Guest Post: Bret Freedman
Vegetables and Social Justice.
Hey there.
One of the issues that I learned about early on in grad school and now continue to follow is about how supermarkets in low income neighborhoods almost always have “sick” produce – old, bruised, ugly produce that is not only unappealing to look at, but isn’t fresh and doesn’t taste good. Not to mention limited selection. There are a few reasons for this – but the bottom line is that it is hard to live in these areas and be healthy. Not surprisingly, diabetes and obesity are more prevalent in these areas than in more affluent neighborhoods. Access offers options, and there are a lot of people who struggle for access.
So I was thrilled to trip over Holton Farms CSA this morning….. they have a fairly substantial service offering which includes a brand spanking new farm stand in Harlem (which was expected to open in May, I’m writing this quickly and enthusiastically and haven’t been able to confirm that it is, in fact open) . Manhattanites can also visit their travelling farm truck to pick up CSA packages or visit them at the Union Square Greenmarket.
Aside from the convenience factor, a portion of every purchase goes to subsidizing prices for low income families in NYC. Their farm stand will also be accepting food stamps. How’s that for access.
(images curtesy of http://www.holtonfarms.com/)