Common Grounds grocer pops up in Port Washington
In the fridge at Common Ground in Port Washington: leeks, cabbage, yogurt, flowering Chinese broccoli (gai lan) and frisée. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Evan Freed has a strategy for redistributing wealth that is delicious and, he hopes, sustainable. His month-old greengrocer, Common Grounds, connects Port Washington gourmands with upstate farmers. And he donates a portion of his haul to the village's food pantry.
The produce is not cheap — radicchio might run $6 a head; watermelon radish, $5.50 a bunch — but, he explained, "I am charging a lot from people who can afford food of unparalleled taste and sustainability in order to support farmers who practice organic and regenerative methods, many of whom are QTBIPOC [Queer, Transgender, Black, Indigenous and People of Color]."
Fresh produce arrives on Sunday (sign up to receive a list) and you’ll want to get there early in the week for the best selection of crackling frisée, delicate rose radicchio, Taiwanese flat cabbage, Swiss chard, Red Norland potatoes, aji dulce peppers, onions and shallots, pungent scallions and powerfully stinky garlic chives, Golden Russet apples with their patina of bronze. (As the local harvest tapers off, Freed will be working with more farms from the South and West.)
Thursday brings a haul of farmstead cheese from Chaseholm Farm, cultured butter from Kriemhild Dairy Farms, heritage chicken from Snowdance Farm, beef from Highland Hollow Farm and eggs from Triple J Farm.
From Great Joy Farm in Pine Bush come so-called "rice-paddy ducks," raised largely on a diet of bugs that like to eat rice. The farmers set them loose in their rice paddies where the ducks act as walking, quacking insecticide. That means that the white, brown and black rices produced by Great Joy are raised entirely without chemicals. Now, that’s sustainable!
Evan Freed owns Common Ground, a sustainable greengrocer in Port Washington. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Freed grew up in Oceanside and lives in Port Washington. Until he finds a permanent location, Common Grounds is "popping up" inside Snacks & Design, the studio of graphic designer Andrew Bly. Bly has designed a number of food packages and wanted a place to sell them — along with other graphically sound groceries. The beautiful produce fits right in.
When Freed opened in October, it was the next step in his career evolution. The former tech entrepreneur was already a successful meditation teacher who also ran family retreats. "I wanted to serve in a different way, and I had this idea to work with farmers who wouldn’t otherwise have access to my customers. If I can make money, great."
So far, Freed considers the venture a success. What makes him happiest are the photos he gets from customers. "They want to show me the tomahawk they grilled, the chicken broth they made, the quince tea they steeped, " he said. "Really, it’s all about establishing a community."
Common Grounds, 189 Main St., Port Washington, Instagram: @commongroundsgrocer. Open Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday noon to 4 p.m.
