Brokelyn

A yield from Flatbush Farm Share. Photo via Sustainable Flatbush.

Ah, CSA season once again: overflowing boxes of mystery farm-freshness, that connected-to-the-earth feeling and giant zucchinis up the wazoo. Last year we gave you the lowdown on Community Supported Agriculture in Brooklyn and why every locavore, quasi-locavore and their mother seemed to be hopping on the farm wagon. Now it’s registration time again, and there are four new CSAs on top of last year’s already impressive list. A few are already sold-out for the season, but plenty are left to help you fill those crispers. Read the rest of this entry »

Hey PLG/Crown Heights/Flatbush organicists—a nice man named Gabriel (OK, we think most all Brokelyn readers are nice) from the forthcoming Lefferts Farm Food Cooperative asked us to post his plea for volunteers:

The co-op is starting up and needs committed volunteers for various committees. Specifically, there is an immediate need for a web programmer with knowledge of Drupal. Also, if you’re currently a Park Slope Food Coop Member you can get work credit with us. For more information and to join our group go to: http://www.meetup.com/plgfoodcoop or contact leffertsfarm@gmail.com.

Kudos to you Gabriel & Co. After nearly 10 years at PSFC, we’d rather commit hari kari with a burdock root than start a cooperative venture of any kind, but we’ll be there on opening day. And we’ll probably already be suspended.

Photo by iStock.

It’s called Turkey Day for a reason, pilgrims, and this year you want an organic one. First of all, you know how much better they taste (it’s true). Second, it’s Thanksgiving, and it just seems right to eat a bird that saw sunlight and walked outside like they did in 1621, not pumped with hormones and antibiotics by someone not wearing flannel.

What exactly is an organic turkey? To settle the free-range vs. organic question, which wasn’t easy, here’s a helpful document explaining the USDA’s rules, which say that in addition to not being fed drugs, plastic pellets, hormones, manure, etc., livestock must be raised with “access to the outdoors, shade, shelter, exercise areas, fresh air and direct sunlight suitable to the species, its stage of production, the climate and the environment.” Michael Pollan says poultry farmers have all kinds of ways of getting around USDA regs, one reason why more people are opting for free-livin’ heritage turkeys, which can cost up to $14.99/pound. (Brooklyn Based has a list here.) For the purposes of our research, we kept it simple: called a whole bunch of markets and a few online vendors to get prices on a 13-pound organic bird, which serves eight to 10 people. Read the rest of this entry »