Prospect Park CSA

Brooklyn Food Conference

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:14:46 -0400

We support this and wanted to promote it!

Brooklyn Food Coalition will host its annual free conference on Saturday, May 12 at Brooklyn Tech HS in Ft. Greene to bring Brooklynites together to build a local food system that provides healthy, affordable food for all and supports sustainable practices and justice for food workers across the food chain. Please pre-register! For more information visit http://www.bkfoodconference.org/

Brooklyn Food Coalition’s message:

We invite everyone to attend the FREE Brooklyn Food Conference on Saturday, May 12, 9am-6pm at Brooklyn Tech HS in Ft. Greene and to participate in the many opportunities available.

Over 5,000 people from NYC and beyond are expected to attend. There will be lots of educational and practical hands-on learning for all ages. The goal is to bring people together to build a local food system that provides healthy, affordable food for all our people, supports sustainable practices, and justice for food workers across the food chain.

1) Please have your organization or business become a sponsor today for as little as $50-$100!

    Table at the event (300 nonprofits and businesses expected)
    Your company’s name and logo will appear on the program and website
    Customized social media exposure
    100% of your sponsorship is tax-deductible

2) Pre-register now and avoid long lines at the door.

The 2012 Brooklyn Food Conference will include:

    Over 175 workshops on a wide range of food justice topics
    Enormous expo of for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations (300 companies expected)
    Mega sessions (2500 person auditorium)
        1) Building a Rural-Urban Food Alliance
        2) Saving Our Farmland and Fracking, and
        3) The Future of NYC Food Policy
    Cooking demos;
    Family activities;
    Youth summit;
    Neighborhood meet-ups;
    Lots of fantastic food for sale;
    Music, films and art!

Become a Sponsor and Pre-register today—the deadline for Sponsorship is April 20th!

For more information on plenary speakers, workshops, and programmed activities please check out www.bkfoodconference.org

Thank you!

Jesse Alter
Conference Coordinator
Brooklyn Food Conference 2012

2012 Prospect Park CSA Sign-Ups Are Open!

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:17:39 -0400

At last sign-ups for our 2012 season are here. This year we will have a two-step sign-up process.

First, complete our sign-up form in full and submit it.

Then, wait for your invoice to be emailed to you within a couple of days of submitting the form. Once you receive your invoice, mail in your payment per the instructions ASAP. We will send you a deadline for payment receipt in your invoice. If we receive payment from you by the deadline, you will receive a confirmation of your 2012 share details.

As always, please email or call us ((347) 746-5710) if you have any questions. All details for this season’s pricing and pickup are in the form linked to above, or in the season info post on our website. NOTE: pick-up will be at the same location as last year, but we have adjusted the pick-up time to 6pm-8pm this year.

We look forward to sharing vegetables with you in the spring!

2012 Season Dates

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:19:09 -0400

Just an update/confirmation that our 2012 season will run 22 weeks from Jun. 12th to Nov. 6th, pickups Tuesdays from 6-8 PM. See the full season info in our previous post!

2012 Prospect Park CSA Share Details

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:00:00 -0400

Vegetable Share Prices and Details

When you purchase a full vegetable share, you receive an assortment of veggies once a week for 22 weeks, from June 12 to November 6 (for an idea of variety and quantity in the share, please review our newsletters from the previous season). You can also purchase a half-share, which you will pick up every other week throughout the 22 week season.

We have three price tiers, following the Community Supported Agriculture model of neighbors subsidizing each others’ shares. Each tier includes a $5 administrative fee, which our core group uses to buy some basic materials and as a way to subsidize fun activities we offer throughout the year.

Plan A full share: $555, Plan A half share: $280
Plan B full share: $465, Plan B half share: $235
Plan C full share: $270, Plan C half share: $135

Select Plan A if your combined household income is greater than $80,000/year, or if you think you can afford it. By choosing a Plan A share you are helping to subsidize our lower income neighbors, bringing real, healthy food access to more people and ensuring that the “community” aspect of Community Supported Agriculture rings true.

Select Plan B if your household earnings are less than $80,000/year, or if you feel that is the level you can afford.

Plan C is designated for our neighbors who are living at a significantly lower income level than either the Plan A or B guidelines. At this level we can accommodate those paying with food stamps.

Fruit shares

From the farm: 20 weeks of fruits produced with minimal inputs by local farmers. Windflower Farm grows small quantities of organic strawberries and raspberries. To round out the share they partner with local growers to supply fresh, minimally treated (non-organic) fruit. Fruit shares begin in the early summer with strawberries, cherries, blueberries and raspberries, progress in mid-summer to include peaches, plums, nectarines, and apricots, and conclude in the fall with assorted apples, pears, and cider.

Fruit: $144 (20 Distributions)

Flower shares

From the farm: 10 weeks of fresh cut flowers grown organically at Windflower Farm. Flowers vary by the season but have included spice-scented stock, showy sunflowers, Bells of Ireland, campanula, Asiatic lilies, long-lasting lisianthus, China asters, and cockscombs (or “brain flowers” as one young CSA member calls them). Flowers arrive in bouquets or bunches, and packed in a floral sleeve for safe travel.

Flowers: $124 (10 Distributions)

Egg shares

NOTE: As of April all egg shares are already SOLD OUT.

22 weeks of brown eggs from free-range chickens grown by Windflower Farm neighbor Elihu Farm. Their hens are truly pastured and their eggs are as nutritional and good-for-you as eggs can be.

2 dozen/week: $230 (22 distributions) – SOLD OUT
1 dozen/week: $120 (22 distributions) – SOLD OUT
1/2 dozen/week: $62 (22 distributions) – SOLD OUT

Pickup Location

Members will be able to pick up their shares on Tuesdays beginning June 12th, 6:00pm - 8:00pm, at Fountain Studios, 604 Grand Ave., between St Marks Ave. and Bergen St. (Google Map).

Member Work Shift Requirement

All members of our CSA contribute to this volunteer-led effort by working at our distribution location once or twice during the season. All work shifts will take place on Tuesdays, beginning June 12th and running through November 6th. There will be an afternoon shift (1:30-2:30pm) and two evening shifts (5:30-7pm, 7pm-8:30pm). Full-share members will work 2 shifts throughout the season. Half-share members will work 1 shift.

Signups Start in April!

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 22:08:14 -0400

Just an update from our last post to let everyone know that sign-ups will start in early April! Stay tuned!

Prospect Park CSA 2012 Season Update

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:17:00 -0500

We are very happy to announce that we will be offering our CSA again this year, after our inaugural season in 2011. We will be working with Windflower Farm again to offer delicious seasonal vegetables and fruit, and we will also be offering eggs from Elihu farm as we did last year.

Sign-ups will start in early April, when we will also send out detailed information about the prices and payment options.

We will be emailing more information soon, so stay tuned!

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - September 20, 2011

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:43:00 -0400

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - September 20, 2011:

Weekly newsletter for the fifteenth week of the 2011 CSA season. Click to read!

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - August 23, 2011

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:45:00 -0400

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - August 23, 2011:

Weekly newsletter for the eleventh week of the 2011 CSA season. Click to read!

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - August 9, 2011

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:40:00 -0400

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - August 9, 2011:

Weekly newsletter for the ninth week of the 2011 CSA season. Click to read!

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - August 2, 2011

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:32:00 -0400

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - August 2, 2011:

Weekly newsletter for the eighth week of the 2011 CSA season. Click to read!

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - July 26, 2011

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:24:00 -0400

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - July 26, 2011:

Weekly newsletter for the seventh week of the 2011 CSA season. Click to read!

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - July 19, 2011

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:32:00 -0400

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - July 19, 2011:

Weekly newsletter for the sixth week of the 2011 CSA season. Click to read!

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - July 12, 2011

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:40:00 -0400

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - July 12, 2011:

Weekly newsletter for the fifth week of the 2011 CSA season. Click to read!

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - July 5, 2011

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:18:00 -0400

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - July 5, 2011:

Weekly newsletter for the fourth week of the 2011 CSA season. Click to read!

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - June 28, 2011

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:54:00 -0400

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - June 28, 2011:

Weekly newsletter for the third week of the 2011 CSA season. Click to read!

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - June 21, 2011

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:03:00 -0400

Prospect Park CSA Newsletter - June 21, 2011:

First weekly newsletter, for the second week of the 2011 CSA season. Click to read!

Prospect Park CSA member Adrienne made this cool video...

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:42:08 -0400

Prospect Park CSA member Adrienne made this cool video documenting their first CSA haul. What better way to celebrate the first week of veggie distribution from Windflower Farm?

For those wondering what to do with some of the vegetables, members are sharing recipes, either on the PPkCSA google group, or on their own blogs. Member Caroline blogged her Garlic Scape Pesto Salad Dressing recipe here, and member Anais has started blogging her recipes, beginning with some pasta, salad, and the super-fresh CSA strawberries. Check them out!

First Pickup Next Tuesday, June 14th

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:11:22 -0400

News about our first distribution:

Remember all that wet, rainy weather we had a few weeks ago? Because of it, our friends at Windflower Farm had to delay some of the crop planting for our CSA. Farmer Ted has decided that, in order to deliver the quality and quantity that we’re expecting, we unfortunately have to postpone our first distribution one week. New first distribution date: Tuesday, June 14th. The season will then be extended one additional week, with a final distribution happening on Tuesday, November 8th.

Here’s what this means for you:

If you have a full vegetable share, your first pick-up will be on Tuesday, June 14th.
If you have a half-vegetable share and you are on the A week distribution, your first pick-up will be on Tuesday, June 21st. (You’ll be receiving a separate note with an updated list of pick-up dates.)
If you have a half-vegetable share and you are on the B week distribution, nothing changes for you (your first pick-up will be on Tuesday, June 14th). (You’ll be receiving a separate note with an updated list of pick-up dates.)
If you have an egg share, your first egg pick-up will be on Tuesday, June 14th.
Fruit shares: our fruit shares include 20 weeks of fruit, and we’re not yet certain if that means they start right away and end early, or begin a couple weeks into the season. Either way nothing will start before the 14th.

NOTE: if you were scheduled to do your work shift on the 7th, Laura or Tim will be in touch to reschedule you.
We know this is disappointing, but in a few short weeks things will get going and this delay will be behind us. In the meantime, a few reminders for our distributions once they do indeed begin:

Bring your own bags! We will not provide bags for pick-up, so bring bag, box, basket, whatever you want to carry your bounty home.
Distributions are always on Tuesdays between 5pm and 7:30pm at Fountain Studios, 604 Grand Ave., between St Marks Ave. and Bergen St.
If you are sending someone in lieu of yourself to pick up your share, just make sure they have your correct account name and it’s no problem.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our google group to talk recipe ideas, swap shifts if need be, and find out about other fun things going on in the neighborhood.

We look forward to seeing you soon (though not on the 7th).

Prospect Park CSA in the News!

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:49:48 -0400

The Prospect Heights Patch covered our launch, check out the article!

Members can pick up their shares from Fountain Studios (604 Grand Street between Bergen Street and Saint Marks Avenue), a group of artist studios that regularly hosts gallery shows and other community events.

“We want to highlight the CSA, but also this local neighborhood spot,” Santogade told me.

Santogade said that a fundamental reason for having a CSA is “the idea of creating community.” She worries that although the concept of a CSA is becoming increasingly popular, people often forget the community building aspect of the project.

“This is not just about picking up food,” she said. “It offers a way to get to know your neighborhood and neighbors.”

Indeed! If you haven’t already, join us!

Hurry To Sign Up Today!

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 07:06:53 -0400

Shares are going quickly, don’t miss the season’s fresh farm veggies! See our previous post for details and the sign-up link.