Conuco Farm Visit

                                                                 

                                                   

                                                   

                             

                                           

                                       

This past Sunday, I went to visit the Conuco Farm, which supplies to my Bed-Stuy CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. After a two hour drive to New Paltz in the Hudson Valley, we arrived and met Hector Tejada, Conuco's farmer-in-chief. After a tour of the farm, we picked cherry tomatoes, had lunch and then went on to an orchard nearby. I also managed to pick Hector's brains on the (slightly sorry) state of my farm/garden. More on that in another post. More pix: here.

Topiary elephants, fashion and a crucial cause

A small list of my favorite things (in no order at all): 

1. fashion

2. wild animals

3. topiaries

All of the above can be found in a very different fashion show on in the U.K. and Ireland right now. Thirteen full-size topiary elephants will tour the nations to raise awareness about the plight of the Indian elephant, which is "intelligent, engaging...but endangered," according to show organizer Elephant Family. In support, designers such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Alberta Ferretti and Alice Temperley have dressed the green beauties in wraps. I am especially feeling the hot pink tassels on the Calvin Klein number.

Garden Cliff Notes: Michael Pollan lecture at P.S.1

Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire treatise provided the philosophical inspiration for my garden, which is now almost quarter farm. This Friday, he will speak about how plants see things at P.S.1's newish urban farm installation (it's productive). It's one of the many summer garden events I plan on attending for education.  Here's a helpful calendar of more local events via the Bed-Stuy blog.