The Brewster Street Farm

Urban farming to feed a community.

 

About Brewster Street Farm

Founded in 2014, Brewster Street Farm is a half-acre organic urban farm in the heart of Buffalo’s East Side. We are led by a team of resettled refugees who bring deep agricultural knowledge from their home countries to our farm. Our goal is to provide fresh organic produce to Buffalo residents, strengthen local food systems and provide food and farming opportunities to newcomers in the Buffalo area. We are operated by Journey’s End Refugee Services on land donated by Tri-Main Development.

CONTACT:

Michele Goergon
mgoergen@jersbuffalo.org
(716) 262-5308

 
 

Our Impact

Each year, Brewster Street Farmers grow over 3000 lbs of produce. This includes over 30 varieties of local and culturally relevant crops. About one-third of our harvest is donated to help improve food security and health outcomes in Buffalo. We also grow flowers around the farm, which we sell at our weekly farm stand and maintain a native plant garden that attracts pollinators to help maintain the local ecosystem.

Our Team

Our farm team includes nine farmers who receive a stipend to support Brewster Street Farm operations. They also receive access to dedicated raised beds to grow their own vegetables, which they take home for their families or sell at our weekly farm stand. This supports our mission as we work toward food security and strengthening local food systems in Buffalo.

Our Community

Each season, we host over thirty volunteers to keep our operations running smoothly. For public access, we participate in Urban Farm Day and the Buffalo Garden Walk each year, inviting the community to tour our farm, meet our farmers and enjoy a small harvest tasting.

We offer weekly Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares and sell our produce at a farm stand every Tuesday in the lobby of the Tri-Main building. All surplus vegetables are donated to local food pantries, community refrigerators and resettled refugees.

Thanks to ongoing partnerships with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County, Grassroots Gardens, WeRadiate and Johnny’s Selected Seed donations for helping us grow season after season.

Follow us on Instagram @brewsterstreetfarm to stay up to date on all farm happenings.

Support Our Farm!

Join our community supported agriculture program!

One of the best ways to support our farm is by becoming a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) member.  Our CSA runs from early June-late October for ~18-20 weeks. Members receive a basket of local, organically grown produce each week throughout the growing season. Members also receive a weekly newsletter with farm updates and delicious recipes from around the world.

They are only $390 for 20 weeks of fresh, organic produce grown right around the corner from Tri-Main!

Share Pickup Hours:
WHERE: Tri-Main Center Lobby, 2495 Main St.
WHEN: Every Tuesday from early June to late October, 12:00PM-5:15PM

To purchase a share, fill out the form linked here and email to the Farm Manager.

Volunteer!

We accept volunteers each season! Be a part of our farming community and enjoy the camaraderie and the reward of hard work! All regular seasonal volunteers are invited to join us for our end of season potluck! A showcase of global cuisine!

Our most urgent need for volunteers is during the week to help with general farm activities and support our farm stand. We ask that volunteers commit to at least one workday per week for the months of June-October. We also host groups of volunteers when farm work needs are high. Volunteers can expect to do farm tasks including weeding, harvesting, planting, washing and packing produce, running our farm stand and more. Volunteers should be able to stand at least 3 hours, work in all weather conditions, and carry up to 30lbs.

Click here to apply

Visit our Farm Stand

in the lobby of the Tri-Main Building on Tuesdays June-October from 12:00pm-5:15pm.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Frequently Asked Questions

  • Members buy a share of our farm harvest in advance of our growing season and from June-October receive a weekly box of freshly harvested organic produce. Our farmers work hard to bring fresh organic produce to our CSA members. Becoming a CSA member is the best way to directly support our farmers and our farm.

  • You can join by filling out the form linked here and emailing it to Farm Manager Michele Goergon

    Our shares cost $390 for the whole season. Payment must be made up front via cash, card or check. If you are interested in donating a share please check that box on the application. Donated shares are provided to Journey’s End Clients and our produce prescription pilot program. To ensure enough produce to go around, our shares are limited and do fill up.

  • Depending on our harvest, there is typically 5-10lbs of produce in a share and each share feeds 2-3 people.  Produce in the share depends on what is ready for harvest at the farm. Typical baskets include the following throughout the season: salad greens, a sturdy green like kale or Swiss chard, tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, banana peppers, eggplants, onion, garlic, herbs, corn, cucumbers, snap peas, green beans. We also have a weekly harvest newsletter for our CSA members and offer some specialty surprise items ~ 2-3 times throughout the season.  

  • Yes! All produce is grown without the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides. Providing quality, chemical-free vegetables and herbs is an integral part of the program.

  • Yes! Many people share their shares.

  • Pick up is in the lobby of the Tri-Main Lobby on Tuesday from 12:00 noon-5:15pm. We practice no waste farming and ask that you bring a bag to carry your share home in.

  • If you miss a week you can arrange for a friend to pick it up (just let us know in advance) or you can request to have your share donated.

  • We have 20 shares available each season.