www.flatbushfarmshare.
com a partnership of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, Hunger Action Network, and Just Food
FLATBUSH FARM SHARE
NEWS
This week’s eats*:
1 lb. carrots
1 melon
1 bunch Broccoli Raab
1 head of lettuce
1 bunch of onions
1 bunch of red beets
1.5 lbs. red potatoes
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch of celery
* Please let us know what you think of the veggies
you are receiving! Our farmers want to know and
will try to adjust accordingly.
Does Anyone Speak Kreyol? We
would like to enlist your help in translating a
new Flatbush Farm Share outreach brochure.
Please contact outreach@flabushfarmshare.com.
If you are Unable to Make
your Volunteer Shift: Please contact
volunteer@flabushfarmshare.com. If you miss
a shift, you will lose your membership priority
for next season. So be aware of your volunteer
time and date, and don’t be late!
Volunteers Needed We are adding
another volunteer to sit at the sign-in table
at distribution. ALSO, Sheila Friend, Pantry
Coordinator at the church, needs 2 volunteers
on Fridays at the food pantry and 3-4 volunteers
on Saturdays at the soup kitchen. Greenmarket
also needs volunteers to advertise about accept-
ing food stamps. Please contact volunteer@
flabushfarmshare.com or JAnkerberg@nyccah.
org to sign up. Or call 212-825-0028 ext 210.
Newsletter Call for Submissions
Please send us your FFS-related stories and
thoughts: why you joined FFS, what it has
meant to you, or other food-related stories. We
want to get to know our membership and hear
your food-stories. Please send to newsletter@
flabushfarmshare.com.
1.10 / AUG 5 2009
last week’s share, courtesy of Amy Dreher
Core Group Meeting Synopsis! Despite yet another rainy
distribution night, complete with thunder and lightning, the core group met for
our monthly meeting, and we had a great discussion on policy issues and recent
distribution foibles.
Outreach: We want our membership to represent the full spectrum of the commu-
nity we are serving: all ages, races, economic levels, and languages! CSA is a concept
that hasn’t become commonplace in all communities, and there are many built-in bar-
riers to entry. We want to eliminate as many of them as possible, especially barriers
as surmountable as language. Some core group members have noticed that people
from the community stop by to find out about who we are, but we have no literature
to offer them. We are missing a major opportunity to outreach to potential members
for next season - people who may not even know the concept of CSA yet! The core
group decided to put together a new brochure, intended to speak to our neighbors
about the idea of CSA -- and to translate the brochure into the primary languages
spoken in Flatbush: Spanish, Kreyol, and Russian. This brochure is in the works and
you’ll see it on our distribution table soon. Feel free to take one if you know of people
who might be interested for next year.
Volunteer Hours: Keep Your Commitment! The Farm Share asks all mem-
bers for a very minimal work commitment: helping out with distribution for a total of 4
hours during the 22-week season. While nearly all of the volunteer slots have been filled,
we are getting reports that a lot of members are either coming late, or not showing up
at all. This means a lot of extra work for the site coordinator and the volunteers who do
show up. It is especially important that if you sign up for the early shift, you get there by
*no later than* 4:30, as getting all the boxes moved and tables set up takes a lot of effort
-- and people really do show up at 5:00 to get their produce. If something comes up and
you cannot make your shift, it is *your* responsibility to find a replacement. The Farm
Share only works if we all do. So, we are going to start keeping closer track of who shows
up (and who doesn’t) for their shift, and members who have missed shifts will not be given
preference for joining up for next year. However, you have a chance to make amends: we
need some extra help on-site, and so you can easily volunteer for another shift. We have
ADDED slots to future distribution days, so please sign up if you need the hours! In
addition, we will send out weekly announcements to let you know your day is coming
up. Please write to volunteer@flatbushfarmshare.com.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Adapted by FFS member Lisa Knauer from Baking Bites. I have added
some of the spices from the “Mexican Cooking School Chocolate Cake”
2 c. flour (cake or all purpose), sifted
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. crystalline fructose (or 1 c. sugar)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. brewed and cooled espresso (opt: but don’t use regular coffee)
3/4 c. buttermilk, sour milk or yogurt (or add 1 T. white vinegar to
3/4 c. fresh milk and let it sour for 5-10 min.)
2 large eggs
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp.. vanilla
1-1/3 c. shredded zucchini (about 2 medium zukes)
1/2 c. or more chocolate chips
1 tsp. grated orange zest, optional
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 X 5 loaf pan. You can, if you
like, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of cocoa powder after pan has
been greased. Shake out excess.
Sift dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.
Using a hand mixer (or egg beater or whisk), beat eggs until
frothy, then add milk, oil, vanilla, coffee (if using) and orange
zest (if using).
Add wet ingredients to dry, mix gently. Fold in zucchini, and
then chocolate chips, and stir gently until fully mixed. Batter
will be pretty thick. Don’t worry; the zucchini gives off a lot of
liquid. Spread batter into prepared pan; smooth surface with a
butter knife so that it is evenly distributed. Bake for 50-55 min,
or until a toothpick inserted in the middle only has a few moist
crumbs. Let cool in pan for 5-10 min. before removing and cool-
ing on a wire rack.
And if you have some spare time, our site coordinators (who are volunteers,
just like you, with jobs and other things to do on a Wednesday), would
appreciate your lending a hand at the beginning of distribution during
set-up and the end of the night for clean-up. It can be back-breaking work,
especially if assigned volunteers do not show. They won’t ask you to stick
around, just carry a box or two to help out, or ask the site team if there is
anything you can help out with, even if it’s not your volunteer day and you
only have ten minutes to spare. We will all be grateful for your help!
Farm Trip: Help us pick a date! This will be an all-day excursion to
the Hudson Valley, and it will be a great chance to see where our terrific
vegetables come from, learn something about sustainable agriculture, and
-- for those interested -- to help out weeding and sorting garlic, potatoes and
other crops. There is also a stream for swimming and fields for picnicking.
The proposed dates (all Saturdays) are Aug 29, Sept 12, 19 and 26. Please
let us know which dates work for you (and whether you will need transpor-
tation or can offer someone else a ride). An online poll was sent out to all
members, but let us know if you have trouble accessing it. We are looking
into the possibility of some Sundays, and some dates in October. If you do
not have internet access, please speak to someone at the check-in table and
let them know what dates are good for you. Further questions? Contact
events@flatbushfarmshare.com
Harvest Potluck: We are putting together a committee to plan a fall
potluck event to close the season. We want to invite the whole community,
to generate interest in membership for next season. It’s a ways away, but if
you are interested in early planning, please contact events@flatbushfarm-
share.com.
Website: Did you know the farmshare has a website? We do! And while
we think it is basically functional, we want to know how you would improve
it. How do you want to be able to use it? What content would you like to
see? What would you like to be easier to find? Be on the look out for a new
website in a few weeks! In the mean time visit our current website, www.
flatbushfarmshare.com and give us your input: web@flatbushfarmshare.
com. Keep in mind many of us are amateurs with limited time, but please do
send your helpful comments! And if you’re a pro, feel free to volunteer your
services as well!
Foodprint NYC: On June 30th, Resolution 2049—also known as
FoodprintNYC resolution—was introduced to the New York City Coun-
cil by member Bill de Blasio, and calls for a citywide initiative designed to
lessen the impact the City’s food choices have on climate change through the
launch of a public awareness campaign and resource mobilization to create
greater access to local, fresh, healthy food, especially in low-income commu-
nities and city run institutions. This includes setting targets for expanding
institutional purchasing of local and preferably organic food and support-
ing the growth of urban agriculture. Currently, our Council Member is not
signed on for FoodprintNYC; however, we can change that!
1. Go to this website to find out more about Foodprint NYC:
http://www.foodprintusa.org/new-york-city.html.
2. Call our council member Mathieu Eugene at 718-287-8762 and say
(approximately) this: “Hello, my name is ______________ and I am a
constituent. I live at/in ___________ (give street address or neighborhood
so they know you are a constituent). I’m calling to urge Council Member
Mathieu Eugene to support Resolution 2049 calling for FoodprintNYC.”
Please do your part to support efforts to make good food accessible to all!
And while you’re at it, sign a petition to bring composting back to NYC:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/bring-back-composting-to-nyc.html. And
this petition to save Bed Stuy Farm : http://ow.ly/ivnZ. Thanks, everyone!