Farm Stand at School

When I first discovered PS 11's Wednesday morning farm stand last year, it was nominally open 8 till noon, and I could drop by at 11 and still find terrific fruits and vegetables at great prices.

But word has spread, and now most stuff is gone by 10--some things sell out earlier.

Half the fun of shopping at the stand is being served by 3rd graders, watching them absorbing lessons in customer service along with arithmetic. The kids also learn about their wares--from the certified organic Stoneledge farm in the Catskills--how they're grown and how to cook them.

The stand operates from early June through late September, and this year, the kids have been there every week I've gone, even during vacation.

What I got this week: a bunch of scrumptious summer spinach ($1.50), 3 peaches($1), a cucumber (50 cents), and 2 peppers on their way to red ($1). I still had a patty pan squash from last week, when I bought other summer squash, eggplant, tomatoes, and a bunch of young leeks.

You'll find the stand in front of the school, at 320 W. 21st St. I understand the chefs show up by 8:00.

For further information about the stand, the farm, and recipes, check out:

http://ps11farmmkt.wordpress.com

and

http://www.stoneledgefarmny.com

Farm Dinner in NYC

Who'd have guessed that the longest continuously farmed site in New York State is in New York City?

Dating to 1697, its 47 acres now make up the Queens County Farm Museum, which I only found out about one Friday when I bought some scrumptious veggies at their stand at the Union Square greenmarket.

I'm eager to visit the farm itself, but unfortunately won't make their Summer Feast in the Field--that's happening tomorrow, August 11, at 7:00 pm.

Those lucky folks who do will first tour the farm and then dine on farm produce, mostly gathered that day. The chef is Tamara Reynolds, who hosts the Sunday Night Dinner in Astoria and co-wrote Forking Fantastic! Put the Party back in Dinner Party.

Here's her menu:

Kale and Cucumber Salad
***
Eggplant, Summer Squash, and Lentils with Pomegranate Molasses
***
Queens Farm Free-Range Chicken bathed in Adobo, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-roasted "Robert Rodriguez Style"
served with
Salt-boiled Potatoes
Collards in Spicy Potlikker with Smoked Pork
Panzanella, made with Heirloom Tomatoes
Turkish Beans, slow-cooked in Olive Oil and Garlic
***
Stone Fruit in Queens Farm Honey and Rum with Basil Whipped Cream

The dinner is BYOB and costs $75. As of today, tickets are still available.

Queens County Farm Museum
73-50 Little Neck Parkway
Floral Park, New York 11004-1129
(718) 347-3276

http://www.queensfarm.org/index.html

Civil War Voices

The show began with a few bars of "Shenandoah," so beautifully rendered on piano and violin that I choked up a bit. But the Confederates had the next song, "Bonnie Blue Flag."

It was a Confederate diary that gave birth to the show--that of Alabama plantation owner Joseph Henry Harris, whose great-great nephew James R. Harris is a musical theater aficionado. After getting a first-hand view of the war from his uncle's diary, Harris was moved to seek out other Civil War stories and create the show that became Civil War Voices.

For me, Harris's greatest discovery was the story of Elizabeth Keckley, a slave who earned her freedom by becoming a skilled seamstress, worked for Mrs. Jefferson Davis, and then became Mrs. Abraham Lincoln's seamstress and confidante. Keckley eventually wrote a revealing memoir of her life in the White House--a book for which the world was unfortunately not yet ready in 1868. ("You can't make this stuff up," was the narrator's totally unnecessary comment.)

Other sources include the loving letters of Texas couple Theophilus (who fought for the Confedereracy) and Harriet Perry and the memoirs of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a teacher and intellectual from Maine, who became a Union general and was a hero of Gettysburg. Chamberlain's story will be familiar to many who remember Ken Burns' Civil War documentary, but an event I didn't remember provides one of the most powerfully moving episodes of the show--and drew my unexpected tears.

The crowd-pleasing score for Civil War Voices includes traditional folk songs and spirituals, Civil War songs, and popular songs of the period (one tune later became an Elvis Presley hit).

Beautifully performed and sung as part of the Midtown International Theater Festival, Civil War Voices can be seen today, Friday, at 5:45, and Sunday, August 1, 5:00, at the June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36 St.

For tickets ($18): www.midtownfestival.org

Nb: the show is likely to sell out.

Great Late Resnais

A romantic comedy by Alain Resnais, inspired by Dennis Potter, with characters breaking into song --playing free on a summer Friday in Washington Square Park. A must-see, I thought, and a mere 12 years after its American release, I finally saw The Same Old Song (On Connait La Chanson).

It's a deep and delightful film, and after two hours of enchantment, I wondered how I could have missed this gem when it first came out--let alone taken so many years to see it.

Resolving not to make such a mistake again, a week later I caught Resnais' latest, Wild Grass--another rich and strange work by a master.

If you live in New York City, you can, too. And if you don't, look for it--and The Same Old Song-- on Netflix.

Perfect for a 100 degree day. . .

They offered only slivers of shade at that hour, but Jim and I hugged the walls on the west side of 9th Avenue as we made our way to Chelsea Market. Bathed with sweat by the time we got there, we were ready for something super cold . . . and we found it: shaved ice from people's pops. the ice shaved from a huge block, and flavored with fruit syrups.

We chose a combination of the two special flavors of the day--rhubarb and sour cherry. The cherry dominated, but both were tasty. At $2.50 a cup, I sense a habit forming . . .

http://peoplespops.com

TheTempest at Two

I've always thought of the seasonal pleasures of outdoor Shakespeare as something best reserved for evening, when the sun's down and the air might be at least marginally cooler than in the afternoon.

So I was bemused to learn that the Boomerang Theatre Company's production of The Tempest is performed in the heat of the day--matinees only.

But it had been way too long since I'd seen The Tempest, outdoors or in, so today I hied myself up to Central Park West in time for what would have been a 2 o'clock curtain, if there were a curtain.

Unlike some other companies that do summer Shakespeare, the Boomerang doesn't make their audience move--a good thing on a muggy summer afternoon. And though the ground where I pitched my blanket was mostly dust, tall trees provided ample shade.

Soon, the play cast its spell, and I forgot all about the heat. Something about the green canopy, the stage of rocks and dirt, and actors almost close enough to touch made me feel as if I were on Prospero's island, where it is often, if not always day.

Weather permitting you have five chances to catch this charming production: Sunday, June 27, and July 10, 11, 17, and 18.


http://www.boomerangtheatre.org

When Neo-Futurists Perform

As the weekend approaches, I'm wondering what the New York Neo-Futurists will be up to tonight and tomorrow--which of the playlets Jim, Christine, Mitch, and I saw on April 2nd will still be on their menu of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, in which they attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes.

I enjoyed every one of the 27 or so they managed, but here, in reverse numerical order, are the titles of those I remember vividly weeks later (etc. denotes an abbreviated title that is part of the performance):

25. Politics 101. American Values. a sampling

21. These Two Gay Men Are Gonna Pick a Hottie in the Audience. etc.

20. Book Report: The Ramayana by Valmiki

18. Meryl Streep Will Drink Your Blood Now

17. June 5, 2002 (apology to an umbrella skeleton)

14. "Kill my grandmother,please!"

13. ART CLASS

6. Congressional Symphony (Health Care Debate in Three Movements)

4. onion and absence

1. Bad Paddy


The one I was most hoping they'd get to but didn't:

19. Neo Geographic


In theory, the audience picks what's performed by calling out numbers, but I'm guessing the Neo-Futurists also consult their own druthers.

Every weekend they replace 3 or so playlets, so every few months they're performing a completely new show.

The New York Neo-Futurists perform Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind every Friday and Saturday at 10:30 pm at the Kraine Theater, 85 East 4 St. If you buy a ticket online, it costs $16; if you wait till you get there, you'll pay $10 plus the number you get rolling 1 die. Discounts are sometimes available online for TDF members.

For a history of the company (spun-off from the Chicago original), their aesthetics, class offerings, and samples of their work, go to:

www.nynf.org