To everyone who came out to the farm, we hope you had a lovely day on the farm with Fred. We’ll be sure to do another one in the Fall so stay tuned!
Our launch event was also a great success. Thank you to everyone who came out! If you missed it, here are some important things to remember:
Brooklyn Bridge CSA: We are a CSA devoted to food justice. Food justice encapsulates many different things–justice for farmers, for those who have low access to good and healthy food, for the earth, and for our health. Our CSA is built on a model that addresses food justice in a variety of ways. We offer a tiered payment plan so that members who can not afford to pay as much are still able to join–and are subsidized by fellow community members who generously offer to pay more. We also offer payment plans so those unable to pay upfront can pay in installments. We are working to be able to accept SNAP benefits (food stamps) next year. We also work toward justice through our partnerships, described in more detail below.
Partnerships: We officially partner with First Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn Heights as our emergency food provider. At the end of every distribution, our volunteers, led by core group member David Chung, cart over the leftover vegetables for the church’s food pantry. On the following day, they are given out to over 100 local residents who receive food assistance through the pantry. In addition to the church, we also partner with the Crown Heights CSA, who are also part of the Sang Lee Farms family of CSAs. Thanks to the generosity of Brooklyn Bridge CSA’s members, we typically have an overage of funds that we earmark to subsidize the cost of low-income members in our community to join the CSA. Crown Heights has a much greater need for such funds, and after covering our BBCSA’s subsidized shares, we provide them with the leftover funds so that more people will have access to Farmer Fred’s wonderful, organic produce. We also hope to further develop this partnership by co-running events and more, and we’ll keep you posted throughout the season.
Speaking of Fred: Fred Lee is the farmer at Sang Lee Farms, located on Peconic, Long Island (North Fork). Fred’s farm is certified organic by NOFA, and he grows unbelievably beautiful and varied produce with an emphasis on Asian greens. Learn more here: http://www.sangleefarms.com/. Brooklyn Bridge CSA is one of 4 CSAs that Fred operates; the others are located in DUMBO, Crown Heights, and at the farm itself in Peconic.
Distribution: You can pick up your CSA share every Wednesday from 5-8pm at Congregation Mount Sinai at 250 Cadman Plaza West. Use the entrance closest to the corner of Clinton Street; the door will be marked indicating that the distribution is taking place. Please bring your own reusable bags to carry your vegetables home with you, as there will not be bags available at distribution. It is also helpful to bring smaller baggies for items like peas, cherry tomatoes, etc. At distribution, each crate of vegetables will be marked with the amount of that item that you should take; please do not exceed that amount, as it will cause us to run out of veggies before everyone has had a chance to pick up their share. If there is something that you’d prefer not to take, you can use our “swap box” to swap it out for another item instead.
Volunteering: All members’ households are required to volunteer twice during the 23-week CSA season. What does volunteering entail? It typically means that you staff and help run our Wednesday distributions. Each distribution will have 4 volunteers–two people working the 4:30-6:30pm shift, and two working the 6:30-8:30pm shift. Our volunteer coordinator, Nicole, sent out an email this week asking you to sign up for the first half of the season’s shifts; if you did not receive it, please let us know. More details on distribution-related volunteering responsibilities will be send out to you by Nicole as your shift gets nearer. If you are interested in volunteering in other ways–like doing a cooking demo at distribution, or helping us develop community partnerships, writing for our blog, organizing a CSA event, helping us to market the CSA, etc, please let us know and we can work with you.
Newsletter, Facebook group, and Website: Every week, we will send out a newsletter, usually the evening prior to distribution, listing what you can expect in that week’s share, as well as upcoming events, recipes, and more. We also encourage you to join our Facebook group (called Brooklyn Bridge CSA) in case you want to share recipes, learn new tips for storing and caring for your veggies, or just to chat with your fellow members and ask us questions. Please also visit our website, www.brooklynbridgecsa.org for more information about the CSA, our farmer, recipes, resources on local food and cooking, and more.
Events: We’ll hold a variety of events throughout the CSA season–all related to food, justice, cooking, and more. Make sure to keep an eye on our newsletters to see what’s coming up!
Happy first weeks of veggies everyone!
Love,
Brooklyn Bridge CSA Core Group
Brooklyn Bridge CSA 