March 2023
Beacon Food Forest Spring Open House May 13, 2023
Mark your calendar for the Beacon Food Forest Spring Open House! Guided Tours, trainings, Plant sale, yummy treats, free seeds, kids activities, music & more! Saturday, May 13th 2023
Beacon Food Forest March Events
TUESDAY, MARCH 7 - BFF Community Development Meeting 6:30-7:30PM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8 - BFF Education Committee Meeting 6:30-8:00PM. Everyone is welcome to join a meeting! This is a great place to meet BFF core volunteers, participate in planning activities at BFF, or even propose your own class. We are currently meeting online. Email education@beaconfoodforest.org with questions.
SUNDAY, MARCH 11TH - BIPOC Garden Bed Consolidation 10:00AM-2:00PM. At this work party we'll be working in the BIPOC Garden; combining some of our smaller raised beds to make space for the high volume of food we plan to grow this year. we'll also be doing a bit of general cleanup in the space.
SATURDAY, MARCH 18TH - Third Saturday Work Party 10:00AM-2:00PM at Beacon Food Forest, S Dakota St., Seattle, WA 98108
MONDAY, MARCH 20TH - Pollinator plus meeting 6:30PM-8:00PM
TUESDAY, MARCH 21ST - BIPOC Food Committee Meeting 6:30-8:00PM on Zoom. Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87525067703?pwd=SXloellaVUo1cGIxbStyZ1J5dDVudz09
Meeting ID: 875 2506 7703 Passcode: 616707
MONDAY, MARCH 27TH - Food Forest Collective - Board Meeting 6:00PM-8:00PM on Zoom. Everyone is welcome to join a meeting! This is a great place to learn about non-profit governance and see what it's like to be a board member. (We accept applications for board membership on a rolling basis!) we are currently meeting online.
Please email board@beaconfoodforest.org to receive the zoom meeting invitation.
TUESDAY, FEB 28TH - Site Dev Meeting 6:30PM-7:30PM on Zoom. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87682724759?pwd=cytkS0hhWU1TUlFJVlZxb1BZb2FLdz09
SATURDAY, APRIL 1ST Big Weeding Saturdays - Every First Saturday from 10AM to 2PM TO keep our weeds down and the paths clear!
TUESDAY, APRIL 4TH - BFF Community Development Meeting 6:30-7:30PM
Upcoming Classes at Beacon Food Forest
Explore & Care for Plant Guilds
Date: April 16, 2023 Time: 10 am until 12:30 PM
Learn what a plant guild is and why we use them @ Beacon Food Forest (BFF) - Learn some food forest plants – what plants we want and don’t
Have fun weeding, sheet mulching, and mulching – important garden maintenance tasks to do regularly, especially over our growing season (Mar. - Sept.). Explore BFF’s diversity and abundance. Consider being a land steward – care for a piece of BFF!
Ticket Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/explore-care-for-plant-guilds-tickets-561290303407
Vermicomposting Basics
Date: Sunday, September 24, 2023 Time: 11:00 AM 12:00 PM
Learn the basics of vermicomposting! Look inside a worm bin and explore. Understand what is needed to start a worm bin and be successful at it.
Learn why vermicomposting is good for your plants, worm habits, what is needed to keep your worms healthy, how to establish a bin, how to harvest a bin, and how to utilize the compost! Students will get to look inside a well-established bin, explore, and ask all the questions they need to become a successful vermicomposter!
Ticket Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vermicomposting-basics-tickets-553131760987
Food Bank Plot Making a Comeback!
Did you know Beacon Food Forest has a plot of land dedicated to growing food for Rainier Valley Food Bank (rvfb.org)? With a very busy 2022, it unfortunately fell by the wayside, but we are getting it back up and running! If you're interested in helping with this project, please reach out to janee@foodforest.ngo or DM Janee in Slack!
BFF Volunteers worked on preparing the Food Bank Plot on a rainy day in February.
Call for Water Stewards / Land Stewards
Let’s start with the most pressing needs. BFF seeks water stewards to help keep plants alive and thriving. Over the next few weeks, if you have been a water steward in the past you will receive an email asking if you would like to continue watering and if you want to keep to the guild you watered. We will update this on the stewarding spreadsheet. Watering is watering. If you know how to water plants properly, just keep doing that. If you any questions, reach out for answers.
The next part, Land Stewardship, is simple as 1, 2, 3.
Mariah, Rei and Tony looked at each guild and determined those graded as “1” requiring minimal maintenance: watering and preventing weeds from overtaking a guild. “2s” take a little more knowledge about the plants, the soil and prevalent conditions within the guild. Those overseeing grade 2 guilds might know if or when to call for when a guild needs greater attention. “3s” require ongoing attention and higher proficiency. Typically a “3” takes a group to make sure it carries out its intended function to its fullest extent. The Native Guild, BIPOC Committee Garden and Food Bank plots are thebest examples of these.
We came up with the Land Stewards Program for many reasons:
•Most, if not all guilds require watering, especially in warmer months
•Some guilds require more attention to detail
•Some water stewards already attend to things beyond watering
•It will help us keep track of what requires the most attention
•Stewards gain the opportunity to better support and appreciate our shared land
When we broadcast the water stewards email, we will ask those who already steward guilds if they want to continue and keep with the guilds they already attend. Some guilds already have land stewards; there about 20 that may need some. Land stewards could be plural on particular guilds. In fact, it is probably a better idea to share responsibility in many cases.
If you have been a water steward but want to adopt a guild, let us know. If you think you may need more skills to take on this challenge, the Education Committee will update its material and present guild maintenance classes in the near future.
Beacon Food Forest Summer Camps for Kids & Teens
Mark your calendars for these upcoming summer camps and share with your favorite kids/youth:
Food Forest Explorers Summer Day Camp
Date: Mon, Jul 10, 2023 9:00 AM Fri, Jul 14, 2023 3:00 PM
Location: Beacon Food Forest
Kids (6 – 9 yrs. old) join us for 5 days of fun exploring, foraging, harvesting, propagating, planting, observing (bees, birds, & more), and helping to care for Beacon Food Forest!
Ticket Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/food-forest-explorers-summer-day-camp-tickets-542872605577
Bug Explorers Summer Day Camp
July 3-7, 9am-3pm, Ages 12-15. Up to 15 Explorers.*Sign up soon!** Bug Explorers will have fun exploring a variety of bugs across a variety of species family. Connections between plants and bugs the BFF way.
Beacon Food Forest is full of bugs! Bug Explorers will: Learn how bugs keep us alive, Find out how to call bugs to any garden, including BFF , Adopt effective tool practice , Go on virtual bug scavenger hunts, Explore how plants support each other, Have Fun!* • Play Games! *• Find Bugs Sign up via Eventbrite:*https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bug-explorers-summer-camp-2023-tickets-531053965707*Low cost options available *More info? tony@foodforest.ngo
THIRD SATURDAY WORK PARTIES
It may be cool and cloudy but fun, friendship and some digging keep volunteers warm! Volunteers are getting things ready for spring planting at February’s Third Saturday work party. The March Third Saturday work party happens on March 18th. Plan to join the fun! Check our website for more details (Events and Classes — Beacon Food Forest), or sign up for the BFF special work parties list to receive 1-2 emails per week about work parties as they are scheduled: volunteer.
Easy Ways to Support Beacon Food Forest
Through your employer: We're officially partnered with 1% for the Planet! This nonprofit organization inspires businesses and individuals to provide financial support for non-profit Environmental Partner organizations - like the Beacon Food Forest - that work to make positive environmental impacts. Encourage your employer to join 1% for the planet to support the Beacon Food Forest, or make a donation yourself.
While you shop: At Fred Meyer, QFC, or any of the other Kroger stores, a part of your purchase will be donated to the Beacon Food Forest free of charge. It's as simple as linking your shopper's card (instructions here). We are listed as the Food Forest Collective (Org Number BP505). It's quick, easy, and helps us immensely.
Teach a class at the food forest!
We are looking for educators to teach classes at Beacon Food Forest in 2022 and 2023. We know all our community members have an abundance of knowledge and experiences to share. Anyone is welcome to propose a class related to permaculture, agroforestry, ecology, food justice, and other aspects of our mission. See our past classes for inspiration, or work with our Education Team to develop your idea.
Submit your class proposal to the Education Committee today!
Have something to contribute to the Beacon Food Forest Newsletter?
Submit articles or photos by the 4th Saturday of the month for inclusion in next month’s newsletter, which is typically sent out around the 1st Saturday. Submit to #newsletter on the BFF Slack Channel, or email to roberta.a.sherwood@gmail.com and eleanor@foodforest.ngo.
Resources
WA Food and Farm Finder
Want to visit local farms, find purveyors of specific products, or discover restaurants, markets, and food businesses that purchase from local producers? The new Food and Farm Finder let you search for food growers and producers throughout Washington:
Support Native food sovereignty
Here are some resources and links to ways you can learn about and be in solidarity with indigenous food sovereignty in Washington and beyond:
Take action:
Pay real rent to the Duwamish tribe: www.realrentduwamish.org
Sign the petition to block GM salmon: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/pledge-to-boycott-aquabounty-genetically-engineered-salmon
Learn more:
Who’s land are you on? https://native-land.ca
Block Corporate Salmon campaign: www.uprootedandrising.org/blockcorporatesalmon
University of Washington's American Indian Studies: https://ais.washington.edu/research/projects/living-breath-wlbaltxw
Illuminating contemporary Native voices: https://illuminatives.org
Buy from indigenous farmers/purveyors:
Kitsap Peninsula https://suquamishseafoods.com/retail-contact/
Skagit, La Conner https://swinomishshellfishcompany.com/contact
Sakari Farms, OR https://sakarifarms.weebly.com