There’s nothing like toting a bag chock full of fresh, local produce home to put a smile on my face. The Hell’s Kitchen Farm Project wants to put a smile on your face every week with their CSA plan. Their season officially begins on Wednesday, May 30, and they still have a few shares available.
Offering both full-shares ($550 for 22 weeks), half-shares ($275 for 22 weeks) and flower shares ($100 for 10 weeks), the Hell’s Kitchen Farm Project often becomes a favorite hangout spot for members.
Each week, CSA members get an email detailing what they’ll be receiving, recipes ideas for the produce and updates on organization’s food related programs. Shares are available for pick up on Wednesdays between 4 and 8 p.m. at the Metro Baptist Church rooftop (perfect if you work in the area). Members volunteer a total of 4 hours throughout the season either during distribution, or for those interested in gardening or food justice on the rooftop farm or at the food pantry.
“One of the goals of Hell’s Kitchen Farm Project, aside from providing food for the pantry, is educating community members on topics relating to urban agriculture, nutrition, food landscapes, and equitable access to food,” said Hell’s Kitchen Farm Project food justice coordinator, Mark Prehn. “We hope that our CSA is more than just a place where people pick up food, and that our members can explore these topics and become invested in issues surrounding food production and distribution.”
What to expect in your CSA
All the vegetables for the shares come with partner Nolasco Farms in Hacketstown, N.J. Farmer Sergio Nolasco brings lots of greens for the shares in the spring and winter, vegetables like tomatoes and squash in the summer. There’s also often herbs and sometimes fruits like cantaloupes and watermelons.
Now in their sixth year of offering the CSA the Hell’s Kitchen Farm Project also has subsidized shares and payment plans for folks who receive SNAP, which entitles people to receive a full share for $10 a week. And there’s almost never any food waste with this CSA. Shares are occasionally donated to their pantry program and if a share is not picked up or is left over, it’s distributed along with the food grown on their roof during pantry hours.
For more details about the CSA program visit hkfp.org and if you miss the May 30th start date you can still sign up later on in the season although they are rarely able to offer prorated shares.
