Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Beacon Bits - Farm Fresh

An occasional blog (otherwise known as "food for thought")
in celebration of community life in Beacon, NY

Finding a short-cut that bypasses traffic on 9D near the Newburgh-Beacon bridge was a random act of kindness. Traveling east on Route 52 to Red Schoolhouse Road north to 9D led to a quick left and right to enter the Stony Kill Education Center for my second pick up at Common Ground Farm (http://commongroundfarm.org/), my "CSA" ('community supported agriculture') farm. Still early in the season, members were instructed to take 2 lettuce (1 romaine, 1 ruby red), 2 bok choi, 6 sprigs basil, 3 garlic scapes and 1/2 pound spinach -- all harvested during the day for the pre-assigned Tuesday pick-up slot. The evening air was crisp as the temperatures were dropping after the rain that passed through earlier. The sky was mesmerizing as the shadows of the clouds turned five shades of gray with mauve and teal highlights from the vesper light shifting towards dusk.

The farm is located on the Stony Kill Education and Environmental Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1833.html; see also Stony Kill Foundation, http://www.stonykill.org/), which lost funding in 2010 budget cuts, and hopefully will never see its demise like much of the farmland that met its fate in the lower Hudson Valley development heydey of the housing and commercial property boom.  Some food for thought. What better way to insure local farming as a homegrown industry by purchasing shares and enrolling as a member of an available community supported farm? And what better way than to find one's way back home to juice a cool, refreshing, healthy green drink?!

Green-All-The-Way
2 apples (golden, granny smith)
6 stalks bok choy*
1 small lime
3 sprigs mint*
Wash and clean all items, peel lime.
Place into juicer and juice as per manufacturers' guidelines.
Pour into a container to shake and then serve immediately.

Written on June 15, 2011

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