FINANCIAL DISTRICT — You don't have to leave Lower Manhattan to get farm-fresh veggies this summer — but you will have to get your hands dirty.
Battery Urban Farm, a 1-acre garden in Battery Park, is offering visitors the chance to hand-pick a selection of vegetables, herbs and flowers.
“We’re an educational farm, and we wanted to really engage people with the farming,” said Nicole Brownstein, a spokeswoman for the farm, which opened in 2011. “Lots of people have never picked their produce — we hope this encourages a deeper connection to their food.”
Every Thursday starting July 3, visitors will be guided through picking a predetermined amount of the week’s best crops, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The farm suggests a $25 donation, but it’s a pay-what-you-can program.
In years past, the farm, which is planted by area students, had offered a weekly vegetable CSA where participants went and picked up a pre-boxed set of fresh produce. But, Brownstein said, letting people actually pick the vegetables this year was a way to make the process more educational — and hopefully more fun.
A week’s harvest pick may include, for example, a pint of cherry tomatoes, a half-pound of lettuce, two eggplants, a bunch of beets, a bunch of basil, a bunch of scallions and four zucchinis.
Those who want to pick their own produce must pre-register. Online signup for the July dates will start on June 19 on the farm’s website. Participants can register for as many dates as they'd like, but each harvest day is capped at 10 people. Those registered can bring along children or others to help them pick the week's goods, Brownstein said.
For more information, visit the farm’s website.
