Brooklyn Grange

Thoughts on the solstice and a whole lot of snow

Today is the winter solstice, and a snowy one at that.  Brooklyn is blanketed in about 10″ of powder, the kind that finds apartment dwellers staying inside and huddling around whistling radiators.  You might think this weather would bum out an urban farmer, remind her of how long it’ll be before the last frost and first seedlings of Spring, but in fact the snow is a farmer’s ally.  In rural areas, snowfall is crucial to healthy water levels in  rivers, lakes and acquifers, and without sufficient precipitation agrarians would be faced with their worst enemy: drought.  Snow plays another crucial role in our world of urban agriculture: snow makes rooftop farming possible.  The propensity for big blizzards like the one we experienced this weekend are exactly why structures in the Northeast were built to withstand loads as heavy as a couple tons of wet soil and row upon row of ripe, juicy heirloom tomatoes.

So today, on this white winter solstice, we’re optimistic as we look ahead.  We still have a couple punishing months before winter abates, but the days only get longer from here.