DUMBO Vinegar Hill CSA

We are two months left in the season so I guess it’s possible I will end up coming back and increasing this rating but the DUMBO CSA would have to seriously up its game for that to happen.
1. It’s more expensive than most. It’s more expensive than the Brooklyn Heights CSA and it’s the same farm. Huh?
2. The amount of vegetables is pitiful. The farm is not producing enough for all the members it’s meant to serve. I know that production depends on a lot of things that have nothing to do with the farmers — weather, for example — but I am regularly able to fit the whole pickup in one average sized material bag. That’s not good.
3. The selection is limited. Again, I know a farm can’t grow everything I’m ever going to want but enough with the lettuces and bok choy.
4. Taste.* This one hurts. The vegetables are good. Not great. Not particularly flavorful, not memorable. And that is about the farm.
I know that DUMBO is light on groceries and with all the residents poised to move into the huge apartment buildings it just might get worse, but you can find another CSA that will be cheaper with better selection and taste. The extra steps to get there will be incredibly worth it.
*Taste. The peas were fabulous. They stood out.

I love this CSA. Sang Lee Farm’s vegetables are super fresh, high quality, and beautiful. The carrots come in a rainbow of colors. Fred Lee, who owns the farm, is truly an amazing person. He knows so much about organic farming and is really passionate about his craft. He also writes really funny emails to the CSA once a week about his adventures on the farm.
I had the full share this season and it was A GREAT VALUE. I got around 12 different types of vegetables every week, and it was an armful to carry home. When Fred gets a bumper crop, he passes it on to his CSA members. The volunteer shifts were really fun as well, because I could meet other people who are interested in food and agriculture. I would join this CSA every year, even if I didn’t work in the area.

Bootsie Q did a wonderful job of summing up the Dumbo/​Vineger Hill CSA experience! The CSA is one of the best kept secrets in this 1 grocery store neighborhood (bodega’s don’t count). The partial share comes out to about $ 16/​week which is an incredible value considering one could spend that much on a few things of similar quality at Foragers! Over the spring, our fridge was filled with a variety of lettuces, perfectly ripe tomatoes and eggplants, beets, bok choy, peaches, watermelon, basil and cilantro. The quality of the fruit and vegetables is all in the taste! I was worried about returning to normal grocery store vegetables come winter but I just learned that the CSA has a winter share (only once every three weeks).
Being a part of the CSA has given me something to look forward to, not only every Wednesday during pickup, but all week as I challenge myself to try new recipes with my bounty. Additionally, being a member of the CSA allows you to meet Dumbo residents in a very communal and engaging setting. I would highly reccomend becoming a member, you won’t regret it!

After moving to DUMBO and figuring out that fresh produce is hard to come by in the neighborhood, we started looking for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). We knew the Park Slope Co-​op was not for us after hearing horror stories about what they make you do while working your mandatory shifts (e.g., clean up rat poop and plunge toilets). We very happily found the DUMBO/​Vinegar Hill CSA after a quick internet search.
The DUMBO/​Vinegar Hill CSA partners with Sang Lee Farms, a farm on Long Island, and the quality of produce we get through the 23-​week Summer/​Fall season, running from mid-​May to mid-​November, is fantabulous, even if a little heavy on the lettuce side of things early in the season. We were allowed to purchase a ½ share (roughly $ 15/​week) for our household, which has been great since a full share (roughly $ 25/​week) would have meant we wasted food every week. A ½ share gives us 6 to 10 vegetables each week. The tomatoes this season have been out of this world, and the watermelon is to die for (this from a Southerner with high watermelon standards). You pick up at the courtyard of the Phoenix House in DUMBO, which is quite lovely, and if you don’t want your weekly produce, it is donated to Phoenix House residents and low income families in Brooklyn.
This season, the CSA offered 18-​week cheese shares ($ 8ish/​week), and we get more than our money’s worth. The cheese comes from 3 different Long Island artisan cheese farmers, and we get a nice variety of hard and soft cheeses. Although we don’t have one, I know that the CSA offers fruit shares (18 weeks for $ 160), and the fruits I see always look really good. If I liked peaches and pears more, we would have certainly signed up.
A real perk has been the very little work required for membership in this CSA. We have been asked to work 2 three-​hour shifts during the 23-​week season. Working your shift consists of showing up to the courtyard at the Pheonix House, helping shareholders check in, snag the appropriate amount of produce, sign them up for their volunteer shifts, and then help break down a few tables and bag the remaining produce. It’s an incredibly moderate amount of work to put in for what we’ve gotten in return.
Finally, an unexpected surprise of joining the CSA has been the fresh herbs. We have gotten amazing cilantro, parsley, purple basil, etc… I can’t get over the quality of the cilantro. I can’t even find cilantro at most grocery stores in New York, so this has been really exciting… as exciting as fresh herbs get at least.