The greens in this salad bowl are from the Brady Faith Farm, an urban farm on Syracuse's South Side.
So are the "snacking carrots'' I've been nibbling before supper instead of chips and pretzels and other not-so-healthy, munchy-crunchy snack foods. They're tiny carrots plucked from the ground while they're young -- and sweet.
The Brady Faith Farm is a project of the Brady Faith Center, a Catholic mission that serves people in need on the city's southwest side. Staff members and volunteers have transformed nearly six acres of vacant land in the 2000 block of Onondaga Creek Boulevard into a farm to feed the community and offer accessible, healthy, local food at affordable prices.
The farm is offering community-supported agriculture (CSA) shares this season, and about 50 people have signed up for them, according to Jessi Lyons, urban farm coordinator for the Brady Faith Center. Some qualified families are enjoying box shares for $9 a week, thanks to a grant from Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield to subsidize shares and offer cooking classes to teach people how to use the season's bounty.
The list of vegetables planted and coming up on the farm include beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots Swiss chard, collard greens, corn, cucumbers, fennel, kale, okra, peppers, squashes, tomatoes, watermelon and more.
You don't have to be a CSA member to reap the bounty of the Brady Faith Farm. Team members sell the farm's produce on Thursdays at the Central New York Regional Market (7 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and most Sundays this summer (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) under a tent set up at the corner of Midland Avenue and Ballantyne Road in Syracuse.
I visited the farm stand this past Sunday on a slightly off week -- much of the available produce had been harvested, cleaned, packed for CSA box shares and donated in the community the week before. Still, Lyons had bags of beautiful salad mix in the cooler, along with herbs, greens, baby beets and snacking carrots. She also had jars of local honey and bags of Salt City Coffee, which recently opened a roastery and coffee cafe on West Onondaga Street and serves as a CSA pick-up point.
Looking to share some of your time this summer? The Brady Faith Farm welcomes volunteers. Staff members are at the farm during the day most weekdays and on Saturday mornings. Assistance is needed with planting, shoveling compost and woodchips, weeding, harvesting and washing and packing produce. It's a good idea to call in advance to make sure someone is there. Call 315-420-4521.
For more information on the Brady Faith Farm, CLICK HERE.
