Holistic wellness and convening with nature is so on trend right now, and so it only makes sense that the next cool thing would be Goat Yoga. Aside from being the cutest farm animals ever with their playful demeanor and crazy rectangle eyes, baby goats have a natural ability to calm and delight everyone around them. NY Goat Yoga, usually based upstate in Gilbertsville, is popping up in Bushwick (at 74 Ingraham St) in April, May and June for both Goat Yoga classes and Goat Yoga Happy Hours. You can view their full schedule on Facebook. Continue reading
This Saturday and Sunday, October 14 and 15, Open House New York will present a citywide celebration of architecture and urban design, for the 15th year in a row. One of the largest architecture festivals in the country, with more than 200 buildings and projects across the five boroughs, from historic to contemporary, will be opened up over the weekend for tours and talks with architects, urban planners, historians, preservationists, and city leaders.
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NY Sun Works’ Greenhouse Project at PS84 | 250 Berry St
The rooftop greenhouse at PS84 serves as an urban farm and hydroponic science lab for K-8th grade students. The lab was developed and programmed by NY Sun Works, a non-profit that builds hydroponic science labs in urban schools to teach students and teachers about the science of sustainability. Continue reading
A Talk With Farmer, Bird Maven, & Wildlife Illustrator Annie Novak at Kingsland Wildflowers, + Rooftop Tour and Bird Beer! (10/11)
We’ve written about Greenpointer, rooftop gardener and farming renaissance woman Annie Novak before—she heads up the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm (44 Eagle St), founded Growing Chefs, is manager of the Edible Academy at the New York Botanical Garden, and she literally wrote the book on how to turn your urban rooftop into a farm or garden. What you probably don’t know is that she’s also a wildlife and nature illustrator, with a new book coming out on bird migration. This Wednesday Oct 11th from 6-8pm at Kingsland Wildflowers (520 Kingsland Ave) you can see her give a lecture on her latest research and slideshow of her illustrations. The event kicks off at 6pm with a walking tour of Kingsland Wildflowers’ green roof and a cocktail hour, with the “Safe Flight IPA” featured beer—a collaboration by local brewers KCBC & NYC Audubon to raise awareness of annual bird collisions.
The event is part of Kingsland Wildflowers’ monthly artist lecture series, featuring local Greenpoint artists who have created environmentally-focused bodies of work. Once a month various artists will speak at Kingsland Wildflowers about their process, inspiration, and ideas behind their unique take on the world around us and the habitat in which we coexist.
Volunteer-run farm and gathering space Bushwick City Farm (354 Stockton St. @ Lewis Ave) is hosting their second annual fundraiser this Sunday afternoon, September 18th.
“Come enjoy a delightful day of music, drinks, and Chicken Sh*t Bingo—win cash prizes and gift certificates from local businesses! Plus: face painting, Cargo Bike hay rides, a piñata, and more – fun for the whole family! How does Chicken Sh*t Bingo work? We feed our chickens a sumptuous meal and let them loose on a life-size game board. Attendees buy squares (two for $5!), and wait for the birds to do their business. If your square is deemed defecation-worthy, you win an awesome prize!”
See the Facebook invite here.
It’s really easy to get all your veggies this spring and summer in North Brooklyn with the vast variety of CSAs. CSAs (which stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and CSAs are also sometimes called farm shares) are a great way for people to have access to local, fresh vegetables, fruit, and other food directly from the farms. Participants purchase a “share” for a season—shares are based on items, delivery regularity, or size—paying in winter or spring for a box of locally delivered goods. By providing financial support to the farmer early on, you support the farmer no matter what the weather—and you get to be treated to the bounty of whatever the weather provides. Best of all, you don’t have to deal with worrying about oversleeping and missing the good stuff at the farmers’ market!
Because you generally don’t get to pick which kinds of vegetables and fruit, and you are often exposed to new kinds of fruit and vegetables, it’s a great chance to learn how to cook new veggies. Many of the CSAs also provide a website or Facebook group with recipes; be sure to inquire.
If you’re interested in signing up for a CSA, you should get a move on. Some have already closed for the season, and many are nearing capacity.
Happy eating! Continue reading
Dancing is an amazing way to start the day, isn’t it?
Last Saturday, while most people were sleeping in, BRUNCH Ravers at Morning Gloryville‘s party were doing yoga, dancing, jumping in flying rose petals, getting massages, playing in a kiddie pool, or meeting new friends. It was kind of surreal when it all ended at 2pm, and people were heading home after an awesome morning out, when many people hadn’t even left their homes (or beds) yet. Continue reading
What is better than a delicious and healthy farm to table dinner to benefit local sustainable farming? The same farm to table dinner at 50% off!
The 2nd Annual Farm Dinner to benefit Lineage Farm CSA – your local CSA that provides Greenpoint with fresh local veggies from June to November – is on Thursday, May 15th at 7pm at Eat (124 Meserole Ave). It’s $20 at the door & only $10 when you mention Greenpointers. And it’s FREE for current member or new sign-ups. Continue reading
Looking for some old-timey Fall adventure this weekend? Brooklyn Kitchen has just the excursion tomorrow – Saturday 10/12 at 9:30am.
They’ll be taking a group to Stone Ridge Orchard upstate for apple picking, cider drinking, and general merry making. Apple season is at its peak, so there’s no better time to get out and take in some crisp country air with a bundle of fresh, organic apples.
The trip includes transportation (2 hrs each way), coffee and morning snacks for the bus, a killer apple pie recipe, farm entrance, a hay ride, and a quarter peck of apples (that’s 2.5 lbs of apples i.e a lot of apples). Be sure to wear your finest farm attire and pack a sack lunch.
When: 9:30am-5:30 PM
How Much: $60 per adult, $200 for group of 4, $20 for kids under 12
Look at all the goodness I picked up at the first ever McGolrick Park Farmers Market yesterday! It’s going to be a good week in my kitchen.
If you missed it, it’s every Sunday from 11am-4pm until November on Russell St between Driggs and Nassau. And if you are closer to Cooper Park, there is one there, too!
“I am so excited about this,” I overheard a Greenpointer say as she examined the gorgeous bounty. Everyone was buzzing about, finding fresh local treasures.
While the sidewalk on Russell St proved to be a little cramped, it was a great day to bump into neighbors, like artist/terrarium teacher Claire Typaldos, Lincoln Restler, and Joe Lentol and his wife, who live right on Russell St.
Lauren, of Farm to Baby, was hard at work picking up fresh local veggies for her baby food, which she will deliver right to your door.
I recently bought bee pollen at the Greenmarket because I am bi-curious about bee products. It is termed a SUPERFOOD! Meg Paska, the infamous Brooklyn Homesteader, who keeps bees (among other things) right here in Greenpoint, is kind enough to school us on bee pollen.
To learn more about DIY beekeeping in Brooklyn, on May 20th there will be a class at Hayseed’s Big City Farm Supply, a pop-up shop on India St dedicated to urban farming brought to you by Brooklyn Grange, Domestic Construction and Brooklyn Homesteader.
GP: What is bee pollen?
Meg: Pollen is a reproductive matter created by angiosperms (ground-dwelling flowering plants) to aid in species propagation. It’s made up of many small grains that contain the male gametes that are required for plant fertilization. Bee pollen is just pollen that has been collected and prepared by honeybees.