238713 Tue Sep 24 17:56:50 -0700 2002 18 19 Outer Boroughs 0 1266013 After three years as a member of the Park Slope Food Coop, I have to say, I'm sick of it!!!! I love, love, love the affordable, high-quality produce there as well as the rest of the affordable health foods. However, I'm sick of the aggravation of both shopping and working there. So, that said, are there any good alternatives to the PSFC? I've been to Back to the Land (or Back to the Bank ) on 7th Avenue - needless to say, that's beyond my price range. Is there any food store where I can get both great produce *and* non-produce organic foods (soy milk, vegetarian sausage, organic meats, etc) all in one stop for an affordable price? If not, I'll even settle for a place where I can get *great* produce for affordable prices. I'd love it if there was some place I could go in Park Slope but, if there's not, how about Cobble Hill or Carroll Gardens? Or even Sunset Park? Tue Sep 24 17:56:50 -0700 2002 0 Pru 1 1266017 Unfortunately, there is nothing like the coop. My advice for a great work slot is cheese with Marty. Avoid the office, of course, that is beyond annoying. And shop off hours. There is no alternative to the coop in terms of fresh produce and price... Tue Sep 24 21:45:09 -0700 2002 1266013 0 johnny forks 2 1266019 You can try the Flatbush Co-op which is on Flatbush down near Coney Island Ave., in Parkside/Kensington. That may be a bit of a hike but it might also be worth it in the end. I had a friend who went there all the time and really liked it. You might also look into having produce delivered with Urban Organics or join a CSA group. Tue Sep 24 22:11:45 -0700 2002 1266017 0 Kenzi 3 1266020 While, I like the Flatbush food coop for its convenience (for me, anyway) it's not great. It's expensive, way too small and the produce doesn't turn over fast enough so a lot of stuff tends to be droopy. Tue Sep 24 22:36:55 -0700 2002 1266019 0 JessicaKlonsky 3 1266025 What's a csa group, and where does one sign up/how much does it cost? Thanks! Wed Sep 25 09:42:56 -0700 2002 1266019 0 chow dawg 4 1266030 Funny you should ask. I first heard about it on Chowhound and was adamant that this was a bad idea for me and wouldn't work with my crazy schedule. Then I got frustrated with the Grand Army Plaza farmers market, which has little organic food anyway, and every other option, and decided to give it a try. I joined the Park Slope CSA (though I don't live in the Slope), and I LOVE it. "CSA" stands for "community-supported agriculture" -- not terribly descriptive. The gist is that a group of urban residents partner with a specific farm, paying in advance for a "share" of the harvest, and in turn the farmer brings down fresh-picked food each week. The Park Slope CSA partners with an organic family-run farm up near Albany, and every week(from the beginning of June through November), we stop by the pickup spot, and take home LOADS of veggies (and fruit). What I love best is that the produce is far and away superior to any other produce I have bought in NYC. It's organic, it's fresh, and it just tastes amazing. I was worried it would be the dregs from the farmers' market, and that's definitely not the case. There's also usually quite a wide variety to choose from--last week, I toted home all kinds of tomatoes, new potatoes, sweet red peppers, carrots, onions, cucumbers, lettuce, chard, basil, thyme and I can't remember what else. Usually we can choose from among a variety of veggies, e.g. "Pick a total of 6 lbs from any of these," which lets beet-haters like me ignore beets. It also means you are eating what's in season. That's kind of a switch. I've found the variety is sufficiently wide that I don't really miss anything, but it does mean that you may not get a certain veggie you were thinking of cooking with. And it also means you are sometimes staring at something like a head of escarole thinking, now what? But I kind of like these dilemmas--it makes me feel like the way I am supposed to eat, and it gets me to try new things. I DON'T like the rigidity of picking up my veggies on a certain date, since I have a really variable schedule. But the benefits seem to outweigh the inflexibility. I am eating TONS more veggies than ever before, simply because they are there, and it gets me to commit to organic food (I'm cheap, so it's hard for me to do that in the supermarket--and this is much cheaper than if I bought all this organic stuff in the store). F'r instance, last week's share meant that over the last few days I've eaten gazpacho, a potato gallette, green beans with pesto, grilled peppers and squash, a big greek salad, and I haven't even touched the carrots yet. This is the way I always claimed to eat but never really did. I think a lot of us really like the whole cutting-out-the-middleman/ supporting small enviro-sensitive farming / knowing who grows your food angle. I do too, but most important for me has been the quality. Though they are very intertwined: the food tastes so good, and is so affordable, because it's not languishing in a truck or in the back of a store waiting to be brought out, and it's not picked too early so it can survive transport, and I'm not paying anyone but the farmer. There's a website, www.parkslopecsa.org, that tells you more. There are also a lot of them around the city. Wed Sep 25 11:26:37 -0700 2002 1266025 0 Jenae R. 5 1266033 I'd love info about the CSA; can you find it on the Internet? I used to get deliveries from Urban Organic this summer but had a hard time using the whole box of produce. Also, in one unfortunate incident, some of the fruit had fruit flies which took me about a month to banish from my kitchen. Wed Sep 25 11:49:47 -0700 2002 1266030 0 Kerry 6 1266109 The website below lists CSAs in New York City: http://www.justfood.org/html/csa_home.html I can assure you that Cooke Hollow Farm, which supplies the Park Slope and Clinton Hill CSAs, grows some most righteous veggies. A friend in the Cobble Hill CSA is very happy with that one too. Thu Sep 26 15:53:00 -0700 2002 1266033 0 Jenae R. 5 1266040 Thanks for that very detailed post. You really make the whole arrangement sound wonderful and gets my mouth watering! I may have to look into this if I can just find a csa that has a pickup schedule that works with my strict work schedule. Wed Sep 25 13:14:31 -0700 2002 1266030 0 kenzi 4 1266039 CSA stands for community support agriculture. There is one in Clinton Hill and probably elsewhere in Brooklyn. it's an organization that works with local farm(s) to buy produce; you usually pay a monthly subscription rate and offer your services for a certain number of hours a month and that gives you the right to a certain amount of produce each week. You get whatever the farm is producing and what's in season. Often they only run during the spring, summer and fall and you're on your own in the winter...just like the olden days! I wanted to join the clinton Hill CSA but they had a limited time where you could pick up your produce and it was when both my husband and I work, so we went with Urban Organics. I have been really pleased with Urban Organics; the produce has been great and the delivery is free and ontime. I have had some near-heavenly experiences with their organic mangos! Oy! Wed Sep 25 13:11:16 -0700 2002 1266025 0 Kenzi 5 1266044 I'm definitely starting to lean toward Urban Organic. I think right now I might have to take a break from the Coop. Now for a question on Urban Organic - do you usually go with the Little Box or the Original Value Box? We're only a family of two - I will eat a ton of produce in a week, my husband will only eat what I make for him. :) Wed Sep 25 14:05:26 -0700 2002 1266039 0 Pru 6 1266120 I usually go for the little box and it's fine for my husband and I, but I doubt we eat as much produce as you do. We used to live in a tiny box in Manhattan where it was really hard to cook and since we have moved to Brooklyn we are cooking again. We are still getting used to cooking and making good use of our organic produce. In th little box I will usually get the following for example (varies with the season): 2 bananas 2 onions 1 pear 2 apples 1 orange 1-2 types of greens 1 head of lettuce 5 potatoes 1 lb. carrots 2 lemons I think the next size up would be good for you. Also, you can get extra of some items if you ask in advance. Good luck! Thu Sep 26 19:49:51 -0700 2002 1266044 0 Kenzi 1 1266026 Agreed with another poster that cheese cutting is the way forward. It's very calm down there, and Marty is coming up with some pretty amazing stuff that the cutters have to taste--to make sure everything's alright. Wed Sep 25 10:07:31 -0700 2002 1266013 0 Tom Philpott 1 1266034 There's a place in Brooklyn Heights called Perelandria (or something like that...right off cadman plaza on remsen, I think...whatever block is one south of montague) that has pretty decent organic produce and other products. It's pretty big and the turnover is good. It's a bit of a hike from the slope, but if you're looking for this kind of option I used to make the rounds when I lived in Carroll Gardens: up to Perelandria for produce and groceries and then down to Sahadi for everything else. I recently joined the co-op and can understand the annoyances, but so far its convenience and freshness have overshadowed the downsides. Maybe you should try a different *job* there? As to the CSA question: CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Essentially you sign up early in the season (April) and pay in advance for the entire season's worth of vegetables. Every week you go to the site to pick up your bounty, fresh from the farm. I joined the Cobble Hill CSA this year for the first time and have really enjoyed the incredibly fresh produce. One drawback is that you get what they give you: no choice, just whatever came in that week. I like that it has led me to try things I wouldn't necessarily buy on my own, but I can see that being a frustration for some. Link: http://www.cobblehillcsa.org/ Wed Sep 25 11:50:32 -0700 2002 1266013 0 budino 1 1266042 I moved to the slope a year ago and searched for gourmet stores, but couldn't find anything lilke Zabar's , Citarella, Gourmet Garage. I don't know why more Chowhounders don't write about Key Food on Fifth Aveneue. I work in the rest. biz grew up with fresh food as the daughter of a chef and think Key Food is very good. They carry fresh produce and have someone monitoring the fruit & veggie section all the time(Monitoring, meaning, checking to see if everything is watered and fresh and removing old produce). They have a section after the veggies with shallots, herbs, soy products, etc. They do carry organic produce and I buy the chicken and turkey. They carry good porterhouse steaks (nothing like Citarellas but it is also $6.00 cheaper per steak. For the size, they are worth it and not fatty. There are various sections throughout the store that the manger installed due to the influx of a "different crowd" of people who have moved into the hood. They have a French shelf , which I go to for my husband- cornichons, tapenade, hearts of palm, marinated beets, roasted red pepper spread, oils, Badoit sparkling water, French pink Lemonade. They have a British sections- crakckers, jams, etc. They recently added Ecce Panis breads- I bought the Kalamata loaf and the 6 grain- great! The manager of the store - can't remember his name is friendly very chatty and we love to talk to him because he really likes his job and takes care of the store. He tries to bring in many different products,and if you ask him for something, he will bring it in. I agree that there are some gourmet stores that are better, but I think Key Food has fresh produce and an extensive variety of products. So, I go into Manhattan on Saturdays or after work during the week and go to Gourmet garage for produce- or Citarella and it's a treat!If I want really great veggies-organic greens, huge very red tomatoes,and non-mealy pears, I will go to Back to the Land and splurge. I never thought of the co-op - too clicky tooo many rules too snobby in their own way about any other place to shop but there. Wed Sep 25 13:57:46 -0700 2002 1266013 0 Le Bouquin 2 1266078 Key Food sells mass produced foods and has a terrible overpriced selection of organic foods. They charge $3.99 for a small bag of organic mesculin mix. The coop charges $2.35 for the same product. There meat is full of hormones and antibiotics and there deli meat is often spoiled. They pay there workers minimum wage and it is truly an unpleasant environment. I guess if "snobby" is buying local produce and organic items in a community based environment without profit motivation, I'm guilty. The coop is the best place to shop in NYC. A place where all people, rich or poor can buy fresh quality foods at low prices. Thu Sep 26 11:44:24 -0700 2002 1266042 0 josh L. 3 1266096 Hey! I am not necessarily calling the co-op ppeople snobs, but it seems as though there are too many rules. Yes, I am sure the organic selection is better, but I have always bought fresh tasty produce at Key Food and I buy their organic meats. Also, the staff there is so friendly and I know most of them since shopping there for the last yeat and they are so very helpful. And as I mentioned in my first post, the manger, damn, still can't remember hisname- tall, mustache, late 40's, is so friendly and very accomadating. Hey, the mixed greens aren't cheap here, but they are fresh and I don't have to put in time . I can go home and cook, hang with husband play guitar and not work after having worked 12 hour days. Oh, well to each his own,.Happy shopping! Thu Sep 26 14:05:39 -0700 2002 1266078 0 le bouquin 4 1266184 I think when you have lots of people staffing a place for comparatively short periods of time each, you do have to have a lot of rules. In ten years of membership in the coop, I haven't found them oppressive, and find the people, prices and products a refreshing change from what's out there in the rest of Park Slope, especially now (talk about snobs!), and also in the demands of this job versus the one I'm at 50+ hours per week. Maybe it's all in the attitude. Sun Sep 29 19:18:57 -0700 2002 1266096 0 Janet 2 1266114 I agree with you about the big Key Foods-- Every time I go there (which, admittedly, is infrequent because I always feel like it's further away than it really is) I think I should go more often-- it's clean, well-stocked, rarely crowded (even before thanksgiving) and I even like the fun Oldies music they play. I'm from Chicago, where supermarkets are HUGE and CLEAN and NICE, and the Key sort of reminds me of that. Thu Sep 26 18:36:56 -0700 2002 1266042 0 JessicaSophia