"Is all this effort doing the planet good?"

In the New York Times: Urban Composting: A New Can of Worms. The article explains some of the unique circumstances we city folk have to deal with when it comes to composting. There are some funny stories in there. The article also asks how much good does composting do. It is no where near as helpful as recycling. That is the single best thing we can do. But it does keep trash out of landfills and finished compost is great for plants. 

For us, yes, it is a bit of work to manage Kimberly (our composter); chopping everything up, making sure there's a good balance of material we put in there, turning it…just add it to the list. But it's fun. She is our own little science experiment. 

Article written by Mireya Navarro.

NYTimes.com also has an entire section about composting.

Petition: Food Democracy Now!

Help encourage President Obama to fill the Department of Agriculture with individuals who believe in sustainability and are motivated to change our food chain for the better. Sign the petition… read about the nominees and just hope they've paid their taxes.

Checking in with Kimberly

The Brooklyn Farm mascot is Kimberly the Composter. Her duty is to take in wasted organic material that the farm and kitchen produce and let it all decompose into compost that we'll put back into the soil. During the winter months this process moves much slower because all of the critters that make the decomposition happen are happier when it is warm. There's a lot of interesting science involved and it is a subject we will go more in depth with. Follow all of her adventures here.

It is February. Is this alive?

Or just frozen? There are a few plants that have kept their green color this far into winter. This particular green onion must have been too small to pick during our final harvest. And now… we're just scared. We might break a tooth trying to get through that.

Documenting Progress: 5.1th Installment

February 4, 2008
The previous installment gave no indication that it is in fact February here in Brooklyn. So here is a more appropriate image. The snow usually stays for a couple days and goes through a messy cycle of melting and turning to ice.
Farmer No. 2 has a size 9 print. Detective work has revealed these .09 size tracks belong to the cats.

Documenting Progress: 5th Installment

February 2, 2009The farm is barren right now except for the frequent cat visits. When Farmer No. 2 chases the cats they slip and slide the entire way down the sheer ice path.

CAATTSS!!

They're everywhere. It's a breeding ground next door and whatever it is in this picture that they are feeding them will end up on the farm.