The Green Parent

Just when you thought you had this whole eco-friendly thing figured out, (with your organic, locally grown produce and cage-free, non-genetically modified poultry,) the guy next door goes and ups the ante by growing and raising all of the food he needs to feed his family of four in his own backyard farm. Every morsel. From potatoes to chickens; from cantaloupe to rabbits. Oh, and by the way, did I mention that his “farm” is located in his 20 x 40 foot Brooklyn backyard?

Meet Manny Howard, locavore extraordinaire, or at least that is who he attempted to become. Manny is the first to admit that his experiment was far from purist; he had to cut a number of corners and shell out a load of cash ($11,000) in order to grow “barely enough to feed one grown man for a month.” But while Manny’s experiment may not have been an overwhelming success; it definitely made me reevaluate the potential farm in my own backyard.