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Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail againNYC's first <a href="http://www.swaleny.org/">floating food forest</a> is giving New Yorkers the chance to hop aboard and sample its edible plants. <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/floating-food-forest-to-make-its-debut-by-giving-away-food-in-the-bronx/">Swale</a>, a collaborative effort by artist <a href="http://www.marymattingly.com/">Mary Mattingly</a> and a <a href="http://www.swaleny.org/">diverse team of contributors</a>, transforms a 130-foot by 40-foot barge made from repurposed shipping containers into a public oasis where people can come pick fresh produce and learn about urban agriculture. Swale will be docked at <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/?s=brooklyn+bridge+park&_=1478875333">Brooklyn Bridge Park</a> for just a few more days, so don't miss your chance to climb aboard and nosh on some of its bounty for free.1
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail againPart artwork, part farm and part educational tool, <a href="http://www.swaleny.org">Swale</a> was designed as a way to feed both people's stomachs and their minds.2
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail againMattingly came up with the idea after discovering that it was illegal in New York to use public land to grow food for free public consumption.3
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again bargeSince land was out of the question, she immediately considered NYC's open waterways as a way to bring fresh produce to even more places throughout the five boroughs.4
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again celerySwale is home to more than 80 species of edible plants, from blueberries to celery to oregano to Swiss chard, asparagus and even persimmons.5
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again chard"What if free healthy food what a public service and not an expensive commodity?" asks Mattingly in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bzs3XpkXTS0">her video about Swale</a>. "That's the question we really want to ask with this mobile structure. Because we can move Swale from place to place, we can share it with more people. Through this process, we can build the necessary momentum to work towards policy change where the city actually considers different public spaces and where food can be grown there on a long-term basis."6
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again East RiverThe barge will be docked at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park until November 13th.7
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again edible plantsThe majority of the plants are cultivated in raised planter beds.8
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again elephant earSwale floating food forest at Brooklyn Bridge Park9
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again fruitSwale floating food forest at Brooklyn Bridge Park10
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again herbsThe barge grows a variety of herbs.11
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again lavendarSwale floating food forest at Brooklyn Bridge Park12
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again on East RiverSwale floating food forest at Brooklyn Bridge Park13
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again Pandora Bird Radio Elizabeth DemarayThe floating ecosystem has also attracted its fair share of non-human admirers as well. <a href="https://elizabethdemaray.org/category/trans-species-pandora-radio/">PandoraBird</a>, an interactive installation by <a href="https://elizabethdemaray.org/">Elizabeth Demaray</a> in collaboration with Ahmed Elgammal, seeks to identify the musical preferences of Swale's avian visitors using "computer vision and interactive software to track and then play the music choices made by wild song- birds."14
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again Pandora Bird RadioSwale floating food forest at Brooklyn Bridge Park15
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again pianoThe urban farm uses a combination of rainwater and water from the New York Harbor to water its produce.16
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again plantsSwale floating food forest at Brooklyn Bridge Park17
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again public foodSwale floating food forest at Brooklyn Bridge Park18
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again signSwale floating food forest at Brooklyn Bridge Park19
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again SwaleSwale floating food forest at Brooklyn Bridge Park20
Come eat free food from this floating edible forest before it sets sail again treesSwale floating food forest at Brooklyn Bridge Park21
