New York Today: Big Apples and Honey

Emily S. Rueb/The New York Times New York City’s got the bees for the honey, but what about the apples?

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, begins tonight at sundown.

Wouldn’t it be an extra sweet holiday if the ritual snack of apples dipped in honey came from within the five boroughs?

Local honey is available. Beekeeping is now legal in the city and increasingly popular.

Vendors sell at least two varieties at the Union Square Greenmarket.

The honey at the city’s biggest rooftop garden, Brooklyn Grange, which has farmstand hours today, boasts “a pronounced sarsaparilla flavor,” according to one review.

But Big Apple apples?

“We occasionally get people coming to us with a case of something they grew in their backyard and try to get us to sell it â€" herbs, sometimes squash, or figs,” said Anika Pyle, produce buyer for the Brooklyn Kitchen, a store in Williamsburg.

“But no one’s ever brought in apples,” she said.

Still, we located at least one source.

The Queens County Farm Museum, site of the state’s oldest farm, is selling heirloom golden russets today.

“They’re not the prettiest apples,” said Sarah Meyer, the museum’s sales director. “But they’re delicious.”

Here’s what you need to know for Wednesday.

WEATHER

Nice one, Mr. or Ms. Weatherperson. Sun-dappled and warm, breezy and dry, with a high of 83.

TRANSIT & TRAFFIC

- Mass Transit: Fine so far. Click for latest M.T.A. status.

- Roads: No major delays. Click for traffic map or radio report on the 1s.

Alternate-side parking is in effect.

COMING UP TODAY

- William C. Thompson Jr. campaigns on Staten Island with teachers’ union officials and hosts a forum on gun violence. Joseph J. Lhota visits the New York Young Republican Club.

- The Democratic candidates for comptroller, Scott M. Stringer and Eliot Spitzer, take part in a “moderated forum” sponsored by the Council of Urban Professionals at 8:30 a.m.

- AARP hosts debates for City Council candidates at Fordham University (10 a.m.) and City College (6:30 p.m.)

- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg signs bills to cut pollution from city vehicles.

- The mayor will also proclaim today to be Elie Tahari Day. You remember Elie Tahari. He invented the tube top.

- Federal and city officials kick off the 10th annual National Preparedness Month to educate the public on disaster precautions.

- On that note, Seth Diamond, a senior state official, speaks to the Metropolitan Transportation Council about rebuilding the transportation network after Hurricane Sandy.

- Brooklyn Academy of Music unveils a new bike park and art installation, including racks designed by the musician David Byrne, at 11 a.m.

- Figure drawing outdoors at South Cove Plaza at Battery Park City at 2:30 p.m.

- Yoga in the sunset in Riverside Park at 66th Street at 6:30 p.m., or Pilates at Brooklyn Bridge Park at 7 p.m. [Free]

- “Life of Pi” screens at the South Street Seaport at 8 p.m. [Free]

- “The Flag,” a documentary about the tangled history of the flag raised from the rubble of ground zero on Sept. 11, shows on CNN at 9 p.m.

- With school still out for most of the city, The Times has a guide to events this week for children.

IN THE NEWS

- As Bill de Blasio surges in the latest mayoral polls, his rivals pounded him at last night’s debate as a real-estate panderer, flip-flopper and naïve dreamer. [New York Times]

- The mayor sued the City Council to overturn a new law that makes it easier for people to sue the police in stop-and-frisk cases. [Daily News]

- Vito J. Lopez, the former State Assemblyman who resigned in a sexual harassment scandal, stands a decent chance of winning a City Council seat. [New York Times]

- The police are looking for a speedy driver who posted a video appearing to depict him doing a 26.5-mile lap around Manhattan in 24 minutes. [New York Post]

- A treasure hunter thinks he may have found pieces of a Revolutionary-era British frigate said to have sunk in the East River with a load of gold coins. [New York Times]

- The National Opera Center, providing low-cost rental space for rehearsals, auditions and even performances, opens today in Chelsea. [Crains]

- At Forest Hills, Andy Murray nearly lost to an unseeded Uzbek player but recovered to advance to the quarterfinals.

- Yankees beat White Sox 6-4. Mets lose to Atlanta 3-1.

Nicole Higgins DeSmet contributed reporting.

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