March 28, 2024
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Linking Northern and Central NJ, Bronx, Manhattan, Westchester and CT

Don’t Miss Out on the MetroWest JCC Tuv Ha’aretz CSA

The MetroWest JCC, in conjunction with Hazon, is preparing to begin its annual Tuv Ha’aretz CSA, and invites community members to join with them. Tuv Ha Aretz (meaning good for/from the land) is its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that runs for 12 weeks from July 9 through September 24. Every Thursday, participants will come to the JCC between the hours of 4 and 6 p.m. to pick up their share of the day’s crop. If someone is unable to come during those hours, the JCC will bag it and leave it at the reception desk for a later pick-up. Members receive approximately 10–12 vegetable items and one fruit item each Thursday—more than enough to feed a family of 4–6 for the week. The vegetables are delicious, and plentiful—and are picked the day they are delivered to ensure quality and freshness. In addition, participants receive a weekly newsletter with tips, ideas, recipes and more, and the JCC is planning to repeat its successful “add-ons,” like flower arranging demos and cooking demonstrations.

A CSA lets participants buy shares in a small, family farm and then reap the benefits of the harvest with bags of produce from summer to early fall. For a set fee, members get weeks of freshly picked produce. CSAs are quite the hot trend; according to the USDA, there are now more than 8,000 of them across the United States. At some, participants pick their own while at others, like the JCC’s, they bag the produce themselves after it is delivered weekly by the farm.

The beautiful vegetables and fruits received throughout this program are grown and delivered by third-generation farmers Linda and Ed Huff of Central Valley Farm in Asbury, NJ. This Hunterdon County farm has been in the Huff family since 1948 and the family has been farming in the area for over 100 years. While it is still a dairy farm, it has expanded to include a full line of produce and flowers. Central Valley Farm also raises grass-fed cows for beef, and chicken for farm-fresh brown eggs. The JCC benefits from a long-standing, wonderful relationship with Ed and Linda Huff, who coordinate the CSA connection. Their farm stand is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The word Hazon means vision. This program’s vision is to create a healthier and more sustainable Jewish community and world for all. Hazon was founded in 2000 and has grown every year since. It is based in New York City and at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, CT, with staff in San Francisco, San Diego, Boulder, Denver and Philadelphia. Hazon welcomes participants of all religious backgrounds and the unaffiliated as well, and works closely with a wide range of institutions and leaders across the Jewish world.

The fee to participate is $365 for the season, but early payment by June 15 comes with a fee reduction to $350.

For more information or to sign up, contact Daena Silverman at (973)530-3536 or [email protected].

By Jill Kirsch

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