In 2010, Eagle Street Rooftop Farm became the first rooftop-based CSA farm in the country. Organized as a traditional CSA share (in half-share size), the CSA group picks up at the Rooftop Farm every Tuesday night for the 22 weeks of the New York growing season.
On CSA programs, from farmer Annie Novak:
CSAs are revolutionary. Begun in Japan in the 1960s, the first CSA was formed when a group of women concerned about the rise of pesticides, imported and processed foods rallied to create teikei, or seasonal subscriptions of produce purchased from local growers. In the United States, the first pilot CSA began in 1984 as a simple partnership between an apple orchard and a small core group. In 1986 the group linked up with a vegetable farmer, starting at 15 shares.
Translated metaphorically, “teikei” means “food with the farmer’s face.” CSA members commit to a farm, through good harvest and bad, to receive what the farmer can provide that season. In return, farmers are flexible to (most) of the demands of a CSA group, from choosing their crops or adding shares (fruits, eggs). There’s no need to advertise (and falsify) food when it’s going from soil to plate that honestly (deliciously, and quickly), and when the responsibility of good production is so clearly linked to good farming. Additionally, the CSA community itself often bears wonderful fruit: recipe books, potlucks and field trips can be a huge part of CSA membership.
As your farmer, my wish is to share with you the same excitement and joy I feel celebrating the incredible diversity of vegetables. I love plants. They are tenacious, varied and miraculous (kind of like New Yorkers). The first food I ever learned how to grow was my favorite food to eat: chocolate. With this sweet treat, I learned to love the ecology of farming, from the soil to insects to seeds. From Ghana and cacao trees I’ve moved to carrots and peas because I want to grow close to home, so that I could grow food for the people I called my community—which, now, is you. Thank you for participating in the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm 2010 CSA.
The Eagle Street Farm 2010 CSA membership is full for the season.
CSA
In 2010, Eagle Street Rooftop Farm became the first rooftop-based CSA farm in the country. Organized as a traditional CSA share (in half-share size), the CSA group picks up at the Rooftop Farm every Tuesday night for the 22 weeks of the New York growing season.
On CSA programs, from farmer Annie Novak:
CSAs are revolutionary. Begun in Japan in the 1960s, the first CSA was formed when a group of women concerned about the rise of pesticides, imported and processed foods rallied to create teikei, or seasonal subscriptions of produce purchased from local growers. In the United States, the first pilot CSA began in 1984 as a simple partnership between an apple orchard and a small core group. In 1986 the group linked up with a vegetable farmer, starting at 15 shares.
Translated metaphorically, “teikei” means “food with the farmer’s face.” CSA members commit to a farm, through good harvest and bad, to receive what the farmer can provide that season. In return, farmers are flexible to (most) of the demands of a CSA group, from choosing their crops or adding shares (fruits, eggs). There’s no need to advertise (and falsify) food when it’s going from soil to plate that honestly (deliciously, and quickly), and when the responsibility of good production is so clearly linked to good farming. Additionally, the CSA community itself often bears wonderful fruit: recipe books, potlucks and field trips can be a huge part of CSA membership.
As your farmer, my wish is to share with you the same excitement and joy I feel celebrating the incredible diversity of vegetables. I love plants. They are tenacious, varied and miraculous (kind of like New Yorkers). The first food I ever learned how to grow was my favorite food to eat: chocolate. With this sweet treat, I learned to love the ecology of farming, from the soil to insects to seeds. From Ghana and cacao trees I’ve moved to carrots and peas because I want to grow close to home, so that I could grow food for the people I called my community—which, now, is you. Thank you for participating in the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm 2010 CSA.
The Eagle Street Farm 2010 CSA membership is full for the season.