Robert Fulton Houses host 'Good Food' project

Manhattan is a place where lush green lawns are an anomaly. It's even rarer to see public fruit and vegetable plots. But now the Robert Fulton Houses in Chelsea is trying to change that.

The Fulton Houses began a new project, the Good Food Gardens, which aims to educate the residents on nutrition as they participate in planting fruits, peas and various leafy vegetables, according to Mark Teich, the project's founder.

"The garden is important because it shows kids where food comes from," Teich said.

The program is a joint initiative between the Food Network and Share Our Strength, an organization that aims to end childhood hunger in America.

The Fulton Houses' Good Food Garden was first launched in early October at the New York City Wine and Food Festival in the Meatpacking District, after which it was uprooted and replanted in its permanent plot in Chelsea.

Teich said City Council member Christine Quinn came to both events to show her support, and she took time to chat with the residents of the Fulton Houses.

According to Lewis Moon, a coordinator in the partnership at Share Our Strength, Good Food Gardens is a nationwide program intended to increase access to fresh produce for people who are in areas of need.

"It is not only a battle of access to food, but to healthy food," Moon said. "Not everyone can afford Whole Foods Market."

Carrie Welch, NYU alumna and public relations vice president for Food Network, said because low-income families often lack nutritional knowledge, many end up suffering from poor eating habits.

"Some kids might not know what a fresh strawberry looks like when it's in the ground," Welch said. "Once they know, they could be twice as likely to eat them."

According to Moon, there are about 13 Good Food Gardens across the nation that are granted to community centers, schools or after-school programs. Each garden is tweaked to accommodate its recipients' needs and desires.

"When a Good Food Garden is installed, we make sure to have our people describe the basics of gardening and dietary choices to the garden grantees," Moon said.

He added that every Good Food Garden comes with a three-year grant to help with cost-related needs of the harvest.

According to Teich, because the garden is installed with an automatic watering system, not too much effort is required of the people to maintain it.

"We just hope it will inspire lifelong healthy eating habits," Moon said. "And of course, that people will get how fun and exciting it is."