Seed Money for Seeds

By Helen Brady, President, Friends of Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center

The receipt of a generous grant from the Community Catalyst Fund allowed the Friends of Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center, Inc. buy the necessary vegetable seeds, soil amendments and supplies to plant our first Community Supported Agriculture program.

Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, is a regional education center that offers programs on healthy and sustainable food production, and teaches skills for small-scale suburban and urban farming, illustrating sustainable living practices for regional and local communities. The farm features demonstration models for backyard farming, rainwater harvesting, composting, and green-roof technology. Visitors can hike the farm’s 3.5 miles of woodland trails; picnic on the farm grounds; buy a CSA share, purchase produce from a farm stand and at U-Pick; or attend numerous classes and lectures. The Farm offers tours, classes and field trips to school groups, garden clubs, and scout troops, with specific emphasis on agricultural preservation, drinking water protection, and the promotion of environmental stewardship.  The farm is open to the public, harnessed 1,700 volunteer hours in 2010, and donated 4 tons (est. value $18,000) of produce to regional food pantries.

Purchased in 2003 by Westchester County for watershed protection, and agricultural education, due to budgetary constraints within the County the Farm lost 50% of its funding for the fiscal year 2011, the loss of funding eliminated the budget for seasonal employees and horticultural supplies. To save and support the Center, the Friends group was established in June 2010, with the goal of fully funding and operating the Farm. The Friends is working cooperatively with Westchester County to reach the goal within three years.

The $3,000 grant towards seeds, soil amendments and supplies was the “seed money” that allowed us to start a Community Agriculture Share (CSA) program of 100 members.   A CSA affords farm customers the opportunity to become farm supporters by committing before the growing season to buy a share of the farm’s produce, in our case members receive 20 weeks of vegetables from June to October.   This arrangement helps the farm better plan for the season, particularly in the area of staffing. Through the sale of CSA memberships the Friends raised over $60,000, critical income for 2011.  With the income we hired 6 local seasonal staff, and provided needed working capital.

It is clear that the financial return on investment for this grant is outstanding, but it is equally important to highlight the impact the grant has had within the community; local food, local involvement, and local jobs at a Farm that teaches sustainability.

Thank you Community Catalyst Fund.

CSA – Hooray!

Teal Tigner, Clean Air-Cool Planet

By Teal Tigner

Corporate Program Consultant

Clean Air-Cool Planet

I have always loved vegetables.  I’m probably the only 5 year old who asked for a dinner of steamed veggies … with a side of French fries, of course.  I mean, I was still 5 even if I DID love vegetables.  Fortunately, my love of veggies has continued into my twenties (so has my love of French fries, but that pesky metabolism thing mandates a reduction in their appearance).  And, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more adventurous in my veggie choices.  I’ve always loved okra, but moving to the East Coast 8 years ago gave me a whole new appreciation for squash varietals as well as rare, yet tasty, fiddleheads.  But this winter and spring I found myself in a veggie rut.  I was making the same spicy butternut squash boats and chicken parmesan stuffed acorn squash.  I needed to branch out, but my local Stop & Shop wasn’t inspiring me.  Enter my next door neighbors….

Last year, Kevin and Laura jumped on the chance to sow and reap the harvests of their own labors by signing up for a shared farm plot at Fodor’s Farm, right around the corner from us.  Sadly, my fiancé and I recognized that we would not have the time to manage our own farm plot, so we set out in search of another solution.   After talking to our neighbors, we heard about Stone Gardens’ Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program… and signed right up.  Each week for 22 weeks, we get a ton of basic fresh vegetables including multiple types of lettuce, bok choy, swiss chard, salad fixings, and kale.  In addition we get weekly “cool” vegetables, as I call them.  These are the different, seemingly exotic veggies that you cannot find at most supermarkets.   And, more often than not, you have to find a recipe in order to figure out what to do with them – although sautéing seems to be a safe bet for just about everything.  So far, my favorite veggie has been Kohlrabi.  Like the translation of its name implies, Kohlrabi is similar to a cabbage/turnip blend yet has the consistency of a potato (again with those French fries!).  While Kohlrabi tops my list of “cool” vegetables, that list literally changes every week as we get new and exciting grab bags of fresh produce.

What’s even better is that cooking dinner has become fun againl  For a while we were in a “couscous and salad” or “grilled chicken and salad” rut.  The CSA share has put us back in touch with our cookbooks and spice rack…and has added a creative element back into cooking.  In addition, we’re eating less because the produce is so flavorful.  Lettuce, that green watery stuff that rarely has its own flavor sans salad dressing, has layers of flavor.  Salad dressing is out the window.  Now I can have a delicious bowl of mixed greens and taste pepper, lemon, and grassy goodness just by munching my way to the bottom of the bowl.  And, because of the weekly herb plants we receive as part of our share, our backyard herb garden is exploding, making even my Sunday night Penne taste better.  But most of all, it means something to me that I know where my food comes from and who is behind its lifecycle.  I even e-mail with Monica, the lady who runs our CSA and is responsible for growing everything we’re eating.  That’s much better than simply exchanging pleasantries with the Stop & Shop check out lady.  Granted, our CSA goodies have dirt and the occasional garden slug on them.  But that’s an easy tradeoff when I consider the benefits of eating local, supporting local businesses, and increasing my overall well being.