The Grow Hartford CSA

The way that Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) usually works is that a household buys a share, and then receives a box of produce weekly (either by picking it up or having it delivered). Sometimes a CSA will have other items like flowers, herbs, cheese, and meat available. Grow Hartford CSA is a project of the Hartford Food System, which has headquarters at 86 Park Street. Food from its three farm sites — located on Zion, Broad, and Laurel Streets — is entirely distributed to Hartford residents. The program is described as:

  • Increasing awareness of food security, nutrition, sustainable agriculture, and environmental issues among low-income Hartford youth.
  • Empowering young people to participate in community action through problem solving, work skills training, and leadership opportunities.
  • Encouraging healthy physical activities and increasing awareness of healthy food choices.
  • Foster[ing] community action related to food security, sustainable agriculture, and the environment.
  • Providing low-income Hartford residents with convenient access to local, sustainably produced fruits and vegetables.
  • Demonstrating viability of sustainable urban agriculture.

Members can pick up produce between 4-7 pm on Thursdays at the Laurel Street site; people pick their own, rather than have others select what they will receive for produce. The Grow Hartford CSA still has some spots open; residents wishing to participate can check out this brochure and application.

Join a Community Garden

Although it’s a little late in the season to be just getting started thinking about this, some of Hartford’s community gardens may have plots available. The application deadline technically passed, but sometimes plots are available if people move or have to stop gardening for other reasons. It costs $20-25 per season to rent a 15×20 or 25×25 plot at the following gardens: Niles, Evergreen, West End, Sargeant, Winter/Green, Broad, Huntington, and Watkinson. There is a garden on Affleck, but it is not listed in the Knox Parks Foundation brochure. The community gardens are a project of the Knox Parks Foundation, which describes the purpose of community gardens:

Community gardens are a return to the “common” or the central place in a city or town where people could graze livestock or plant vegetables. Although the true “town common” is now typically a park for recreational activities, community gardens are neighborhood lots that are used by the area residents for growing vegetables, flowers and/or fruits. They beautify and enhance a neighborhood, provide food and are a vehicle for fostering community self-reliance and the opportunity to meet and connect with neighbors.

Besides the plot itself, water is available on site; there is a delivery of “compost” (it’s more like mulch) early in the season and gardening tools can be shared. If you were wondering how to get questioned by a police officer in city limits, it’s not by driving on the sidewalk or lighting off fireworks in the street — it’s by pushing a wheelbarrow containing shovels and rakes down Park Street.

Farmers’ Markets

First, I have to complain about how this term is generally punctuated. It either lacks an apostrophe, or the apostrophe is placed to suggest that the market(s) are run by a single farmer. That may be true in some areas, but Hartford’s farmers’ markets have produce and goods from many area farms.

A recent press release from the Mayor lists the local farmers’ markets:

HARTFORD – BILLINGS FORGE FARMERS’ MARKET

Thursdays 11a.m. – 3 p.m.

April 23 – October 29

Firebox Restaurant

539 Broad Street


HARTFORD – CAPITOL AVE FARMERS’ MARKET

Mondays 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

July 13 – October 26

First Presbyterian Church Next to Bushnell

156 Capitol Avenue


HARTFORD – NORTHEND SENIOR CENTER

FARMERS’ MARKET

Wednesdays 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

July 1 – October 28

Northend Senior Center, 80 Coventry Street


HARTFORD – OLD STATE HOUSE FARMERS’ MARKET

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

May 1 – December

Old State House, 800 Main Street


HARTFORD – PARK STREET FARMERS’ MARKET

Mondays 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

July 6 – October 26

Walgreen’s Parking Lot,

Corner of Park and Washington Streets


HARTFORD – WESTEND FARMERS’ MARKET

Tuesdays & Fridays 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

July 3 – October

United Methodist Church, back parking lot,

571 Farmington Avenue


HARTFORD REGIONAL MARKET

FARMERS’ MARKET

Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays

5 a.m. – 9 a.m.

CT Regional Market

101 Reserve Road

The Regional Market is open year-round, but given the hours it runs, I have only been down there a few times. The West End Farmers’ Market is selling crepes this year and was open for a bit during the thunderstorms last week. The market at the North End Senior Center sells “Produce such as callaloo, corn, collard greens, watermelon, apples, and other treats,” according to another press release from the Mayor. The Farmers’ Market at Billings Forge website has posted a crop calendar so that you can more easily predict what  might be at the stands this week.