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Located at 225 Oak Street in the North Oak Neighborhood in New Britain, CT, the Urban Oaks Organic Farm is a fully-functioning inner-city farm! Founded in 1999, the farm has been a great example of fixing something broken. Before the beauty it is now, it was an abandoned lot that was an eyesore to the neighborhood. The neighborhood has even seen a significant reduction in crime rates, a part of which can be attributed to the farm (think Broken Windows Theory).
Who said that all farms have to be in the countryside? With over 3 acres of field and 6 greenhouses, Urban Oaks grows a wide list of produce, including many heirloom tomatoes, various greens like kale, collards, and lettuces, hot and sweet peppers, and many, many more veggies and herbs. For a full list of what they grow, check out this site. And the icing on the cake is that it is all organic!
Because of the greenhouses, they are able to grow year-round and sell to local restaurants, markets, and most importantly, the community! They have an on-site farm stand which is open Fridays and Saturdays. The farm was recently awarded “Best Heirloom Veggies” by Yankee Magazine in their Connecticut Best Attractions 2010 article. Congratulations!
To stay up-to-date, be sure to visit their site -http://www.blog.urbanoaks.org/
A great little farm with really big dreams. If you are in the area, I highly recommend putting some volunteer hours in, the reward is grand. The farm market on Fridays & Saturdays (year round) have a huge selection of local and organic produce. They grow grapefruit there!
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