Flooded Hudson Valley: Organizing Help Post Irene

(Photo Credit: Just Food)

Although I glibly posted about throwing a hurricane party last weekend, it was in most part because New York City did not experience much damage. I apologize to anyone who felt that my post was insensitive. It wasn't until after my post went up that the stories of total devastation and flooding came out about our upstate NY farmers.

My CSA farm, Windflower Farm, was spared most damage. And our deliveries should continue as normal. But other farms have see minor flooding, the loss of certain fields and some have been washed away entirely. One of the main problems of farming is that it has only a few big payouts per year, in harvesting. Given weather, seasonality and the sheer time needed to realize the harvest, it is impossible to recoup dramatic losses that occur late in the season. The mornings are already chilly here. The winds blowing into the region are cold. Summer is over, it is obvious. And though the growing season will continue for several more weeks, now we are coming upon the time for root vegetables and squashes and late season greens. The farmers who have flooded fields will have to wait until next year. This is where you come in!!

There are ways that you can help the devastated farms of the Northeast. I have listed several links below that will point you in the direction of folks accepting direct donations, organizing homegrown fundraisers and large scale NYC dining events whose proceeds benefit upstate growers. We are what we eat. And if us New Yorkers want to keep eating goods grown in our home state, then participating in these events should be of top priority.

From Scratch Club's Fundraiser for The Denison and Kilpatrick Family Farm and Fellow Blogger Amanda- Christina from the FSC was the blogger who inspired me to write this post in the first place. She has, in all her lack of time, organized a fundraiser/ auction for not just her beloved Kilpatrick Family Farm but for the Denison Farm and also for her friend and fellow blogger Amanda who lost her house in a fire that was caused by the flooding of Irene. Check out the FSC for more links on the storm damage, local coverage, ways to participate in the auction as well as just plain donate.

Just Food NYC's Hurricane Relief Page- Just Food NYC is a fabulous volunteer organization who helps folks organize and lead their own CSA's. I blogged about attending their CSA conference last March. Their suggestions for helping out with the Hurricane Relief is to donate a percentage of the profits of their upcoming Let Us Eat Local event to hurricane relief, as well as accepting donations directly.


GrowNYC & NYC Greenmarkets- The organization GrowNYC that organizes all of NYC's Greenmarkets is offering a beautiful poster designed by artist Claudia Pearson for each donation of $50 (there are two different designs, though I downloaded just one from the GrowNYC website above). 100% of the donations will go to Greenmarket Farms affected by Irene. They are also encouraging folks to eat locally in September. It is still the height of the season and there are still crops in the farmers markets. We can show our support by buying the goods that have made it to market. Visit the link provided for more information.

Dine Out Irene- On September 25th participating NYC restaurants will donate 10% of their proceeds to Just Food and GrowNYC. For a list of participating restaurants (and there are some good ones), click the link provided

Hudson Valley Food Network- Another interesting group, the Hudson Valley Food Network has tons of information on their website forum. Megan Murphy, the site's organizer is trying to pair eager volunteers with farm who needs helping hands. Look to their site if you can give sweat, but not cash.

And finally, in an attempt to help out those farmers who still have product to sell, I would like to propose a 100% local pot luck to be attended by you, the readers of The Table of Promise. If you would like to participate please email me at thetableofpromise(at)yahoo(dot)com before September 20th. The pot luck will be held on Saturday September 24th at 4pm, location to be determined. I haven't exactly told my husband yet-so if dates or times change, don't be upset with me. If you are interested, please email me, I will start the email chain of what to bring and where to go! I would love to break bread with my readers and if organizing a local dinner can help out our local farmers then let it be so!

This post is shared with Simple Lives Thursdays and Fresh Bites Fridays and Fight Back Fridays

When Life Throws You A Hurricane, Throw A Hurricane Party!

As you ALL know Hurricane Irene slowly trodded it's way up the Eastern Seabord of the US yesterday. I think it is still hitting Canada. The excitement here in New York City began Thursday when I was with a co-worker who excitedly decided to take Friday off in order to purchase one of the only generators making their way into the tri-state area before the weekend. By Friday there was talk of a subway shut down and I decided that DH and I should get to the supermarket early instead of waiting until Saturday morning when it was forecasted to already be raining.



No one was sure if Irene would be a category 1 or 2 by the time it made landfall in the US. But everyone was sure it was coming. There was no spinning out to sea scenario. And the community responded. Lines at the checkout counters at grocery stores boasted 30-60 minute lengths. The line at Target was equally as long. And the energy in the air was a restrained frenzy. I was certain the the kids had picked up on the emotions wafting in the wind because they were buzzed with unusual excitement, not to mention stubborn crying fits and all out public meltdowns.



DH and I hit Fairway at 3pm on Friday. The parking lot was packed like the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I made a list for my usual Fairway items. I tried not to buy more food than we needed just because I was anxious about the storm. I did not buy eggs and milk or meat because we would be going to the farmer's market in the morning before the storm got too bad. Unfortunately, after we had returned from the store, I got an email from a friend alerting me that all NYC Greenmarkets would be closed for the weekend to keep anyone from getting injured due to falling trees or debris. I was very uspet, and of course I was lacking in milk and eggs. Still, there are other stores within walking distance of my apartment. So DH and I agreed, the 4 pound grass fed pork roast that was taking up way too much room in the freezer was getting evicted, and what better way to weather a massive hurricane than by drinking beer and eating pork tacos with good friends? We had just planned a hurricane party!!







But while the paty was fun, the pork was good and the beer was cold (the tortillas were unfortunately not my best, but at least we didn't run out), I write this post to remind all that our choices in food are subject to our situations and availabilities. I was unable to get my wonderful milk this week. And so I had a decision to make. I could choose conventional milk that had been conventionally pasteurized or I could choose organic milk that had been ultra-pasteurized. I knew my kefir grains would not be able to thrive on UHT milk. And I don't think highly of UHT milk, nutritionally speaking. But I was concerned about the conventional milk. While many dairy farmers do not use growth hormones and some do not administer unnecessary antibiotics, I the consumer have know way of knowing if that is the case for this jug of milk, for me, today. I decided that I would buy both. I bought organic for the kids. One week of UHT milk will not likely hurt them in anyway. And I bought conventional for the kefir and my own coffee. It isn't enough to say 'eat this, not that', different people have access to different foods for various reasons. And I found myself faced with store closures and flooded roads. Sadly, my milk example is trite. How long would any of our food ideals hold up when faced with shortages, hunger or true natural disaster? So we make the best choices we possibly can, with what is available to us.







The storm was not a bust. The rain we got was torrential. And personally I am supportive of the way the city government handled the storm. No New Yorkers were killed during the storm and likely only minor damage was sustained because people reacted responsibly. The eye made landfall around 9am in Coney Island and by 9:45 I saw a strage patch of sun on the horizon in the direction of LaGuardia Airport and Yankee Stadium. Then I watched that patch of sun march up I-87 until it kind of blended in with the surroundings. Creepy.



I haven't left my apartment since 10am Saturday morning. I am itching to get out and so are the kids. What a crazy wet weekend!!



If you got caught by Irene this weekend, what did you do in the storm?