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Queens CSA's - CSA's in Queens

Mar 22, 2010 at 08:00 pm by mikewood


queens csa queens csas astoria lic jackson heights csa

Queens CSA's

Community Supported Agriculture In Queens

CSA's in Astoria, Douglastion, Glendale, Flushing, Forest Hills, Jackson Heights, Sunnyside, Woodside & Ozone Park

csa's in queens csaQueens Neighborhoods / Updated November 18, 2013 / Queens Buzz. Spring is here and the planting season will soon be upon us. Living in the city we're less attuned to mother nature's cadence than the farmers we rely upon who produce our food supply. But the planting / growing seasons will soon begin and hence the local CSA [Community Supported Agriculture] groups are in the process of selling shares.

Unbeknownst to many of Queens denizens there are a number of CSA's which are currently in the process of signing up members to participate in this years harvest. Essentially the way CSA's work, is to enroll participants for weekly fresh food deliveries for about five months, in exchange for a flat fee and [in some cases] for a few hours of volunteer work. But there's a bit more to the story than that, including different food options, share options, community events and CSA history. Click this link to learn more about Queens CSA's including Astoria, LIC, Jackson Heights CSAs, as well as in Flushing, Woodside, Sunnyside, Ozone Park, Forest Hills and Douglaston. The report below tells where and how to participate in one - including links to CSA websites.


Queens CSA's / Agriculture

Community Supported Agriculture In Queens

CSA's in Astoria, Douglastion, Glendale, Flushing, Forest Hills, Jackson Heights, Sunnyside, Woodside & Ozone Park

queens csasContinued From Front Page. Queens Buzz / Updated November 18, 2013. Yes, it’s that time again. Time to sign up for your fresh off the farm produce, compliments of your local neighborhood CSA [Community-Supported Agriculture] group.

Queens continues to increasingly embrace community supported agriculture [CSA] groups. CSA's try to support local farmers who grow their food in accordance with all natural and organic food practices. We counted at least eleven different CSA's operating in Queens County and based upon hearsay these groups memberships appear to be on the rise.

This report will provide information on CSA’s operating in the Astoria, Forest Hills, Jackson Heights, LIC, Sunnyside and Woodside neighborhoods of Queens.

CSA's In Queens - CSA History

CSA’s began in the 1960’s in Germany, Switzerland and Japan as a response to the changing structure of food production and distribution. CSA’s were an effort to combat the evolving agricultural transformation, which included the loss of local farm land to housing developments and the transition to greater reliance on large corporate farms whose food production methods included heavy use of pesticides, hormones and other chemicals.

These food production trends alarmed highly aware naturalists in these well-developed countries who viewed these trends as a threat to the integrity of the food supply. Hence they began supporting food production in their own locales where they could influence and monitor the techniques used in food production toward a more communal, organic operating model.

astoria csa lic csa jackson heights csaToday, in Queens County USA some 40 to 50 years later, the CSA trend continues to evolve. The neighborhood CSA’s, included in this report, are organized in tandem with several local farms. The farms we discovered in the process of putting together this report include: 1) Golden Earthworm Organic Farm of Long Island, 2) the Farm At Millers Crossing in the Hudson Valley, 3) Lewis Waite Farms near Saratoga, 4) Cayuga Organic farm near Ithaca, 5) Hepworth Farm of the Hudson Valley, 6) Briermere’s Farm of Long Island and 7) the Green Thumb Farm near Water Mill Long Island.

Queens CSA Agreements & Terms

csa queens csasThe general structure of the CSA member agreement is as follows: A prospective member signs up in early Spring [aka NOW] for a contract of generally described amounts of certain vegetables which are to be delivered each week, generally beginning in early June, to a specified location in the neighborhood, and to be distributed / picked up within a pre-arranged / specified number of hours in exchange for a set fee. Many CSA agreements also include a commitment of several hours of volunteer time. The volunteer time is generally dedicated to operating the distribution of the produce during the harvest. Harvests last about five months [give or take], depending on the weather and other farming factors.

Organic & Natural Foods In Queens

Each CSA packages and prices its offerings a bit differently, but generally there’s a base package of vegetables and then add on packages which a member may purchase to obtain fruits, dairy, eggs and even meat. Members can split ‘shares’ with their friends, family or possibly even with some other member of the group to reduce their overall spending, food delivery or volunteer time commitment. The general idea of the Queens CSA’s appears to be food integrity and community, and some CSA’s offer packages for low income residents.

Community Supported Agriculture - Harvests & Drop Points In Queens

queens csa lic csa astoria csa jackson heights csaOnce the harvest begins, the CSA makes a weekly delivery to a distribution point in the neighborhood. In Queens, the drop points tend to be community service centers or cultural / religious organizations. The distribution center operates as a pick up station for about a four-hour period [hours vary by CSA], during which time the member must pick up their food or forfeit it to a charitable cause. Members can send family members or friends to pick up the share as long as they conform to the CSA pick up procedure.

The benefit to the CSA member is genuinely Fresh-Off-The-Farm vegetables [and other foods] every week by local farmers who grow the food using far more natural processes than corporate farms. In some cases the local farms have astoria csa lic csa sunnyside csa jackson heights csa woodside csa forest hills csa flushing csaorganic certifications which aren't easy to get [see our organic food story]. The benefit to the farm is the receipt of funds before the growing season and knowing that the farm has an established market for its produce. It’s worth noting that many CSA’s do provide payment plan options for members with tight cash flow.

The following is a compendium of the Queens CSA’s we found, including location maps and links to the CSA contact info complete with links to their websites. Most of the websites have online sign up forms, or post notifications of sign up events or provide a contact email address and / or telephone number.

Queens CSA Directory

Contact Info / Pick Up Locations & Times For CSA's In Queens

Queens CSA's - Maps, Websites, Telephone #'s, Email Addresses

Astoria CSA

Telephone Number & Pick Up For Astoria CSA’s

Douglaston CSA

Telephone Number & Pick Up For Douglaston CSA

Flushing CSA

Telephone Number & Pick Up For Flushing CSA

  • Flushing CSA / 137-35 Northern Blvd / Flushing
  • Tel: 646.801.4021 / Email: NA / Website link to Flushing CSA on Facebook with some info about CSA on it
  • Click here to view the Flushing CSA pick up location map TBD
  • THURSDAYS / 6 - 8 pm

 

Forest Hills CSA

Telephone Number & Pick Up For Forest Hills CSA’s

Glendale CSA

Telephone Number & Pick Up For Glendale CSA

Jackson Heights CSA

Telephone Number & Pick Up Jackson Heights CSA

LIC CSAs / Long Island City CSAs

Telephone Number & Pick Up For LIC CSA / Long Island City CSA


  • Hunters Point CSA / Alewife / 5-14 51st Avenue / Long Island City / LIC
  • Tel: NA / Email: longislandcitycsa[at]gmail.com / Website link to Hunters Point CSA
  • Click here to view the Hunters Point CSA pick up map TBD.
  • TUESDAYS - early June - end of November

 

Ozone Park CSA

Telephone Number & Pick Up For Ozone Park CSA

  • Ozone Park CSA / Private Home / 132-36 87th Avenue / Ozone Park
  • Tel: 718.323.0793 / Email: ozoneparkcsa[at]gmail.com / Website coming soon
  • Click here to view the Ozone Park CSA pick up location map
  • Thurdays 6 – 8 PM
  • Registration deadline June 6th for full season [20 - 22 weeks]. Extended to July 1st with no proration.

Sunnyside CSA

Telephone Number & Pick Up For Sunnyside CSA

Woodside CSA

Telephone Number & Pick Up For Woodside CSA


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