Good Food, Good People

I've had the good fortune to be a part of the inaugural season of the Crown Heights CSA, which brings fresh, local, organic veggies to the nearly 100 local residents who signed up. For those who were on the fence and didn't join, I highly recommend jumping on the bandwagon next year: I split a full share with four people, and I rarely get through my share of the green stuff in a week, making the $565 we paid up front more than worth it over the 23 weeks that we'll be picking up. Check out their website even if you're not a member--they've got recipes and other links posted.

I wanted specifically to call attention to one initiative that the tireless CSA organizers continue to work on: creating and maintaining low-income shares for families that want fresh produce but can't afford it. When I mentioned to a friend that I was joining a Crown Heights CSA, the clever rogue responded with a simple chant of "Gen-tri-fi-ca-tion (clap, clap, clap clap clap)," and while I protested vehemently, there's truth to the concern that ventures like these only reach a certain demographic. In order to make sure that the delicious produce being trucked in from Sang Lee Farms reaches as many people in the neighborhood as possible, the CSA is hosting a bake sale at the ever-helpful Franklin Park in conjunction with the vegetable (and coffee!) pickup, on Tuesday nights from 5-9. In simple terms, this means that you can now get an organic blueberry-almond tart to go with your happy hour pint, and help provide fresh local produce to families in need in the process. What could be more fun?