Sign up by Sunday to join Sylvester Manor’s regional food box program. Before the five-week program can launch, 150 box orders are needed.
“Our goal with this program is to provide Shelter Island and East End families with access to freshly-harvested and regionally-sourced produce, proteins and dairy until our own summer CSA share starts,” the Manor said in a news release.
If enough people sign up, Sylvester Manor will run the program from May 9 to June 6. Participants will pick up a weekly Essentials Produce Box with eight freshly-harvested items, varying week to week.
For all five weeks or any one week, you can add a supplemental Protein & Dairy Box and/or a Value-Added Box.
Regional food box program essentials
The Essentials Produce Box is $231.75 for the five weeks (can only be ordered for the full program), including a 3 percent credit card processing fee. Here’s the lineup for the Week 1 delivery, scheduled to take place May 9:
- Braeburn Apples (2 lbs) Phillips Farm, Milford, NJ
- Gold Potatoes (2 lbs) Dagele Brothers, Florida, NY
- Salad Mix/Lettuce (1 clamshell) Blue Moon Acres, Pennington, NJ
- Greenhouse Tomatoes (1 lb) Dagele Brothers, Florida, NY
- Yellow Onions (2 lbs) Dagele Brothers, Florida, NY
- Green Kale (1 bunch) Roots to River Farm, New Hope, PA
- White Button Mushrooms (10 oz) Kennett Square Specialties, PA
- Asparagus (1 lb bunch) Sheppard Farms, Cedarville, NJ
“Please note that we are unable to accommodate box customization,” the Manor says on the program webpage.
Other boxes
For any one or more weeks you can also order a Protein & Dairy Box; the cost is $71.07, including the credit card processing fee. For Week 1 the selections are:
- Chicken (Whole, about 4 lbs) Griggstown Quail Farm, Princeton, NJ
- Sliced Bacon (1 lb) Breakaway Farm, Mount Joy, PA
- Cheeses: Goat Cheese (4 oz) and “Shire” Gouda (4 oz) Lively Run Dairy Farm & Creamery, Interlaken, NY
- Milk (Whole, 64 oz) Five Acre Farms, Brooklyn, NY
And/or, you can order a Value Added Box; the cost is $36.05, including the credit card processing fee. For Week 1 the selections are:
- Crushed Tomatoes with Basil (28 oz) First Field, Princeton, NJ
- Apple Sauce (16 oz) Solebury Orchards, Solebury, PA
- Fresh Tofu (15 oz) Fresh Tofu, Allentown, PA (NY Organic Soybeans)
- Organic Medium Grain Brown Rice (1 lb) Blue Moon Acres, Pennington, NJ
Order pickup
The first box pickup is Saturday, May 9 at the Sylvester Manor farm stand. The Manor will assign participants a pickup time between 9AM and 1PM. Farm staff will load boxes into participants’ cars.
“You and anyone in your vehicle at the time of pickup should wear a mask.”
If you aren’t able to pick up on any given week, the Manor will donate your box to a local family or organization in need.
Order your food boxes
To ensure a contact-free process, Sylvester Manor offers online ordering only for this program. Submit orders by 8PM on Sunday, May 3.
Visit this page on the Sylvester Manor website to place your order now.
Questions? Click here for FAQs or contact Alice Clark at aclark@sylvestermanor.org.
Why create this program?
“As the pandemic swept the area and the population of Shelter Island swelled, we felt it was our duty to help provide clean, fresh, food from around the region in a way that was as safe as possible,” Sylvester Manor says the program Q&A.
“We knew our own fields wouldn’t start yielding crops until mid-June, and we had solid connections within a food system that was shifting quickly,” the Manor says. Many farmers in warmer areas, for example, had produce ready to ship that was destined for now closed restaurants and schools.
“Why not secure a safe food supply for Island families, help save small farms whose businesses are threatened, and support Sylvester Manor Educational Farm through this period of cancelled programs and events?”
Why not Sylvester Manor produce?
“Our own produce simply isn’t ready yet,” the Manor’s Q&A says. To be ready in May, crops have to be planted in the fall. “We weren’t planning on a pandemic, the incredible population swell or the concurrent summer-level demand for food in May.”
What’s more, Sylvester Manor is in the process of expanding the farm, a process that began with the hiring of a new Director of Farm Operations, Cristina ‘Tino’ Cosentino.
“With Tino on board we have begun expanding production and transitioning to four-season operations. In the coming years, you can look forward to fresh food
production at Sylvester Manor year round,” the Manor Q&A says. “For now, we’re excited to offer food from respected, high-quality, sustainability-minded farms within the region.”
Read more about historic Sylvester Manor and its farm operations at sylvestermanor.org.
