Gail and Luke Brussel, long-term Larchmont residents, are continuing to bring organic produce to the homes and restaurants of their Westchester neighbors through the business they started in 2006, Farm Share. And this year, they’re getting a boost from two of Westchester’s leading chefs, who happen to live in Larchmont.
When the Brussels visited one of the farms that supplied produce for Farm Share last year, squash were in bloom.
The Brussels founded Farm Share to help support family farms and to make it easier for busy local families to find organic produce. Subscribers sign up in the spring, giving the farmers the capital and security they need to get through the season. Beginning in June and going through November, subscribers get one or more boxes of produce dropped off at their door once a week.
Last year, Farm Share sold out. They made weekly deliveries to hundreds of families in Westchester, including over fifty in Larchmont.
This year, they are expanding the number of subscribers they can handle, reported Gail Brussel. They are also adding organic eggs to the items available for delivery.
However, the deadline for signing up is fast approaching – June 1. (For more information, see myfarmshare.com.)
Among those already on the list is Adam Kaye, the chef and executive director of Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Another subscriber is Chef Matthew Karp, who will be serving Farm Share produce at home and at his restaurant, Plates.
Both chefs said they looked forward to exploring their Farm Share boxes. “The Wednesday Farm Share delivery of fruit was a weekly highlight for us,” said Mr. Kaye, describing last year’s experience. “First berries to the last apples and pears, every week brought new surprises and the most delicious treats.”
This year, Mr. Karp plans to hold a wine pairing event at Plates using Farm Share vegetables as the central ingredients.
The Brussels figure that Larchmonters like Chefs Kaye and Karp have helped preserve many acres of land as organically farmed open space while enjoying the produce from Farm Share. “We like to say we help people to ‘do good, by eating better,’ ” said Gail Brussel.
Among the vegetables planned for this year are: heirloom tomatoes, arugula, beets, middle eastern cucumbers, summer squash, yellow fingerling potatoes, onions, garlic, purple carrots, snap peas, brussel sprouts on the stalk, leaf lettuce and eggplant. The planned fruits include sweet cherries, peaches, small and large plums, concord grapes, and several varieties of apples and pears. The “vagaries” of weather, pests and other uncontrollable farm conditions will impact what actually shows up in the boxes.
In addition to the Plates Farm Share event, there are plans to hold a “first annual” communal dinner for local subscribers to celebrate and enjoy the bounty of the season as a group. Details will be announced later in the season.
“There are a lot of people who like to eat this way, and this is a way for them to meet each other,” said Ms. Brussel.
I don’t know what a middle eastern cucumber is, but I’m intrigued. This sounds like a great addition to the local scene.