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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:

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.

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.

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).

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 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

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


See you later!

This week’s share will include:

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

See you later!

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!

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

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?