A tree may grow in Brooklyn, but farms grow in Queens
NEW YORK - For the past decade, Danny Morales has worked as a farmer across the northeast. He never imagined the job would bring him back to his native Queens.
As director of agriculture for the Queens County Farm Museum, he grows fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers, including vibrant dahlias.
"You can see the colors we have here: Red, salmon, pink, peach, orange," he said.
The museum offers free admission to its 47 pastoral acres in New York City.
"We are standing here on one of the longest continually-farmed sites in New York state. It dates back to 1697," executive director Jennifer Walden Weprin said. "We tell the story of how New York City grew around this historic agricultural site."
Jason Antos with the Queens Historical Society says agriculture in the borough began with native tribes.
"The Algonquin peoples, they lived off the land," he said.
The borough remained rural until surprisingly recently.
"It's amazing to note that this was the case up until the 1920s and '30s," he said.
New farms may aim skyward
Though Queens has changed dramatically, communities across the borough are seeking ways to bring farming back. Some are even looking skyward; the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens now stewards an acre of farmland atop the Standard Motor Building in Long Island City.
"This is an oasis of farming in an urban jungle," CEO Costa Constantinides said. He wants Sky Farm to connect the club's kids to nature while providing fresh vegetables for their families.
"When this place is fully operational next year, we're expecting to have about 500 pounds a week," he said.
Council Member Julie Won says it's a promising idea in a district with limited green space.
"I'm not going to be able to shut down a whole entire residential building of luxury skyscrapers," she said. "But what I can do is negotiate with a lot of these developers to say, 'We need to create more green spaces. Can we use your rooftop?'"
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