do chickens get seasick?

Below the BQE, in a barren industrialized part of Brooklyn, was docked the Waterpod...

Do chickens get seasick? Does sea air help or hinder the tomatoes? If you get a chance to visit the Waterpod – 3,000 square foot living 'art-installation' barge – could you do me a favor and ask these questions? A combination of heat and a weekend's worth of permaculture lessons fried my noodle when I went to visit the operation on the Brooklyn waterfront last Sunday.

Here are some things to look forward to on your visit (they're currently docked in Staten Island):


Bucky, eat your heart out.


Hey, your squash is hanging out!


These ladies are just minding their own business.


Grey water filtration system - awesome!


There shouldn't be a mutiny on this bounty. (Ouch!)


Looks like a healthy tomato crop - no scurvy here


Some worthy shipmates saving amaranth seeds


Inside the living room - it was pretty cozy I'll have to admit


Get the poop on the Waterpod

And some press on NY Times

august abundance

I recently started a habit of popping over to Union Square Farmers Market midweek after witnessing the great abundance on a whim a couple weeks back. I've been missing out on my own little neighborhood market lately because it's held on Saturday's (at Grand Army Plaza), which is the day I learn the wonders of permaculture.

The abundance of food and sunshine at Union Square is often overwhelming. Today I tried to take it slow by scanning the whole shebang to compare goods before making any hard and fast decisions. Here's what I came up with:


Escarole, dandelion, frisee, black & purple peppers, eggs, chanterelles, husk tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, and a loaf of hazelnut sweet rye sourdough bread

Psst, thanks to Alison for inspiring this post, here's the bounty she brought home from the market:


(If you couldn't tell, Alison has a thing for peppers)

Subsequently, my sweetheart sent over these two videos from The Atlantic's new From Farm to Table series (not to be confused with Zach Cohen's Farm to Table blog & show). These really make farming look romantic (& the yield delicious). They also give us a sense of distinction between 'real' food and the stuff you'll find at the supermarket which has been picked many days (or weeks) ago and shipped many miles to get to your plate.





And then to round it all out, an article from, once again, The Atlantic about how 'organic' has grown too big for its britches. Here, I'd like to point out that the author is talking about big organic vs small scale locally distributed organic like you'd find at the farmers market.

Find a farmers market near you!