Great Kills, Staten Island - CSA

01/02/2026

2026 CIRCLE BROOK FARM
CSA PROGRAM PRICING

We will again offer a 24-week farm share program for the 2026 season. We anticipate deliveries will begin during the week of June 8 th .The final delivery will be during the week of November 16 th .
A slight increase in share prices, consistent with the average inflation rate, is necessary to maintain already slim margins and keep the farm profitable. I believe that the CSA program will continue to provide excellent value.
Premium share- $1125 (EBD= $40) = $1085 if paid in full by March 1 st .
Share will contain, on average, 10-12 items and a larger quantity of many of the items in the basic share. Over the course of the season the premium share will include various less common vegetables, such as escarole, radicchio, fennel and frissee, not found in the basic or half share.

Basic share- $925 (EBD= $30) = $895 if paid in full by March 1 st .
Share will contain, on average, 9-10 items. It will be approximately 80% the size of the Premium share.

Pre-bagged half share- $740 (EBD= $20) = $720 if paid in full by March 1 st .
Share will contain, on average, 9-10 items and half of the quantity of many of the items in the premium share. The share will be approximately 60% the size of the Premium share.
The share price includes the cost of bagging.

Early Bird Discount (EBD)- We offer an advance payment discount on all share sizes if paid in
full by March 1 st. The amount of the discount will be based on the share size, as noted above. This deadline will be strictly adhered to, please do not ask me to extend it.
Pre-bagged Basic and Premium shares- We would prefer not to pre-pack the larger shares but
will do so if necessary. Please do not promote this service. Pre-bagged shares will incur an upcharge of $80 for either share size.
We look forward to another great season! Farmer John

You can either drop off a check, made out to Circle Brook Farm, to Jacquie's mailbox at 29 Adlai Circle or zelle the money to her at (347) 782-5063

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12/06/2025

For anyone who wants to start signing up for next season, starting June 2026, you may use the current year's 2025 pricing, until the new price is set in early January. You can either drop off a check to Jacquie's mailbox at 29 Adlai Circle or zelle the money to her at (347) 782-5963

The 2025 prices are below. Many of our members split a share with others. Meaning that they come to get their produce every other week.
Premium share $1090
Basic share $900
Pre-bagged medium share $720

If you don't sign up by January, the price is expected to go up by 5%
More infomation is available by emailing us at [email protected]

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08/28/2025

Delivery # 12, August 27, 2025 Those at the table this week will be myself, Roy Fischman. Our other members will be Elizabeth Morano and Susan Miceli. For any issues related to this time, please contact me at 718 887-1854.
The flower share this week will be a mixed bouquet. The fruit share will be concord grapes and NY State eco-grown, peaches The mushrooms this week will be oyster.🦪
Please recommend our CSA to any family and friends. The full cost, at the beginning of the season is below, but now it should be about half these amounts

Premium share: $1,090. Share will contain, on average, 10-12 items and a larger quantity of most of the items in the basic share. Over the course of the season, the premium share will also include various less common vegetables such as escarole, radicchio, fennel, and frissee.

Basic share: $900. Share will contain, on average, 9-10 items. It will be approximately 80% the size of the premium share.

Pre-bagged medium share: $720. Share will contain, on average, 9-10 items and half of the quantity of many of the items in the premium share. The share will be approximately 60% the size of the premium share. The share price includes the cost of bagging.

This is a one minute video of the 2024 season at Great Kills CSA

Farmer John

Hello Folks, We received ¾ of an inch of rain last week, enough to help some seeds to germinate but not enough to supply large, rapidly growing plants with the water that they need. There is not much precipitation forecast, so we continue to move the sprinklers around the fields. The mild temperatures are certainly a blessing that minimizes the
stress on the crops and my crew alike. Both the squash and cucumber production are in decline at present. We have another planting coming on in a few weeks, in the meantime we expect all groups to receive some of both over the next two weeks. The next big planting of corn will be maturing by the end of the week, so sweet corn will be in the shares for next week. One of our biggest challenges with the corn is keeping the critters from ravishing it. The racoons, opossums, and skunks all love sweet corn and can do a tremendous amount of damage. This patch is farther away from the woods, so I am hopeful that it will be easier to protect. It will be a colorful share for this week- the peppers are ripening rapidly now, with the cooler nights, and we have rainbow carrots.

The share will be: Swiss chard, colored peppers, rainbow carrots, beans, yellow onions, banana fingerling potatoes, either zukes or cukes, green or savoy cabbage, tomatoes, and choice of an herb (parsley, marjoram, thyme). Premium shares will also include basil and bok choi. Enjoy! Farmer John

08/09/2025

Delivery # 9 From Farmer John
Hi Everyone, The second half of last week brought a welcome respite from the scorching heat, with the Thursday storms dropping a half inch of rain on us. It was not as much as desired, nor as much as other areas received, but we were spared the damaging winds. There is not much in the way of precipitation forecast for the next ten days, so the well pumps will be running day and night, and we will be moving the sprinklers around the fields. I am sowing various crops now for the fall harvest- arugula, turnips, rutabaga, carrots, beets, and spinach, to name just a few. All need moisture to sprout and those which have already germinated need water to keep growing. We are in between plantings of corn at present, but we are harvesting loads of nice potatoes. Greens are scarce for now as is typical in August. The melons are ripening prodigiously, and the beans continue to abound.

The share will be: Peppers, beans, beets, summer squash, red onions, melons, red skin potatoes, tomatoes, ground cherries or cherry tomatoes, and choice of an herb (parsley, thyme, summer savory). Premium share will also include scallions and a head of lettuce.
Bon Appetit! Farmer John

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06/25/2025

Great Kills CSA -delivery # 3 June 26, 2025

Our volunteer crew this week will be core member, Ed, Kari and Joanne. For any issues with this session, please contact Ed Please arrive by 4:45 pm if you're volunteering.
If you're coming for your share, please arrive starting at 5:30 pm
Thanks to Victoria Radolinski who gave out some of her basil at the end of last season. Mine kept over the winter, indoors. and has now flourished.

First fruit of the session! There will be blueberries and nectarines. Remember your eggs and mushrooms if you purchased them

Please bring back any egg cartons and bags that you get and we will return them to Farmer John

From Farmer John
We have lots of spinach that is extra and that we do not have time to harvest. It will soon be ruined by the heat. Local share, the group that collects and gleans excess produce for donation has been having problems getting volunteers. Anyone who can help in the morning during the week would be appreciated. They can write to me directly. Best, John

Hi Everyone, Happy summer! It seems that Mother nature has decided to celebrate summer’s arrival with the first major heat wave of the season. It’s brutal out there! I like to joke about how much I complain about the weather, but it is not so much complaining as keeping you, the members informed on events and circumstances that affect our ability to grow high quality produce. We do our best to mitigate and work around the challenges that the weather sends our way, but there are limits to what we can do. When there is a drought we can irrigate, when there is a cold snap, we can cover tender plants. But when it rains and drizzles for gray days and days on end, we are helpless. Plants need rain but they also need sunshine to grow and develop the sugars and other compounds that give the crops flavor. Excessive rain allows the weeds to grow unchecked because we cannot cultivate with tractors. Dampness favors disease development, especially fungal. Saturated soil cannot be tilled to prepare for planting or planted into if already prepped. This is what our spring has been like and now we face the challenge of excessive heat. I will discuss the effects of the heat wave in the next episode. We are still heavy on greens- lettuce and spinach, enjoy them now since they will soon be scarce until fall. We have another round of radishes for you, which also will not return until autumn. Remember that you can cook them in soups or stir fries and they lose their heat. We have begun to cut broccoli and cauliflower, as well as Napa cabbage. These will be in rotation in the coming weeks as availability allows. Some groups will receive one type of brassica and other groups another type of brassica, until everyone has received all three. The share for this week will be: Lettuce (2 heads for basic and premium shares), spinach, choice of kale or collards, radishes, bok choy, summer squash, snow peas, choice of herb (cilantro, dill, marjoram, chervil), broccoli or cauliflower (or perhaps Napa cabbage) and garlic scapes. There will be English peas as an “extra.” Premium shares will also include a choice of escarole or frissee and a second herb.

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06/18/2025

From Farmer John
Hi Y'all, So, it was a crazy first week with a lot of last minute changes to the numbers and a substantial amount of mistakes on our end. We will do our best to make up for all the shorts and get into our groove. No flowers or fruit yet.... mushrooms will be oyster for Tuesday and Wednesday and Lion's mane for Thursday and Friday. Blueberry season has begun! We will be taking orders for 10 lb. boxes @ $55 a piece. These will be delivered next week. The deadline for ordering for this week will be Wednesday @ 10 am. There will be one or two more chances to order over the next few weeks. Please ask folks to email me directly to order and be sure to specify where they pick up. Payment by Venmo or by a mailed check. Folks should be aware that there will be 2 pints of blueberries in the fruit share next week if that will affect their decision as to whether or not to order. I will be sending out info on farm events soon. Best, John

Hello Folks, This week’s share will be fairly similar to last week’s- we are still heavy on the greens and have an abundance of English(shell) peas. We will begin to have more
sugar snap and snow peas by next week. The root vegetable for this week will be the Hakurei salad turnip, a ping-pong ball sized globe that is sweet and mild flavored and
meant to be eaten raw, sliced or grated in salads. It can also be cooked and has very nice greens which are good braised, in soups or mixed into a salad as well. The
brassica entry is kohlrabi, which looks like a root but is actually a modified stem. They are also quite sweet and have a cabbage-like flavor. I like them grated and made into a
slaw. A customer of mine once told me that she sliced them thinly and ate them with a slice of cheese in place of a cracker. Then again, another market customer once told
me- “You just grow the food and let us worry about how to prepare it” And that was before Google existed! Feel free to take my culinary suggestions with a grain of salt (or
not, if you are on a low sodium diet). In the Allium category we have elephant garlic- a large (hence the name) mild flavored bulb, which even though it is divided into cloves is
not a true garlic. It is a member of the leek family, and it is said that the thick stalk can be used like a leek, though it may be woody in the center. The bulb is often roasted
whole, and the resulting mush used as a spread on bread or crackers. And there I go again- telling you how to prepare your food! Well, you can do whatever you like with
your peas, so long as you eat them promptly (they lose their sweetness quickly) and do not make pea guacamole. I did not think that I could do it, but I got through an entire
update without one meteorological mention. I would not expect that to continue! The share will be: spinach, choice of kale or collards, salad turnips, kohlrabi, elephant
garlic, summer squash, shell peas, choice of cilantro or dill, and lettuce. Premium shares will also include a second head of lettuce and a choice of escarole or endive (frissee).
Enjoy! Farmer John

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06/11/2025

First Delivery of the Season is this Thursday, June 12 at 5:30. Come by and see what fresh vegetables we have. Late sign ups are welcome

Welcome back to our previous members and welcome to our new members. This is the first delivery of the new season. Long awaited by many of us. I have exhausted my supply of frozen vegetables that I had from last year. (The frozen pesto was the last to go)

Our pickup location is still Christ Lutheran Church of Staten Island, 121 Cleveland Ave. 10308. If we aren't outside in the parking lot, we will be in the basement of the church. And we ask members to get there between 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm. (If you can't make it until later, please contact the "core" person there and let them know)
Each week there is a "core member" at the location.
The "core members" are me Roy Fischman, 718 887-1854, Jacquie Perine 347 782-5063, Ed Vreeland 646 284-7738 and Joanne Marzalik Sanbeg 917 748 5622

Please remember to take the egg share if you have ordered oe

This week, in addition to the egg share, there will also be the mushroom share. We will be getting oyster mushrooms this week.

I made this one minute video to remind us of last year's season. I hope you enjoy it. Great Kills CSA 2024 season

From Farmer John
Hello Folks, Well, here we go! The moment you have all been waiting for! I apologize for the delayed start, but the dry spring and late arrival of my crew set us back a bit. We
have been working hard for you, racing to get ground prepped, seeds sown and seedlings transplanted, in between the bouts of rain. April was dry, which gave us a
chance to plow and prepare fields but quickly required moving irrigation around the fields to germinate the seeds and keep tender young plants alive. Those famous April
showers arrived in May and were not as much showers as days of overcast skies with occasional drizzle. A little over a week ago we had heavy rain- three inches overnight,
also not ideal. My first update and here I go whining about the weather! You know what they say though… everyone always complains about the weather, but no one ever does
anything about it. Despite all the challenges we have a nice first share for you. There are plenty of peas to please the palate. English (shell) peas to start the season, with
sugar snaps and snow peas over the next month. Lots of greens, including some beautiful spinach and garlic scapes to grill, sauté, or purée into pesto.
The share will be: Spinach, kale, radishes, lettuce, shell peas, garlic scapes, summer squash, and choice of cilantro or dill. Premium shares will also include bok choy.
Enjoy! Farmer John

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05/06/2025

Farmer John from Circle Brook Farm in New Jersey will be available to answer questions for anyone who would like to get fresh produce. He can answer the question, "Why is farm grown better than the supermarket" and other questions
Topic: Meeting with Farmer John Krueger
Time: May 7, 2025 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89313850323...
Meeting ID: 893 1385 0323
Passcode: 559156

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04/30/2025

Get Organics from a Local Farm
Now that prices are increasing in the supermarkets, it's time to consider joining a CSA ( Community Supported Agriculture) to get your organic vegetables. There are two of them in Staten Island, the Staten Island CSA and the Great Kills CSA.
We get our vegetables from Circle Brook Farm, in Andover, NJ, about an hour from Staten Island. Circle Brook Farm has never had any vegetable recalls, unlike the organics that you find in the supermarkets. Farmer John will be available for a zoom call and to answer questions on May 7 at 7pm. To register for that, use this link https://forms.gle/ZKpEq2YGQsYAeaBa9
We get deliveries weekly. The Great Kills CSA gives out the weekly produce at Christ Lutheran Church, 121 Cleveland Ave. Many of our members split a share with others and pick up every other week. Right now we have two members who want to split a share. A premium share and a basic share.
To join us fill out this application. We also take members later in the season, which should start June 12 and run until Thanksging. That's 24 weeks.
fil:///C:/Users/Roy/Desktop/Great%20Kills%20CSA%202025%20applicaton.pdf

12/24/2024

The Great Kills CSA 2024 season. Thanks to all those who joined us. Remember that the 2024 prices are only in effect until January 1st

11/23/2024

You can't rely on organic food purety from a supermarket. Just recently carrots were recalled for E. Coli infection. Some died. Sign up to buy locally. Circle Brook Farms in Andover, N.J. Organic produce grown by sustainable methods, not fertilizer. The taste is better than the organics in the supermarket.
https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/outbreaks/e-coli-o121.html
From Farmer John
Hello Folks, We have come to the end of another season. It has not been an easy one, but then they never are. We have done our best for you, through incredible heat and now a crazy drought. I am thankful for my fantastic crew, who have labored through it all with their perennial cheerfulness. And I am grateful for the support of you, the members. In spite of all the challenges, we have an excellent final share for you. We are tripling down on the root veggies and the brassicas and also have some nice greens for your eating pleasure. I wish you all Happy Holidays and a safe and healthy winter.

The share will be: Rainbow carrots, choice of arugula or tatsoi, rutabaga, choice of kale or chard, baby bok choi, broccoli, cauliflower, Napa cabbage, radishes, Japanese sweet potatoes, buttercup squash, red skin potatoes, shallots and choice of an herb (sage, cilantro or dill). There will also be some onions as an extra. Premium shares will also include broccoli raab and sunchokes."

For inquiriies about our shares, please write to [email protected]

Learn about an outbreak of E. coli linked to organic carrots.

11/13/2024

From Farmer John

Hello All, We received two-tenths of an inch of rain on Sunday night. It is not nearly what we
needed, but still a help to the rye cover crop we have been planting. We are preparing for two
very cold nights this week- mid-twenties for Tuesday and Wednesday. We are harvesting what
we can and double covering as much as possible. This degree of cold can damage even the
hardier crops such as broccoli and kale. We are doing as much as we can to preserve crops for
the final weeks of the season. We are very heavy on the brassicas this week- with cauliflower
and broccoli for all and Brussel’s sprouts as well, for most groups.
The share will be: Swiss chard, choice of arugula or broccoli raab, cilantro, leeks, salad turnips,
beets, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussel’s sprouts, sweet dumpling squash and fingerling potatoes.
Premium shares will also include lettuce and choice from an assortment of heirloom and
unusual squash- all great for pies, breads or soups.
Enjoy! Farmer John
We are offering bulk purchase of apples for delivery either next week or the week of the stock
up share delivery (Thanksgiving week). Choose from : Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady, Mutsu, or
Stayman (in my opinion the best all-around cooking/eating variety. These are NY State eco-
grown apples. Price will be- 20 lbs. @ $45 or 38 lbs. @ $80 to order email
me a [email protected] and send payment by Venmo: John-Krueger-19 Specify pick
up site and date desired.
We are also offering large pie pumpkins 20 lbs+ for $10 Varieties include Long Island cheese,
Musque de Provence, Sweet Mama, Jarradale and others. These are all great for soups, pies
and other baking. They keep for a long time and the excess can be easily frozen, after cooking.
Same deal for ordering as the apples. They can also be picked up at one of the farmers
markets if it is convenient and you would like to choose.

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