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3rd Annual Farm to Table Dinner at Hallockville
On Friday, August 8, 6:00pm, Hallockville
Museum Farm will celebrate the bounty and agricultural
heritage of the East End at its 3rd Annual Farm to Table
Dinner. The historic Naugles Barn surrounded by preserved
farmland will provide an authentic and scenic venue for
this special evening. Locally-grown food will be featured
and complemented by North Fork wines. Music will be provided
by Dune Grass and local artisans will demonstrate and
sell their crafts.
Tickets ($80 per person) are available
by calling Hallockville at 298-5292. Proceeds support
programming at Hallockville Museum Farm.
9 Reasons to Eat Local
Natasha Beccaria of the Long Island Farm
Bureau offers nine good reasons to eat local. Read
more >.
Free
Long Island Farmstand Guide
Now that it's farmstand
season again, the Long Island Farm Bureau is offering
a free Long Island Farmstand Guide to help you
find fresh, local produce. To get yours or for more info,
go to the Long
Island Farm Bureau website.
Families may consider becoming
members of LIFB to get discounts on local produce as well
as a wide variety of other products and services. For
more info, visit the new Membership
page of NorthForkParents.
Pick Your Own!
The 2008 Pick Your Own list of Cornell
Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County is now online!
Click here.
The North Fork's CSA Farms
by Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht*
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
programs bring together farmers with people who want to
have a farming experience without buying a farm!
Families sign up for a growing season's
"subscription." Families pay in the spring and
commit to sharing the benefits and risks of farming. In
return, these families enjoy fresh produce, great value,
and a special relationship with "their" farm.
Five Good Reasons to Join
1. Cook healthier, more delicious dishes
and avoid the supermarket all summer long.
2. Help your kids and family eat more
vegetables.
3. Help the environment! Organic farms
do not use any toxic pesticides, herbicides, or chemical
fertilizers.
4. Support your local farmers and the
local economy.
5. Kids love the farm, and you will,
too!
Here's How It Works
In the spring, CSA "members" buy a share of
the farm's produce, which helps cover the anticipated
costs of the farm operation and pays the farmer a living
wage. A share generally ranges in cost from $450-$600,
depending on the farm and the length of their CSA season.
Many CSA pick-up locations exist throughout Long Island
and New York City, and pickup times vary so you can usually
find one that is convenient for you.
In return for making this season-long
commitment to the farm, members get shares in the farm's
bounty each week throughout the growing season. Most CSA
produce is picked no more than one day before delivery,
so it's super-fresh, picked ripe, and has much more flavor
than store-bought produce.
The fresh, CSA share vegetables are often
sweeter, and may be more palatable to kids than supermarket
veggies. Also, many kids become more willing to eat vegetables
and try new foods when they learn where their food comes
from. They get excited about visiting "their"
farm!
Free farm visits throughout the
season are especially fun, as well as pick-your-own opportunities
that are not usually open to the public.
The CSA share also offers a good value,
particularly for people who are already buying organic
at supermarkets or health food stores. Most farms try
to make sure that as a reward for their commitment to
the farm, CSA members get more than just what they've
paid for.
All CSAs offer a vegetable share, and
some farms offer additional types of shares such as fruit,
flowers, or eggs. For example, Garden of Eve organic farm
offers weekly bouquets of their own certified organic
flowers, a weekly share of one dozen of their own free-range
eggs, and a weekly share of fruit from their neighbor
farm, Briermere Farms, which is "low-spray"
but not organic. For people who travel during the summer
or may not want as much produce, "half shares"
are available, for pickup every other week instead of
weekly.
On the North Fork, the following farms
offer CSA at the farm:
Garden of Eve
(certified organic)
4558 Sound Avenue, Aquebogue
Vegetable, fruit, flower and egg shares
June - Halloween
www.gardenofevefarm.com
(631) 523-6608
Golden Earthworm
(certified organic)
652 Peconic Bay Boulevard in South Jamesport
Vegetable and fruit shares
June-Thanksgiving
www.goldenearthworm.com
(631) 722-3302
Sang Lee Farms
(certified organic)
25180 Rt 48, Peconic
Vegetable shares
May-Thanksgiving
www.sangleefarms.com
(631) 734-7001

*Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht and her husband,
Chris, own and farm Garden of Eve farms on Sound Avenue
in Aquebogue. Visit their web
site and join the farm conversation on their bulletin
board forum, The
Farmers Diary.
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June 2008
The Joy of Tofu
by Jennifer Columbo*
The mere mention of tofu can make the
human face contort into an expression of disdain, striking
fear in the hearts of Americans everywhere.
But tofu is delicious. Believe me, if
your only exposure to tofu has been the gelatinous triangles
(silken tofu) from the local Chinese take-out joint, it
has been unfairly judged. Often I have heard people say
"tofu has no flavor," to which I respond "neither
do egg whites or mozzarella cheese, yet we turn those
into delicious creations." It's up to you to decide
whether the inherent blandness of tofu represents a drawback
or a situation teeming with almost too many opportunities.
Tofu is inexpensive, high in protein
(40% compared to other beans which have at most 20%) and
is a complete protein, meaning it contains all 8 essential
amino acids, which is why it can serve as a substitute
for meat or dairy in a balanced diet. Tofu also contains
8% alpha-linolenic acid which is converted in the body
into omega 3's, an important fact, especially if you are
a true vegetarian, one who does not consume fish.
But
What Is It?
Tofu is made in a similar way to dairy
cheese, using milk from soy beans instead of animals and
adding a coagulant, nigari (a concentrated residue that
remains after sea salt is extracted from sea water) instead
of rennet (an enzyme extracted from cows' stomachs) which
is used to curdle milk from animals.
Tofu (as well as tempeh, miso, shoyu,
tamari, and other soy products) is very popular in the
Orient today and has been for millenia. It was first introduced
over 2000 years ago in China. In Japan, tofu was used
as an offering at the altar. Buddhist priests, who adhere
to a vegetarian diet, ate it as their main source of protein.
Thus, tofu was an important part of Buddhist temple cooking,
and still is.
In 1895 the first American block of tofu
was made in San Francisco. By 1929, it was commercially
available. It's been around a long time but hasn't really
gained general acceptance until recently. Those who might
want to try it don't really know what to do with it.
Where
Do You Start?
Tofu is extremely versatile. It comes
in many forms and each form has a different use. The two
varieties I use the most are silken (from the box), and
extra firm, packed in water.
Silken tofu is best when a creamy texture
is desired. Once whipped in a blender or food processor
(with some lemon juice and salt), you can use it in place
of yogurt, sour cream or heavy cream (but, sorry not whipped
cream, no substitutions for that) in both savory and sweet
dishes.
Extra firm tofu is great marinated, grilled,
encrusted (think cornmeal, almonds, sesame seeds), pan-fried,
or baked. You can use any marinade recipe you would for
chicken, beef or fish, and it is best the longer you marinate
it. I recommend marinating at least one hour and up to
two days, if you like to prepare ahead of time.
Tofu is not just for vegetarians: it
is for people who want to eat healthier, eat less fat
without sacrificing creamy textures, and for those who
are lactose intolerant. So please don't curl your nose
at the mention of tofu, especially if you haven't ever
tried it. I have changed many people's minds about it
with some of my favorite recipes, and I believe if you
try them I can change your's also.
Happy Cooking &
Enjoy Your Summer!
~ Jeni
Tofu Lasagna
You can use the tofu filling for stuffed
shells as well and even baked ziti if you add soy cheese
(or dairy cheese) to the top before baking. You can really
add any pre-cooked vegetables to the mix. Mushrooms would
be great.
Ingredients:
2 blocks extra firm tofu, drain, break
into large chunks, steam 10 minutes, set aside to cool
3 large onions cut into half moons, caramelized
1 pound fresh spinach, washed and roughly chopped or 1
box frozen, thawed and squeezed of liquid
3 cloves garlic, minced, use a garlic press
1/8 cup toasted sesame oil
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons miso (light or dark)
5 fresh basil leaves, torn up
1 tablespoon arrowroot, or cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 recipe of your favorite tomato sauce
(at least 4 cups)
1 box lasagna noodles
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a food processor, add
all ingredients, except sauce and noodles, and blend 5
minutes, set aside.
Cook noodles in boiling, salted water
with a little oil added so the noodles do not stick to
each other, cook for just 3 minutes, drain and set aside
In a 9 by 13 inch dish, place ½
cup sauce, on top place 1 layer of noodles then some of
the tofu mixture, about 2 cups, and spread evenly. Place
another layer of noodles, a layer of sauce then the tofu
mixture and keep going until all the noodles and tofu
are used up or you run out of space in your dish. Make
sure the top and final layer is noodles then sauce. Save
some of the sauce for serving.
Bake for about 30 minutes.
printable
recipe
(Dairy Free)
Chocolate Mousse
This rich and smooth mousse is made with
silken tofu. You can omit the 1/4 cup frangelico (hazelnut
liqueur) for a more kid-friendly version, just add another
1/4 cup soy milk. Serve in individual cups or use the
mousse to make a chocolate pie. I like to use a chocolate
cookie crust, if making into a pie, but you can use any
pre-baked pie crust.
Ingredients:
½ cup chocolate soy milk
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 ounces silken tofu
¼ cup frangelico or amaretto
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Directions:
Heat soy milk in a small sauce pan, on
medium heat until simmering 1 minute. Take off heat and
let cool a bit.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler,
stirring occasionally.
Once the chocolate is melted, add the
warm soy milk, stir with a whisk.
Transfer to a food processor or a blender,
add salt and liqueur and blend until very smooth.
Fill individual cups or your pie shell
and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The mousse will
set as it cools.
Makes 6 individual servings or one
10-inch pie.
printable
recipe
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Great Printable
Recipes
from 
Hors D'Ouevres/
Soups/Starters/Sides
Tofu Satay with
Peanut Sauce
Frittata
Bites with
Onions & Peppers
Festive
Wild Rice
Wheatberry-Confetti Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Zucchini Basil Soup
Blueberry Salsa
White Bean Dip
Melon Skewers with
Lime-Orange Marinade
Potato Salad
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
Corn Chowder
Sweet Potato Pancakes
Lemon Roasted Potatoes
Guinness & Black
Bean Soup
Desserts
Dairy
Free
Chocolate Mousse
Cranberry
Tart
Zucchini Chip Cookies
Rhubarb Strawberry Pie
Easy Strawberry Shortcake
Apple Cranberry Crumble
Apple Walnut Cake
Almost Homemade Egg Nog
Irish Soda Bread
Chocolate Pate
"Open the Frig" Fruit Crisp
Homemade Gingerbread
Entrees
Maple
Rosemary Chicken
Classic Parmesan Risotto
Chicken Fajitas
Cajun Seafood Skewers
Thai Mussels in
Coconut Sauce
Poisson au Papier
White Truffle Pasta
Chickpea Burgers
Swordfish with
Green Chili Paste
Warm Chickpea Salad with Arugula & Spinach
Articles
What
Exactly Is
Healthy Eating?
"Is
Organic Really
Better For You?"
May 2008
9
Reasons to Eat Local
Fanciful
Hors d'Oeuvres
June 2008
Links
Long
Island Farm Bureau
Cornell
Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County

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