Hosted by Kara Masi and friends, this annual cook-off will be held at Kelso Brewery, and has received a block party permit so as to close off the whole Clinton Hill, Brooklyn block. In order to spread the love, the event picks a different charity as a beneficiary each year, and we’ve just heard news that the Food Bank For NYC’s budget is in danger of being federally cut. It’s incredible that something like the proceeds of an amateur food cook-off might be able to fill the gap, but according to sources at the Food Bank, this event’s proceeds actually could. So come on down and nosh for all those in need of more of that while you’re there, every dollar of the $45 all-you-can-eat tickets will help out.

a scene from last year’s cook-off ’10

Kelly and Sonya Taylor (& family) of Kelso

I’m happy to enter for the third year as a *friendly* contestant in the Great Hot Dog Cook-Off, too. Among those who will also be sweating at the grill are a handful of returning champions from previous years’ hot dog cookoffs, and generally amazing people whom I’ve gotten to meet, like Nick Suarez (who went on to win a Throwdown with Bobby Flay for his hot dogs, Eugene Kim (a three-time competitor and place-winner), Noah Berland (of last year’s infamous ice cream dog), Erik Michielson, Laena McCarthy, and many others. Last year’s top dog winner Karol Lu will be making a special appearance, while not competing herself this year.

a crazy dog from ’07

co-host Melissa Sands tending to the grill

another good-looking bite

the “maki dog”

While I’m wondering what everyone else will make this year to top themselves from the last, I’ve got my own hot dog plan pretty much set. In the past four years (between co-hosting and competing in this event), I’ve made maki-sushi rolls with veggie dogs, “baked brie” hot dogs with buttery pastry and raspberry jam, dogs glazed with hoisin sauce and served in steamed buns, and last year’s creation, a hot dog served in a hollowed cucumber half, and smeared with green curry mayonnaise, chopped peanuts and cilantro. Clearly, I’m not a fan of using regular hot dog rolls.

My hot dog this year will be a doozy. The bun will be… a surprise that I’m not letting up until the day of. Hope to see you Saturday at the fest!

The six-generation family-owned farm is, as Anna’s father explains in the film, representative of what happened to a lot of farms in the area. It began as a diverse produce farm, growing fruits and vegetables that would be sold to its surrounding area for food. Nowadays, it only grows corn and soybeans for industrial uses, although one uncle of Anna’s has recently reinstated a livestock operation. What’s the future for Mumford Farms? Anna wonders, as her parents’ generation reaches retirement, and she ponders the possibility of growing real food on it again. The future of Mumford Farms is representative of what’s in store for our larger food system, too.

I had the pleasure of having my garden watered by Anna this morning, and got caught up on this project. Stay tuned as Anna completes the film, and become a supporter of the project if you’re a fan on its Kickstarter campaign. We were lucky to catch a sneak preview of an excerpt from Mumford Farms at the last Hungry Filmmakers screening, in April. You can see more excerpts from the film in progress here and here, too.

Back to urban gardening for now!

The multi-faceted event is deserving of its outdoor music festival-esque name: in a tented area of CookOut NYC, there will be a homemade kimchi contest, a cookoff with foods made with (his) kimchi (you get a free gallon to go crazy with), kimchi making demonstrations, and a possible kimchi-eating contest, perhaps. No word yet on whether Mama Oh will be making a special guest appearance, but you can count on Kheedim running the show.

This is where you guys come in: Want to enter either the homemade kimchi contest, or the cook-off where you can come up with any dish using kimchi? Time to sign up! And for that, you’ll get access to the entire fest, too.

Okay, more details. Kimchi isn’t quite as hard to make as it sounds. In fact, that and other lacto-fermented pickles, like sauerkraut, was the only way many cultures in cold, harsh climates stayed alive. It can’t be impossible! But it does take a little figuring out, and some finesse, if you’re up to impressing the judges on July 10. So, below I’ve gathered a few previous posts on my kimchi-making or cooking-with exploits, for a little reference. The rest (like, “Will I have a grill or just a table to work on at Governor’s Island?”) you can just ask Kheedim. Write to inquiries@kimchirules.com, or just check out the info on that site!

my soon-to-be kimchi

Just kim’d a head of napa cabbage yesterday, and will have at least five days to wait before checking it out!

Kimchee Roasted Potatoes (with homemade kimchee)

Kimchee, Spinach and Goat Cheese Frittata (with Mama O’s Kimchi)

and listen to Kheedim talk about Kimchipalooza on Let’s Eat In

And it’s one of the courses that will be served at a special dinner I’m hosting this Sunday, the Feast of 61 Local Ingredients. Yes, we’ll be feasting on this green gazpacho, and much more, to celebrate the start of a lush time of year for eating locally. Reservations for the event can be taken here, and we’ll start the night off with a few drinks in the bar joined by some of the local farmers and food artisans whose work will be used throughout the courses.

It might sound like a fantasy to throw 61 locally-sourced ingredients into one meal, or one of a very complicated and epic scale. But this dinner aims to prove how easy, delicious and actually practical it can be. For instance, this bowl of green gazpacho has no less than fifteen ingredients foraged from within the state. A lot of them are herbs — there are ten types of herbs in total for a nose-tickling taste — then it’s cucumber, stale bread, the stinging nettles, spring onions, spicy pickle brine and chopped green bean pickles, and creme fraiche to finish. Serve chilled with chunks of cucumber and the pickled green beans, it’s cooling, nutritious and packed with fresh, vibrant flavor. I think I just listed off more than fifteen ingredients come to think of it, and am hoping that there are enough nasturtium blossoms on my roof to garnish each bowl with on Sunday, too. But the point should be clear — it’s a cinch to pack sixty-one ingredients from the city into one meal, and it will be all the better for the food, too.

a handful of shiso and other assorted herbs are blended in

a healthy green roof garden in Brooklyn

Similar to a spicy, tangy chimichurri or salsa verde, this soup has a bright kick of vinegar thanks to all the pickle juice. It’s based on more classic green gazpacho recipes, but swaps in flavorful pickle brine (because it’s an oft-unused part of the jar) for red wine vinegar. Gazpacho is actually a peasant dish, which incorporates stale bread that’s soaked and mashed up to stretch it. Both red and tomato-less green versions of it traditionally have this, but it’s commonly forgotten nowadays. The stinging nettles are a liberal twist, but once blanched and smoothed into a puree, they add density and don’t distract in taste — and it seemed appropriate to the nature of the dish to use whatever needed to be used up, that was green.

This soup was tested out (and photographed, at top) with Josh Greenfield, of Y-I-EatN. His rooftop was responsible for the brunt of the herbs in this test-run, as his brother Mike has a small operation up there that looks like it could feed a dozen for the summer pretty soon. Thanks to an underutilized patch of blacktop on their roof, Mike’s gone greenthumb, loading up on heirloom seedlings at the Greenmarket each week (there are three unique types of mint in the mix). Sound familiar? See it happening on the neighboring rooftop or backyard, too? Yes, in addition to all the great farms upstate and in surrounding farmland, the city has become a valuable place to procure ingredients from, too. Just ask the farmers of Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm, who will also be contributing produce to the meal.

The rest of the menu can be found here as well, and all the contributing ingredients and farms/producers behind them will be listed at the event. I’ve gotten many requests for more vegetarian-friendly food events from readers and people I’ve met in person, and I’m listening to you guys this time, because there will be a definite vegetarian option at this meal that should be no less satisfying than the meat main course. Finally, why sixty-one ingredients in this? Well, because that’s the name of the bar this dinner is housed in, 61 Local, in Boerum Hill (its address is 61 Bergen St.). It’s a terrific place that testifies to the same theory as this meal, with a drink and food menu that focuses on the region’s best.

Hope you can join us, and if not, here’s that recipe for the gazpacho!

Green Gazpacho with Stinging Nettle and Pickle Brine
(makes about 4 servings)

2 large cucumbers, peeled
about 1 cup packed stinging nettle that had been blanched, drained and squeezed out, coarsely chopped
2 scallions, shallots or 1 large spring onion, coarsely chopped
small wedge of stale bread
1 cup spicy dill pickle brine (such as McClure’s)
1 cup packed fresh herbs including parsley, cilantro, dill, spearmint, and optionally including basil, oregano, marjoram, chives, peppermint, and other herbs as desired
3-4 pickled green beans (such as Rick’s Picks “Mean Beans”), finely chopped
about 1/4 cup creme fraiche
salt and pepper to taste

Chop the seedless ends off the cucumbers and finely dice into cubes for garnish. Chop the rest of the peeled cucumber in large chunks. Puree in a food processor along with the nettle, herbs, and pickle brine. Soak the bread in the mixture for a few minutes, then puree along with the bread.

Transfer to a blender to liquify mixture until frothy at top. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide amongst four serving bowls. Garnish with a dollop of the creme fraiche each and sprinkle with the chopped pickled green beans and cucumber cubes.

So, you’ve helped put on a lot of food events, including two at Governor’s Island last year. How will Brewers PicNYC differ from those?

JC: It’s great to be back for another season producing events on Governors Island. Brewers PicNYC will have less chef focus, more about an introduction to summer! The food will be a mix of favorite street foods and great food trucks, and it’s family-friendly with a 12-and-under goes free rule. There will be picnic tables, quirky entertainment like ukelele players and bluegrass, PLUS — insider secret — there’s free admission with a ukulele or banjo! And of course, a wide selection of craft beer.

Wow, maybe I should buy that ukelele I’ve always meant to on eBay. What made you decide to hold the event over the course of two days?

JC: Fits with the Memorial Day weekend vibe! Also, this format is more flexible than a chef-driven event — we’re providing a wider variety of foods than just BBQ or grilling. Brewers PicNYC really aims to show off a great diversity of NYC food and craft beer.

a food station at Meatopia, July 2010

taking the ferry with fellow chefs to Pig Island in September ’10

You would know this best, as a founder of the Good Beer Seal and host of Beer Sessions on Heritage Radio, but what’s so good about beer that’s made in and around NYC?

JC: There is more and better craft beer in the NY region than ever (or at least since the 19th century!). Sixpoint, Brooklyn Brewery and Kelso are in the lead, along with Captain Lawrence, Greenport, and many others have been thriving in the past five years in the greater NYC region. (Stay tuned as well for “Cookout NYC” July 10 and for July Good Beer Month — we’ll really be celebrating the great NYC area beers!)

It’s terrific that the event will benefit Added Value community farm. Will attendees be able to check out the farm’s plot on Governors Island while they’re there?

JC: Added Value has been a long-standing community farm in Red Hook, but has had a growing presence on Governors Island the past 2-3 years. The farm is on the South end of the island, and will be open for visitors throughout the Memorial Day weekend.

pork butt gets sizzling on the outdoor grill

Jimmy taking a stroll with fellow Good Beer Seal chair Chris Cuzme, while Jeff Gorlechen of Sixpoint takes a chomp

What are you most looking forward to trying from the food offerings this weekend?

JC: Rickshaw Dumplings, PizzaMoto, DUB Pies (Australian meat pies), Luke’s Lobster, Jimmy’s No. 43 (pork tacos!), grilled cheese by Sourpuss Pickles, Orwashers Bakery bread, the “tequila” taco truck… and a full selection of savory sweets and Italian ices for kids! There will be 20 separate food stations!

And from the beer?

JC: Sixpoint will be back with their custom Governors Island beer, the Signal, a slightly smoked pale ale, plus the Crisp Pilsner; Greenport Harbor’s Harbor Ale; Brooklyn Brewery, and Blue Point will round out the NYC craft breweries. Then, Chicago is making a play with Goose Island and Two Brothers both represented!

Can you give us a sneak peek on what other events you might be brewing up next?

JC: In addition to bringing back “Pig Island II” on September 10 (80 pigs, 20 chefs, this year co-hosted by  PBS food show host Michael Colameco!), coming up next for July Good Beer Month events include: Cookout NYC on July 10 at Governors Island with Kimcipalooza (hosted by Mama O’s Kimchee) and custom craft beers; “Putting the Craft Back In Beer” on July 15, a webcast and live event at the WNYC GreenSpace; a third annual “Good Beer at BAM” on July 26th with Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn!

That’s a lot of good beer (and food) to look forward to! (And the photo at top of Jimmy was taken at last year’s Good Beer at BAM.) Cheers!

The beneficiary of the event was The Humane Society of New York, whose motto is, “Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty.” We thought they do such good work that they could use a little celebrating themselves. Staff from the non-profit were on hand with flyers, pictures of pets for adoption, and raffle prizes at their table.

donations being made for raffle tickets of pet prizes from the Humane Society

But the event’s main focus was all about the beer. Twenty-two small batches of experimental brews were poured, along with another sixteen Sixpoint “staple” flavors, including the Berserker Bock, a beer made with Stumptown Coffee. Many of these flavors were made with friends of the brewery, such as Knockout Punch, a pink, Hawaiian Punch-infused brew that Sixpoint’s video guru, Aaron Ekroth, collaborated on.

the main room at the Bell House, in full festival swing

Then there was the food. We gathered ’round our favorite Brooklyn food vendors to serve up what we thought were the quintessential beer pairings: tacos, pizza, sausages and smoked brisket. So, CalexicoCart, PizzaMoto, Prime Meats and Mile End were stationed outside the venue, serving up just that.

Prime Meats had weisswurst on a pretzel roll under control

Calexico served up three kinds of tacos: chorizo, chicken & veggie

some chopped liver & pickled onion munchies, among those from Mile End

PizzaMoto cranked out several hundred margherita & mushroom white pies in their wood-burning pizza-mobile

Brooklyn Soda Works also showed up with two refreshing new flavors

Anyone who’s been to the Bell House knows there’s a great stage in its main room, so we had to take advantage of that. For entertainment, Chances With Wolves spun records throughout the event, while performances from JerseyFresh Burlesque punctuated the atmosphere of excess.

BB Heart opens the act with flashy feathers

a backstage glance at some of New York’s finest burlesque performers: Cherry Pitz, BB Heart, Handsome Brad and Miss Mary Cyn

Our emcee for the evening, burlesque host and producer Peter Aguero, poked fun at me during the afternoon session for having the loudest laugh in the crowd. It was the kind of laugh, he’d said, that says, “How is this my life right now?” And I couldn’t agree more. I don’t even know what to write about all this anymore! But I’ll wrap up by answering some the most commonly voiced questions during the event. Got another one? Ask it in a comment here!

Commonly Asked Question at Beer For Beasts #1: When are these beers going to be available commercially, and where can I get some?

Answer: We’d made each of those twenty-two specialty beers exclusively for this event and don’t have immediate plans to make them again — but never say never! It’s all a learning experience, however, just like making any small batch or homebrew, and we’ll put what we learned in making them towards our big-batch beer flavors to be released in the future.

Commonly Asked Question at Beer For Beasts #2: What’s the connection with pets and beer? Why the Humane Society of New York?

Answer: We’d visited the Humane Society of New York and thought they were doing great things for the city in an incredibly efficient and hard-working way. We were touched. Plus, we’re all obsessed with our pets, who are often shelter or rescued animals.

Commonly Asked Question at Beer For Beasts #3: Why is it so cold outside?

Answer: I have no idea! It’s supposed to be the end of March. Better drink more and stay warm.

Commonly Asked Question at Beer For Beasts #4: Will you do this again, next year?

Answer: Yes! Sixpoint and BeerAdvocate plan on making it an annual event, with different surprises each year.

Commonly Asked Question at Beer For Beasts #5: Did you really put grapefruit in the Triphop Grapefruit IPA? Juice or peel?

Answer: Here’s your homebrew recipe! Again, this beer was a collaborative effort with my friend Robert Sietsema (Village Voice food critic), and I believe it was his idea first to use grapefruit in an already “citrusy” IPA. But we couldn’t have done it without the help of Sixpoint brewers Ian, Sam, Sean and Shane, who pointed us in the right direction for grapefruit-y hops, appropriate malts, and how to handle the bitter grapefruit peel. We eventually made a grapefruit peel tincture with high-proof grain alcohol that was added after fermentation. Here’s a photo recap of how it was made, followed by a homebrew recipe.

fresh grapefruits are squeezed, strained and boiled to reduce to about half

some of the peel is reserved and soaked in grain alcohol

a mash of Rawr, Crystal and Carahell malt begins to boil

also, three types of hops were used: Cascade, Citra and Warrior

we stir

the beer’s original gravity is about 15

Robert swigs the finished beer at the fest!

Triphop Grapefruit IPA
(makes a 20-gallon batch)

malt:
15 lb Rawr
12 oz Crystal
12 oz Carahell

hops:
1 oz. Cascade @ 60 minutes
1 oz. Citra @ 30 minutes
1 oz. Citra & Cascade @ 20 minutes (I think)
1 oz. Warrior @ 10 minutes

yeast: White Labs 007

Procedure: Juice and strain 2 dozen pink grapefruits (reserving peels). Bring to a boil in a pot with 1/2 cup sugar and let reduce to 2/3 of its original volume. You should have about 2 pints left, give or take. After the last round of hops (Warrior) has boiled for ten minutes, add the grapefruit reduction and remove from heat. Let ferment for 2-3 days.

Meanwhile, soak shaved grapefruit peels in 1 cup grain alcohol for a few minutes. Strain. Add tincture to beer before transferring to keg or carboy.

It’s back to school time in the city, and it’s my favorite season for eating. Pumpkins and other winter squashes are fattening on the vine while heirloom tomatoes and outdoor barbecues are still going strong. It’s no wonder Just Food has chosen this time of year to hold its annual fundraiser feast, Let Us Eat Local. This year’s party is on September 16th, and it’ll be outside, at the South Street Seaport Water Taxi Beach. And it’s truly going to be the biggest, best, most delicious and inspiring one so far. I’d love for you to see in person. So once again, I’m holding a recipe contest where one food blogger will win a ticket, and more!

Last year, I called on bloggers to make a recipe focused on seasonal ingredients in order to win. This time, you’ll have a choice of which seasonal ingredient to use. Choose one veggie from the list to focus your recipe on (it can have other ingredients, too). Make it fresh and different, totally your own. And blog about it, sometime between now and September 10th. Be sure to take photos so that the judges can imagine eating the dish. Email me with the subject line “veggie tipsheets contest” to make sure that I know it’s up in the blogosphere, and I’ll pass it on to our judges (more on them below). If your recipe wins, you’ll get a general admission ticket to the Let Us Eat Local tasting event (a $175 value, tax-refundable), plus, your recipe will be included in Just Food’s upcoming Veggie Tipsheets book.

Just Food been working hard to provide home cooks like us with recipes and tips on how to use all the veggies you’ll see in season, or that’ll show up from your CSA. We realize there can be a mystery element to every batch. So they’re compiling them in a comprehensive book. Maybe you have a real flair for cooking eggplant, but are confused when it comes to okra. Pooling our ideas, we should be able to hit every ingredient in all sorts of delicious ways. The cookbook is looking for more recipes for the following fruits and veggies, so please choose one of the following to base your recipe on as your contest submission:

Plums
Blueberries
Currants
Nectarines
Elderberries
Harukei turnip (aka Japanese salad turnips)
Komatsuna
Lettuce
Orengo
Yukina savoy

There are your secret ingredients! Now, here are your honorable judges:

Jacquie Berger, Executive Director, Just Food: Jacquie is just the best. For a title with the word “executive” in it, she makes every part of her job look fun. And every member of the small staff at Just Food does every job all the time, so it won’t be a surprise to see her sitting table at a food fair or stuffing envelopes over homemade snacks at an office party.

Gabrielle Langholtz, Editor-in-Chief, Edible Manhattan & Edible Brooklyn: Gabrielle has been writing about and working for food in this city for decades. A former director for the Greenmarket and current editor of an even smaller organization than Just Food (the Edible magazines), she is a total hardworking hero. Good cook, too.

Rachel Wharton, Deputy Editor, Edible Manhattan & Edible Brooklyn: Fresh from winning a James Beard award for her “Back of the House” features in the magazine, Rachel is the spokeswoman for food in this town. She would also like to bike to Coney Island, drink vodka on the boardwalk and eat Russian food tonight.

Ben Sargent, Brooklyn Chowder Surfer & Lobster Roll Guy: Ben has been on a roll lately, with food gigs and more fun stuff in the works based on his wildly successful underground lobster roll-making circuit this past winter. He’s also the host of Heritage Radio Network’s Catch It, Cook It, Eat It, and a surfer. I’ve been a longtime fan of his adventures by land and sea.

So without further delay, let’s get blogging! Remember, the deadline to post your recipe is September 10th, and don’t forget to email me at cathy[at]noteatingoutinny.com, too. I’ll post a recap of every entry soon afterward with the winner announced.

If you’re not a blogger or simply can’t make it to the Let Us Eat Local event in NYC on the 16th, you can still partake in the good food celebration. We’ll be announcing a lineup of incredible prizes for the silent auction that will take place before, and during the fundraiser party. These will be posted to the Just Food site, and your money for winning any auction item will be donated straight to Just Food. Check out more about the festivities, and participating restaurants and sponsors here. Inside tip: Sixpoint will be brewing a beer made with Red Jacket Orchards‘ plums just for the event!

It’s been a while since Karol, David and I have hosted a Food Obstructions, the cooking competition based on five ever-changing rules. It started out in November at The Gutter, and we held two more Food Obstructions there over the following months. But now that it’s the start of a new season, we’re bringing it back with some twists. In celebration of all that’s local, edible and in season right now, this time the cook-off will be a fundraiser for Just Food. And because it’s warm, it’ll be held in the backyard of East River Bar in Williamsburg. We’re taking it outside — let the food fight begin!

A quick note on another change: there will be a $10 donation at the door for anyone attending the event. But it’s still free to enter as a contestant. Ticket proceeds will be donated directly to Just Food, and it will give the ticket-holder free reign of the cook-off buffet. Read on for entry instructions, and here are the five obstructions to everyone’s dish:

-Must have at least one locally-sourced* vegetable

-Must contain locally sourced* honey

-Cannot contain meat

-Must contain an ingredient that is spherical and is eaten whole

-Must have a crunchy garnish

*We know you’re wondering how local “locally sourced” is, so we gave it a 100-mile radius of where you live. Just know what the farm is where your ingredient was obtained, and where it’s located. There’s plenty of options at the Greenmarket.

That’s no “meat” as well as seafood. It will be the most vegetarian-friendly cook-off in NYC that we know of so far! Let us know when you arrive whether your dish is vegetarian or vegan so that we can properly label.

On the “spherical” ingredient, think chickpeas, not oranges. Tapioca pearls, not cantaloupes. Unless you can make a single serving of a dish involving a whole orange or cantaloupe. We know that no food is a perfect sphere, so don’t worry about whittling down your grapes or whatever.

To enter, write to thefoodobstructions@gmail.com and please mention in your email if your dish will need any special requirements. Warm chafing dishes can be provided upon request. Please specify if you would like it to be served on anything other than a flat plate with a fork. Spread the word, and bring your friends to vote for you — the winners will be decided by a popular vote, as always. Prizes from local businesses like cookware will be awarded to first, second and third places.

RSVP on Facebook.

When I was asked by Darin and Greg to guest chef another barbecue this season, I knew I wanted to collaborate on a menu to make this more fun. And I’d always wanted to cook more with Jon Meyer, who runs the kitchen along with Will Griffith at the newly opened Mrs. Kim’s. I am one lucky cook that it worked out just like that. For our main course, we’ll be making the Kim Dog, a homemade sausage with pork from Heritage Foods USA and D’Artagnan, lemongrass, shallots and all sorts of secret spices, topped with kimchi and gochujang ketchup. The vegetarian option is Korean rice cakes and asparagus, smothered in a sweet-and-spicy, thick chili sauce that I just spent the last three hours making. The side dishes I think will delight even more: we’re making a watermelon salad with five-spice crusted cashews; grilled fava bean pods with a pungent nuoc cham-like sauce; baby carrots and garlic scapes, also grilled, in an Asian-styled “salsa verde” with the blanched carrot greens and pretty much every herb that exists.

But for all those sides and your choice of main course, the entire plate is yours for $5, as always with the BBQ Blowout series. (It was when I was co-chef for the first time for it, two years ago — an event that was described in detail in The Art of Eating In.) How can this be? Come on down and find out. It’s not about anything but good food and fun.

It’s summer. There’s produce, plenty of it local. It’s coming to supermarkets, restaurants and Greenmarkets throughout New York City. But one place you won’t hardly ever find it at is a bodega, those convenient, often round-the-clock shops where you can get toothpaste and telephone cards or tonight’s dinner of ramen and chips. Unfortunately, this is the only type of grocery store that exists in increasingly more communities here.

That’s why the Healthy Bodegas Initiative was formed in 2005, aimed at increasing access to fresh food and improving the health of all New Yorkers through its bodegas. Targeting the most underserved areas, or healthy “food deserts,” the mission has partnered with many bodegas and local organizations, such as the Greenmarket of Grow NYC (previously called CENYC). Check out Kerry Trueman’s great interview with the initiative’s founder, Donya Williams, on Food Systems NYC. And read below for an interview with Justone Bossert, Director of NYC Operations for Red Jacket Orchards, an upstate, family-operated fruit farm that’s joined the cause.

But first, check out their Kickstarter campaign, and pledge what you can to help them innovate and implement solutions to bringing good food to bodega shelves in the places that need it most. If you’ve already been deluged with Kickstarter campaigns coming from everyone and your cousin’s uncle, I can relate. But one play of that video might make you want to pitch in. Read on for Justone’s explanation of what your donation will go toward. And hot tip: they’ve “just harvested some early season white cherries,” which should be available at the Greenmarket soon.

According to your website, Red Jacket grows apples, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches and plums — and then of course, all different varieties of which. That’s a lot of orchards! Am I missing anything else?

JB: It is a lot of orchards, and that’s good. It means we are increasing the amount of locally grown fruit available and saving farmland from being developed. A big part of our success is always having the next new thing and being very focused on what the customer wants. It is our goal to make fresh, healthy fruit available  to all of New York.

We grow every type of fruit this climate can support. In addition to the one you mentioned we also grow blueberries, wild black raspberries, currants (black, red and champagne), red and green gooseberries, nectarines, apricots, prunes, rhubarb, and grapes.

How long has Red Jacket Orchard been selling at the NYC Greenmarket?

JB: We started attending Greenmarkets in 1992 and it didn’t take long for gourmet stores to start seeking us out and we have continued to broaden the types of places that carry our product ever since.

How did you get involved with the Healthy Bodegas Initiative?

JB: We were contacted by Michael Hurwitz of Greenmarket and Donya Williams of the NYC Dept. of Health about the city’s Healthy Bodegas Initiative. This program had made some great progress reaching out to Bodegas and getting people interested in selling healthy food, but did not have anyway to get it to them. That is where we come in. We are one of the few farms that not only grow food, but also distribute it. It is part of our mission to increase the availability of great tasting local fruit and having our own trucks allows us to take on the gaps in the existing food system.

How many bodegas have you partnered with so far, and how did the owners overall respond to your idea?

JB: We have only just started, but we are already working with a dozen or so bodegas and the owner’s have been enthusiastic about a distribution system designed to get them better product to sell to their customers. Bodega owners often want to sell fresh produce, the problem is that there isn’t a system to support them. That is the problem we are trying to solve.

samples of Red Jacket Orchards apples at Union Square Greenmarket

Many bodegas in my neighborhood carry some fresh fruit, but not enough people buy them. How do you hope to engage and entice the community to purchase them?

JB: The main problem with the fruit that you usually find in bodegas, if they have any, is that it doesn’t taste good. The reason it doesn’t taste good is because its probably old, not properly handled, and certainly not local. Our program aims to help the bodegas properly handle and display the product so that in can compete with the unhealthy stuff. When people try something fresh picked and tree-ripened their reaction is “Wow.” All you have to do is let people know that this fruit is different and let them try it. The pleasure they get from tasting it does the rest.

What do you think the biggest challenges are going to be with selling your product in these bodegas?

JB: The biggest challenge is that the entire food system is stacked in favor of the least healthy foods. Turning that around is going to take a long time, but the first steps are simple: get fresh local food to the places where people shop, handle it in such a way to ensure its quality, and let people know it is there and why it is different. The good food movement has succeeded because fresh picked local food tastes great. Once people get access to it and try it they don’t want to eat anything else.

What do you hope the best takeaway from this project will be?

JB: The goal of this project is to create a self sustaining model for distributing healthy local produce to food desserts.  The best takeaway would be for this model to be adopted and adapted in other places it is needed.

There has been much talk about the dearth of fresh food in underserved communities throughout NYC. Have you been inspired by or took lessons from any other initiatives for the same cause?

JB: We are lucky enough to be living in a time and place where many people are attempting to correct these sorts of inequities. There are so many groups and individuals that we learn from, but I think the most inspiring thing is the feeling in the air that comes from a lot of little steps happening at the same time. There is a lot of energy around solving these problems and I hope we all see a lasting solution come to fruition.

Aside from donating through the Kickstarter campaign, what else can we do to lend a hand?

JB: The Kickstarter campaign is important, it will allow us to expand the program to the point where it will become self sustaining.  Other than contributions to the campaign, going to these bodegas and buying the produce is a great way to support the initiative. We will be listing the bodegas we are working with on our Kickstarter page.