The Navigator
At These 5 East River Farms, New Yorkers Aren’t Just Buying Produce
They’re doing outdoor yoga, signing up for clambakes and even learning wilderness skills
By COURTNEY MIFSUD
Brooklyn Grange Farm
at the Brooklyn Navy Yard
One of two farms and an apiary program run by Brooklyn Grange Farm, the 65,000 square foot rooftop farm in the Brooklyn Navy Yard is known for its year-around microgreens, quirky classes (Bicycle-Powered Gelato Making Workshop!) and hard-to-book butcher-paper dinners. Check the calendar for schedule and grab reservations before the events sell out.
brooklyngrangefarm.com
Brooklyn Navy Yard
63 Flushing Ave
Ferry Stop: Schaefer Landing/South Williamsburg

Brooklyn Grange Farm

North Brooklyn Farms
The setting looks familiar for a reason: This 36,000-square foot farm and public space is on the original site of what used to be the Domino Sugar factory. North Brooklyn grows herbs, flowers, native plants, as well as veggies like eggplant, squash and kale. For outdoor-loving yogis, there are sunset classes on Tuesday evenings. Like Brooklyn Grange, North Brooklyn Farms offers popular farm-to-table dinners. Check the calendar here. But don’t wait too long. As part of the Domino redevelopment deal, the space where the farm is now will become a public park in the next year or so.
northbrooklynfarms.com
320 Kent Avenue (at 4th Street)
Ferry Stop: Schaefer Landing/South Williamsburg

North Brooklyn Farms

Red Hook Community Farm
One of the first urban farms in the City, the Red Hook Community Farm was started in 2001 to teach teens about farming and composting. The 2.75 acre site is built on what used to be an asphalt baseball field. Crops supply their farmers’ market and CSA.
added-value.org
580 Columbia Street
Ferry Terminal Red Hook Dock, Van Brunt Street
(NY Water Taxi; not reachable by East River Ferry)

Red Hook Community Farm

Eagle Street Rooftop Farm
Interested in seasonal planting and green roofs? The 6,000 square foot Eagle Street Farm, on top of a warehouse owned by Broadway Stages, a video and production facility, offers educational workshops for children and adults. You can shop for produce the last Saturday of the month May through October.
rooftopfarms.org
44 Eagle St
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Ferry Stop: India Street / Greenpoint

Eagle Street Rooftop Farm

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Find out more about the East River’s fast-moving neighborhoods: UrbanCoast.nyc