Category: Uncategorized

Just Food‘s Paula Lukats brought to our attention an online survey on eating habits being conducted by Mt Sinai School of Medicine. Here’s what she says:

Just Food works throughout New York City and the region to promote and support CSAs. Rigorous documentation of the impact of the CSA program would allow us to demonstrate the importance of CSAs to funders and policymakers.

The survey is not just for CSA members, it’s meant to review a broad spectrum of food habits, but getting CSA members to participate would highlight a particular set of choices.

The survey is taken twice — once now, and again in about a month — and each should take no more than 15 minutes. Here’s the link: What do you eat?

I noticed some of our new members fumbling with our scales at the first distribution yesterday, trying to figure out the right way to weigh out their spinach and kale. The trick is to make sure that the scale is set to zero with an empty yellow bowl sitting on top. Then you’ll get an accurate read on whatever you put in the bowl.

A lot of the children who come to distribution like to play with the scales, so you should always give yours a check before you start gathering your greens. (The members on duty should also be re-calibrating the scales periodically, but somehow they never stay set.)

Also, be aware that two of the scales have a loose spring and are designed for measurements up to 32 oz., while two others measure out many pounds (5?). And you might as well learn it now: there are 16 ounces in 1 pound.

We just got this note from Farmers Julia and Dave:

We are actually coming next Tuesday a week earlier then you thought. Last pick up will be the last Tuesday in October.

We will work on a farm update and send to you asap. Looking forward to another bountiful season!!

“Know Your Food!”

So there you have it — first distribution will be Tuesday, May 25!

A few things to remember:

• We’ll be at Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street, on the stepped plaza outside the main entrance.
• Come between 5pm and 8pm.
• Bring your own bag.
• Clean out the veggie bin in your fridge.

See you on Tuesday!

Our first distribution is just a few weeks away, so it’s time to start getting ready. First thing to take care of is scheduling members for distribution shifts, which is almost completely done and can be viewed on our calendar page. To find your shifts, you’ll need to scroll through the whole calendar to pick out your name (which will be the first name and last initial with which you signed up for the CSA). You’ll get a reminder email a week before your shift, but we’d prefer you stick it in your calendar now so you don’t forget.

We’ve split distribution into three shifts this year, which we hope will be more convenient for more people: Set Up is 4:30-5:45; the Bridge is 5:30-7:00; and Closing is 6:45-8:15.

Our first distribution on June 1 will be staffed entirely by the core group, so we should be able to answer any questions from new members. Though if you have any questions before then, don’t hesitate to send us a note.

The next general meeting of the LES Food Coop will be held on May 4 from 7:30 to 9:00 at the Educational Alliance (197 East Broadway). They’ll present preliminary results from their survey, and give updates on their progress so far. There will also be food to share, so feel free to bring something from your own kitchen. (You’re welcome without food, too.)

And do be sure to fill out that survey — they’re counting on feedback from everyone in the community to learn what food choices are important to you.

Those of you who came to our Meet the Farmers event last month got to meet David Garza, Chief Administrator of the Henry Street Settlement Workforce Development Center. This year, WDC will be supporting Grand Street CSA by purchasing two full shares for participants in their job training program.

The CSA is helping this partnership by contributing half the cost of those shares, made possible by the $15 admin fee charged to each member, the contributions many of you have added to your share price this year, and the canvas bags we’ll be selling again this year.

But, if you can, you may also contribute directly to the WDC to support the outstanding work they do in our neighborhood.

I’ve posted before about the Food Coop initiative that’s been started by some neighbors with the institutional support of the Educational Alliance. Well, one thing that’s come from those meetings is that a brand new CSA — the LES CSA — is trying to get on its feet. Just Food (the same great group that got us started in 2008) has hooked them up with Monkshood Nursery in upstate NY for their own weekly distribution of fresh, organic vegetables.

Since the Grand Street CSA is booked for 2010, if you know anyone still looking to join, please make sure they know about the LES CSA — and soon! Monkshood Nursery has given them an April 1 deadline to fill 50 shares. And while they are already halfway there, it would be a shame for everybody if they couldn’t quite make their quota.

Their program is basically the same as ours, though distribution will be on Thursdays instead of Tuesdays, from the corner of East Broadway and Jefferson (at the Educational Alliance or the Public Library). And they may not have any extras at the LES CSA for their first year.

(Meanwhile, don’t forget we have our own wait list over here. And no one should feel shy about signing up for the new CSA for 2010 and our wait list for 2011.)

LES CSA registration is available online.

This post from The City Greens: Quinn Proposes Regional Food Market In Lower Manhattan. (New Councilwoman Margaret Chin is also on board.)

For those of us who have enjoyed the New Amsterdam Market over the past year, or who are interested in the encouragement of local and sustainable agriculture (that’s you, right?) this is welcome news.

Paula Crossfield of Civil Eats picks up on this inspiring and entertaining TED Talk by Jamie Oliver this week accepting his $100,000 TED Prize.

I went to a great workshop at Just Food the other night, and was reminded that they’re connected to a bunch of things that might be of interest to our members. (Just Food is the organization that helps connect communities in NYC with local farms — they got us started back in 2008.)

First of all, there’s the CSA in NYC Conference coming up on Feb. 28. Several of our core members are going to be attending, but the conference is open to anyone at all who’s interested in the current state of CSAs in the city.

On the way out of their office, I picked up some flyers that looked interesting:

• Bee Native is a non-profit hoping to strengthen the health and increase the population of honey bees in the U.S. (And I learned that an old tradition of newlyweds drinking mead — honey wine — for the month after their wedding is where the word “honeymoon” comes from.)
• Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is promoting a 10-point Food Charter, “Principles for a sustainable food system,” including environment, education, and community. You can sign on to his food pledge.
• A new cookbook called “Big Green Cookbook” gives lots of recipes and kitchen tips to help you reduce your carbon food-print.

For those of you hooked in to such things, Just Food has a useful Twitter feed and a lively Facebook page.