Seasonal local produce — planning
now for fresh summer eating
BY TEQUILA MINSKY
Absorbing Vitamin D sunrays this
past mid-March Sunday, Rainer
Keller tabled outside M’Finda
Kalunga Community Garden on Rivington
Street.
While spring and summer are around
the corner, those of us rooted here in New
York may still venture not far. That’s why
it’s time to signup with your local Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA).
Just outside the garden’s fence, a sandwich
board next to Keller’s table read:
Stanton Street CSA—Support Local
Farms—22 Weeks-Organic Vegetables—
SIGN UP NOW. Keller was dispensing info
on the Stanton Street CSA (community
supported agriculture).
Keller’s been a member since this CSA’s
inception 2005.
Exactly what is a C.S.A.? Arrangements
between communities and local farmers
constitute a CSA. Community members
purchase a share of vegetables from a regional
farm for a full growing season. The
Stanton Street CSA starts in June and lasts
through November.
At a local distribution site, weekly—
here, it’s the M’Finda Kalunga Community
Prospective buyers look to keep Jing Fong open
BY DEAN MOSES
A group of concerned citizens say
they are looking to keep Jing
Fong open in the latest Chinatown
restaurant drama, albeit under new
management.
The loss of Jing Fong restaurant has
infuriated Chinatown more than any
other brick and mortar causality of the
COVID-19 pandemic. With locals likening
the 800-seat eatery to the heart of the
community many feel that if Jing Fong goes,
then Chinatown as they know it will follow.
With the owners unable to see a way
forward in the current financial climate to
make up the amount owed in rent, they forwent
the years left on their lease and were
forced to close their doors on March 7.
As of March 14, the 20 Elizbeth Street
location is being gutted and reconstructed
now that the property has been returned to
the landlord. However, Jing Fong’s staff still
continues to work in the kitchen for takeout
and outside dining while they attempt to
find a new, smaller location from which to
reopen.
The Stanton Street CSA signed up participants in the season food distribution
at M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden on Rivington Street.
Garden on Rivington—members pick up
freshly picked seasonal vegetables on
Thursdays, between 5:30 AND 7:30 p.m.
Keller explained that this CSA used to
be on Stanton Street, thus the name, but
now its based at this community garden.
It numbers 100-some members.
With varying quantities during the 22
weeks, starting and ending with smaller
share sizes, the high-season share is
Now, even as furniture is being wheeled
out of the iconic doors a new wrinkle in
a last-ditch effort to keep the near threedecade
old establishment in business is taking
shape. On March 12, Don Lee, a community
leader, mobilized outside Jing Fong
with restaurant workers and community
members. Amidst a cluster of undulating
protest signs Lee laid out his plans.
“We want to make sure an institution
such as Jing Fong will be available to support
the recovery of New York City and
Chinatown. We are talking about saving
jobs that support 175 families. We are also
talking about the economic recovery of
New York City,” Lee said.
Lee also described that a team of individuals—
David Ng from Chefs Club,
David Lee a capitalization and financing
specialist, Grace Young author and historian,
and others—are eager to engage in
a discussion with the landlord in hopes
of taking over the existing lease that is
already in place. If this is successful, this
team states they will rehire every single
employee, yet nothing is set in stone. Lee
says he is requesting that the city and state
PHOTO BY TEQUILA MINSKY
substantial. “We can match people up who
want to split a share,” says Irit Houvras, responding
to the inquiry that a share might
be too much for a single person.
With this CSA, “add-ons”, additional
charges to the share, can include eggs and
fruits.
Most of the produce comes from the
Windflower Farm, just north of Albany,
that practices environmentally sustainable
agriculture. The eggs and stone fruits come
from nearby farm neighbors. Windflower
Farm provides produce for 13 CSAs within
the City.
Farmers are secure in their season’s
funding with guaranteed customers in
this win-win local food system, which
provides reasonably priced, mostly organic,
fresh seasonal food to CSA members. “It’s
less than the farmer’s market,” piped up
Houvras, adding , “It changes what you eat
and how you eat.”
Stanton Street CSA follows the original
model—only locally grown items, no
middle producer or distributor. For this
CSA, the early bird sign-up, before March
28, is $585— $26.80 a week; the late signup,
before May 22, is $640, $29.10, a week.
Fruit and egg shares are additional.
The food justice organization Just Food
lists over 125 New York City CSAs in its
network (www.justfood.org/value-chainmap)
among the hundreds of City CSAs,
based in gardens, churches, organization
offices and community centers.
“We will be hosting a Zoom Q&A,
Saturday, March 27, at 10 a.m., so interested
prospective members can pick our
brains,” says Stanton Street CSA member
Julia. “And maybe even meet Farmer Ted,
if we can coax him off the fields and onto
Zoom!”
Email stantonstreetcsa@gmail.com for
the invite link in attending this info session
(and maybe meet the farmer).
Don Lee and protesters outside the shuttered Jing Fong restaurant in
Chinatown.
also get involved, although even he admits
this is not likely.
“Government is once again ignoring
us, when they say we are invisible—we
are invisible to government. The Governor
is obviously too busy with his stuff
and even the Mayor seems to be missing
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
from time to time, so we are not going
to be invisible anymore,” Lee said before
continuing, “We have spent time in Korea
making success and money for corporate
America and we decided it is time to come
back to Chinatown and do something for
our people.”
4 March 18, 2021 Schneps Media
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