Here’s the outside of an apartment building that is a block and a half from my place. It’s basically the corner of Sterling Street and Nostrand in Brooklyn. I pass it on the way to and from the number 2 train. Yesterday after having breakfast with my friend Chris at Toomey’s I went up to Nostrand to pick up the Sunday Times. That’s when I saw it.

Take a closer look:

In the dirt patch outside of the building someone is growing corn! Each stalk has a couple of ears on it, and they aren’t too shabby. I assume that any number of people have some vegetables growing in yards behind their houses in the neighborhood, but this is the first time that I’ve seen any agriculture on this order. Of course the whole area was a farm at one point, so I suppose it’s only just. Would I eat it? Hard to say given what the history of the soil there must be. I’m not so sure. I’m tempted to sneak over and swipe an ear just too experiment.

But there you have it: maize grows in Brooklyn.

(no elephant’s eyes jokes please)