New York never fails to surprise me. Last Saturday, we tagged along with my cousins to the Brooklyn Navy Yards to check out an event at the Brooklyn Grange. I was floored to discover a flourishing urban farm on a Brooklyn rooftop with the New York skyline as its backdrop.

The Brooklyn Grange bills itself as the biggest commercial rooftop farm in the world, with two farms located in the Brooklyn Navy Yards and in Long Island City. They sell their produce at the LIC farm on Saturdays and at Greenpoint's Down to Earth Markets on Sundays, as well as select online and local retailers. Brooklyn Grange shares the joys of urban farming with a wide range of audiences, including urban youth, refugees and immigrants. Apart from all its admirable do-gooing, the Brooklyn Grange's urban farm is a sight to behold. Its lush rows of dinosaur kale, tomato vines heavy with plump fruit, and cheery sunflowers look utterly surreal set against stunning views of the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center.

The event we attended last Saturday launched a partnership between Everlane and Edible Schoolyard NYC. Their goal is to raise $50,000 to bring better food and knowledge about where food comes from to the city's school children. Everlane teamed up with five chefs to design a range of market totes, which are currently available for purchase at Everlane. Profits will benefit Edible Schoolyard NYC, which partners with public schools to build gardens and kitchen classrooms so that school children can have a stronger connection with food, health and the environment.