After a bit of a rocky start, rooftop farm Brooklyn Grange (located in Queens, but Brooklyn sounds so much hipper) officially opened earlier today. Now the largest rooftop farm in the city, BG is harvesting everything from beets to Italian Dandelion, and is now starting up a CSA in the area. Farmer Rob Lateiner told NY1, "It's wild that about six weeks ago there was nothing up here, and now there is all this."
City politicians seemed equally excited about the project, which will sell produce to local restaurants and at a market at Roberta's in Brooklyn. Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer said, "It makes sense on every level. It's locally produced, locally farmed, that will be sold locally." The one-acre farm also provides energy savings to the building by insulating the roof against heat, keeping the building cool. But, like any good New Yorker, they just want to take advantage of some prime real estate. They explain on their website, "The city will always rely on rural farmers for the bulk of our food, and the relationship between urban and rural communities must be celebrated. But having farms inside the city limits by taking advantage of unused roof space is an opportunity not to be missed."
