Veggie Power Hits New York

When Zak Pelaccio, chef at the Meatpacking Districts's much-lauded 5 Ninth restaurant, returned from a trip to Italy, he was determined to incorporate agretti, a sweet, slightly salty green that rarely grows outside of its indigenous Italian soil, into his unorthodox menu. He knew just who to turn to for help. Nancy MacNamara is one of the few American farmers who has the knowledge and artistry to nurture the agretti seed to maturity. Working in collaboration with Pelaccio, MacNamara experimented with different varieties over time until they had developed the right agretti for his needs.

MacNamara is no stranger to unusual greens and herbs. Working on just an acre of land outside of her charming farmhouse in Newburgh, NY, MacNamara has been producing a plethora of exotic crops since 1996. She has consistently used organic techniques for her crops, which include mesclun mixes, asparagus and such wild plants as wood sorrel, lamb's quarter, anise hyssop and loveage.

MacNamara was raised on the homestead that she now cultivates, and that lifelong connection with the land is what allows her to coax as much as possible out of her modest but fruitful farm. Along with Pelaccio, MacNamara numbers Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Gray Kunz and Wiley Dufresne among her clients. These chefs and others have come to depend on the freshness, flavor and beauty of MacNamara's rare herbs and greens.

MacNamara's close association with the chefs, coupled with her highly unusual offerings and limited yield, give her farm a boutique quality; her deftness with wild herbs and greens put her products well beyond what is available at the Union Square Greenmarket. "There's a lot of trial and error in what I do," MacNamara says. "Most farmers don't have the time or the necessary finesse to develop these specialty crops. This is tricky stuff."

The chefs often make yearly trips to MacNamara's farm to help coordinate the upcoming growing season. MacNamara notes that their desire to actively participate in the cultivation of their ingredients shows their commitment to locally grown, seasonal food-a trend that is quickly spreading to many of the city's restaurants and markets. "There's a major shift going on and it's exciting," notes MacNamara. "When people buy locally they create communities."

Yet access to fresh, local, organic and specialty produce is not just limited to top New York chefs: Now communities throughout the Northeast are converging around a shared desire to be more actively involved in the production of the food they eat. One such community can be found nearby in Wappingers Falls, NY where local residents banded together to form Common Ground, a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm project. CSA programs forge direct connections between local farmers and consumers with great benefits for both sides. CSA members pay the farmer or the non-profit farm organization a flat fee in the fall, which guarantees farmers a dependable market and the start-up capital to pay for seeds, supplies and needed repairs. In exchange, members receive a weekly basket of produce the following harvest season.

"Most people don't know how much better things taste when they're picked ripe and ready to eat," says Elizabeth Moverman, the young and energetic head grower at Common Ground and a native of suburban Long Island.

Common Ground members receive a diverse and plentiful bounty in every weekly basket. Half shares, sufficient produce for an average couple, cost around $300 a year, while full shares, enough for an average family, cost around $500. "Last week, our full share members got nine pounds of tomatoes, in addition to two pounds of heirloom tomatoes, an eggplant, hot peppers, summer squash, green beans, carrots, chard, kale, collards, cucumbers, green peppers and sweet peppers" says Moverman. Considering that the cost of a full share at the Common Ground CSA averages out to about $21 per week, the savings for members are substantial. "Just to buy eight pounds of organic tomatoes alone [at a market], you'd probably pay more."

Like the chefs Nancy MacNamara works with, the members of Common Ground play a part in choosing which crops to grow the following year. Moverman says that she tries to accommodate as many requests as possible. This year, she's introduced several new items, like escarole, radicchio and dandelion greens. She also grows edamame, tomatillos, leeks, beets, cabbage, bok choy, napa cabbage, lettuce mixes, garlic, watermelon, cantaloupe, broccoli, pumpkins, potatoes, kohlrabi, brussels spouts, okra, herbs and decorative flowers.

Of course, once the harvest begins, members are faced with the considerable challenge of cooking such a wide variety of produce. But Moverman says that's one of the best parts of joining a CSA. "You learn how to cook so many kinds of vegetables you've never used before and maybe never even heard of. It's a whole new exploration into cooking." The CSA also offers free workshops on canning and pickling so that their members can take advantage of every last Cherokee purple tomato and red ace beet.

But the CSA movement is not just about providing the freshest organic produce at below-market prices. It also fosters the creation of vibrant communities centered around the growing process and the seasonality of food. Common Ground, like most CSAs, publishes a newsletter every month during the harvest season. It features notes from the farm, recipes for that month's produce, information on monthly events like workshops, volunteer work opportunities, potluck dinners and dances, and even a quote or two from the likes of Robert Frost, Wendell Berry or Alice Waters.

"Eating local organic produce does so much for our world and our communities" says Moverman. "There's no pollution from trucking produce from California or flying it in from Chile. There are no superpests created by overusing chemicals and depleting the soil of its nutrients through mono-cropping. You preserve open space from development and you create a secure food source that can be depended on in case of disaster. Plus, you eat the best tasting food. I grew up not liking certain vegetables and now I love them all."