Imagine yourself strolling through aisle after aisle of fragrant
fruit trees and delicious-looking veggie bushes. The fruit is
perfectly ripe, just begging to be picked. You reach out to grab
one, but then think better of it...this is surely someone's
personal garden. Then, you notice a sign that reads,"Help
yourself--everything is free." Locavore's fantasy? It might
sound like one, but determined community organizers in Seattle
have succeeded in making it a reality. A seven-acre plot of land
in the city’s Beacon Hill neighborhood will soon be planted with
hundreds of different kinds of edibles: walnut and chestnut
trees; blueberry and raspberry bushes; fruit trees, including
apples and pears; exotics like yuzu citrus, guava, persimmons,
honeyberries, and lingonberries; herbs; and more. Guided by the
principles of permaculture, the "food forest" as it's been
called, will be perennial and self-sustaining, just like a
forest is in the wild. A true foray into urban agriculture,
there will be no fence around the