As part of my trip back to the East Coast, I visited a few commercial hydroponic greenhouses. One standout was Eli Zabar’s Vinegar Factory on East 91st Street - a bona fide rooftop urban farm. Eli grows delicious “Rooftop Tomatoes,” which his workers pick ripe and then bring downstairs to sell at his gourmet market. Brilliant. -MIKE



Here is an article about Eli and the history of Zabar’s epicurean empire.

Tags: Greenhouse, Hydroponics, Rooftop

I took this photo of my cousin, Morgan, who works at Blue Hill Farm in Tarrytown, New York. The farm belongs to the remarkable Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, and it was once part of the Rockefeller estate. Hooray for the new generation of farmers! -MIKE