Place of pick-up: Church of Heavenly Rest, 2 East 90th St.
Coordinators: Core Group Volunteers
Members: Open to all
Partner Farm: Stoneledge Farm
In operation: 18 years
Optional: Fruit, mushrooms, coffee; and items available a la carte from Lewis Waite Farm Network
Pick-up: 3:30-6:50pm Tuesdays; 24 distributions June-Nov
Price: $530 full/$280 half entire season/$265 half spring
Website: http://csasprouts.org/
Coordinators: Core Group Volunteers
Members: Open to all
Partner Farm: Stoneledge Farm
In operation: 18 years
Optional: Fruit, mushrooms, coffee; and items available a la carte from Lewis Waite Farm Network
Pick-up: 3:30-6:50pm Tuesdays; 24 distributions June-Nov
Price: $530 full/$280 half entire season/$265 half spring
Website: http://csasprouts.org/
While Judith Katz-Schwartz has retired from her career as a chef, she continues to contribute her culinary expertise to her home town of New York City by committing her time and talent to the Carnegie Hill CSA.
Ms. Katz-Schwartz has served since 2006 as the CSA’s primary resource for home-cooking tips. She fields food and cooking questions at weekly distribution at the same time that she helps to ensure every member receives his fair share of equally fresh produce. Ms. Katz-Schwartz admits with a laugh that she’s known to some members as Queen of the Full Share Table.
“Some people will say I rule with an iron fist, but really I'm just a schmoozer,” said Ms. Katz-Schwartz. “I’ve had the greatest conversations with people who are unsure of how to use a particular vegetable in our weekly share. People ask me what is this, what the heck is that, and I’ll just give them a quick rundown on how to use it.”
Her culinary knowledge and skills extend to a page of the Carnegie Hill CSA website called Judi’s Weekly Recipes & Tips. The forum reads like a friendly, informative conversation among contemporaries, similar to those exchanges that Ms. Katz-Schwartz and CSA members have in person at distribution. Members post questions on freezing onions and preparing or storing mustard greens, and Ms. Katz-Schwartz addresses their questions with elaboration when appropriate.Her posted recipes range from red currant jam to squash roll-ups and baba ghanouj, which she notes originated, according to legend, in a Lebanese harem, and translated means, “pampered papa.”
At distribution, among the less familiar vegetables Stoneledge Farm produces are an unusual variety of radish and two varieties of cucumber that are a brilliant yellow color.
“There's something called a rat-tail radish. You'd swear it was a soybean,” said Ms. Katz-Schwartz, who explained to members who consulted her on the radish that they could just cut it up and put it in a salad. The cucumbers that look like lemons are “the most wonderful crisp, delicious cucumbers,” Ms. Katz-Schwartz said, “and can also really enhance a salad.”
The lemon-looking cucumbers once aroused the curiosity of an Italian gentleman visiting New York. Like some other tourists to the city, he had wandered into the Church of The Heavenly Rest during CSA distribution. At the sight of the cucumbers, the gentleman asked Ms. Katz-Schwartz “What are those?” and informed her that in Italy, “We also have cucumbers, but they are long and green.”
Warmly welcoming questions of visitors in addition to those questions of CSA members is something the Carnegie Hill CSA does frequently, due to the Church’s location on Fifth Ave. “We get a lot of foreign tourists,” said Ms. Katz-Schwartz.
In turn, the Carnegie Hill CSA takes seriously the responsibility of respecting the Church of The Heavenly Rest that welcomes them. “We are [set-up] in the main sanctuary of the church, right in front of the altar,” Ms. Katz-Schwartz explained, expressing gratitude for the host. “Of course, we clean up everything before we leave at the end of the day. We want to leave the premises exactly as we found them.”
For clean-up as well as distribution, the CSA depends on the participation of its members.
“We rely on our volunteer members to help with everything,” said Ms. Katz-Schwartz.
Members’ clean-up that includes packaging remaining produce for the Doe Fund supports Doe Fund employees who work to improve New York City streets. “We see them all the time cleaning up the streets,” said Ms. Katz-Schwartz.
The CSA volunteers’ own physical labor besides cleaning and distribution consists of Ms. Katz-Schwartz and the other Core Group Members, seven out of eight of whom are women, unloading the truck each week. The task of unloading seven to eight items per share for 125-150 members (some of whom are half-share members) constitutes a challenge that she and her Core Group Members are delighted to take on as a team.
“The truck driver shows up, and we have to empty all the crates quickly, so there is quite a hub-bub,” said Ms. Katz-Schwartz, noting that the Stoneledge Farm truck driver and his assistant also pitch in helping hands. “We're a strong bunch… We’re very proud of our efforts.”
That cheerful and strong collective core spirit of the Carnegie Hill CSA has weathered rough seasons. When Hurricane Irene decimated Stoneledge Farm’s crops and when a disease wiped out all the tomatoes in New York state, members didn’t complain to their farmer, Deborah Kavakos.
“We’re all in this together,” Ms. Katz-Schwartz said. “Not one of our members asked for her money back, because everybody felt terrible for Deborah. …We were very sad, but mostly we were sad for her.”
Stoneledge Farm endured, and continues to welcome CSA members to the farm for an annual walking and hayride tour, pig roast and potluck with dishes made by members. Since Stoneledge Farm began distributing to CSAs in New York City, of which Carnegie Hill CSA was an original recipient, it has borne innovations and inspirations, including the farmer’s son introducing artichokes and other new vegetables after returning from agricultural school. One of Carnegie Hill CSA’s own members has gone on to pursue a career in farming, said Ms. Katz-Schwartz.
“It's been a wonderful experience. It's six months of good food, organic and much fresher than what you get in the supermarket. It’s very beautiful stuff,” Ms. Schwartz concludes.
Ms. Katz-Schwartz has served since 2006 as the CSA’s primary resource for home-cooking tips. She fields food and cooking questions at weekly distribution at the same time that she helps to ensure every member receives his fair share of equally fresh produce. Ms. Katz-Schwartz admits with a laugh that she’s known to some members as Queen of the Full Share Table.
“Some people will say I rule with an iron fist, but really I'm just a schmoozer,” said Ms. Katz-Schwartz. “I’ve had the greatest conversations with people who are unsure of how to use a particular vegetable in our weekly share. People ask me what is this, what the heck is that, and I’ll just give them a quick rundown on how to use it.”
Her culinary knowledge and skills extend to a page of the Carnegie Hill CSA website called Judi’s Weekly Recipes & Tips. The forum reads like a friendly, informative conversation among contemporaries, similar to those exchanges that Ms. Katz-Schwartz and CSA members have in person at distribution. Members post questions on freezing onions and preparing or storing mustard greens, and Ms. Katz-Schwartz addresses their questions with elaboration when appropriate.Her posted recipes range from red currant jam to squash roll-ups and baba ghanouj, which she notes originated, according to legend, in a Lebanese harem, and translated means, “pampered papa.”
At distribution, among the less familiar vegetables Stoneledge Farm produces are an unusual variety of radish and two varieties of cucumber that are a brilliant yellow color.
“There's something called a rat-tail radish. You'd swear it was a soybean,” said Ms. Katz-Schwartz, who explained to members who consulted her on the radish that they could just cut it up and put it in a salad. The cucumbers that look like lemons are “the most wonderful crisp, delicious cucumbers,” Ms. Katz-Schwartz said, “and can also really enhance a salad.”
The lemon-looking cucumbers once aroused the curiosity of an Italian gentleman visiting New York. Like some other tourists to the city, he had wandered into the Church of The Heavenly Rest during CSA distribution. At the sight of the cucumbers, the gentleman asked Ms. Katz-Schwartz “What are those?” and informed her that in Italy, “We also have cucumbers, but they are long and green.”
Warmly welcoming questions of visitors in addition to those questions of CSA members is something the Carnegie Hill CSA does frequently, due to the Church’s location on Fifth Ave. “We get a lot of foreign tourists,” said Ms. Katz-Schwartz.
In turn, the Carnegie Hill CSA takes seriously the responsibility of respecting the Church of The Heavenly Rest that welcomes them. “We are [set-up] in the main sanctuary of the church, right in front of the altar,” Ms. Katz-Schwartz explained, expressing gratitude for the host. “Of course, we clean up everything before we leave at the end of the day. We want to leave the premises exactly as we found them.”
For clean-up as well as distribution, the CSA depends on the participation of its members.
“We rely on our volunteer members to help with everything,” said Ms. Katz-Schwartz.
Members’ clean-up that includes packaging remaining produce for the Doe Fund supports Doe Fund employees who work to improve New York City streets. “We see them all the time cleaning up the streets,” said Ms. Katz-Schwartz.
The CSA volunteers’ own physical labor besides cleaning and distribution consists of Ms. Katz-Schwartz and the other Core Group Members, seven out of eight of whom are women, unloading the truck each week. The task of unloading seven to eight items per share for 125-150 members (some of whom are half-share members) constitutes a challenge that she and her Core Group Members are delighted to take on as a team.
“The truck driver shows up, and we have to empty all the crates quickly, so there is quite a hub-bub,” said Ms. Katz-Schwartz, noting that the Stoneledge Farm truck driver and his assistant also pitch in helping hands. “We're a strong bunch… We’re very proud of our efforts.”
That cheerful and strong collective core spirit of the Carnegie Hill CSA has weathered rough seasons. When Hurricane Irene decimated Stoneledge Farm’s crops and when a disease wiped out all the tomatoes in New York state, members didn’t complain to their farmer, Deborah Kavakos.
“We’re all in this together,” Ms. Katz-Schwartz said. “Not one of our members asked for her money back, because everybody felt terrible for Deborah. …We were very sad, but mostly we were sad for her.”
Stoneledge Farm endured, and continues to welcome CSA members to the farm for an annual walking and hayride tour, pig roast and potluck with dishes made by members. Since Stoneledge Farm began distributing to CSAs in New York City, of which Carnegie Hill CSA was an original recipient, it has borne innovations and inspirations, including the farmer’s son introducing artichokes and other new vegetables after returning from agricultural school. One of Carnegie Hill CSA’s own members has gone on to pursue a career in farming, said Ms. Katz-Schwartz.
“It's been a wonderful experience. It's six months of good food, organic and much fresher than what you get in the supermarket. It’s very beautiful stuff,” Ms. Schwartz concludes.
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