Flatbush Farm Share Holds First Seasonal Delivery, Fundraiser

On Wendesday, the Flatbush Farm Share (FFS), a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) based in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, held its first seasonal produce delivery behind the Flatbush Reformed Church. In an effort to make fresh, organic, local produce accessible to all, FFS uses a sliding scale for payment and subsidizes share for low-income members. Cost runs as low as $6 a week. FFS also accepts Food Stamps.


"A CSA is a win-win situation - it's good for your pocketbook, it's good for your health, it's good for the environment, and it's good for your neighborhood because it builds an amazing community," said Amy Seek, coordinator of FFS. 


To continue to keep the cost affordable for low-income members, FFS is hosting a fundraiser this Saturday, June 5 at Sycamore, a bar and flower shop in Ditmas Park. One of the raffle prizes is a whole season's share of organic produce.


A volunteer organization, FFS is organized in partnership with Hunger Action Network and Just Food. It is supported by the Flatbush Reformed Church and CAMBA.


For more information about joining this CSA or attending the fundraiser, visit www.flatbushfarmshare.com.


Top photo: members pick up their share of vegetables. Bottom photo: member Sally Moses hands out broccoli rabe. Photos courtesy of the Flatbush Farm Share

Spring at the Borough Hall Greenmarket

It was a hot day at the Borough Hall Greenmarket. People milled around, picking up fresh strawberries, asparagus and leafy greens. This greenmarket is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout the spring and summer season. Visit www.grownyc.org. for a list of the other greenmarkets in Brooklyn. Visit the Locavore's Guide to New York City to find out what fruits and vegetables are in season right now.

Tour de Brooklyn 2010

The Tour de Brooklyn is back for its sixth year and it’s bigger than ever. The 18-mile family-friendly bike tour, which takes a different route through the borough every year, is held by biking advocacy group Transportation Alternatives (TA). TA Spokesperson Wiley Norvell said they expect around 2,500 riders this time around, 500 more than last year.

The ride will take place this Sunday, June 6, and will start at 9:30 a.m. sharp. Online registration has already filled up, but “there will be several hundred spots available on the day of [the ride],” Norvell said. Prospective riders are suggested to get there at 8 a.m., but not before. Check-in is at McCarren Park, and concludes at 9 a.m.

While last year’s ride took bicyclists through southern Brooklyn and Coney Island, this year’s will start and end in Williamsburg, touring Greenpoint, East Williamsburg, Bed-Stuy and Prospect Heights along the way, with a brief respite in Red Hook Park.

Since riders of all ages participate, this ride is not a race, instead it is treated as a rolling parade, about five to 10 minutes from front to back. “It’s a slow, leisurely pace,” said Norvell. The group is escorted by the NYPD.

This particular route was designed with sustainability in mind, he noted, with riders going from Newtown Creek to the Gowanus Canal. “We’re highlighting different pieces of the [Brooklyn] Waterfront Greenway,” Norvell explained. “Bringing New Yorkers closer to their waterfronts.”

If you missed online registration, there are plenty of places to watch the ride. Norvell said the ride will be going down McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint in the morning. A good vantage point would be at Nassau Avenue and McGuinness, which he called “a very dramatic place to watch the ride pass.”

Other optimal views will be in East River State Park, at Kent Avenue and N 8th Street. The ride will also travel on Fourth Avenue for about 20 blocks, Norvell noted, between Bergen and Ninth. Or you can watch the ride on Van Brunt in Red Hook in the afternoon.

“It will be lovely to watch the ride come down Bergen Street in Prospect Heights, or Carlton Avenue [in Fort Greene]. You can hang out and have brunch or go to Fort Greene Park afterwards,” Norvell said. “But the best vantage point is as a rider.” 

Photo by Emmanuel Fuentebella

Launching This Weekend: Met Green Markets

A new kind of boutique market will launch in Metropolitan Green — a LEED registered green building designed by architect and designer Mark Helder to house pop-up shops — Met Green Markets.

Starting this weekend and continuing through June, designers, crafters, food-makers and vintage sellers will offer their wares in Metropolitan Green's space, which has 13-foot ceilings, tall display windows and a rear deck and garden. The markets will change weekly and will culminate in Homemade: Brooklyn, a showcase for all locally made products and performers.

Met Green Markets will be held May 28 to 31, June 4 to 6, June 11 to 13 and June 18 to 20. Homemade: Brooklyn will be from June 25 to 27. Metropolitan Green is at 439 Metropolitan Ave., between Meeker and North Fifth streets in Williamsburg.

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E-Waste Recycling Days in Brooklyn Heights

The Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA) is co-sponsoring an e-waste recycling drop-off event on Saturday, June 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday, June 6 from noon to 2 p.m.

Residential waste only will be accepted at the First Unitarian Church side chapel, 121 Pierrepont St. (between Clinton Street and Monroe Place).

Many different items will be accepted, including batteries, cell phones, laptops, TVs and VCRs. Click here for a full list of items. Call the BHA for more information at (718) 858-9193 or the church at (718) 624-5466.

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Greenest Block in Brooklyn Deadline is June 1

The Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest is back for its 16th year, and the deadline for entries is Monday, June 1. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Greenbridge program holds the contest every year in cooperation with Borough President Marty Markowitz and with sponsorship by Brooklyn Community Foundation.

Brooklyn block, civic, homeowoner and other community organizations can enter to win the Greenest Residential Block, Greenest Commercial Block, Greenest Storefront, Best Window Box, Best Street Tree Beds, Best Community Garden Streetscape and Best Greenbridge Window-Box Kit titles. There are three rounds of judging during which blocks are evaluated on criteria including color and total visual effect, citizen participation, variety and suitability of plants, soil condition, use of mulch, street tree and tree bed care and other horticultural practices.

The Greenest Block in Brooklyn promotes screetscape gardening, tree stewardship and community development in the borough. Participation in the contest has increased from 50 blocks in the first year to more than 250 last year.

Last year's Residential First Place winner was Lincoln Road between Rogers and Bedford Avenues in Lefferts Gardens (pictured here). This year's winner will be announced in August.

Photos by Phoebe Neidl 

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Efforts Announced to Expand Recycling in City's Public Spaces

Pictured at Fort Greene Park, from left to right are Councilmember Jessica Lappin, Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Councilmember Brad Lander, Eric Gioldstein of the Natural Resources Defense Council, William Alatriste of the New York City Council and Solid Waste Management Committee Chair Letitia James. Legislation was announced to expand recycling in the city's public spaces, including expanding plastics recycling (the city only collects numbers 1 and 2 at this point), improving recycling at city schools, and improving outreach and education.

Currently, there are approximately 300 recycling bins at public spaces throughout the city. Providing New Yorkers with more opportunities to deposit glass, paper, plastic, and aluminum recyclables in parks and other highly visited areas, this new legislation would require the Department of Sanitation to greatly expand the number of recycling bins in or near public parks and other highly trafficked areas. Similar to existing containers, the bins would be distinctively colored and placed near existing wastebaskets.

Fort Greene Park is the site of a public spaces pilot program to improve recycling. Solid Waste Management Committee Chair James called it a "perfect example" of "how the City Council has followed through with improvements to make it easier for everyone in New York City to recycle."

Photo courtesy of the City Council

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