh ingredients such as romaine lettuce, carrots, onions, from our share, in addition to sweet oranges. A balsamic vinaigrette and a citrus dressing, perfect for salads on warm days, were also prepared by the cooking team.

Everyone truly enjoyed this cooking demonstration and the time and effort the cooking team put into making everything just right, along with answering questions from members and friends. This was Turf’s first cooking demonstration and it was a big hit and a moment for members to come together and enjoy good healthy food together. by Michael (Turf CSA member)