Sustainable Food & Food Justice in New York City

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Nov 23, 2009 at 19:59:29 PM PST

During my time in New York, I met up with several superstars in the national and even international sustainable food and food justice movements. I also dined on some fabulous local, sustainable food. And, I came face to face with the very definition of a food desert. More below...

An Autumn Day Hike in the Bronx: Cloudy with a Chance of Sunshine

by: Eddie C

Sat Oct 31, 2009 at 21:40:35 PM PDT

Hello and Happy Halloween. Would you like to see a little of the color of the northeast?  I had a great walk on Thursday I thought you might enjoy seeing the pictures and hearing my story about how great is is to just get out there, even when it is looking bad.

Is this a political diary? As Ken Burns so aptly pointed out recently, our parks are our strongest affirmation for "Big Government"so perhaps this belongs here. Or maybe I just like taking pictures. This was my ninth DKos diary that is tagged Van Cortlandt Park and a few of them are probably cross-posted here too. But in this diary there are sections of the 1,146 acre park that I've never shown before.

Here's a view I've now shown in all four seasons. In photography just like politics, when you find a good frame you need to stick to it.

As I've mentioned before Van Cortlandt Park is named for the first native Mayor of New York City and is right on Broadway. Just a few stops out of Manhattan on a scenic elevated subway, the last stop on the Number One Train. It is not the only park with hiking trails but it is still a must see for NYC visitors because the views are so similar to the Hudson Highlands.

Below the fold you can see the glory of New York State on a colorful autumn day without leaving New York City. Actually you can see it without leaving your couch and what's better than that on a mellow weekend?  

Got a Happy Story? September Woodland Walking Edition

by: Eddie C

Mon Sep 07, 2009 at 20:08:35 PM PDT

Tonight I would like to tell a story about a walk on Tuesday that was the most pleasant and cleansing walk I had in a long long time. It was also a long long walk that started at a Riverdale gas station and ended with two buses taking one hour to get back home.

Here's a view I've shown before. The last time in Just a Walk in the Park, Van Cortlandt Park the white pepper bush framed the lake. Now in the ragweed season, there is some goldenrod on the side and the pepper bush has gone to seed.

It was the first of September and the whole forest was busy preparing for a transition. I could feel it from the moment I walked in. The summer comfort of the cool forest compared with the city streets was gone. It seemed warmer than being out in the sunlight. Another difference was the return of a familiar sound, a sound that often make me think there must be a waterfall close by in a less familiar forest. But since I know this forest so well, I knew it was the September breeze blowing through the leaves in the blue sky above.

This was a great week for New York Sunsets (photo diary)

by: Eddie C

Sat Aug 22, 2009 at 11:25:33 AM PDT

Hello, is seems a bit early for sunsets but there should be one coming around soon. I hope you are having a nice Saturday afternoon and have a wonderful weekend coming your way. Just in case you might need a little visual to help you decompress, I've put together a collection of the week in sunsets from my Bronx window.

That photo must look like I'm messing around with Photoshop but I wasn't. This extremely hot New York City week had a few sunsets where the sun was not too strong for digital photography. The Monday shot above wasn't even the best. Sunday looked like Jupiter or Saturn without the rings setting over the Palisades. It was also a big week for sailboats at sunset.

I know I'm a little strange but I get excited about that sort of thing. If you like then follow below for my week long celebration.  

The Most Affordable Food in New York City

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Aug 19, 2009 at 15:25:30 PM PDT

While Central Park would be stripped bare if all NYC residents used it as their free grocery store, no doubt a number of homeless or low income folks could improve their health and fill their bellies with just a little bit of foraging knowledge. Below, you'll find my pics from our foraging trip - and I'll rely on Wide Eyed Lib to weigh in as the true expert here, in case I leave out any interesting details that I didn't manage to write down.

Book Tour Update: From Amish Country to New York City

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Aug 09, 2009 at 12:23:36 PM PDT

Eddie C met me at Penn Station and we barely made it two blocks before he pointed out a New York favorite... an Italian-owned cheesecake place that's been making delicious desserts for longer than I've been alive. We stopped in for some treats and continued on to Brooklyn. We're currently at my publisher's place, relaxing a bit before meeting up with Sidnora, the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, and the Brooklyn Food Coalition at 4:30pm.

The Pennsylvania trip was wonderful. This is exactly what I wanted from the book tour. Really, the book is an excuse to build the movement. In Lancaster, I spoke to a few guys who were interested in food justice and setting up farmers' markets in low income areas. We've got a market like that in San Diego so we shared ideas from Lancaster, Chicago (where one of the guys currently works... he's just visiting friends in Lancaster now), and San Diego. We exchanged email addresses and I hope to put them in touch with the folks in charge of the San Diego City Heights farmers market.

Later that evening, I gave a talk to about 20 people at a bookstore. The Q&A continued until I had been speaking for a total of 2 hours... lesson learned that I need to wrap things up quicker in the future, but it was exciting that everyone was so engaged. The Q&A gave a really local focus to the event, because we talked about groups people could get involved with locally, Pennsylvania state politics, and PA's Senators role in national politics. Much of the Q&A was more of a conversation between various members of the audience, and that was really exciting. I learned a lot from them, and they filled in local details that I didn't know about. It was neat to hear a Pennsylvanian's point of view about how the people in the state organized to save their milk labels 2 years ago. I was involved in that, but from a distance, and it was inspiring that the people of Pennsylvania got a chance to take action and see their own impact when their outcry caused the Governor to overturn a decision of the Secretary of Agriculture.

I've got a few pictures so hopefully later I'll be able to upload them and share them. If you're in New York, join us tonight in Brooklyn or tomorrow in Manhattan - details are at http://www.recipeforamerica.org

Just a Walk in the Park, Van Cortlandt Park (a photo diary)

by: Eddie C

Sat Jul 18, 2009 at 20:39:25 PM PDT

Few Manhattanites know of the beauty of this 1,146 acre park located in the Bronx but this New York City oasis should be of special interest to visitors from drier areas of the nation. The green will just blow you away.

The Lincoln Center Farmer's Market on the Fourth of July

by: Eddie C

Sat Jul 04, 2009 at 21:05:32 PM PDT

I was a bit shocked to see business as usual today at the triangle that several farmers call home every Thursday and Saturday. Not that you can't find a New York City grocery store opened on the Fourth but since the Upper West Siders who depend on these farms for fresh food didn't take a day off from eating, these hard working farmers were there on the Fourth. Besides they need the money.

One of them asked me to do a favor for the farmers today. I like to think that he asked all of us. The local farmers biggest problem is exposure. Greenmarket NYC like most green market organizers only has so much money for advertising. He asked that I post information in community blogs so more residents know about the fresh food available.

Something else we could all do is get our district council or community board websites to post information about the farms, dates and locations and also what is in season. The more customers that know about these markets, the bigger they will get.

Meet a few of my local green grocers below the fold.    

Photos from My Window: A Sunset Weekend From NYC

by: Eddie C

Sun Jun 28, 2009 at 18:21:27 PM PDT

Hello and I hope you had a good weekend. I have a habit of posting sunset diaries and I posted two this month during a June that had very few sunsets. Here in New York we are saying goodbye to what was probably the wettest June ever. Brian Williams said the week "Seattle has nothing on New York City. It has rained twenty-one of the last twenty-three days there."

I think this weekend had more nice sunsets that the rest of the month so I'm going to post all three. Yesterday I found out that I'm not the only one in my complex that enjoys a fine sunset. It was a learning experience. Apparently Alfred Hitchcock also has nothing on the Riverdale section of the Bronx.

Saturday was a nice view, tonight's was pretty nice too, but I'm going to post them backwards because Friday's Sunset that followed a spectacular rainstorm was a spectacular sunset.

I'm saving the best for last and I promise you, if you make it down to the bottom, Friday's sunset will give you some good dreams tonight. A little extra something to charge up the batteries for the coming week.    

Progress on a New York City Rooftop

by: Eddie C

Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 15:28:05 PM PDT

On a rooftop at 148-02 Archer Avenue in Jamaica, Queens there are people who are taking green to a new level. A start up company named Gotham Greens is creating NYC's first commercial scale, rooftop hydroponic farm.

It will use a water-based, soil-free method to grow roughly 30 tons of vegetables and fruit each year for sale to local markets and restaurants.

The groundbreaking venture aims to use an untapped urban resource - rooftop space - to meet an emerging demand for locally grown produce.

"We are trying to demonstrate that sustainable, urban agriculture can be economically viable in the city," said the company's greenhouse director, Jennifer Nelkin, 30.

There will be no fertilizers or pesticides, a massive cistern that captures rainwater for irrigation and the produce will be delivered in a biodiesel van. It will be a rooftop greenhouse that will be mainly powered by 2,000 square feet of solar panels arrayed on the rooftop next door and the creators are hoping to expand to multiple locations throughout the city.

Can these two creators Jennifer Nelkin and Viraj Puri transform urban eating? Well New York may seem like a tough place but Ms. Nelkin has already managed two greenhouses in Antarctica and they are both involved in The Science Barge that has already educated so many New Yorkers.

Photos from a Bronx Labor Rally: Boycott Stella D'Oro Now!

by: Eddie C

Sun May 31, 2009 at 19:41:07 PM PDT

I live in a Bronx neighborhood that is known for cookies. For my entire life I've been enjoying the sweet smell of Union Made Stella D'Oro cookies and biscuits. After the long cold winter that Brynwood Partners forced on the workers, those cookies don't smell so sweet anymore.

The owners are seeking to slash wages by as much as 25%, do away with Saturday overtime and impose a new, crushing, 20% employee contribution to worker health care benefits. They also are insisting on eliminating four holidays, one week of vacation, and all 12 paid sick days.

Yesterday there was a Solidarity rally in support of the workers who have been locked out of their jobs for the past ten months!

This was not the first rally to be ignored by the media but the turnout and the continuing community support has been very impressive.  

Sampler Platter 05.23.09

by: Jill Richardson

Sat May 23, 2009 at 15:42:28 PM PDT

• New York is trying to bring grocery stores to food deserts. Yay! If they find a successful method of doing this, let's hope other cities steal their ideas.

• Interested in what Americans ate during the first Great Depression? Apparently beavers and squirrels were on the menu (hat tip to GastroNomalies)

• Vilsack plays dumb. Swine flu? Never heard of it. He only knows about the H1N1 flu. Riiight.

• Meanwhile, while the swine flu story is over for most of us, it's not over at the implicated Mexican Smithfield operation, which is still very invested in proving its innocence. Especially because its being sued.

• Why a school farm? The Atlantic has some ideas.

• Ever tried Mongolian cuisine? Most of us have probably never even thought about it. I had the opportunity to try some - once - and oh my god, I turned that opportunity down. When I lived in China I had 2 friends from Inner Mongolia. After a trip home, they returned to Beijing with a "treat" for me - some "Mongolian dairy snacks" as they put it. And that was NOT something I was interested in eating. The "snacks" were approximately the size and shape of Cheetos but they were white and looked moist. And there was no freaking way I was putting them in my mouth. I ate dog and testicles in China, but I had to draw the line somewhere. My friends wanted to see me taste them but I awkwardly explained that I wanted to share them with other Americans so I'd taste them later. Fortunately, the food described in this article sounds a bit more appetizing.

• BlogHer is having a foodie conference.

• Yay to the Center for Food Safety, who says that reliance on biotech in a food aid bill is a step in the wrong direction.

• IATP cleverly writes about "seeing the forest through the corn." With a title like that, you KNOW they are talking about Iowa - and a forest in Iowa that is home to many endangered and threatened species.

• In Israel, owls are replacing chemicals to do the job of pest control. Very cool!

The Animals are Getting the Pink Slip (A Bronx Zoo photo and action diary)

by: Eddie C

Sat May 02, 2009 at 21:08:07 PM PDT

At this point 105,029 people have been laid off in New York City but while our loris is a bit slow, there is something very wrong with the richest city in the nation looking for a new home for one of our our cutest animals and many of the other creatures of the night.

What an example of skewed priorities. Mayor Bloomberg raised two taxes to ensure there will be 500 new cops on the streets of New York this year. There are 5.3 police officers for every 1,000 New Yorkers but there is only one World of Darkness and many of the inhabitants are endangered species. Thanks to Bloomberg's thirty-three percent cut in city funding to the zoo, children will no longer learn that "when the sun goes down most of the world's animals wake up."  

Bloomberg To City: Drop Dead

by: JayinPhiladelphia

Sat Mar 07, 2009 at 18:38:12 PM PST

A fight is brewing over federal money earmarked for food stamps.  Part of the stimulus package would bring about $155 million to the city to cover food stamps through September 2010.

But so far, Mayor Michael Bloomberg hasn't signed a waiver to extend those benefits to single adults who don't have dependents.

Because I guess if you lost your job due in large part to the shenanigans of many of Mayor Mike's own buddies, and you don't have any kids - it follows that you don't have to (or shouldn't be able to) eat.  At least, that's the case in his fantasy world.  The same one where wealthy New Yorkers would leave the City if they had to start paying their fair share in taxes.  Where would they move, New Jersey (I can say that, I grew up there)?  I doubt that.

Like many of his other friends who've largely put us into this mess in the first place, Bloomberg also doesn't seem to have much of a grasp on basic economic facts.  Either that, or he puts his cherished (and failed) conservative ideology ahead of all else -

Increased income support has been part of the federal response to most recessions, and for good reason: It is the most efficient way to prime the economy's pump ... Boosting food stamp payments by $1 increases GDP by $1.73 (see Table 2). People who receive these benefits are hard pressed and will spend any financial aid they receive very quickly.

So Bloomberg also apparently has something against food retailers and other businesspeople in the City, as well.  I have a suggestion, though - since Michael Bloomberg is worth roughly 20 billion dollars, maybe he can take all of those people he's denying food stamps for out to breakfast, lunch and dinner on his own dime (I mean, he's only got about 200 billion dimes...) until they find one of the numerous jobs he claims are out there just waiting to be filled?  

Or maybe he can stop being a giant Jindal-ian dick, and let struggling people eat while they continue to look for work in this terrible climate which was largely created by the greed and arrogance of wealthy conservatives like Bloomberg himself.

New York's Greenmarket

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Dec 25, 2008 at 13:00:05 PM PST