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LES Food Coop Preliminary Meeting

A very preliminary meeting to discuss the creation of a neighborhood food coop was held this past Thursday at the Education Alliance. A few members of the CSA attended, and many others expressed an interest in this project, so I thought I’d post some quick notes.

The meeting was hosted by Danny Rosenthal Education Alliance, though he made clear that he expected EA to have only a facilitating role in the project. Brian Crowley, of Hillman, also spoke — he’s a longtime member of the Park Slope Food Coop, and it was through his initiative that this meeting was held.

A food coop is, simply, a customer-owned and -operated grocery store. It’s a small business, and it will be no simple thing to get this off the ground. Danny Rosenthal estimated a timeframe of 18-24 months, though there was certainly a lot of interest in exploring smaller seed projects that could possibly make a difference sooner, such as a buyers’ club for dry goods, or an expanded CSA.

About 60-70 people showed up (including 8 CSA members). There was broad generational representation, though attendees were mostly from Seward, East River, and Hillman coops. Generally there was great interest in having healthier, less expensive options for food in the neighborhood, and, as you can imagine with so many people living in coops, strong support for the coop model.

One long-time resident spoke of how, in the 70s, she was involved in an urban farm on Grand Street (now paved over for parking). One new mother from Ecuador said that growing up she was able to pick fresh fruit from the trees in her yard, and wondered how she could give her daughter an experience anything like that. Neighbors involved in the restaurant business expressed their support. A representative of the Seward Coop Board attended, and said he would advocate for a partnership with the food coop, maybe even including use of the prized Hester St. lot (no promises!).

People were asked to sign up for two committees, a steering committee in charge of looking into how to actually start this business, and a short-term solutions committee to explore other smaller options. It was agreed that the first steering committee meeting would include representatives from the Park Slope and other coops in the city to draw a clearer picture of the nuts and bolts of this endeavor. No date was set.

If you’re interested in joining the steering committee, you can apply to the Google Group here.

If you’re interested in joining the short-term solutions committee, email Brian Crowley: bcrowley8 at gmail dot com

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Notes from Woodbridge Farm

Julia, from Woodbridge Farm, wrote in to give us some feedback on our feedback — her response to our end-of-year survey:

“I would say, for us this has been the best season so far. There were certain issues with specific crops (see below) but overall we always had a good amount and variety of food available. There is of course always room for improvement, but with respect to the rainy season and the tomato-blight problem, we were not effected by either. A lot of other things happened on the farm: we finished the construction of the creamery, started to milk our cows and to make cheese. This is the other major component of our farm to enable us to become long term financially sustainable.”

She was also able to respond, vegetable by vegetable, to the items we indicated we would like to see more of:

Sweet Potatoes
Although we planted them again this year, they unfortunately for the first time did not grow at all. I figure it was simply too cold. Also, we get a lot of damage through voles, who seem to love sweet potatoes, and through harvesting without adequate harvesting equipment. I can put that question out to the membership: do you care if the sweet potatoes are sometimes cut in half?

The other problem is that sweet potatoes want to be cured in 85F for 2 weeks, to enhance sweetness and storability. I have very limited capacities to do this.

Brussel Sprouts
Brussel sprouts are a late fall crop. They come in in late November and taste best after they experienced a first hard frost. This is really after the CSA has finished. The other problem is that the aphid pressure gets so strong in late fall, that I haven’t been able to grow brussel sprouts successfully thus far.

Broccoli
I am very aware that broccoli is a favorite and considered a staple vegetable. For our situation it is actually very expensive to grow broccoli. It takes a lot of care, space, timely management, fertilizer, etc etc. And it only yields one proper head once. It is also a seasonal crop that grows in spring or in fall and gives you a harvest season of about 2 to 4 weeks each time. I have been working hard on improving the quality and quantity of our broccoli crop, and was actually extremely pleased with the results this year. I am not sure if I can substantially increase the supply in the future — if we were to increase the quantity, it would increase the amount offered at those pickup weeks in which we already offer broccoli, but it would not increase the number of times when broccoli is offered (it simply does not produce anything for most part of the season). Please let me know if that is of any interest to you, and I can see what I can do.

Cauliflower
This is a crop that is even trickier to grow than broccoli, and after trying it for a couple of seasons I stepped back from it.

Cucumbers
Cucumbers (along with eggplants) were one of the crops severely impacted this year by the cool weather, as well as an abundance of pests of all kinds: beetles, voles, groundhogs etc etc – we are changing management practices next year, moving to a black plastic mulch system for all the heat loving crops (cucumbers, zucchinis, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, squash, this new system will also allow us to grow melons for the first time, which I am really excited about) – so hopefully this will solve most of the problems at once.

Spinach
For some reason, spinach is having an unusually difficult time in our fields. There appears to be a soil-borne fungus which wilts the leave before they can grow to any harvestable size. I have been trying every year, trying different varieties, supplementing with seaweed, etc etc but so far there has not been any reliable success – sorry, we’ll keep trying, and hopefully we will find a solution

Scallions
We will have scallions again next year. We did plant them, but 80% never took, never started to grow. The only explanation I have for this phenomena is a crop rotation issue.

Eggplant
(see cucumbers above) – they will really love the added heat they get from the black plastic

Peas
Peas are very seasonal and are usually grown in spring. We grow a lot of peas for the amount of people we have available to harvest them all. It takes four people more than six hours to get through them all, and we have to do this twice a week. Considering the little market value peas have, it is actually quite unreasonable for us to grow them, but we do it anyhow, because everybody loves them so much. (This is the same for beans, the amount of time it takes to handpick peas and beans makes us completely incompatible with larger and more specialized farms that have mechanized harvesting systems.)

Onions
Both onions and leeks I am hoping to improve the quantity that we will be able to harvest in the coming year. So far we had very little turnout (the percentage of harvestable sized crops compared to the amount we planted has been very low.) I ran some trials on the leeks late in the season and was able to observe a very great response to foliar feeding with a seaweed extract. I will include these sprays in our management practices from now on and hopefully have much better results.

Leeks
(see above)

Tomatoes
We had a very good harvest of tomatoes this year (especially compared to all the problems the farms north and west of us had, who ended up with no tomatoes at all) – if you are looking for an earlier crop, I won’t be able to supply that. Tomatoes grown in the field come in in mid August, Greenhouse tomatoes are 4 weeks earlier but we have very limited Greenhouse space. Unfortunately, the town doesn’t really seem to support farming too much, so the second Greenhouse we build, we were never able to take into productive use, since the town did not allow us to put the plastic cover on it.
Beets
Beets are a riddle to me. Some germinate, some don’t, some grow nice and large while the next one over stays really small. Why? I am not sure. I have a few hints to work with, namely application of lime at seeding, deeper seeding depth, earlier thinning (this is a real time constraint issue – maybe your CSA members can afford to come out to a volunteer beet thinning party?), possibly also seaweed extract application. Hopefully I will be able to solve this in the near future. I believe in addition to the normal riddle I experience growing beets, there was a problem of seed quality this year, the beets had extremely low germination rates.
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Hungry Filmmakers

“Hungry Filmmakers” offers a sneak peek at six fresh films that offer unique perspectives and arguments on food, agriculture and eating more healthfully, from teen mothers who become urban farmers in an unlikely setting to a low-impact bike tour that hits up small farms throughout the country; from challenging the regulation of “organic” to celebrating young farmers battling the odds to grow food with greater integrity.

A lively panel discussion and Q&A with the filmmakers moderated by food activist and author Anna Lappé will follow the screenings. At 9:00pm, there will be an after-party at Jimmy’s No. 43, located at 43 E. 7th St.. Snacks from local purveyors including Flying Pigs Farm, Schoolhouse Kitchen, Blue Isle Oyster Company, Hot Bread Kitchen and more will be served. The bar will feature specials on Ommegang Beer of Cooperstown, NY. Any proceeds garnered from the evening will be donated to the nonprofit organization Just Food

The films:

WHAT’S “ORGANIC” ABOUT ORGANIC? Shelley Rogers
BIG RIVER and TRUCK FARM Curt Ellis & Ian Cheney
THE GREENHORNS Severine von Tscarner Fleming
GROWN IN DETROIT Manfred & Mascha Poppenk
FACES FROM THE NEW FARM Liz Thylander, Kat Shiffler & Lara Sheets
[AS YET UNTITLED FILM ON CLIMATE CHANGE & FOOD SYSTEM] Sara Grady

When: December 15, 2009. Doors open at 7:00pm. Screenings begin promptly at 7:30pm.

Where: Anthology Film Archives. 32 2nd Ave, New York

Cost: $9.

Advanced tickets can be purchased from Brown Paper Tickets.

For more information visit this blog.

Add this to your calendar.

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Survey Results

We hope the long survey didn’t turn you off, but getting basic input on each type of vegetable and fruit gave us a lot of good data to look at. It’s difficult to reach consensus about how much of each crop to request from our farmers, but where there was a clear majority for “Too Little” or “Too Much” we can definitely ask for changes next year. For vegetables, that list looks like this:

Too Little
91%   Sweet Potatoes
87%   Brussel Sprouts
85%   Broccoli
75%   Cauliflower
71%   Cucumbers
67%   Spinach
67%   Scallions
65%   Eggplant
64%   Peas
62%   Onions
55%   Leeks
55%   Tomatoes
52%   Beets

Too Much
75%   Potatoes

For fruit, obviously, it was pretty clear that apples were oversupplied while berries were marginalized (more on this below). And for eggs — well, maybe it was a little silly to ask the same questions for eggs.

If you’re interested, you can see pretty graphs of the survey results here.

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2010 Priorities

After collecting survey results, the core members met to discuss the year and make some initial plans for 2010. Among the many things we covered:

  • We’d like to have more constant communication with our farmers/vendors, and with our members to make sure everyone’s in the loop about upcoming crops, weather-related mishaps, distribution problems, etc. On the core side it means assigning a primary contact person for each of the outside groups we deal with. For members, it means you’ll probably be getting more email from us and/or our web site will be updated more regularly.
  • We are wary of going back to Breezy Hill for our fruit next year. The variety was a disappointment to many members, and our communication with the farm was less than ideal. If we can’t make sure of having a better relationship with Breezy Hill next year, we’ll look into finding another source for fruit.
  • Providing low-income shares is a priority for 2010. We may be able to work with Henry Street Settlement or one of two other non-profit groups that have contacted us about finding eligible members. This year’s donations have given us a good footing for next year’s subsidies.
  • We would like to have more Tuesday events next year tied in to distribution, and we’ll be looking for a (new) core member specifically interested in helping to plan some special programs.
  • We will begin sign-ups for the season much earlier than last year — in January.
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Treasurer’s Report 2009

Thanks to all who participated this year in the CSA! As most of you know our support helps the farms we work with stay afloat and in return we get the freshest and healthiest food around. So here is a quick summary of what our CSA did this year:

We collected and paid the following to the farms:

  • Woodbridge Farm: $34,250 for 21 full shares and 68.5 half shares of vegetables
  • Breezy Hill Farm: $9,954 for 43 full and 26 half shares of fruit
  • Knoll Krest Farm: $2,940 for 21 full shares and 28 half shares of eggs  

We invested $602 in 100 canvas bags and so far we have collected $310 but we still have 68 bags left to sell next year. We also collected $1571 in donations and administrative fees. Thanks to all of those who donated money this year, now we have a strong foundation for setting up multiple low income shares for 2010. We have been in contact with a local organization and a couple of state run organizations that will connect us to those in need. When we know the organization that we will be working with next year we will be sure to let everyone know.

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U-Pick Apple Season, Grand Opening Weekend

Below, a message from our friends and fine fruit purveyors at Breezy Hill–an invite to the Grand Opening of U-Pick Apple season, plus a discount!

This weekend, September 5th and 6th, we’re having a grand opening at Stone Ridge Orchard for the U-Pick Apple season. We want to extend a special invitation to our CSA members to join us this weekend. There will be live music (local group Rented Mule is scheduled for this first weekend), wine & cheese tasting, and local artists set up in the heart of the orchard. It’s not just this weekend, but every Saturday and Sunday 12-4 until November 1. The farm stand and U-Pick will be open seven days a week for your convenience. We offer our fresh fruit, cider, baked goods, and more at the stand.

If any CSA members come to the orchard, they’ll receive a discount on the U-Pick apples. At the moment we’re evaluating our prices, and once we set our prices, we’ll be able to give you the discounted price.

Stone Ridge Orchard is at 3012 Route 213, Stone Ridge, NY 12484. It’s about two hours north from the heart of New York City. Just jump on I-87, take exit 18 at New Paltz, and follow Main Street through New Paltz. Turn right on NY-32, then after seven miles turn left to follow Main St/Rte 213. After five miles, we’d love to have you!

Thanks!

The Staff at Breezy Hill

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Food Pantry Volunteers Needed

Our Lady of Sorrows (OLS) is in need of volunteers for its weekly Food Pantry. Volunteers would assist with client intake, help stock shelves, and prepare and distribute food.

ADDRESS: 103 Pitt Street at Stanton
PANTRY HOURS: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10am to 3:30pm

To volunteer, please contact Nivea at chew.key @ hotmail.com [remove extra spaces], or call the OLS rectory at 212.673.0900.

Note: The Grand Street CSA donates our leftover vegetables to the OLS Food Pantry every week.

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Help Scope Gulick/Sheriff Park!

You probably know Gulick/Sheriff Park as the treeless cobblestone expanse next to the handball courts, in the shadow of the Wiliamsburg bridge. That’s because the once-verdant park lost all of its trees a number of years ago due to an Asian beetle infestation and they were never replanted. Well, the Parks Department is finally planning to remedy the situation, and your input is requested at a park meeting THIS THURSDAY.

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Woodbridge Farm Wants YOU!

David and Julia are looking for volunteers to help mulch tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, and peppers during the weekend of June 6. If you’d like to get your hands dirty, email them for more details: woodbridgefarm at sbcglobal.net.