Luckily, you don't need all this space to home brew

St. Patrick’s Day is almost here, and your choices to celebrate probably involve drinking of some kind, either by sneaking a cup o’ brew down to the parade or by going to the bar and ordering the drink-and-shot combination with a politically volatile name. Or, instead, you can commit to learning the art of brewing yourself, to save some cash next year, and to feel like your drinking habit is also a productive one.

Tonight, the folks at Brooklyn Brew Shop are giving away free home brew kits and other beer-related schwag for YOU if you can pass a test of craft beer trivia. The shop crew will be holding down The Double Windsor in Windsor Terrace from 7-9 p.m., where they will host beer trivia, and give away free 1-gallon homebrew kits, including ingredients for black & tan, grapefruit honey ale and new juniper- and coriander-spiced “Bel-Gin” Strong.

The Brew Shop opened in 2008 to help city folk brew their own beer in apartment-sized batches. Practice trivia question to get you ready for tonight: What has two thumbs and loves free beer schwag?

I signed up through my Twitter account (you also can do it through Facebook). Out of my 256 followers, it turned out that only a single one had his account attached to the service too. His purchases? The majority were made through iTunes. Innocent enough, I guess.

But my skepticism comes about as the service expands. Attaching my account to Blippy brings to mind that moment of terror when I discovered that Google tracks the history of all of your searches as long as you’re signed into your Google account. I haven’t signed-in to the damned thing since. Just possibly, I may need to make a purchase here or there that I’d like to keep private. And I can almost guarantee that one day, I’ll forget to turn Blippy off or just start deleting or ignoring the notifications out of habit. Then what?

Foursquare is currently the hottest TMI tool in the social media world. And while I’m not necessarily comfortable letting the world see me check in to 67 Burger more than twice in a week, I prefer that to outing my purchases. I mean, if trash and purchases didn’t reveal nearly everything about a person’s psyche, National Enquirer wouldn’t be one of the only paper rags not in immediate risk of extinction.

And here’s another thing: Aren’t we just on this side of a recession? In reality, how much could I share with my friends anyway, other than the $1 candy bar I just bought from the bodega? Though I don’t think the place has an online presence. Yet.

This is the latest entry in our series on the venues featured in the Brokelyn Beer Book. Pacific Standard in Park Slope is the bar for all your indoor, rainy-weekend needs: big-screen basketball, board games, Sunday night pub quiz.

PACIFIC STANDARD
www.pacificstandardbrooklyn.com
82 4th Ave., between Bergen & St. Marks, Park Slope, 718-858-1951

What it is: Diversion-heavy bar, heavy on the West Coast microbrews and cask ales, also host to trivia nights, poetry readings and other special events.
Why we love it: Impressively curated selection of beers without astronomical prices. Plus they have a library in the back, a pinball machine and an ample supply of board games to prevent you from ever getting bored. Have you tried drunk Battleship?
Who to bring: Your smartest friends for Sunday trivia night, sports fans (big screen in the back for games), people who like to savor beer more than chug it.
What to order: Beers on tap rotate frequently, but our favorites right now include the Rogue Dead Guy Ale, which you can use to taunt your Battleship opponent.
Pacific Standard fun fact: The bar has become somewhat of a gathering ground for California ex-pats, which there are quite a few of around here.

Where to buy your seeds
Once you’ve decided what to grow, you’ll likely have to buy seeds. If so, there are some good reasons to support local gardening merchants. They’re the ones who garden around where you will and know the local conditions. When you hit trouble with your plants, these are the impassioned folks you’ll turn to over the orange-vested clock-punchers at the Home Depot. The Williamsburg shop Rose Red & Lavender will be dishing out seeds to celebrate the coming Spring. Just look for an antique baby carriage filled with spring flowers all this month for free heirloom seeds. But if you’re far from the Burg, fear not, there are many stores throughout the borough. Buy your seeds soon, as they become harder to find as the season gets in full swing.

Organic or not?
Just like at the grocery store, when buying seeds, you’ll be faced with the organic versus non-organic decision. Recent studies have shown organic vegetables aren’t any more nutritious than their chemically grown counterpart. The cost difference isn’t what’s in it, but what’s not in it. You pay to keep your food free of chemical pesticides and fossil-fuel based fertilizers.

Go organic, and you’ll spend an extra dollar or two on a seed packet. But depending on the seller, some organic seeds cost less than their non-organic counterpart. For example, non-organic chives cost $1.45 for a pack of 100 seeds at the popular online retailer Park Seeds, but Seed Savers Exchange sells organic chives at $2.75 for a packet of 250 seeds.

Some nitty-gritty seed terminology
Discriminate. Beware of all “hybrid” or “F1” seeds. Their co-mingled genetics often makes for unpredictable and inferior results. Choose non-hybrid seeds marked “heirloom” or “heritage” for quality guaranteed by generations of breeding, including a superior natural resistance to pests and disease. Open pollinated (OP) is another keyword ensuring non-hybrid status. Some hybrids may not be designated as such, so the safest practice is buying through a supplier that states “no hybrids” upfront.

Germinating your seeds
There are a couple popular methods of germinating seeds that begin with materials as simple as plastic baggies or discarded water bottles. The paper towel/baggie method seems to be the hands-down favorite among garden gurus and outlaw growers with the most invested in skillful germination. With the baggie method (right), the seedlings should sprout after a few days, after which it’s time to transfer them to soil.

The ghetto greenhouse—a simple construction made of a modified plastic bottle—is another viable option (left). A large soda bottle is good for this, and you use soil right away. The point is that there are plenty of ways to sprout seedlings without purchasing a seed cell tray or any such formal equipment. If you sow the seeds directly in soil to start, like in the ghetto greenhouse, be sure to follow the instructions on the back of the seed package. Most seeds go no lower than half an inch to an inch from the soil surface.

The future of your seeds
Seeds can be a one-time expense with the right knowledge. Perpetuate your frugal gardening by saving seeds to exchange with community members, at seed swap parties or through Web forums. This requires a depth of familiarity with your seeds and seed terminology. Seed life varies, as does proper storage methods; here’s a helpful guide for aspiring seed collectors.

Still more to come in our next entry on growing your own food.

applewood

The time of year has arrived to get out and splurge on a nice meal, but splurge a little less than usual. Dine in Brooklyn starts this Monday, Mar. 15, and over 200 of the Borough’s fine (and some really fine) restaurants are taking part. We’re excited about the $25 three-course dinner—or $20.10 lunch—at places like al di la Trattoria, applewood, Bocca Lupo, Chestnut, iCi, Miriam, Northeast Kingdom, Taci’s Beyti Restaurant and many, many others. And to make the deal even sweeter, the list includes more than a smattering of places where $25 covers a meal for two. See all of them here.

Whether the event means trying somewhere a $ or two above your usual fare, or you’re returning to an old favorite, let us know where you’re heading next week.

This is the latest entry in our series on the venues featured in the Brokelyn Beer Book. Much more than a bar, Fort Greene’s No. 7 was named a top new restaurant in America by Bon Appetit magazine.

NO. 7
no7restaurant.com
7 Greene Ave. at Fulton St., Fort Greene, 718-522-6370

What is it: A sophisticated yet unpretentious bar and restaurant.
Why we love it: No.7 is literally the hidden Fort Greene gem. Modestly located behind the subway entrance on Greene Avenue, this joint is the sensorially stimulating brainchild of French Culinary Institute graduates Tyler Kord and Gabriel Llanos. Marble topped bar, vaulted ceiling and white tiled floor makes you feel far more refined than you actually are, but what’s wrong with that.
Who to bring: A sweetheart, current or future. A person who likes a quiet and relaxed setting, good beer and inspired food.
What to order: We’ve never tried cinnamon raisin shrimp toast, but we’re curious.
No. 7 fun fact: Bon Appetit magazine named this place a top new restaurant in America.

Fire-escape pepper photo by Urban Greenscaper. Click on it for lots more inspiration.

We know, we know… you probably don’t think you have the space or the know-how to grow a measly sprout, let alone the ingredients for a salad. And you might be right. But growing food in tight, urban quarters is not only possible, it’s easier than you might expect. Gardening experts estimate that every square foot of growing space yields almost a pound of food over the course of the growing season. That’s a sizable crop squeezed from even the most meager Park Slope patch of dirt. And if a Crown Heights fire escape is your whole domain, that’s at least a crudité. Here’s how to begin.

Where to begin: indoors
Since most Brokelynites lack yard access, we’ll start indoors. So long as your radiator isn’t busted, you can start now (early March). Accordiing to the National Gardening Association, “Almost any vegetable can grow in a container and with a little care can produce abundantly.” So take a look at your containers around the house. If something will hold soil and you can poke holes in the bottom for drainage, it can be part of your container garden. Of course, there’s always something to be said for style points.

Gardening indoors requires paying attention to issues like temperature, pollination, light and fertilization. Leafy greens are comfortable at temps into the 60s, while tomatoes, cucumbers and the like require warmer temps around 70 degrees. A south-facing window may be all you need, but if your only view is of a brick wall, then look into buying a UV light. They can run from $30 for spot-grow lights to $300 or more for more intense UV light systems.

If you’re blessed with a yard, screw you. Just kidding. But things will be much easier—you can start the seeds indoors, and when they’re ready for transplant (typically when stems are over one inch tall) put them in the ground. Of course, the are some considerations like timing (see calendar below) and finding a spot with the appropriate amount of sun.

For those without a yard and who lack the drive to micromanage an indoor project, consider a plot at one of Brooklyn’s many community gardens. Depending on your neighborhood, some may already be wait-listed and some may require a bit of dedication, but others are a matter of sign up and plant. Non-profit groups like More Gardens and New York Restoration Project convert abandoned lots into green spaces every year. See below for a complete list of Brooklyn’s community gardens.

So what can I grow and when?
Brooklyn falls in Zone 6 of the USDA Hardiness Zoning Map (but you knew that already), so the all-important last frost falls between March 30 and April 30. Beware, transplanting anything into the ground before the last frost is certain death for the crop. Avoid such losses by following suggested start dates. Timing varies, depending on the plant.

Some common veggies for Zone 6 include: tomatoes, peppers, green beans, cucumbers, squash, cabbage, beets, collards, carrots, lettuce, peas, turnips, potatoes, melons and so forth. Since our biggest enemy at this point is the last frost date,VeggieHarvest has a helpful calender for tactful growing in Zone 6:

And here are some resources for indoor gardening:

GardenGal’s vegetable list and indoor tips
WikiHow on Indoor Gardening
Garden Guides: How to Grow Indoor Vegetable Gardens
How to Buy UV Sun Lamps

Stay tuned for the next installment in our series on urban vegetable gardening: how to plant seeds.

This is the latest entry in our series on the venues featured in the Brokelyn Beer Book. With its ample outdoor seating, Park Slope’s The Gate was made for 60 degrees and sunny.

THE GATE
www.thegatebrooklyn.blogspot.com
321 Fifth Ave. at 3rd St., Park Slope, 718-768-4329

What it is: An old-world tavern that celebrates beer and your love of it.
Why we love it: The Gate has a sprawling selection of drafts and bottles where you can size up the debate over hops vs. malts. They also carry lots of specialty craft brews and unique casks. The porch scene is one of the finest in Park Slope, and spotting people out there is a sure sign spring is on the way.
Who to bring: The bar advertises a welcome to “young, old, feathered or furred.”
What to order: The selections change all the time, but try a specialty Sierra Nevada or Dogfish Head brew that you won’t find many other places.
The Gate fun fact: The bar’s name is Edgar Allan Poe inspired, and a Poe poem is scrawled on a board in the window that contains this line: “What care I how time advances/ I am drinking ale today.”