It’s Not a Fairytale: Seattle to Build Nation’s First Food Forest...

When I was a young girl, there was a place like this in the area of Pittsburgh where I used to spend my summers with my Aunt. The area actually ran along the strip of land that held the power lines. Since the power lines were considered public property, the trees and their fruit belonged to everyone, and any that wished to pick the fruits, could, and did. I made more than my share of applesauce from those trees.

The place was called “Peach Texas.” I don’t remember why, but it was filled with apple trees, peach trees, nut trees, and two beautiful plum trees. It was the plum trees that got us in trouble. The plum trees were right behind the house of this wicked old man that thought because the trees happened to be behind his house, that the trees belonged to him. He was constantly chasing us children away from those plum trees. We had nothing better to do but wait him out, of course. He had to leave the house sometimes, and though he tried a many time to double back to trick us, and to catch us, we were always just a bit quicker than he was.

Mind you, the plum trees were on the same strip of land as the other trees. He did not try to stop us from taking any of the other items from the other trees. Just the plums, and of course those had to be the ones that we wanted.

Outside of our constant battle with the neighbor about the plums, I don’t ever remember there being any fights or disagreements about the harvesting of the fruits from those trees. I don’t think that there will be any problems. In fact, it should make for more neighborly interactions.

I say this is just frickin' AWESOME.

I've been to Seattle a few times in the line of work, and I always loved it. Great weather, great people, great places, nice atmosphere. And stuff like this.

It is great in theory, but humans will ruin it , guaranteed.

If everyone shared that philosophy, humankind would never, ever evolve past the petty, war-like, territorial people that we are. Why when someone or a city or a government has a great idea, people feel the need to shoot it down? Give it a chance. If it fails, try again. If it fails again, try 100 more times.

If you don't fail at something, you are not trying hard enough.

reply to post by Bodhi7


Awesome priorities eh? I hope that was sarcasm.....
Projects like these are great. When I start making regular paychecks again I plan on starting up a nonprofit to do the same type of thing, maybe in the moncton area.

reply to post by fleabit


Or not trying at all. Better to not try, and not "look like an idiot" and fail. That is what our school systems pump out. And we wonder why society is going down the #ter.

reply to post by dutchmilpo


Up here it's bluberries mostly. They literally line the freeways. People are always stopping to pick them though, then again people around here still bake old fashioned pies too. MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

reply to post by schuyler


Had plenty of raspberries and blackberries where I lived in NY as well.

So stupid.
they let a shop owner take it ALL
and then Sell it to you???

My question is this:

Would the average US citizen be willing to pay extra state taxes to implement this type of system?

Out of all the taxes the US citizen pays for war or big corporation bail outs, I think this would be one of the only taxes that would be welcomed, as it is by the people, for the people. However, there are people that would abuse the system for self gain, as the history of mankind has shown, so there would have to be laws to protect this from happening.

IMO, these gardens can be utilized as a place for anyone downtrodden and homeless to get back on their feet. We can combine the homeless shelters and the city gardens into one, where shelter and food can be given in exchange for services, such as watering plants or whatever activities needed to grow food, Also, the left over fruits and vegetables could be sold for funds to help implement this organization to other cities if it is successful. The tax dollars could be used to hire professionals to teach how to properly grow and raise plants, build the shelters, etc.

Why would this idea be successful? As stated before, this idea is fundamentally by the people and for the people. Simply, this is a social program with a new twist and refreshing idea that hasn't been popular as of late: We will help those who help themselves, instead of throwing cash at you expecting the problem to go away.

Not only is this beneficial for the environment, but society in general; it brings back the doctrine of rugged individualism with a side of logical empathy for fellow man and self sustenance, a value that can last a lifetime.

Why this would never work? It is a shake up to "the system."

reply to post by wagnificent


So are you suggesting that this garden in Seattle is going to be the impetus behind the big "Change" for humanity? Am I really being pessimistic? There is a reason that humanity is the way it is. Disprove my assertion that this is all natural and the way it should be. Or are humans not part of nature? It is inherent in our nature to lead or be led, here is the crux though. All who lead I am sure have moments where they wish they were followers. It is our dualistic nature that has led mankind astray, with all of us flip-flopping about like fish out of water. Is that what we are? I would liken my perspective to more of a cynical realism. Call me what you will, I liken myself to the black speck in the white swirl, or the white dot in the black void??? Maybe I am a Centrist? I lean one way but gravity definitely has me, and I it. For how can there be happy, if there is not sad? How can we have birth, if there is not death? Unfortunately I feel that this will play out exactly as it was meant to, that being naturally. Think of this what you will, makes no matter to me. Go enjoy a cup of green tea while you are younger!

reply to post by ezekielken


Conject, surmise, postulate, write it all down. Label me and yourself if you must. When you die, what then has become of the food forest? How far does an observer driven universe reach? How big is big and how small is small? With no frame of reference we are all in this same boat, I am sad to say it has sprung a leak. Go have some more green tea, While you are still younger.

Dang I love my hometown!!! Seattle is always on the forefront, but it gets such a bad rap for being rainy and dismal. Which it is a lot of the time! ;-O
What a great idea though, hopefully they will start popping up all over the place.

This is a GREAT idea! Now lets start planting the whole world like this and stop being so greedy over it all!

reply to post by palg1


Actually I consider those programs to be great programs as well. They have already shown that needle exchanges have lowered hiv infection rates greatly in cities where they have the exchanges... and believe it or not those things affect all of us, me and you (whether directly or indirectly). Addicts aren't always stereotypical looking and many function in society. So disease is able to find it's way into a population of non addicts via sex and then who knows where. So needle exchanges are a great use of public funds.

reply to post by fluff007


I like this idea and story in theory... But when anything is free you have to worry about the people that are going to take advantage of this generous cause..... In the article when they discussed the blueberries and the possibility of one person taking them all and the people not caring, that has me worried... Who says that local restaurants dont ransack the food forest for all their fresh produce??

Like I said earlier, in theory, this sounds great, I'm just worried that people will take advantage of it and ulitimately ruin it...

PS- I love Seattle, I travel there quite often for work, its my second favorite city next to Chicago (where I'm from)....

reply to post by fluff007


This is huge, could be a trend in the making, I certainly hope so.

Me thinks TPTB will not share my enthusiasm...

Only in Seattle! Haha, but honestly, this particular city has a very "liberal" community, and I highly doubt this garden will be destroyed like similar things have been in other cities. This idea may fall flat on its face, but if it does it will not be because needy people are taking too much, but rather some moron thinking that destroying the whole thing would be amusing. That or a similar mindset. But hopefully the community themselves will keep a guard on the place, until everyone gets used to it being there, and they get a feel for how well it will work and what if any bugs need to be worked out.

reply to post by fluff007


Awesome. But 1 small pint of contention, this will not be the first food forest in america.


www.livablefutureblog.com...

reply to post by fluff007


This gives me hope for the future of humanity.

Originally posted by Max_TO
Surprised the city lawyers are letting them do this ? Is the city liable if anyone gets sick from the food ?

I like the idea , but can it be done in today's day and age ?

Overhere, on this side of the pond, a liability-case would have about as much of a chance as a snowball in Hell.
The Municipality just states :"Nobody forced You to eat that. Yóu decided to try that odd berrie. It's Your ówn responsability"

Coupled to that the fact that getting one's stomach pumped after an unfortunate gastronomical adventure is covered by our two-tier healthcare. ,t's in the base-package, well, You get the picture.

We have a saying: "Eigen schuld, dikke bult" (liberally transl.: knock Your head against the wall, get a bump. i.e. "You made Your bed, so You sleep in it")

Originally posted by TKDRL
reply to post by dutchmilpo

 

Up here it's bluberries mostly. They literally line the freeways. People are always stopping to pick them though, then again people around here still bake old fashioned pies too. MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Oooohh maááánnn..pie... nów I am hungry.... grmbl.. thnx for nothing. . The birth-place of my parents has a piece of dense woodland where blueberries grow like mad. The local bakery makes Ice-cream from it. Kids pick them and sell them to the bakery especially for that purpose....

I believe that community-gardens, or free-to-pick gardens are a great initiative, if only to re-connect people back to nature (sounds wishy-washy, but the connection and knowledge about nature, makes for a very self-sufficient person, a luxury that mány city-dwellers do not have)