New CSA Action in Fort Greene, Ditmas Park
Cool beans. There are Community Supported Agriculture programs in the works for both Fort Greene and Ditmas Park. In Fort Greene, the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project, Families United for Racial and Economic Equality, and Just Food have partnered to bring the neighborhood a CSA beginning this summer. According to an article in Crain’s (sub req’d),…
Cool beans. There are Community Supported Agriculture programs in the works for both Fort Greene and Ditmas Park. In Fort Greene, the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project, Families United for Racial and Economic Equality, and Just Food have partnered to bring the neighborhood a CSA beginning this summer. According to an article in Crain’s (sub req’d), the idea to begin the CSA grew in part out of the fact that the closing of the Myrtle Ave. Associated last year has left many area residents without easy access to fresh produce. The CSA will run for 22 weeks from June through November, and full shares will cost $400 for the season (half shares will be available for $200, and there will also be subsidized shares for low-income residents that cost $300 full/$150 half). Jen Datka, the CSA coordinator, says that she has a list with 136 names of people who’ve expressed interest in joining the program. Datka says the Fort Greene CSA will offer around 50 shares this summer, though they hope to expand the program next year if it’s successful this summer. Over in Ditmas Park, the person who organized last year’s Cortelyou Rd. farmers’ market is also working to set up a CSA, according to Ditmas Park Blog. The CSA will involve a partnership with a Pennsylvania farm and cost around $400 for around 20 deliveries of produce from May through November.
Fort Greene CSA
A Ditmas Park CSA! [Ditmas Park Blog]
Photo by winyang.
Nobody said that they wanted “nab” to gentrify or not. It just is what it is and the poster stated that what it is can support what will be and what was.
Who says that the nab wants to be gentrified?
Exactly 1:41. Although I am a member of the Flatbush Food Coop I generally only purchase staples there. I usually purchase my vegetables from Fairway and the greenmarket on Cortelyou, during their season of operation. If I join the CSA, I will continue to shop at both the Coop and the greenmarket. If the vegetable selection at the Flatbush Food Coop improves, when they move to the new location, I can then cut out my trips to Fairway. As far as the Bakery is concerned, they don’t offer the same baked goods that are offered during the greenmarket so they still have a steady business of customers who may not want spelt, sour dough or mutli-grain baked goods.
I doubt that the Grand Army Plaza farmer’s market creates much of a problem for the Park Slope Food Coop, so I see no reason why these things — a CSA, the Flatbush Coop, a farmer’s market — can’t coexist in a gentrifying neighborhood.
There is already a Flatbush Co-op on Cortelyou that is planning to move into the vacant Associated space diagonally across the street. Wouldn’t this CSA kind of be detrimental to an existing neighborhood institution?
I thought the farmers market being right across the street from the Cortelyou Co-op and Cortelyou bakery was kind of a slap in the face to those existing businesses.
The CSA link is http://www.fortgreenecsa.org
Shares will be sold on a first come, first serve basis, although we will be reserving some shares for low-income residents of Fort Greene.
Thanks for featuring us!
– Jen
The Fort Greene CSA link doesn’t work. Would love to learn more about it — how will the shares be allocated? By lottery, or first come first serve?
The Flatbush (not just Ditmas Park) CSA is still accepting members for this year. Details are available on my blog [http://flatbushgardener.blogspot.com/2008/04/flatbush-csa.html].
Jen is talking about the CSA at tonight’s meeting of Community Board 2: 6pm, Room 122 in the Library Learning Center of Long Island University, Dekalb Avenue and the Flatbush Avenue Extension.