Grand Street CSA

Registration Now Open for 2012 Season

2012-01-30T20:30:00.000-05:00

Registration Open for All at 8:30 pm

2012-01-30T14:36:00.002-05:00

Our Meet the Farmers event tonight is your chance to meet our new vegetable growers, Max and Kerry Taylor, ask questions about how our CSA works and what Max and Kerry are planning to do to make the most of their farm, and register for the 2012 season.

Please join us at 7pm in the Seward Park Co-op Community Room at 268 East Broadway. (If you don't know where the room is, please ask the security guard or follow the signs posted inside.)

We'll have laptops set up so you can fill in our online registration form, and we'll be accepting your checks and credit cards to pay for your CSA membership.

If you can't make the meeting, you'll be able to register online right here starting at 8:30pm.

(We don't have the same limit on shares that we've had for the past three years, so we are opening up registration to everyone at once -- old members, people on our wait list, the whole community -- and we will not need to turn anyone away. So don't worry about logging in exactly at 8:30, you are not going to lose your spot.)

Beef and Veal Available at Meet the Farmers Meeting Monday

2012-01-24T09:43:00.000-05:00

Kerry wrote to tell us that she and Max are looking forward to our Meet the Farmers meeting on Monday, January 30 at 7pm in the Seward Park Co-Op Community Room.

She also wanted to let us know that she can bring down some Provider Farm grass-fed beef and veal for anyone who would like the makings of a hearty mid-winter meal.

They're offering a beef and veal box special composed of 6 lbs of beef steaks and beef and veal sausages at $50 a box.

Or you can order by the cut from the price list below.

Email Kerry at kerry@providerfarm.com with your order, and you can pick it up and pay at the Meet the Farmers event on Monday.

Meet the Farmers: January 30 at 7pm

2012-01-18T14:02:00.001-05:00

The Grand Street CSA has new farmers, and they want to meet you and answer your questions.

Registration for our fifth CSA season will open after the meeting.

Tell your neighbors! We're hoping to make 2012 our best year yet!

Our New Farmers: Max and Kerry Taylor

2012-01-13T15:31:00.000-05:00

We had a very impressive meeting this week with Max and Kerry Taylor, who have taken over the operation of Woodbridge Farm*, the source of all our organic vegetables for the past four years. The core group was particularly interested in hearing from Max and Kerry whether they could evaluate why the farm's yield over the past two seasons had been so poor, and what they thought could be done to improve the situation. What we heard made us feel very comfortable -- and excited -- about welcoming them to our CSA.

They plan to increase the amount of land being farmed from 3.5 acres to 11 acres while growing for the same number of shares. (Actually, they will be growing for more shares than they are planning on selling, giving them a buffer during their first year to make sure they have the right amount of food for their customers.) Additionally, they will be planting the fields in a tighter, more efficient pattern, adding to the yield they expect.

Finally, they will be making a big change in the makeup of the soil. Our old farmer, Julia, practiced biodynamic farming, which essentially meant that there were no outside nutrients brought to the farm. Max and Kerry believe that even organic farms need a fertilizer that includes nitrogen, and will be adding that to the land. The farm will still be organic, but not certified biodynamic.

Max and Kerry have looked at the records from last year and were genuinely critical of the amount of food we were provided with, and expect to bring us much more food this year.

But please don't take our word for it -- we've invited Max and Kerry back to New York so that everyone interested in the Grand Street CSA can meet them and ask questions before committing to the season:

Monday, January 30 at 7pm

Seward Park Co-op Community Room (268 Broadway)

We will begin general registration for everyone during this meeting.

Max and Kerry have years of experience growing organic produce for CSA farms in New England. You can read more about them on their new website, and follow them on Facebook.

*Woodbridge Farm is the name of the land. Max and Kerry have renamed their own business Provider Farm, which is how we'll be referring to them from now on.

Preparing for the 2012 Season

2012-01-06T12:17:00.001-05:00

The core group will be meeting with Max and Kerry, the new farmers up at Woodbridge Farm, next week to make sure that we are ready to maintain our relationship to the farm even though the farmers have changed.

Max and Kerry both have years of experience at other, larger CSA farms in New England, and we'll be looking to hear more about their approach. We'll also want to ask them something they may not actually have a direct answer for: why our yields from the farm have been so low the past two years, and how they expect to get better results.

Paula Lukats from Just Food will be joining us -- Just Food is the organization that help set us up, and continues to offer support to CSAs throughout NYC. We'll be looking to Paula to help us during this transition.

Then, assuming we're going to forge ahead, we'll be setting up a meet-the-farmers event in short order (hopefully on Jan. 24 at 7pm, but that's not yet confirmed) for our full CSA membership and wait list. It's important to get that to happen soon so that everyone can make up their minds about joining for our 2012 season.

In the meantime, if you're on Facebook you can check out Max and Kerry's new page: http://www.facebook.com/providerfarm. (For boring incorporation reasons, the land is still called Woodbridge Farm but Max and Kerry's new business is called Provider Farm.)

Much more news soon.

Woodbridge Farm is Changing Hands

2011-11-23T11:28:00.001-05:00

There's a big change coming for the Grand Street CSA in 2012 that you should be aware of: our farmers for the past four years, Julia and David (and Heather), are moving on from Woodbridge Farm and handing the farm over to another couple.

It was a difficult year for Julia and David -- he took a job in Delaware to help with the family finances, and she gave birth to their second son in March. The result, in Julia's own words, was that she was "not able to fulfill my obligations on any level." So she's moving to join her husband and bring the family back together. She wrote to us earlier this month, saying, "while this was probably the most difficult decision a farmer can be asked to make, our departure from Woodbridge Farm should be for the good of both the farm and ourselves."

(And Heather, it should be noted, who was managing the farm this year and delivering our shares every Tuesday, is also moving on -- getting married, in fact.)

Woodbridge Farm will be handed over to Max and Kerry Taylor, experienced farmers from CSA farms in Massachusetts. Their expectation is to continue working the farm for our CSA, but before we make that commitment there are a few steps we need to take. First, Just Food will be talking to Max and Kerry to make sure they fit into the CSA in NYC program. Second, the core group from our CSA will meet with Max and Kerry to make sure that they are aware of the issues we have had the past two seasons, and to make sure we all get along. Third, we will want to schedule a meet-the-farmer earlier than usual to make sure our members are fully involved before making the decision to join again in 2012.

So there will be lots more details about all of this as we move forward, hopefully with a clear path set before the end of the year. In the meantime, we hope you're keeping your CSA herbs watered and sunned, and we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Oh, one more thing -- if anyone is interested in joining the CORE GROUP, please write back and let us know. With these changes coming up, we would welcome some help keeping the CSA running.

Thanks!

Season's End: Last Distribution

2011-10-28T20:00:00.002-04:00

We've been a little slow to broadcast this information, but hopefully everyone picked up on it at Tuesday's distribution: end of October means end of CSA. Well, almost. Vegetables and cheese were delivered Tuesday for the last time this year; but fruit (I mean APPLES), eggs, and pasta have one last hurrah this coming Tuesday, November 1. After that, it's see you next year!

We will try to have our annual members survey up in the next couple weeks, so try to remember all your complaints and compliments. If you can't hold it in that long, feel free to email the core at info@grandstreetcsa.org. Feedback is important, and helps us steer the CSA in the right direction (when we can).

Grand Street CSA and Time/Food

2011-10-10T11:01:00.008-04:00

Time/Food @ Abrons Art Center is a temporary eatery open now through October 16, Thurs-Sunday 12-8 (Serving lunch from 1-3).
Grand Street CSA Members can participate in this unique event in a few different ways:

1) donate a portion of your share: drop a bunch of greens or one apple in our box going to Creative Time for the Time/Food eatery.

2) come to the exhibit for a $-free lunch and to learn more: Oct. 13-16 (Thurs-Sun), 1-3pm.

3) Volunteer to assist cooking at 52 Ludlow Street (buzzer BG): Contact Julie Brown (jeb570@nyu.edu/ 518.424.8487)
SHIFTS AVAILABLE: 10/13-10am-3pm, 10/14-10am-3pm, 10/15-10am-3pm, 10/16-10am-3pm

WHAT is TIME/FOOD?
time/bank is a collaborative project between Anton Vidokle (head of local e-flux) and Julieta Aranda. time/bank was created to serve as a platform "where groups and individuals can pool and trade skills, bypassing money as a measure of value." time/bank is based on the premise that everyone has something to offer to develop and sustain an alternative economy. To live out this ideology, Anton and Julieta are opening a temporary restaurant called time/food in the Lower East Side that will operate on the time/bank economic system. Artists are both creating menus and cooking, including Bik Van der Pol, Carolina Caceydos and Anton Vidokle himself!

Currently on this banking website, people post services they can offer, or things they need. By responding to these requests or offering services, you can complete a transaction and all the time you spent turns into credits. There are currently several arts organizations in NYC and Berlin that accept this time currency as money. Through the website for the NYC branch of this banking system, you can "bank time" as opposed to money.

We're happy to have the opportunity to partner with this exciting project taking place in our community. Visit http://creativetime.org/programs/archive/2011/livingasform/schedule.htm to learn more about Time/Food and LIVING AS FORM.

Woodbridge Farm Meat Shares Available

2011-09-18T22:00:00.001-04:00

Woodbridge Meat is available for the fall — see below for options, and then please email the farm directly if you are interested: woodbridgefarmonline@gmail.com.

Our herd of Milking Devons and Jerseys is at the heart of our biodynamic farm producing the gold that maintains the fertility of our land: cow manure. Our cattle are raised on pasture, which are managed in a rotational grazing system. Their diet consists of a daily piece of fresh pasture, hay, and small quantities of certified organic grain. We are nourishing the pastures with our own biodynamic compost, wood ashes, lime stone and compost teas.

American Milking Devons’ meat is recognized by the Slow Food Arc of Taste for its outstanding flavor.

We keep the horns and tails on our cows, allowing them to fully exhibit natural cattle behaviors such as establishing a hierarchy in the herd and swatting flies. They are given the ample space that their horns claim, are allowed to graze on diverse, tall pasture where they can pick and choose what suits their dietary needs best.

Our calves are raised out on pasture nursing on and learning to graze alongside their mothers - never confined, never isolated, never fed any GMO's or milk replacers.

Option 1: 15 lbs Beef Variety pack -- $145
All 15 lbs Variety packs will include 7lbs of ground beef and the remaining 8 lbs will include a variety of steaks, roasts, and various other miscellaneous cuts including short ribs, sirloin tip, London Broil, brisket, and stew meat cubes. All packages will be equal in value; the specific cuts will vary.

Option 2: 15 lbs Veal Variety pack -- $155
5 lbs of ground veal, 2 lbs of rib chops, 8 lbs of a variety of stew meat, roasts and shoulder chops.

Option 3: Ground beef Special -- 10 lbs Ground Beef -- $70

Option 4: Ground veal Special -- 10 lbs Ground Veal -- $70

Option 5: Organ Meat Special -- 10 lbs of organ meats -- $35

Option 6: 10 lbs Pork Fatback -- $12

To place your order please contact Julia: woodbridgefarmonline@gmail.com

Today's Vegetables

2011-09-13T15:26:00.000-04:00

Lettuce
Swiss Chard
Carrots
Onions
Parsley
Peppers OR Tomatoes OR Eggplant
Garlic

See you later!

Today's Vegetables

2011-09-06T06:44:00.003-04:00

This week's share will include:

Lettuce
Tomatoes
Peppers
Cucumber/eggplant
Potatoes
Acorn or delicata squash
Garlic
Basil

See you later!

Notes from Woodbridge, After Irene

2011-09-06T06:43:00.000-04:00

I'm quoting in full from Woodbridge Farm's Facebook page, because there have been a lot of questions about how they weathered last week's storm:

Hope everyone has made it through last week's storm okay... We are receiving emails and notes from fellow farmers who have lost almost everything, and the stories and pictures of the devastation to crops and livestock in some areas are shocking. We are thankful here that we sustained no serious damage, and that all animals and people are safe.

We have been out of power for almost a week, and are just getting back online. Luckily, here at the farm, we have a generator that enables us to keep our meat frozen and cheese properly stored so that a storm like this doesn't take out an entire season's worth of work. It does, of course, put a large and unexpected dent in our budget, but we are thankful that the year's work of hay stacking, milking, pasture set-up, cheese making, and especially, the sacred lives of our valuable animals have not gone to waste.

Our entire farm staff has been working incredibly hard, coming to work for harvests, especially last Tuesday, from dark homes, without showers, flushing toilets, hot meals, or laundry. Despite living in powerless homes all week, our apprentices, harvest helpers, and staff have showed up every morning, still ready to go.

Here at the farm, most damage has been relatively minimal. We have many large trees down on the pastures, knocking down fences and making areas unsafe for cattle, but all of our animals survived unscathed, and buildings and infrastructure sustained relatively little damage. Despite being so close to local rivers and streams, we had no flood damage in the fields and most of our crops just looked a little wind-worn.

The crop sustaining the most damage in the field were the tomatoes, so expect that their season will be ending very soon. We were already seeing blight on the plants, although they looked as if some healthy new growth might have continued for a few more weeks. But the already weakened plants did not survive the harsh winds very well and seem to be loosing their steam.

Luckily, we also managed to get many other fruit crops out of the field in an early harvest to prevent more serious damage, including a great-looking winter squash crop. Judging by the looks of the winter squash field after the storm, we are lucky we did.

We were glad to hear that NYC also survived relatively unscathed, and hope the same is true for all of you.

Thanks for your patience and well-wishes as we weathered the power and internet loss and started to clean up the farm.

Today's Vegetables

2011-08-23T09:11:00.000-04:00

This week's harvest should be:
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Peppers/Eggplant
Cucumber/Zucchini
Carrots/Beets
Onions
Herbs

Please remember, when there is a choice of items, you may pick up the amount indicated as a total for both items. In other words, if the share breakdown says "Peppers/Eggplant: 4 pcs," you should take 4 peppers or 4 eggplants or 2 of each — not 4 of each.

See you later!

Today's Vegetables

2011-08-16T11:30:00.000-04:00

This week's shares will include:
Swiss Chard
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Zucchini/Summer squash
Selections of: cucumber, eggplant, peppers
Basil
Parsley
Garlic

Make sure to read Woodbridge Farm's notes on Facebook: this week Heather offers several good-looking swiss chard recipes, tips about not answering your phone while digging up potatoes in the rain, and the promise that lettuce should return next week now that the killer heat has passed.

See you later!

Thank you!

2011-08-10T21:34:00.001-04:00

I want to thank everyone for patience last night for what must have been inconvenient for many. I know a lot of people plan for an early dose of vegetables on Tuesdays, and when the truck is late it can really throw a wrench in dinner/work/childcare plans. But there was a very cooperative spirit around distribution last night. In fact, it was downright mellow.

Members on set-up duty either showed up while it was still pouring to help carry the fruit and eggs upstairs, or returned just in time to help unload the truck, then stuck around a little longer to make sure there wasn't a crazy rush at 6pm. The bridge shift slipped in just in time to help write up our white board and sign in everyone who was waiting. And our hosts at Abrons were very generous about letting us keep some distribution gear inside in case it started to rain again.

At this point in the season, everyone knows the drill, and so many members just seem glad to show up and lend a hand. It's a nice group to be a part of, don't you think?

Vegetables will be late today: 6:00 estimate

2011-08-09T16:29:00.002-04:00

Message from Heather, driving in from the farm: she hit some major traffic approaching the Whitestone Bridge and is running late. Best estimate right now is that distribution won't begin until 6:00.

We'll blast out another email if it will be much later than that.

Today's veggies

2011-07-19T12:50:00.000-04:00

Briefly:

Salad greens
Cabbage
Garlic
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Basil
Parsley

Fruit will be blueberries, and very possibly peaches.

See you soon!

From Woodbridge: Share Discrepancies and First Fruits!

2011-07-14T10:45:00.000-04:00

A nice, long answer from Heather::

Hi CSA Members!

It seems that there are some grumbles and frustrations going around about some of these delicious tempting first fruits only going full share members so I wanted to send out some communication to help the whole community understand what's going on with this.

As a technical 'half share' member myself I can say that my eyes too have been longingly following the red globes gracing the baskets of full share members as they collect their vegetables here at the farm. That wonderful season of color and diversity and juicy fruit is almost upon us and we are all wishing we had more and more!

Right now, we are just starting to see fruit ripen on our zucchini plants in the field and on our tomatoes in the greenhouse. There are two reasons why there is not very much right now.

The first reason is that when the plants first start to develop, there is never much fruit. The first fruiting is oh-so-exciting, but is usually just 1-2 at at time from each plant. Once they get their juices flowing and the sun starts heating up, things start to progress much more rapidly and we hope to see much more ripening together at the same time. They're just practicing right now, gearing up for the height of the season.

Secondly, we plant these things in succession. So only half of our zucchinis are actually producing ripe fruit now. The other half are flowering and tiny fruits are just starting to fill in. Also, some varieties come in faster than others. So of the half that are actually producing ripe fruit, two of those varieties (out of six) are still not quite there yet. Soon they will catch up, and by the time they do, the other half of plants will be fruiting as well. This is when we start to have enough for everyone to have some (and hopefully plenty!).

Similarly, we are just getting tomatoes now from the greenhouse. We have about 200 plants in there now that are producing fruit, while we have over 500 tomato plants in the field. These too are beginning to flower, and shape fruit, but it hasn't quite ripened yet. Once we are able to harvest from these plants (over 12 varieties all together!) the harvest will be much more substantial.

When we just have a very little amount, like the last two weeks, there is sometimes not even enough to give one tomato or zucchini to each half share, especially since there are so many more half shares than full. We have also heard from you in the past that 1 tomato or 1 zucchini is not too helpful in making a meal. So we're trying to give what we do have to the CSA somehow, and right now that means just sending to full shares. We always try to make up for that extra vegetable by sending an even amount of something else (note that this week for example everyone got the same amount of lettuce.... last week, peas).

I know it hurts! I am jealous of those full shares too! But please be patient, as we are working with the inflexible mysteries of nature and they are just gearing up to give us all some love.

Thanks,
Heather

News from Woodbridge, Week 7

2011-07-11T21:23:00.000-04:00

Woodbridge Farm is expecting to send us:

Lettuce (or possibly salad greens)
Swiss Chard
Cabbage
Peas
Fresh Garlic
Herbs (dill or basil)
and probably some extras for full shares from our fruiting crops that are just starting to produce: zucchinis or tomatoes.
Don't worry, there will be much fruit to come for all shares soon, farm blessings willing!

Heather notes on Facebook that the tomatoes are from the greenhouse, just a small prelude to what should be coming later this month from the field. She also writes about the nutrient density course that she and Julia have been following this summer and what that means for our kale, and about the importance of a living soil cover, like rye and clover, in keeping the crops healthy.

Counting, weighing, and sharing

2011-07-11T20:51:00.000-04:00

Hello CSA!

We hope you have been enjoying your produce and your CSA experience. So far things seems to have been working fairly well: the produce and extras have been beautiful; the trucks have been showing up (mostly) on time; rain has been minimal on Tuesdays; Abrons has added some music to our distribution; there have been few volunteer cancellations, and they've been manageable.

We have had a problem running short on certain items, which many of you might not even know about, since it affects only the members who show up toward the end of distribution. Nevertheless, it's a major problem for the members who get shortchanged, and therefore something we are taking very seriously.

Knowing that there is a margin of error weighing produce at the farm and at distribution, both Woodbridge Farm and Breezy Hill Orchard routinely oversupply us with any produce that needs to be weighed out. Nevertheless, for certain vegetables, the error has been larger than the supply. So we've asked Heather, from Woodbridge, to increase the oversupply amount she adds to our order each week.

Here's where it gets tricky -- it's actually impossible for Heather to add anything to our distribution, because we (and our sister CSA in Brooklyn) already receive absolutely everything the farm harvests on Tuesday. So, in practice, what really happens is that the amount each member is allotted is decreased to make sure that no one misses out (e.g. when there might be just enough for everyone to get 8 oz., we will instead list 7.5 oz as the share). Even though that sounds lousy, it's the best way to make sure that all our members are being treated equally, no matter what time they get off work.

Additionally, there have been a few instances -- most notably last week with the season's first tomatoes and zucchini -- when inexact scales are not the culprit. Items that are distributed in whole numbers should not run dry at all ... but they did.

So we're asking everyone to review the guidelines below:

- Check the large white board and the signs on each bin to make sure you take the amount that's appropriate for your size share.

- Note that, sometimes, a full share will get an item that a half share won't get any of (and, occasionally, vice versa).

- Make sure that your scale is properly tared -- that is, zeroed out with an empty bowl. (Check out the video!)

- Weigh carefully, and don't sneak a few extra ounces/items.
- Don't strip the waste (lettuce core, brocoli leaves, etc.) before you weigh
- Watch your children to make sure they treat the produce with care.

One last thing, which has been a little unclear to members: each week, Heather also brings us a bin or two of extra produce, which we keep off to the side. This is stuff that was picked on Friday and not sold at their farm over the weekend. It's not part of anyone's official share, it's just there for all of us to share. Feel free to take a little something, but please don't get greedy.

We know that distribution can be chaotic, and that it's the end of a long day, so please take a bit of extra time to make sure you're taking your share. And many thanks to the members who have been affected for their patience and understanding.

See you soon!

Notes from Woodbridge: Fruits and Flowers

2011-06-28T14:35:00.000-04:00

Farmer Heather writes on Woodbridge Farm's Facebook page:

Our fields are now full of bright flowers: the snowy white dusting of pea flowers, tiny yellow stars on dark green tomato vines, and brilliant splaying orange on the zucchini and summer squash. The sunset-orange-colored zucchini blossoms are bigger than my hand!

And flowers... mean fruit! We have an abundant crop of peas flowing in, tomatoes and peppers just beginning to form, and zucchinis stretching out from the base of those fantastic blossoms.

Today's shares should include:

lettuce
salad greens
peas
kale
swiss chard
basil
scallions

and possibly:
garlic scapes
salad turnips

There's also a scary story about a pesky groundhog.

See you later!

Week 4: Notes from Woodbridge Farm

2011-06-21T15:45:00.000-04:00

Here's what Woodbridge Farm's Facebook page tells us today:

Shares this week will include:
lettuce
salad greens
garlic scapes
napa cabbage
sugar snap peas
and herbs (dill and oregano most likely)

There was a request to share more about what varieties we grow of different crops, what you're looking at in your shares. Since there is sometimes a mix, we'll just share some information here you can maybe match to what you're seeing at home!

The peas are sugar snap peas, they can be eaten raw or cooked in a stir fry, they are sweet and juicy.

Salad greens are a mix of a dozen or so lettuce and mustard green varieties, including things like romaine, red leaf lettuce, kale, tatsoi, mizuna, and many others.

We grow German White and German Red garlic, so that's where our scapes are coming from.

We'll have napa cabbage this week from two different varieties (though they are quite similar): Rubicon and Bilko, the Bilko is a slightly darker green, while the Rubicon is supposed to have a slightly sharper tang. Napa cabbage is what is traditionally used to make kimchi, and will store just above freezing with high humidity for a month or two.

Find out more about lettuce varieties on Facebook.

Free Performance Tuesday at 6:30 — ETHEL at Abrons Amphitheater

2011-06-20T12:13:00.000-04:00

Jennifer Choi (violin), Cornelius Dufallo (violin),
Ralph Farris (viola), and Dorothy Lawson (cello)

You know that balcony at Abrons our kids are not allowed to play on? Well, apparently if you're a member of ETHEL — "America's premier postclassical string quartet" — you are allowed to play up there, this Tuesday at 6:30pm.

ETHEL is an exciting group, primarily performing music composed in the past twenty years. They've toured the world, won a MAP Fund grant, and now, thanks to the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series and the citywide music festival Make Music New York, they're coming to a CSA distribution site near you.

Tomorrow's program: (subject to change):
Marcello Zarvos, Arrival
Cornelius Dufallo, Lighthouse
Dorothy Lawson, Chai
Ralph Farris, 2fer
John Cage, 4'33"
Daniel Felsenfeld, You, Have No.Idea
Terry Riley, Sunrise of The Planetary Dream Collector
Huang Ruo, The Flag Project
Mark Stewart, To Whom it May Concern: Thank You

Food Drive and Just Food Visit

2011-06-13T13:16:00.000-04:00

On the second Tuesday of each month, we try to do something a little special at distribution. This month we have two small but highly relevant events:

OLS Food Drive
Our Lady of Sorrows food pantry is a full partner in our CSA — each week, any food left unclaimed by members gets collected by OLS volunteers to be distributed at their food pantry the next morning. They help ensure that none of our fresh food goes to waste.

Many emergency food organizations are dealing with cuts in funding and donations at the same time that even more families rely on their services. Please clean out your pantry of non-perishable food items and help us fill a box to complement our leftover veggies. We'll have a box set up near the front of the amphitheater. If you'd like to add something to your shopping cart to donate, here is a list of suggested items:

brown/white rice, dried beans, cereal, oatmeal, peanut butter, canned meat or fish

Just Food Visit

Just Food is the non-profit that helped get us started — over the years, they've helped over 100 NYC neighborhoods connect with local farmers to create an extensive network of CSA throughout the city. They also take on issues of food justice, and help promote affordable, fresh foods in a variety of other ways.

This year, they're formalizing their relationship with all the CSA members who have benefitted from their help by creating an CSA Network that each one of us contributes to — $5 of your membership fee goes to Just Food to help them build new CSAs and promote their mission, for a total of $580 from Grand Street CSA.

Just Food staff members Paula Lukats and Jessica Cortes will be joining us at our distribution this Tuesday to meet members, talk more about Just Food and answer questions about the new Just Food CSA Network. Be sure to take a minute to say hi when you pick up your share.