Let's reimagine what urban green spaces can offer. What used to be a 7-acre hillside of intractable grass is now a verdant, climate change-mitigating ecosystem with a diverse pollinator habitat, rich, healthy soil, and 700+ edible plants.

In this interview, we talk to Elise Evans, former Board President of Beacon Food Forest. We’ll dig into how this grassroots organization, powered by volunteers, has managed to create a unique, thriving, sustainable solution to food insecurity, land access, and food and ecology education.

Elise talks to us about how it got started, how it has evolved over the 15 years since the project began, and how community keeps it thriving.

The produce that grows on Beacon Food Forest land is available to anyone to harvest. Show up to volunteer on any third Saturday work party and you’ll learn about soil, indigenous plants, and garden care (you might even get a free lunch!). Or take a class to learn about everything from cultivating mushrooms, to attracting pollinators, to growing natural remedies.

Beacon Food Forest offers a blueprint for any community looking to create opportunities for its citizens to participate in creating local food ecosystems. It's public food on public land.

Intrigued? Listen to this episode of the Umami Podcast to learn more about Beacon Food Forest and the ways you can get involved in this community.