COMPOSTABLE CONTAINERS
The Farm on Adderley's perfect french fries are the best in New York City. (Don't take our word for it—even New York Magazine just knighted them so.) But like many advances in human history, these fine fries have created a new problem: what are you to do with those untouched-but-unctuous burgers left on your plate after you've pounded the fries? Sure, the burger, flipped with its longtime foil, for once plays the supporting role in which the frites are traditionally cast. And sure, by the time your appetite is back, that English muffin bun might be coated with some beefy film that was more appetizing in its hot, liquid state. But though you're stuffed full of fries and think you'll never eat again, this perfectly loveable burger should not be sent the way of steakhouse parsley sprigs.

Enter the Farm on Adderly's new 100% biodegradable to-go containers. Leave it to owners Gary Jonas and Allison McDowell to mastermind such a farmy way to sate yourself twice. The standard-size box is sturdy sans styrafoam,
and the accompanying clear clamshell passes for what you'd get tuna salad in at the deli, but without the multi-generational landfill commitment. Farm staff even swaddle your midnight snack in a completely biodegradable "plastic" bag, which makes carrying it home on the Q train a convenient truce. (The Farm on Adderley, 1108 Cortelyou Rd., 718-287-3101).

AN OLIVE TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN?
No, global warming hasn't yet weakened our winters enough to allow backyard olive trees. But Frankies 457 Sputino (457 Court Street, 718-403- 0033), the low-key wine bar/sandwich shop/restaurant on Court Street famous for very excellent cheap eats, or as the Italians call them, sputini, isn't waiting for climate change. The two Franks (Castronovo and Falcineli) now have their own brand of olive oil made just for them (and, if you have $18, for you as well) from organic olives grow in Sicily that they fly over to select themselves. Explains the manager, Jenny, "people always want to take home our salad dressings, they always want to know the recipes." The bright, fruity flavor (surely a secret ingredient in those dressing, dips, and sauces-we'll know the rest when their cookbook is unveiled) and distinctive green color are signatures of the first cold pressing of exclusively green Nocellara del Belice olives. The oil will soon be available in 5-gallon containers for chefs who've been clamoring for it, and for you if you really want to impress your friends. Now if only they'd start bottling that soulful, slow cookedmarina.

IF ONLY WE COULD CLINK THE PINTS TOGETHER
If you came to our fabulous launch party last year you recall the delicious, jewel-toned Wine Cellar Sorbets no one could get enough of. In the year since, the Greenpoint-based business has gained quite a following, with pints in over 60 locations city-wide. Our new favorite flavor (it’s so new they don’t even have a label for us to photograph), Sangria Rojo, is made of red wine imported from Spain. In keeping with true sangria tradition, an orange wedge
presides at the surface of each pint. Starting in May Sangria Rojo Sorbet will be available in many Brooklyn locations including Blue Apron Foods and Bierkraft.

LOCAL QUAFFING
Did you know that wine grapes have recently passed potatoes as Long Island’s biggest crop? The formidable Wine
Advocate devoted 16 pages to Long Island wine country in a 2006 issue, showering 90+ scores on many wines and suggesting that “you ain’t seen nothing yet.” The tasting panel of the New York Times has begun to follow the region more closely. And while it’s the rare restaurant or bar whose tap doesn’t include several local microbrews, such high patronage hasn’t yet developed for the burgeoning wine region only two hours’ drive from Kings County. (Technically speaking, Brooklyn is part of Long Island.)

For curious Brooklynites, more than 30 wineries from the Hamptons and North Fork of Long Island will be pouring
their selections at the first annual Brooklyn Uncorked at the BAM Café on May 16. (This magazine is a proud cosponsor of the event.) For $30, attendees get to sample the region’s steely chardonnays, strawy sauvignon blancs, yeasty sparkling wine, fruity cab francs, nuanced merlots, and dozens of other varietals. There will also be local cheese, bread, honey and dried fruit to sample, as well as two Long Island oystermen shucking their harvest. (To buy tickets, see ediblebrooklyn.net.)

Getting to taste from the winemaker directly “enhances your appreciation and knowledge tremendously,” according
to Amy Bennet, owner of the Greene Grape wine shop in Fort Greene, which started a New York Cork Club to expose members to the extraordinary variety of New York wine. Not to mention the fact that being able to taste
many wines at one time is the best way to learn what you like. “Drinking locally puts city folk in touch with nature
and the seasons,” Bennet adds. “You may be reminded of the summer heat wave years ago when you pick up your
glass and taste the effect on the grapes and how the winemaker has chosen to reflect it.”

FERTILIZING DANDELIONS
As the weather warms, everything ripens—including garbage. It litters the subway, overflows from street bins, and smells funky all summer. A year ago, six Brooklynites decided to diminish the stink by starting a compost project at the Fort Greene Greenmarket. Now, when you get your fix of Ronnybrook drinkable peach yogurt, you can deposit your food scraps in the bins, and by day’s end they’ll be happily decomposing at one of three nearby community gardens. A $600 grant from Citizens for NYC will fund an industrial tricycle to haul the compost to and fro.

Why go to all this trouble over some fruit-fly-bitten peels and rinds? Alice Hartley, one of the original six members, explains, “The last thing people want in the summer is rotting garbage. The stuff that smells is usually compostable, so this project helps eliminate a lot of unnecessary waste.” Smells good to us.

The Fort Greene Greenmarket is at Washington and DeKalb every Saturday. The compost bins are accepting donations 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Heidi Exline