The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Go East Young Foodie!

As the kibitzing about getting a Farmer's Market at the Q at Parkside remains but chatty static, a non-profit called Seeds in the Middle did the dirty deed due east of here in Crown Heights...Lefferts Ave at Albany to be exact. The Market's open every Thursday afternoon, and the wee one and I caught it a couple weeks back. It's happening TODAY from 1:30 if you feel like some fresh corn and apples. I think I also noticed some garlic scapes, but I actually don't know what those are, so you should probably just ignore this entire sentence.

Maybe Albany Ave seems too far away, but it's waaay not...if you're a bicyclist it's a super swift ride down the Maple/Lincoln bike lines down and back. Or jump on that B12 bus you're always wondering about. It heads down Clarkson, but then conveniently hooks a left at Albany and takes you RIGHT THERE.

Here's a TV news story about it from NY1. The market's small but good and it's exhilarating to get to know this part of Pigtown better. It's right next to a popular playground too, where young black and Lubavitcher kids make a mighty joyful racket together. This is so powerful to see, given that when I first was living in Brooklyn there was talk of an all out race war not far from this corner, which was sparked by the accidental death of young Gavin Cato. If you're too new or young to remember the Crown Heights Riots, do yourself a favor and read at least the wikipedia entry. Even though it's been a tough summer for shootings, it's a far cry from the events of the late '80s early '90s. I lived on Lincoln Place just above Eastern Parkway for a couple years back then. So naturally I just assumed crack smoking was legal, as long as you kept it to the stairwells.

There's also one called Urban Oasis ON Clarkson at Troy on Wednesdays...haven't been yet. Anyone?

1 comment:

babs said...

Probably those were not garlic scapes, as they're out in spring (and are mighty great if you can get them). And for those of us not living "down south" with y'all it's not far AT ALL. Albany is 4 blocks from Nostrand. So go!