Raw Foods on Long Island
Here’s a great article in the New York Times featuring some Long Island raw food places. If you try these places, let us know what you think. I can’t wait to check out all of them.
Here’s links to the featured places:
Live Island Cafe in Huntington
The Juicy Naam in East Hampton, Sag Harbor (and Manhattan)
The Rising Tide Natural Market in Glen Cove
Screening of “Lunch Line” Tomorrow Night!
As part of Slow Food East End’s film series, Films on Food or Food on Film, there will be a screening of the documentary Lunch Line, which explores school lunch programs. Check it out TOMORROW night at 6 pm @ Floyd Memorial Library, 539 1st Street, Greenport, NY. The screening (6:00 pm-7:20 pm) will be followed by a discussion. This event is FREE! Yipee!!!
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
DELICIOUS! I love it, and you will too. Super easy, healthful, and satisfying. This is a vegetarian dish, but can easily be vegan. Simply omit the feta cheese and voila! It’s then vegan.
MEDITERRANEAN QUINOA SALAD
2 cups low sodium veggie broth
1 cup water
1/2 green bell pepper- diced
1 cup grape tomatoes- halved
1/2 cup marinated roasted red peppers- chopped
1/4 cup kalamata olives- halved or rough chop
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley- chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup feta or goat cheese- crumbled
1 to 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 to 2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Let The Farmers’ Market Season Begin
Oh the farmers’ markets, where the bounty of Long Island’s farms reside, perfectly presented in baskets or in crates on tables, waiting for me to take home to turn into magnificent culinary creations. If I could write you a sonnet, I would. It’s been a long, cold, lonely winter, and here a beacon of the sun and summer has finally arrived. I advise you all, GO to your local farmers’ market and find fresh picked produce lovingly cared for and produced by Long Islanders, or jams and preserves, local wines, breads, cheeses. Meet Mark of The Big Cheese who carries local cheeses, some by my favorite dairy farm Mecox Bay Dairy, where the cows really are happy. Belive me, I’ve met them. Find baked goods, or Italian delicacies straight from New Italy a.k.a. Brooklyn. Or try some local honey (which also happens to be great for allergies). As the summer kicks in, the harvests abound, and many of us foodies find ourselves skipping and giddy with endless options. And you can even find treats for your four-legged best friends.
Everyone leaves the farmers’ market happy.
To find your new summer love, click here. And also find more information about the farmers’ markets at Long Island Growers Market and here at Slow Food East End.
Have you signed up for a CSA yet?
If you’re interested in eating local, seasonal and organic food, a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a great way to do so. CSA’s, as the name implies, are a way for communities to support local family farms, helping them to survive and thrive.
They originally began in Europe and Japan, and in the 1980’s CSA’s started in the U.S. Here’s how they work: In the beginning of the season, consumers essentially buy a “share” of the farm. They pay upfront for a weekly allotment of whatever the farm may be harvesting at that time. This helps the farmer, with their expensive start-up costs, and the consumer benefits by receiving the bounty of the farm. Often, when the farm has success with the crops, the CSA member receives much more produce than what they would be able to buy for the same amount of money in the grocery store or even at a farmer’s market. Garden of Eve, a local organic farm in Aquebogue has documented their actual shares for the past few years. They calculated the market value of what members received each week. In 2009, members saved $154.25 for the season.
As with any investment, while members share the success, they also share the risk, and herein lies the community support. Small family farms face even greater risk than large corporate farms when it comes to drought, flood, crop failure, etc., and one bad season can be enough to put a farm out of operation for good. By agreeing to support the farm in the beginning of the season, members agree to accept whatever the farm produces that week, even if it is nothing. This is exactly why CSA’s began. Communities joined together to make sure their local farmers stayed in business. Of course, these disastrous events are rarely the case and more often, each week members receive a variety of local and delicious vegetables, fruits and even eggs, meats, flowers, cheeses and more.
This is the first year that I joined a CSA. There are many farms to choose from, and each farm has a number of options. I chose a half share of the Variety Pak (for my husband and me) from Garden of Eve, which includes farm fresh, organic eggs from pastured chickens, organic vegetables, fruit from a neighboring farm and flowers. Since it is a half share, I’ll pick up a full share every other week. There are a number of pick up locations all throughoutLong Island,Brooklyn,Manhattan andQueens. You can pick whichever is closest to you.
Long Island has plenty of farms to choose from for CSA’s. On the farms listing on this page, you’ll see that I’ve listed which farms offer CSA’s. The Golden Earthworm, another great local organic farm in Jamesport also offers a CSA with options that include their own organic vegetables, and a neighboring farm’s fruit. As with Garden of Eve, the fruit is not all organic, but they work with farms that use “low spray techniques”. The Golden Earthworm also teamed up with other farms to offer Special Shares, which include eggs, meats, grains, cheeses, honey and maple syrup.
Some other farms that offer CSA’s on Long Island are Restoration Farm in Bethpage, Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett, The Farm at Saint Peter’s in Bay Shore and many more. Check out the Farms and Gardens link on this site.
I’m so excited to experiment with different vegetables and recipes this summer and fall with some deliciously, fresh, local food. If you’ve signed up for a CSA, let us know. We’d like the scoop on all the options out there. And by all means, share some of the food creations you’ve designed. If you haven’t signed up yet, do so soon! Some farms have already sold out.
WINTER Farmer’s Market?
YES! It’s true! Hello G & G Long Island Winter Farmer’s Market. And you thought there was no hope until Spring. This new farmer’s market is open Saturdays from 9 am until 1 pm in either Huntington or Northport. Check out the website for details.
The market will be in Northport this Saturday morning (January 29) at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church at 270 Main Street. Get your local cheeses, jams, breads, veggies, all natural dog treats, and even some live music too.
Forks Over Knives
“Forks Over Knives” is a new documentary film that examines the connection between animal based foods and degenerative diseases. The film highlights the extensive work and research by Dr. T. Colin Campbell of Cornell University, author of The China Study. Many other experts are featured in the film, including Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn and Dr. Neal Barnard among others.
If you’d like to check out the film, there is a screening at 7 p.m. tomorrow evening at East Hampton Middle School. Find out more information about the screening here.
Check out the trailer here.
Get Your Local Veggies for T-Day
If you want the freshest, most delicious produce for your Thanksgiving meal, then check out one of Long Island’s many farmer’s markets. Check out the listing of Farmer’s Markets right here on Long Island Holistic Health. And use this tool from Long Island Farm Bureau. And don’t forget the new farmer’s market at the Tanger Outlets in Deer Park. They are open every Saturday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
I’m on my way to the Islip Farmer’s Market, where I’ll get some raw cheeses from Mecox Bay Dairy (cheese from LONG ISLAND COWS!), some organic produce from Golden Earthworm Organic Farm, and some local honey and preserves from Miss Amy’s. I hope to see you there!
Which is your favorite Long Island Farmer’s Market?
The Mad Cowboy in Long Island
Healthy Planet is hosting a Green, Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Dinner and Lecture this Sunday, November 21, 2010. Special guest speaker will be Howard Lyman, a.k.a. The Mad Cowboy. Mr. Lyman is a fourth generation farmer from Montana, and a former cattle rancher. A once avid meat-eater, he is now a vegan, and advocates for reform of agribusiness and speaks about veganism. He is incredibly informative, entertaining and inspiring. If you have the chance to make it to this event, I highly recommend it.
Doors open at 2:00. Dinner is at 3:30, and Mr. Lyman speaks at 4:30. Advanced tickets can be purchased, and are $10 for members and $15 for general public. Everyone is asked to bring a plant-based dish, or $10 in place of a dish. There is an extra $5 charge if buying tickets at the door. The event will be at Sweet Hallow Hall in Melville, NY. Find out more information here and www.Healthy-Planet.org.
If you go to this event, please tell us about it here.
Long Island Turkeys
WHERE TO BUY NATURALLY RAISED LONG ISLAND TURKEYS List below
This Thanksgiving, get a fresh, local, naturally raised, organic turkey. There are so many reasons to eat locally and organic, but first, let’s think about the turkeys. If you have seen any of the recent documentaries about the meat industry (Food, Inc. for example), then I am sure you are appalled with the ways that animals are raised and treated. Ask yourself, do you want to take part in that and do you want to put that into your body?
Get a turkey from the cruise ship! Well, that’s what my husband calls them. He jokes that I won’t let us eat just any turkey (or chicken or cow for that matter). Rather, we eat the turkeys that were treated luxuriously, as if they spent their life relaxing on a cruise ship. While we joke about this, they aren’t exactly treated like royalty; they are just treated humanely and decently. Meaning, they are allowed to roam outside, breath in fresh air, eat grains and grasses, and live close to how they were meant to live.
I now eat meat on occasion, after years of abstaining, but when I do, I want it to be a high quality and natural. I do this for selfish reasons like taste and health purposes (with such a high risk for breast and prostate cancers, why increase that risk by eating hormone laden food), but I also do it for deeper reasons. I want the creature that I will be eating to have lived a decent and healthy life. I do not want to eat something that was tortured and humiliated. I don’t want to consume that energy, and I don’t want to take part in that cycle.
So here are some easy alternatives to the mass produced turkeys of the modern agri-business giant, and you can support some local, family owned and operated Long Island farms and businesses in the process. Below, you will see the listings for places to order and buy your natural, Long Island, Thanksgiving turkey.
BABYLON VILLAGE MEAT MARKET 85 Deer Park Avenue, Babylon, NY 11702- 631-669-0612
They offer organic, freshly killed turkeys from Pennsylvania, that you can order and pick up at the store. $5.69 per pound
CORNUCOPIA HEALTH FOODS 39 N. Main Street, Sayville, NY 11782- 631-589-9579
At Cornucopia, you can order and pick up fresh turkeys from Releigh’s Farm, a local, family owned farm in Kings Park, right here on Long Island. The turkeys are local, organic, antibiotic free, hormone free, humanely raised and free range. Order at the store, or check out their catering menu online. $4.25 per pound
GARDEN OF EVE ORGANIC FARM 4558 Sound Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901-631-722-8777
This year, Garden of Eve is offering a limited number of antibiotic free, broad breasted white turkeys. They will be frozen and are available for pick up the Saturday before Thanksgiving. To reserve a turkey, contact the farmers at farmer@gardenofevefarm.com. Include your name, contact information and preferred size range. $4.25 per pound
Makinajian Poultry Farm 276 Cuba Hill Road, Huntington, NY 11743- 631-368-9320
This family owned and operated farm is taking orders for their organic turkeys.
Miloski’s Poultry Farm 4418 Main Road (Route 25), Calverton, NY 11933- 631-727-0239
Check out pictures of the turkeys hanging out on the farm on Miloski’s Facebook Page Turkeys are sold on a first come first served basis. They are local, humanely raised, antibiotic free, hormone free, free range (pictures for proof!) and grain and grass fed. You can go to the farm and pick out your turkey, and the farmers will take care of the slaughtering for you.
North Sea Farms 1060 Noyac Road, Southampton, NY 11968- 631-283-0735
A local, family owned poultry farm, they sell free range turkeys in the winter and fall (they also have organic, free range chicken and eggs all year).
RELEIGH’S POULTRY FARM 335 Old Indian Head Road, Kings Park, NY 11754- 631-269-4428
Releigh’s Poultry Farm offers fresh, organic, free range, antibiotic free turkeys. They supply Cornucopia Health Foods with their turkeys. You can pick them up on the farm. They are open until 8pm the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and until 3 pm the day before Thanksgiving. Get your order in by November 17. $3.25 per pound
A final option is to hunt for your own wild turkey. Yes, there are LOTS of wild turkeys on Long Island. I drove past a bunch of wild turkeys recently just in Center Moriches. So get your huntin’ gear together, and tell me what you get. The wild ones are certainly as free range as they get.
Whichever you pick, let us all know here. Comment below to let us know where you got your turkey (or tofurky) and what you thought of it.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Enjoy your family, friends and food, and remember all that was sacrificed for this meal, and every meal.
