Green

The farm-to-table movement has become a global concern as we try to reconnect with where our food comes from, and increase our support for small & local over big & industrial food production. As city dwellers, we can join a CSA, shop at a local greenmarket or even visit a nearby farm. But in our daily lives, it can be hard to find ways to connect with nature in NYC.

So this winter I tried something radical: I planted a small garden inside my apartment and we are now growing a portion of our own food right on our windowsill. I call this radical not because my apartment gets almost no direct sunlight or that even cacti eventually die under my care, but because growing our own food can have a radical impact on the world. (Check out the Roger Doiron TED talk, which connects the current need for smaller-scale food production to the victory gardens of World War I.)

Honestly, I didn't plant my indoor mini-farm because I wanted to change the whole world, I simply wanted to change my family's world. I'm sharing the story of how I started my apartment garden in the hope that it inspires others. Growing food indoors is surprisingly easy if you do it right. Here's how I started growing herbs and vegetables indoors.

Don't wait for summer to head to the city's zoos. Spring is the perfect time to visit. The animals are friskier in the cooler weather, and the crowds haven't yet hit.

Plus the zoos are bursting with special spring programming. Visit with new baby animals, like the goats at the Central Park Zoo and two new wallabies at the Prospect Park Zoo's recently reopened Australian Walkabout exhibit. The Bronx Zoo is throwing its fantastic Animal Tales Extravaganza festival, featuring costumed characters and other activities. The New York Aquarium just cut the kelp on its Conservation Hall exhibit, where you can marvel at amazing marine life. The Queens Zoo is hosting its first-ever sleepover and has a new Lynx on view.

And that's just a handful of the things that will make you go wild at the zoo this season.