The Beacon Food Forest - An urban oasis, Open Harvest Community space in the heart of Seattle.
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Volunteer opportunities: To receive notifications about weekly (socially distanced) work parties, please send an email to BFF-SpecialWorkParties+[email protected] and you’ll receive a sign-up link for our listserv. Our Story:
As one of the first large-scale public food forests, this garden has captured the imaginations of people all around the world with visions of how communities can come tog
ether in urban places to grow food and revitalize the landscape with community gardening. The Beacon Food Forest celebrates growing food for the benefit of all species, providing educational opportunities, fostering and serving a diverse community, improving public health by regenerating public land, reducing agricultural climate impact, and improving local food security.
*** History of the project
This project is a significant grassroots effort, initiated and driven by community members. A group of friends and neighbors initiated the idea of a food forest in this location. With funds from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, the group launched a community design process and invited neighbors and food forest enthusiasts from around the region to participate. Hundreds of people have participated in all aspects of its vision, design, and construction. Hundreds more participated in work parties to build the food forest with tasks ranging from spreading woodchips to installing a water system. Community volunteers are responsible for ongoing stewardship and maintenance of the garden.
*** What is a food forest? A Food Forest is a gardening technique or land management system that mimics a woodland ecosystem but substitutes in edible trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals. Fruit and nut trees are the upper level, while below are berry shrubs, edible perennials and annuals. Companions or beneficial plants are included to attract insects for natural pest management while some plants are soil amenders providing nitrogen and mulch. Together they create relationships to form a forest garden ecosystem able to produce high yields of food with less maintenance.
11/04/2024
Hae, Liza, and Khalil are back again with the second installment of the “Cultivating Connection” series.
“Resting Our Roots” is all about identifying the parallels between our lives and the land through the lenses of care, rest, and slowing down. We’ll be sharing stories, a warm seasonally relevant meal, and remedies over the warmth of the fire.
This event will be hosted from 6:00pm to 8:00pm in the gathering plaza of Beacon Food Forest.
With us entering the colder season, please be sure to dress appropriately. We will have a covered canopy and a fire roaring to keep us cozy, but please bring additional blankets to share!
Potluck style is encouraged, but we will have food provided! Please be sure to review the menu carefully prepared by Chef Liza!
Will we see you there?
11/04/2024
10/10/2024
Hawk (red-tail) at BFF is quite busy
09/30/2024
Wapato Harvest! Here are photos of tubers right from the mud followed by frying wapato pancakes. Truly a creative and interactive local food experience!
We carried out our annual harvest of the incredible aquatic tuber, wapato (Sagittaria latifolia). These delicous tubers are similar to potatoes, although they require standing water to grow and thrive.
First, we weeded out much of the overgrowth in the naturally occurring wetland at the food forest. Then we got very muddy as promised by digging up the wapato from this section of the Native Guild. Some of use chose to use digging forks to loosen any roots and then put our hands completely into the mud to dig out wapato! If a section had a lot of water, the loosened tubers might float to the surface.
We had enough people and time to also prune branches, cut more of the prairie to mimic a controlled burn, and harvest Ozette potatoes. 🥔
So many different people came to help with this big effort, both longtime and new volunteers! Thank you to everyone who contributed. 😊🧡🌱
Have you tried wapato before? How did you cook it?
09/19/2024
Make your calendars for our Beacon Food Forest Annual Harvest Fest on Saturday, September 21st, 2024! 11am-3pm.
Let’s enjoy the harvest together with free food, live music, art projects, community partners and more! Join us in painting a butterfly mural on the lower shed, accessible art activities table for all ages, free food from neighborhood family owned restaurant Quilombo Cafetal, drink from our friends at live music on the community stage with and friends, BFF lavender sachets and BFF water bottles for sale by donation and more! Plus you can help with harvesting apples for our Cider Press, press the apples and make cider!!
09/10/2024
Special Work Parties at Beacon Food Forest!
🌅 Thursday, 9/12: Sunset Lab
Sunset Lab is a a weekly gathering during the warm months, and great and chill way to get plugged into BFF happenings, make friends, and have a fun time taking care of the forest.
We only have a few Sunset Labs left as we’re transitioning into fall, so be sure to join us soon! Feel free to bring snacks, drinks, and friends! 6:30pm - Sunset, drop-in!
🦺 Friday, 9/13: Gensler Structure Foundation Work (12:00pm - 4:00pm)
We’re looking for hands for some continued work on the foundation of the Gensler structure, a covered seating area that was donated to us. Come out and help us get the site prepped, this Friday, the 13th all afternoon.
Last week, we dug holes and laid out the measurements for the structures placement. Big thanks to everyone that showed up!
This time around, we’ll be digging out the last 2.5 holes, mixing concrete to pour into the holes, dropping the footings into the concrete, and leveling everything out! The Gensler crew will come to assist with the final installation at the beginning of October.
This project is gonna involve quite a bit of lifting, lots of digging, and a bit of logical/mathematical thought for measurements and structure things. So if this is your vibe, please come through!
🗑️Saturday, 9/14: Compost Giveaway w/ Seattle Public Utilities (10:00am - 1:30pm)
BFF is partnering with SPU to provide free, organic compost to the Beacon Hill Neighborhood again on Saturday, September 14th!
This was a pretty popular giveaway in the spring, so I’d expect the same energy from the community this time around as well.
For volunteer roles, we’re in need of some wheelbarrow lifters, dirt shovelers, traffic directors, and some sign-in assistance, so if you would like to help out this Saturday DM us!
08/15/2024
We hope you’ll join us for summer fun at our monthly community caretaking of BFF this Saturday, August 17th from 10am-2pm!
In that spirit, here are some photos from the archives of August moments at BFF in years past! 🥰🌱
When you arrive, head to the southeast corner of BFF to sign in at the Outreach Table, make a nametag, and then join us in the Gathering Plaza.
Group leads will be wearing orange bandanas and will make announcements about the activities.
Weeding, compost processing, collecting seeds, and more! A lot to do out there!
There will be an art activity in the Gathering Plaza, and we’ll have food available for lunch around 1pm! 🥗
We’ll host a New Volunteer Orientation for folks interested in a deeper dive about getting involved at BFF - that’ll gather after we’ve gotten our lunch.
See you there!
- your BFF 🧡🌱🌈
08/08/2024
BFF was mentioned in this sweet article just published by South Seattle Emerald - enjoy your summer foraging, friends!
We’re past the moments that typically signal the start of Seattle summer — the summer solstice, the Fourth of July — and have settled into the season’s (mostly) hot, sunny days, when an array of forageable fruits and flowers burst forth.
08/04/2024
06/13/2024
Join us for Pride Night during our weekly Sunset Lab at Beacon Food Forest! 🎉All-ages, All are Welcome, come to learn, make new friends, make art and share knowledge. Bring snacks! Event is fully outdoors, Thursday June 20th, 6:30pm - Sunset.
06/01/2024
Despite all the rain and grey we've been getting recently, Summer and the dry season are well on their way! To prepare for the hot and dry days we're gonna need all hands on deck for the watering season.
Watering responsibilities can vary depending on the area you're caring for and the amount of fellow stewards you've got working with you – watering can take 20 minutes to an hour depending on the guild you're caring for, but you can pick the days that you show up! We only ask that you are consistent and intentional in your care for our plant friends. Consistency can look like coming every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday - once a week – or everyday if that floats your boat! We just need to fill in as much of the schedule as we can!
Volunteers interested in helping out should reach out to us via email at [email protected] to figure out how to get plugged in.
05/26/2024
May, 18th- Third Saturday Work Party! 🌱🌈
Thank you to our amazing community and staff for another successful day mulching, weeding, watering, and bettering our accessibility! It is always so much fun being able to come together and care for our Earth and People:)🌎
Pictured: Volunteers at BFF
📸 Courtesy of friends at BFF
05/16/2024
Hello Food Foresters! 🌳
With the recent warm spell, spring is in full swing! More blooms abound on site, and the honey berries are almost ripe! Come check out the blossoms and join us at our monthly gathering to care for BFF this Saturday, May 18th from 10am-2pm. 🌼
What To Bring: Water, personal snacks, gardening gloves, mask or cloth face covering (optional), weather appropriate layer, and of course sunscreen!
(We will lunch available! As well as extra clean gardening gloves if needed.) 🧤🪴
Upon Arrival: Head to the southeast corner of BFF to sign in at the Outreach Table, make a name-tag, and then join us in the Gathering Plaza!
Accessibility: The Gathering Plaza, lower toolshed, 16th Ave bike path, restrooms, Education Plaza, and Art Table are all wheelchair- accessible. 🌈
05/02/2024
Join us this Saturday May 4th at Beacon Food Forest for our Open House, Plant Sale, and Outdoor Concerts!
Free food while it lasts, volunteer info and Tours at 1:30pm & 3pm! Come on through to your local Food Justice Urban Oasis permaculture 7 acre green space, we are right next to Jefferson Park. Hope you can join us! 🌈🌸🌱
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Videos
Views from Saturdays sunset!
Texas striped sweat bees at BFF.
Elise and Will digging the area in front of the trellis to make an accessible path.
As one of the first large-scale public food forests, this garden has captured the imaginations of people all around the world with visions of how communities can come together in urban places to grow food and revitalize the landscape with community gardening and permaculture practices.
The Beacon Food Forest celebrates growing food for the benefit of all species, providing educational opportunities, fostering and serving a diverse community, improving public health by regenerating public land, reducing agricultural climate impact, and improving local food security.
History of the project
This project is a significant grassroots effort, initiated and driven by community members. A group of friends and neighbors initiated the idea of a food forest in this location. With funds from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, the group launched a community design process and invited neighbors and permaculture enthusiasts from around the region to participate. Hundreds of people have participated in all aspects of its vision, design, and construction. Hundreds more participated in work parties to build the food forest with tasks ranging from spreading woodchips to installing a water system. Community volunteers are responsible for ongoing stewardship and maintenance of the garden.
What is permaculture? What is food forestry?
Permaculture is a philosophy and set of design principles centered around whole systems thinking and sustainability. Permaculture practices seek to create resilient agricultural, community, and economic systems that are holistic and self-sustaining, following the example of sustainable systems in nature.
A Food Forest is a gardening technique or land management system that mimics a woodland ecosystem but substitutes in edible trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals. Fruit and nut trees are the upper level, while below are berry shrubs, edible perennials and annuals. Companions or beneficial plants are included to attract insects for natural pest management while some plants are soil amenders providing nitrogen and mulch. Together they create relationships to form a forest garden ecosystem able to produce high yields of food with less maintenance.
