milkweed and stinky piglets

Rainy days have their benefits. The first, most obvious benefit is the replenishment of available water for plant, animal, and human use. The second is that rain keeps people from enjoying outdoor activities. Why is that a benefit? Well, if you're visiting Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture and want to go on a vegetable tour, you may just be the only one on the tour on account of rain. And being the only ones (bf & I) on the tour last Sunday, we got special attention. Or at least that's how it seemed to me.

We went on a whim, despite the rain and forecast for more of it throughout the day. Looking at the clock, we realized we'd have just enough time to grab a bite from the cafe and go on the two o'clock tour. So up we went, to Pocantico Hills, just north of Tarrytown. It's lovely up there, just an hour's drive from Brooklyn, the leaves along the Saw Mill Parkway just starting to change into their autumnal habits. Here are some of the magical things we encountered on our tour of the educational, experimental, sustainable agricultural center:


A tasty lunch at the cafe


What's on today?


Selling the bounty at the farm market


Asclepias gomphocarpus, a type of milkweed, attracts butterflies


Happy bees on past-peak artichokes in the dooryard garden. These delicious thistles are apparently difficult to grow in the Northeast, but Stone Barns is figuring out how.


Go ahead, try one! Stone Barns encourages sampling


Super-juicy Asian pears growing in the main field are an experiment. A very tasty experiment.


Self-seeding sunflowers take over where the arugula leaves off


Purple brussel sprouts in the field...


...and yummy purple mustard greens in the greenhouse


The expansive greenhouse allows 4-season farming


Seedlings in custom compost are kept warm through water-filled, compost-heated tubes


Hoop houses on tracks also extend the seasons


Four kinds of compost are cultivated at Stone Barns


Berkshire pigs, right home in the forest mud


Hey little piggy


Sorry, we're too busy to look at your camera


Oh, hello there. These pigs sure are cute, but they were also a little stinky.

Stone Barns is a magical place where everything is grown for a reason, everything is harvested, nothing is sprayed with pesticides or grown in artificial fertilizers. And everything is repurposed, from food scraps to plastic tarps. You can visit Stone Barns for a tour, to volunteer, or to enjoy an 8-course meal at the amazing Blue Hill restaurant.

This Saturday, October 3, is their 6th Annual Harvest Festival. Get your tickets here.

Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture
630 Bedford Road
Pocantico Hills, NY
914.366.6200

fresh: the film

If you didn't get your fill from Food, Inc., Fresh looks like it takes the story of sustainable agriculture one step further. Featuring Will Allen (Growing Power), Michael Pollan (the man who needs no introduction), and Joel Salatin (Polyface Farms), Fresh looks at the solutions to the problems of our current food system.



Fresh will be screening at BAM, Tuesday, October 6, 7pm, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Gabrielle Langholtz (Editor of Edible Brooklyn) with the director/producer, Ana Sofia Joanes, plus Reverend Jackson of Brooklyn Rescue Mission, David Shea of Applewood Restaurant, and Letitia James, District 35 - Council Member.

Check out the official site.

the real dirt on farmer john

A farm isn't dreamed of, conceived, and born over night. Sometimes it takes a lifetime, even generations, for a farm to really hit its stride. And a farm cannot survive, cannot thrive, without the community behind it. And sometimes the right community has to be found before the farm can really come into its own.

This is the story of farmer John. Son of a hard-working couple, somewhat of an outcast in his own town. Struggling with his story, his life, his purpose. It is a powerfully touching and revealing look at one man's fight to hold onto his identity. And it also demonstrates the fragility of the land, the delicate balance of ownership, and the dedication that's required to keep people nourished.



If you haven't seen The Real Dirt on Farmer John, add it to your Netflix queue or pick it up at your local video store (if you've still got one).

Farmer John's even got a cookbook

The Real Dirt on Vegetables

even old new york was once new amsterdam

It's been 400 years since Hudson "discovered" what is now the great city of New York. And people are celebrating this historic occasion in varying ways. Here are a handful of interesting events happening now:

New Amsterdam Market



I got a taste of delicious local food at this open air market where the old Fulton Fish Market once called home. Pasture-raised dairy from farms like Hawthorne Valley, Painted Goat Farm, and Valley Shepherd Creamery; natural meats from Fleisher's and Dickson's; and other tasty treats from the like of Marlow & Sons, Stone Barns, Saltie, and Hot Bread Kitchen filled the stalls, doling out samples and food for purchase. A couple of newcomers included Maple Hill Creamery and Basis, a healthful/local/affordable food market coming soon to 14th Street in Manhattan.

Three more opportunities are coming up for you to get in on the scrumptious action: Sundays October 25, November 22, and December 20. Get the details.


(left: peppers from the Garlic Farm; right: olive oil cake from Saltie)


Pioneers of Change

Longing for a bit of the old world? Look no further than Governors Island this coming weekend:

A festival of Dutch design, fashion and architecture on New York’s Governors Island to celebrate a 400-year Dutch-American friendship

Conceived and curated by Renny Ramakers, co-founder and director of Droog, as part of the NY400 week celebrations, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Dutch to New York.

Pioneers of Change highlights a more responsible and sustainable approach to living by celebrating the blurring of low- and high-brow, establishing new collaborations, encouraging involvement, emphasizing sustainability and valuing handcraft and the local context.

Activities will take place in and around eleven officers' houses at Nolan Park, Governors Island, New York.

[via Droog]

Open: Fri 18 Sept, 10am - 4:30pm
Sat 19 Sept / Sun 20 Sept 10am - 6:30pm
Download Ferry schedule.

Get the full details here.


Enviromedia Mobile: Urban Trekkers' Summer Festival '09
Designated as an official Quadricentennial Ambassador by the State of New York.



I happened upon The Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy's Enviromedia Mobile Museum yesterday in Red Hook (after hopping on the free water taxi to Ikea). What an impressionable display complete with tepees, information on falconry, info about threats to native wildlife and health, and a live barn owl!

The Enviromedia Mobile Museum will be back at Erie Basin Park (next to Ikea, one of the sponsors) on October 10th. But if you can't wait that long, here's their full schedule.


(top: barn owl in tepee; bottom: info on PCBs)

the virtues of raising beef on the pasture

I came across this terrific video where cattle farmer Will Harris describes simply why he raises cows on the pasture. He started his career like most cattle farmers in this country, growing beef in a confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) where the animals are fed commodity corn and kept in pens – the fast and cheap way. He compares applying chemical fertilizers on grass to cocaine – it feels good at first, but then you become dependent on it. Everything he says makes complete sense to me. It's a bit long, but it's shorter than your average TV program and definitely worth a watch. Check it out and then let me know what you think.

CUD from Joe York on Vimeo.

now read this! a web roundup

Here's a collection of some of the information that's been shaping my world lately. It runs the gamut, so be prepared (and some of the titles have changed to suit my mood - so there!)

1.
"Old" SIGG reusable water bottles contain BPA [AlterNet]
Time to trade in for a Klean Kanteen! Even though SIGG has a trade-in program where you can return your old BPA-containing bottle for a new, improved BPA-free bottle, I'd rather support a company that was "klean" from the beginning (and didn't cover up the truth).

What's so bad about BPA (bisphenol A)?
= YES!

= NO!*

*Unless it was made after 2008. Check the article for a visual reference.


2.
Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food [Time]
If you haven't had a chance to read Omnivore's Dilemma or see Food, Inc., here's a relatively brief, yet in-depth look at the problems plaguing our industrialized food system.

3.
"Organic": Is It Healthier? [by Susun Weed]
Oh man, this article – part of my permaculture reading this week – made me laugh out loud. Susun has a great way of explaining the finer mechanisms of the world around us. She can make anything hysterical or completely logical just by the way she describes them. Here's a taste:

I live on an old quarry. When I went to the extension and said, "I'm looking to buy this piece of property," they pulled out the soil maps and they said, "Ah, there's no soil on your property, did you realize that?" I said, "Yeah, it's an old quarry." They said, "This place is useless. The only thing that you could possibly do there is raise goats or grow weeds. So I went to the people selling it, and I said, "It's a worthless piece of property, it will only grow weeds." I got it for a very good price.

She goes on to tell us that, yes, she grows a lot of weeds. Weeds that feed her rabbits and goats. Those rabbits and goats feed her. There are some other, more 'adult' things that made me laugh in this article, too. But I'll let you read those yourself!

4.
Why are we still using atrazine when 7 European countries have banned it? [Daily Kos]
The health and healthy presence of frogs are a good indicator of the health of an ecosystem, and therefore, the health of us. Well, hate to break it to y'all, but we're up sh*t's creek without a paddle, 'cause frogs are mutating and disappearing at alarming rates. Their permeable skin leaves them vulnerable to chemical contaminants like pesticides and herbicides – chemicals used in agriculture and on lawns like atrazine, methyl bromide, and chloropicrin (a nerve gas!) which end up in our drinking water, and in our bodies.

And just in case that wasn't enough to cheer you up, here's a related article [NY Times] about the legal allowable limits of atrazine in drinking water, and the detrimental effects of atrazine on women and children.

5.
Out of the Earth: Civilization and the Life of the Soil [by Daniel Hillel]
Soil is the skin of the earth. Yet we literally treat it like dirt. Some say it's our nation's biggest export (meaning it erodes away at a disturbingly steady rate). I've been really hot for this topic lately, and there's a chapter out of this book that made me melt. An excerpt:

Soil and water have a physical affinity. Dry soil is "thirsty," sucking up water the way an old-fashioned blotter sucked up ink. When the soil surface is wetted by rain, the suction force of the deeper soil layers, augmented by the force of gravity, draws the water downward. The soil drinks the rain in a process called "infiltration." The maximum rate at which the soil is able to absorb water applied to its surface is called the soil's infiltrability. It is greatest when the soil is dry, and diminishes gradually as the soil is wetted to progressively greater depth. Since the water permeating and seeping in the soil must make its way through the intricate labyrinthine passages between the irregularly shaped and oriented soil grains, it is obvious that a soil's infiltrability depends on the widths and tortuosities of these interstices, called pores...

Wow!



See also: i enjoyed a dirty movie today (my post about the film "Dirt")

blight bites!

This year, tomato growers & lovers on the East Coast were faced with the nasty disease known as "late blight," which rendered many tomato crops useless within a matter of days. (You can read more about late blight in this op-ed from the amazing Dan Barber).

If you're like me, lamenting the lacklusterness of this year's tomatoes, there's now a way to express your frustration. Introducing Blightee, Hudson Valley Seed Library's answer to the terrible blight. It's a t-shirt, it's an act of aggression, it's a way to say, "hey blight, you bite!" Get yours now, while supplies last.

Bite back by spore-ting this tee that says it all: Blight Bites! Each shirt features the "Blight Bites" image front and center with a very small Hudson Valley Seed Library logo on the sleeve. The American Apparel-brand natural-color shirts are made in America and woven from 100% organic cotton; the printing is done by Antilogy Designs in Tillson, New York. The logo is based on a design created by Michael Wilcock.

Shirts cost $16 each, or $14 for members (be sure to log in to receive your discount). To purchase a shirt, click on your desired size, then click "Add to Cart" on the following page. (Please note that the seed catalog remains closed until early November. Only t-shirts can be ordered at this time.)

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!

bk farmyards fundraiser: come & get it!

Howdy pardners! The dinner bell's ringin' and I'm hungry for some change. And by change I mean bringing some country to the city - that new ol' fangled thang called urban farming.

BK Farmyards is itchin' to grow food on your tiny parcel of city land. So mosey on down to this Saturday's fundraiser to support the cause (RSVP here). Then take a gander at my latest post about BK Farmyards on the Brooklyn Food Coalition blog. But before you leave this here page, check out this video on Stacey Murphy, the lady behind BK Farmyards:

NYC's Cool New Backyard Farms: Growing More Than Just Produce from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.

Here's the info again in case you missed it:

AUGUST 22
BK FARMYARDS FUNDRAISER
3pm-12am
hosted @ COMPOUND brooklyn
1287 Atlantic Ave, near Nostrand
2 blocks Nostrand A stop;
2-3 blocks B44, B65 , B25;
LIRR Nostrand stop steps away

Please RSVP on Facebook

Live bands, original artworks, dance troupe, local food & drinks, growing display, cooking demonstrations, and games: Fun for all ages. Bring along a blanket to picnic on the grass. Suggested donation $5 at the door or pay what you can. All donations go toward creating more farmyards. We are currently working with developers on converting 3 acres to farm next year. Gift certificates for Get Fresh Table and Market, Ici, Franny’s, The Farm on Adderley, Brooklyn Kitchen, Edible Brooklyn, and more will be auctioned off.

Pass the word along! Help us build more farms!

i enjoyed a dirty movie today

Well, actually it was more of a love story. A love story about dirt, probably the most overlooked natural resource, yet one of the most vital elements on the planet. Without healthy soil there would be no food... and we all know where that would lead us.

The film includes an all-star cast of ecological gurus gushing about the 'skin of the earth.' This list of heavyweights in the film just scratches the surface - Vandana Shiva, Nobel-peace-prize-winning Wangari Maathai, John Todd, Majora Carter of Sustainable South Bronx, and Andy Lipkis of TreePeople.

Check out the trailer, then see if it's playing near you!



After watching the film I'm feeling motivated to learn more about soil. Here are some resources I'm going to check out:





(You can also get this one at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Bookstore)

growing & greeting & eating for a cause

Several sustainable food-type events of note are coming up -- from lessons on growing your own food to a peaceful protest against unhealthy school food.

Window Box and Container Gardening 101
Saturday, August 15, 2009
12:30 pm
Pershing Hall, Governors Island, NYC



Come check out featured speaker Bilen Berhanu, from Green Thumb NYC,
in an event sponsored by the CUNY Institute for Sustainable City's
Summer Speaker Series and Art and Science Exhibition on Governors
Island.

"Want to eat from your own garden, but think you don't have enough
space? Learn the design elements for a good container or window box-
the perfect solution when you're short on growing space-as well as
soil mixtures that work well, and tips for planting and maintaining
containers all year."

Transportation to Governors Island is free and easy! For more
information, including ferry schedules, check out govisland.com.

For more information on the CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities and
our other events on Governors Island throughout the summer, check out http://cunysustainablecities.org or email ciscevents@gmail.com.

Check out our Art for Sustainability and Science Research Poster
Contests, exhibited every Saturday in Pershing Hall on Governors
Island from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., all summer long from June 27 to
September 5 (except July 4).

The Welcome Table
Thursday, August 20
6:00 pm
Red Hook Community Farm
Free and open to all



This event is the culmination of Youth Leaders' work at Added Value. Teens have designed the layout, menu, and activities for the night that include an interactive culinary lesson led by teens as an appetizer and a prepared meal in collaboration with chefs and food professionals.

The night will begin with a Community Meal led by our young culinary wizards. You will experience first hand what your meal looks like from soil to salad and break bread with all hands who have helped prepare our food. In addition, we will share a meal of seasonal vegetables, locally raised meat, and other delicious treats prepared by a local chef and food professional. You will take home a full belly, how to make three winning dishes and good conversation with people in our community.

The night is supported by Partnership for Parks and the Added Value Welcome Table dinner series. The mission of the Welcome Table is to bring people from different backgrounds and communities together by gathering around tables of good food to learn and converse about topics and issues important to the work of Added Value. On August 20th, teens will be presenting how they have grown as individuals in the food movement and creating dialogue with guests about sustainability, growing and cooking your own food, and the mission of Added Value.

[via The Word on Columbia Street]

Time for Lunch Eat-In
Get Real Food In Schools
Labor Day, Monday, September 7
12:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Schoolyard of PS 9 Teunis G. Bergen School
80 Underhill Ave on St. Mark’s Ave

What: Potluck lunch, kids’ activities, speakers, conversation
Why: To send a clear message to Congress: It’s time to provide America’s children with real food at school.

We are asking participants to bring a dish to the Eat-In. But to really get the point across to budget-conscious administrators and politicians, we are issuing the following challenge.

Please try to bring a dish to share that:
• Is nutritious and uses whole, plant-based foods (not processed foods)
• Costs less than $20 to make
• Is delicious to kids

If you can, please also bring your own plates, cups, utensils, and non-alcoholic beverages.

Get more info and to RSVP

Other Eat-Ins are happening throughout Brooklyn. Find out where.

forbidden sweetness

As we rebel against the current crappy industrialized food system, and as more & more people migrate to big cities, urban agriculture is going to become more & more prevalent. And where would a successful urbanized & localized agricultural system be without pollinators?

By pollinators in this case, I'm strictly talking bees.

Unlike other cities across the nation, beekeeping is still illegal in NYC. Despite that little obstacle, it's becoming increasingly popular, especially in Brooklyn.

Here's a great little video featuring some Brooklyn restaurateurs who are in the business of bees:

Brooklyn's Urban Beekeepers: Breaking The Law For The Planet (Part I) from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.

Read more about the work being done to legalize beekeeping.

Sign the petition to legalize the bees.

local food love: the bk farmyards fundraiser

Come one, come all to the BK Farmyards fundraiser event - our own little slice of local food heaven right here in Brooklyn. Guaranteed to be a good time with live bands, original artworks, dance, local food & drinks, cooking demonstrations, and games. Won't you join me?

CELEBRATE LOCAL FOOD



bk farmyards FUNDRAISER
hosted @ COMPOUND brooklyn
AUGUST 22, 2009, 2pm-12am

1287 Atlantic Ave, near Nostrand: 2 blocks Nostrand A stop; 2-3 blocks B44, B65 , B25; LIRR Nostrand stop steps away

RSVP on facebook

Live bands, original artworks, dance troupe, local food & drinks, growing display, cooking demonstrations, and games: Fun for all ages.

Bring along a blanket to picnic on the grass.

Suggested donation $5 at the door or pay what you can. All donations go toward creating more farmyards. We are currently working with developers on converting 3 acres to farm next year.

Gift certificates for Get Fresh Table and Market, Ici, Franny's, The Farm on Adderley, Brooklyn Kitchen, Edible Brooklyn, and more will be auctioned off.

Pass the word along! Help us build more farms!

nyc has 48 hours worth of food

What would happen if we were cut off from the US food supply chain? A scary prospect, but NYC has become wholly dependent on outside resources for food. But there's a growing trend in this city - urban agriculture. Come support this movement toward food independence with an organization that's making it all happen: BK Farmyards.

BK Farmyards Fundraiser
Saturday, August 22
3pm-12am
@ COMPOUND Brooklyn
Atlantic Avenue (btwn New York & Nostrand)

We are raising money for farming a couple sites next year, and we need your help!

How you can help us build more farms:
1. VOLUNTEER to help the day of the event.
2. DONATE FOR AUCTION. We are looking for local restaurants who want to donate a meal coupon to be auctioned off at the event. These restaurants will be featured in all promotional fliers. We are also looking for local artists who would want to donate work for a silent auction. Artists determine base price and what percentage they would like to donate to BK Farmyards.
3. PERFORM. Would your band like to play? Would you like to make balloon animals for the kids?
4. OTHER IDEAS? You tell me.

Please pass the word on: this will be an all-day party for all ages. We will auction off our produce with cooking demonstrations. There will be trampolines and food...great combination!

bk farmyards is a Brooklyn based decentralized farming network providing local food to reduce the city’s reliance on fossil fuels and offering local jobs to boost the economy. We are seeking partnerships with developers willing to temporarily transform their idle land to farmyard; homeowners who want to eat from their own yard; and city agencies holding under-utilized land. Our strategy is to stay nimble, growing food between the cracks of urban development. bk farmyards mission is to bring communities together around the dinner table: our organization’s educational agenda includes eating seasonally, how to grow food locally, how to store and prepare food, species biodiversity, and food democracy.

farm to table guest post

On Sunday, I visited Rooftop Farms, an amazing (as the name suggests) rooftop farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Read all about it in this guest post I did on Farm to Table, sustainable food blog and reality show.

brooklyn food coalition general meeting

Do you like food? Do you like food that's healthful and sustainably produced? Want to get involved in shaping the way food is produced and distributed locally?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, come to the first
Brooklyn Food Coalition General Meeting!

What: Brooklyn Food Coalition General Meeting
Why: To approve the mission and structure of the Coalition and the convening of neighborhood groups
When: WEDNESDAY, JULY 22nd from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Where: Brooklyn Ethical Culture Society
53 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY 11215

Get the full details here.

upcoming events - food, water, walking, and more

Friday, July 17

The Transition Movement Talk
7pm to 8:30pm
(RSVP for location)

The Transition Movement is a method of community organizing and education that builds broad, grassroots support for sustainability while increasing resilience to the climate change, energy and economic crises. The future will be increasingly low carbon and local. Engaging people now in a planned transition will ensure ways of life that are more abundant, fulfilling, equitable, sustainable, and socially connected. Since emerging in Ireland in 2005, the Transition movement has spread virally across the UK and beyond, with hundreds of Transition initiatives now underway. Learn about this rapidly growing global movement. Tina Clarke of the Sustainability Institute has served as director of Greenpeace USA’s citizen action network and as campaign director for Clean Water Action. The Training will show you how to set up a successful Transition Initiative, or to enhance current sustainability projects. Receive imaginative and inspiring tools for community outreach and engagement.

The talk is free, but the subsequent workshop, held over Saturday and Sunday is $250.

More info here


Saturday, July 18

City of Water Day
@ Governor's Island
10am to 4pm
FREE

A FREE day of entertainment, education & adventure for the whole family celebrating the potential of our waterfront!

On July 18th thousands from the Tri-State region will float, ferry, paddle, row, splash, canoe, and kayak their way to beautiful Governors Island for the 2nd Annual City of Water Day Festival.

From the upper Hudson to Raritan Bay, we are a City of Water—yet too many of us are cut off from this tremendous resource. Help us revitalize the waterfront with a festival for the entire family.

More info here and here


Sunday, July 19

Rooftop Farms
Farm Market and more!
9am to 4pm

Rooftop Farms, a 6,000 square foot organic vegetable farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

• 10am-4pm Farm Market! We’re selling straight from the farm. Help keep us packaging-free by bringing your own favorite bag or basket
• 9am-4pm Volunteers welcome. Email rooftopfarmer@gmail.com for details
• 2pm Free workshop on urban gardening and farming. Troubleshoot, ask, grow!

More info here

[Tip-off thanks to Judy Harper @ GreenEdgeNYC]


GreenEdge NYC & Green Boroughs Walking Tour
12:45pm to 3pm

The tour on July 19 (register now!) begins in the West Village and ends in Soho. It features a wonderful green bakery, two beautiful community gardens, and a couple of charming green boutiques. The last stop will be the new Green Depot store in Soho. The tour on Sunday, October 25 (register now!) is in Park Slope, Brooklyn. It features a couple of charming green boutiques, 3R Living, a wonderful Revolutionary War museum, and a community garden. All tours have plenty of opportunities to stop and rest, buy a beverage, or use bathroom facilities.

Tickets: Special recession pricing $15! (was $25)

More info here


Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The Farm Stand
@ The James Beard House
167 West 12 Street
6:30 to 8:30pm

The Food Bank For New York City Young Professionals and James Beard Foundation Greens present The Farm Stand. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Food Bank and the James Beard Foundation. Proceeds will go towards purchasing farm shares at Roxbury Farm to help fill the Food Bank's Community Kitchen & Food Pantry of West Harlem with seasonal fruit and vegetables for hungry New Yorkers.

Participating Chefs:

• Daniel Eardley of Chestnut, Brooklyn
• Shanna Pacifico of Back Forty, Manhattan
• Matt Weingarten of Inside Park, Manhattan

Tickets are $85; or $75 for James Beard Foundation Members
For reservations, call 212.627.2308 or 1.800.36.BEARD

More info here

[via Manhattan User's Guide]


And in the near future...

Let Us Eat Local
Gala & Award Ceremony
brought to you by Just Food

Wednesday, September 16
6pm to 10pm
Tickets available now at the New York Charities website. Early Bird ticket prices available for a limited time only. Click here to buy your tickets now. General Admission: $150 - early bird $125 VIP: $235 - early bird $215 This year, we will offer tastings from more than 30 of NYC's best restaurants and food producers, including: Angelica Kitchen - Aureole - Blue Hill - Candle 79 - Cookshop / Hundred Acres / Five Points - Da Silvano - Dirt Candy - Gramercy Tavern - Great Performances - The Green Table - Jean Georges - Jimmy's No. 43 - Marlow & Sons - Mas - Pure Food and Wine - Rose Water - Rouge Tomate - Saul - Telepan - The Tipsy Parson - Join us as we celebrate Just Food's delicious mission -- to connect New York City residents with sensational, seasonal, locally grown food.

growing food in unlikely places

Sales of organic seeds jumped about 50% this year from the last. Books and films about sustainable food are oozing into the mass market. Whether people are starting to care more about where their food comes from or are just looking to save a few bucks, homegrown food is sprouting up everywhere. Even in some unusual places...

A shelf in our office


The flatbed of a pickup truck in Red Hook, Brooklyn



A 6,000 sq ft rooftop in Greenpoint [Rooftop Farms]



A barge (and another barge) in NYC [Waterpod and Science Barge]

[image: NY Times]

Governor's Island [Added Value]

[image: Treehugger]

Where does your garden grow?