Brooklyn Grange Apiary Update

Chocolate Stripes

                                                      

Chocolate Stripes organic, heirloom tomato grown in Brooklyn, 2012.

Reisetomate aus Siebenburgen

Reisetomate aus Siebenburgen, organic heirloom tomato grown in Brooklyn 2012

Reisetomate aus Siebenburgen, which translates from German as "travel tomato from Transylvania" actually has roots in Central America. Native Indians would take this unusual variety on trips and break off the individual lobes to eat without the use of a knife.

Indigo Rose

Indigo Rose tomato, grown in Brooklyn, 2012

The Indigo Rose, developed by Jim Meyers at Oregon State University using traditional plant breeding techniques, is the first variety of tomato that contains anthocyanins. These are powerful antioxidants that only develop where the fruit comes into direct contact with sunlight giving it a distinctive purple color. Parts that are shaded remain green.

Mountain Dew?

Bees are resourceful creatures, so when there is a dearth in nectar supply they look for alternative sources like discarded soda cans. Could the green cell shown above be a result of a bee drinking Mountain Dew?

First Tomato Harvest

A beautiful organic Ananas Noire tomato developed by the Belgian horticulturist Pascal Moreau.

Grown in Brooklyn, 2012

Fire Hydrant Hive

A few weeks ago, I was there to document the apprentices at The Brooklyn Grange Apiary removing a feral bee hive from inside a fire hydrant at The Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Macro Bees

A new worker bee emerges from its cell

Bees constructing wax honeycomb

Bees consuming honey

Entrance to the hive

A dead bee hangs by its stinger and part of its own intestinal tract

Honey

Fresh Honeycomb from a hive at The Brooklyn Grange Apiary, 2012

Adventures in Beekeeping

Kate Neckel painted hives at The Brooklyn Grange Apairy, 2012

Weak bee hives, that are unlikely to survive on their own, can be combined using a sheet of newspaper to seperate them. This allows the different bees time to acclimate to each others' pheremones, so that when they have chewed through the paper they will form a single, happy hive.

New Sled

Last week, I visited Thomas Callahan of Horse Cycles, who was putting the finishing touches on a custom surfboard he shaped in his Brooklyn workshop.

Sand

Playa Pelada, Costa Rica 2012

Kate Neckel

I had a great time photographing Kate Neckel at Hudson Studios where she was painting a new bee hive for The Brooklyn Bridge Apiary.

On the Rocks

Lei Yue Mun, Hong Kong 2012

Skull II

Costa Rica, 2012

Skull

Costa Rica, 2012

WIRED.COM - Sad Vader

The force is still strong with my "Sad Vader" photograph. It was just featured in a fun story about Star Wars inspired art on Wired.com's design site.

Fishing

Fisherman, Playa Pelada, Costa Rica 2012

The Bait

The Catch

Pacific Jack Crevalle

As the tide was coming in on Playa Pelada, local fisherman spotted several mackerel washed up in rocks pools at one end of the beach. In an impressive show of skill, using only hand lines and the mackerel for bait, they landed 5 larger fish in less than half an hour.

Hotel Playas de Nosara

Hotel Playas de Nosara, Costa Rica 2012

The beaches in Nosara, Costa Rica, are part of a National Wildlife Refuge so building is prohibited within 200 metres of the ocean. The Hotel Playas de Nosara was forced to close for violating this law. It now sits empty except for a pack of wild dogs, a groundskeeper and the owner who occupies the rooms directly below the minaret.

Bugs