BY CHRYS NAPOLITANO
It’s a rainy Monday morning
as I write this. I had every
intention of writing yesterday
evening, but I taught a cooking
class at DIG Farm in North
Salem with Allison Turcan,
owner of DIG Farm. Our class
was called “Extending the
Harvest,” and we talked about
how to use everything, so that
we eliminate food waste and
create delicious food.
Attendees included two of
our Locust Point CSA members
who are also Silver Beach
residents and participate in
their community garden.
Another attendee was a former
CSA member who lives
in Westchester now, but who
brought her 9-year-old daughter.
While we held the class,
her daughter visited with the
chickens, the ducks and the
pigs, followed Stephen the
rooster around and hung out
with Don the cat (who has
his own IG page: Don of DIG
Farm).
Allison and I selected six
common vegetables that are in
season now, that are very easy
to grow and most typically
overwhelm us at this time of
year: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant,
zucchini, kale and winter
squash. We reviewed quick
techniques, recipes and methods
of preservation. We discussed
the various tools we
love to use.
For example, Allison and I
both love to use our dehydrators
and we had one on had
to show attendees the various
benefi ts of the one I have
been using for more than 10
years. We both use the immersion
blender frequently.
But Allison uses a crock pot
all the time and I don’t even
own one. I use my food mill
and am very specifi c about the
one I use (my husband bought
me a new one as a gift and let’s
just say that I don’t use it) and
why, which I discussed. Allison
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never uses hers.
We bounced off each other,
we talked about how we got to
the point where we are both
teaching food education and
we answered questions from
our very enthusiastic audience.
After the class, everyone
got to sample dishes and connect
with each other. Regina,
who is a horticulturist and
takes care of the DIG Farm
bees, stopped by at the end of
class with some wild foraged
fruit. We all got to taste Paw
Paw, North America’s native
tropical fruit. It tasted like banana
custard.
Allison and I are going to
be planning more workshops
and classes over the winter.
I’ve been wanting to start
teaching again, but the Market
at Preston has been so
busy, I spend my weekends
cooking and preparing for the
day. It wouldn’t be so stressful,
but I have been lucky enough
to be working on some design
projects that keep me busy for
two or three days a week.
But I am so thankful to be
working and able to give back
and to do it with the friends we
work with. Our non profi t organization,
Northeast Bronx
Community Farmers Market
Project has received some
grant funding this year that
has really enabled us to expand
our mission of food education,
availability and sustainability.
The Food Pantry at St
Benedict’s, run by the amazing
Angela Torres and her
team of super powered volunteers,
has received funding
that will help provide food
for more than 300 families
per week all year round, on
Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Loving the Bronx also
runs food distributions since
COVID and now keeps a community
fridge stocked. We
were able to help them with
food supplies to keep the
fridge full.
We’ve been able to help local
community and school
gardens, too. We’ve been taking
care of the Garden at Preston
for a number of years,
but this year, we were able to
help the garden at Villa Maria
Academy in Country Club
with funding for supplies, a
compost tumbler and we’re
working on a seed starting
system for one of the classrooms.
At the Garden in the
Park at Edgewater Park, we
were able to give them funding
towards the building of
their new greenhouse. We’ve
also been helping the garden
at St Joseph’s School for the
Deaf for a few years, and this
year, we got them a nice haul
of free compost and about 100
seedlings of tomatoes, zucchini,
eggplant and peppers.
There are times over the
last 18 months when we’ve all
felt a loss, sadness and isolation.
I started doing what I do
as a reaction to the isolation of
being a stay at home daughter.
Never discount the joy you
feel when you give back.
Be the change you want to
see in the world.
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