1.  Abundance

Yes, it’s that time of year when all produce gardens, even those 35 floors above Manhattan’s Financial District, are overwhelming their gardeners with abundance.   Last night, 11 scholars, amateurs and supporters of landscape studies gathered for an eight-course feast prepared by Jordan Colon and his brother.  First came a wonderful carrot soup prepared from these heirloom carrots just picked moments before hitting the pot:

Next, a mixture of Chioggia, Detroit Red, Crosby’s Egyptian and Burpee’s Golden beets were roasted and served in a bed of their own greens:

This was followed by Swiss Card and carmelized onions garnished with chard stems stuffed with NY State goat cheese, accompanied by kale juice shots.    Fresh baked kale chips with sea salt completed the kale theme (or ordeal, perhaps, for some of my guests).  

Following this, Jordan rolled out a brilliant sorrel flan — thickly paved with tart lemony sorrel (eggs from Annie’s Eagle Street rooftop chickens) :

Then on to a polenta tart with just picked roasted eggplant tossed with three or four varieties (including Green Zebra) of variously sweet and tart tomatoes.   Having admired the Malabar spinach (see prior post), the guests were given a simple Malabar spinach salad dressed with a tiny bit of NY State apple cider vinegar.   The meal finished with just-picked-from-the-roof Asian pears accompanied by a faux creme anglaise fashioned from buckwheat and NY honey, garnished with the last of the Battery Rooftop Garden raspberries.   The perfect meal for a warm Indian summer night on the roof, with the guests serenaded by crickets (see post on panspermia). 

2.  9/11

The Battery Rooftop Garden is only a few blocks from “ground zero,” and the new World Trade Center tower (formerly referred to as the “Freedom Tower”) is rising in direct alignment with the main axis of the garden:

And USS New York (LPD-21), a U.S. Navy SanAntonio-class amphibious transport dock ship,  came into the harbor for the 10th anniversary of 9-11, pausing dramatically at the foot of the garden:

The crew gathered on deck in awe of the rooftop orchard they had spotted off the starboard side of the ship:

3.  Yoga

Battery Rooftop Garden includes a yoga terrace, the only part of the outside space that is not green roof (i.e., there is no soil below the decking in this area).   One spends much time in yoga up-side down, and, when inverted, this is what you see: