The New Brooklyn Cookbook, out last week from William Morrow, was written by Melissa and Brendan Vaughan, recipe developer and magazine editor, respectively, who are sensitive to the idea that “New Brooklyn” is both difficult to define and somewhat polarizing.
The Census Bureau estimates that poverty afflicts at least 13% of the country, including one in five people in Brooklyn. Income impacts nutritional health throughout life, and poor nutrition, especially prevalent in low-income neighborhoods, is a direct cause of heart disease and diabetes. Now, the slow food, urban farming and organic movements act as catalysts for a healthier America. Here are the policy changes, present and future, necessary for a healthier Brooklyn and beyond.
Perhaps no recent trend in the local food movement has received more positive attention than urban farming. In particular, rooftop and even wall gardening have been lauded as ways to utilize precious space while providing residents with fresh local produce and Brooklyn is home to several locally famous urban farms. In this segment of the Eco-Apartheid series, we’ll examine how city residents can gain better access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables with innovative solutions.
Brooklyn neighborhoods like Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville and East New York exemplify a surprising food paradox: in the U.S., obesity can commingle with hunger.
An astounding 1.4 million New Yorkers live in households that have trouble putting food on the table. This new series will address hunger and healthy food solutions done locally to address hunger and obesity right in our backyard.
Lee Mandell is devoted to growing produce that tastes good in his loft farm in Bushwick. Named Boswyck Farms after the neighborhood’s former moniker, Mr. Mandell’s agricultural mission extends well beyond his attention to the palate. He is a hydroponic farmer, sustaining his plants by using systems of circulating water, rather than soil, to disperse nutrients to their roots. Could this be the future of urban life?
