The Village of Nyack has just approved the creation of New York’s first public food forest in Memorial Park and 6-8 communal garden spaces on Main Street and Franklin Street. Planting will begin in the spring of 2015. The Nyack food forest is modeled after a similar effort on Beacon Hill, in Seattle.
The Nyack food forrest is part of an agricultural movement called the Please Pick Project. A green community initiative, Please Pick Projects encourage property owners to grow edible gardens and small-scale food forests in their front yards, sharing the bounty with neighbors and passersby who may not have the resources to procure fruits and vegetables regularly.
“Nyack is home to an economically diverse population. Picturesque Victorian mansions dapple its hilly slope toward the Hudson River, but in that same landscape, nearly 100 people walk a scenic path to the local soup kitchen each week. Hundreds of other individuals and families struggle to afford good food, which reflects a nationwide pattern,” said the founder of the Please Pick Project Suzanne Barish. “The first Please Pick planting is scheduled for May 2015, but the fervor to create a healthy, unified community has already taken root.”
Suzanne Barish will be at the Saturday Farmers’ Market on Saturday, November 15 to inform the community about the Please Pick Project.
Get to know Nyack’s groundbreaking new initiative that will create edible communal and front yard gardens in town. Like Please Pick Project on Facebook or contact Suzanne Barish at foleysuz1@yahoo.com or by telephone at 845-323-3658.
