August is like the Sunday of summer, so why not get the most of out this month? There’s still so much fun to be had, even as summer winds down to a slow and humid crawl.
Here are some ideas to have a great and wallet-friendly summer right here in North Brooklyn: Continue reading
A few weeks ago we wrote about the Sunday farmers’ market in McGolrick (Winthrop) Park having been relegated to a tight spot on the sidewalk on Monitor Street at the back of the park. The central plaza in the park, the original home of the market, was being reserved as an area for children to play, due to the playground being under construction until this September. But, after nearly 400 residents and vendors signed a petition to find a new spot for the market, it’s now moving back!
Our Assemblyman Joe Lentol met with the McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance, Marty Maher (the Brooklyn Parks Commissioner) and a member of Councilman Levin’s staff, and decided to move the market back into the middle of the park. Continue reading
Strolling the McGolrick (Winthrop) Park farmers market is a Sunday tradition for many Greenpointers, and now that a section of the middle of the park is taken over by playground construction, with the available space reserved as a children’s play area, the market has had to move from its centrally located spot. As of a couple weeks ago, the Down To Earth Farmers Market is tightly lined up on the sidewalk on Monitor Street, at the back of the park where vendors say they’re not getting as much passerby foot traffic. Plus, many locals are used to walking through the center of the park and seeing the market, so a lot of people don’t even realize the market has moved. Continue reading
The Spring (and Summer) season has finally sprung and we are so excited the Farmers’ Market will be back outside in McGolrick Park after its cozy hibernation inside the Park Church Co-Op (129 Russell Street) all Winter long. From 10am-4pm this Sunday May 6th, you can get your hands on all your favorite seasonal produce. Due to construction on the playground, the market will be held on the Monitor Street edge of the park. For the opening weekend about ten vendors will be selling lots of delicious veggies, fruit, herbs, and pantry staples, with more vendors joining the mix as we cruise into summer. There are a couple new vendors this year, including D&J Farm who will bring specialty Asian produce, Kouklet with Brazilian style pastries made in Flushing, and McGrath Cheese Company with cheeses made in the Hudson Valley. Support your local farmers and foodmakers and hit up the market!
The market has its own a Facebook page, where you can follow along to find out about special events, vendors and more info.
Both the McGolrick Park Playground and the Greenpoint Library are under construction, so where can you take the little ones for a bit of fun? Every Sunday in January at 1pm, a Children’s Librarian from the Brooklyn Public Library will be at the indoor McGolrick Park Winter Farmers Market (inside the Park Church Co-Op, 129 Russell St) for a storytime and kids’ craft session. Participation is free and open to the public. The Winter Farmers Market runs every Sunday from 10am to 4pm through April 29th, inside the Park Church Co-op.
WHAT: Kids Storytime and Crafts
WHERE: 129 Russell Street, Greenpoint (inside Park Church Co-op)
WHEN: Sunday, January 14th, 21st and 28th at 1pm
WHO: pre-school and elementary-age kids and their families
HOST: Down to Earth McGolrick Park Farmers Market
True Leaves Floral is a beautiful concept from Jessica Balnaves & Ryann Mead. Jess and Ryann grow gorgeous flowers in Jess’s Bushwick backyard, and create unique flower arrangements with their home grown flowers.
Woman-owned and operated, they have been selling the arrangements to local restaurants (on the tables at Sea Wolf), shops (The Rack Shack displays them), the Saturday Bushwick Farmers’ Market, the Bushwick Food Coop, and they also make custom orders. At the farmers’ market they sell plants, including their $10 “Can o’ Chamomile,” catnip, salvia, fig trees, violas, basil, and marigold plants. They’re also happy to give advice to plant buyers, so you can follow up with them if you don’t have a green thumb. Continue reading
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The 2014 market season marks the debut of Full Circle Farm, both as a farming endeavor and as a vendor with Down to Earth Markets, the crew behind the McGolrick Park and Cooper Park farmers markets. Shelle Bailey and Jesse Mandel run Full Circle Farm in Dutchess County, NY, and this summer is the first time the couple has ever sold their produce at a farmers market.
Devotees of thoughtfully cultivated food can find Full Circle Farm every Sunday at Cooper Park’s Down to Earth Farmers Market. It takes place at the park, on Maspeth Avenue at Olive Street, from 11 am to 4 pm every week through Sunday, November 23rd. We recently sat down with Shelle as she shared about the adventures that led to Full Circle Farm. Continue reading
Do you know where to find the world’s largest rooftop soil farms? Believe it or not, they’re right here in Brooklyn! This week I asked Ben Flanner of Brooklyn Grange to tell me more about the two farms he operates–a 1.5 acre rooftop in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and a 1-acre rooftop in Long Island City– and what he’s been cultivating (and selling every Sunday at McGolrick’s Farmers Market). The farms grow over 50,000 lbs of organically-cultivated produce per year. In addition to growing and distributing fresh local vegetables and herbs, Brooklyn Grange also sells local honey from New York City’s first commercial apiary, provides urban farming and green roof consulting and installation services to clients worldwide, and partner with numerous non-profit organizations throughout New York to promote healthy and strong local communities. Continue reading
Happy Friday, neighbors! This post is the first in a new summer series highlighting the growers and food producers that come to Greenpoint’s McGolrick Park Down-to-Earth Market each Sunday (11 am- 4pm). This week, I chatted with Tom and Denise Warren from Stone and Thistle, based in East Meredith, New York. On their farm, tucked into the foothills of the Catskills, they pasture-raise a variety of animals, such as sheep, chickens, turkeys, rabbits, goats, ducks, pigs, and a herd of about 30 cattle! I asked them to share what they enjoy about Greenpoint and what it’s like to be a small-scale farmer. Continue reading
