Education

Read our Seasonal Update, Find Educational Resources, Find a Class or Suggest a class topic, Learn about the Young People’s Garden, Find Education Volunteer Opportunities, or Join the Education Committee

Seasonal Update

‍ ‍What to harvest now:

‍Aronia Berries Keep your eyes open for aronia berries (Aronia melanocarpa), which are abundant at the food forest. These dark glossy berries roughly the size of blueberries and blackish when ripe in late August-early September) grow in bunches on medium sized shrubs with glossy dark green leaves. The plants are native to eastern North America, and Native Americans sometimes included them in pemmican. The berries are tart, dry, and astringent when eaten fresh (in other words they’ll make you pucker up!) but they are tasty in jams, jellies, syrups, juices, wines, and baked goods, and are full of antioxidants. Try them in place of blueberries in your favorite blueberry muffin recipe.
‍Seeds Late summer & early fall are good times for saving seeds, and everyone is welcome to gather seeds at the Beacon Food Forest! Calendula (Calendula officinalis) seeds are easy to find and collect. Just look for bright yellow/orange calendula flowers, and close by you’ll find dried seed heads with curving seeds. Keep the seeds in a paper envelope (you could give them to friends as gifts!) or spread them directly in your garden. Other seeds that are easy to find and save are lettuces, and various brassicas (kale, collards, radishes). Find more information about seed saving here: Washington State Seed Library Network - Tilth Alliance

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Photo by Maddie Price

Educational Resources:

Beacon Food Forest FAQs

Scavenger Hunt‍ ‍

Junior Scavenger Hunt

Find a Class or Suggest a Class Topic

Interested in taking a class? Visit our Classes page to see what classes are coming up
Want to suggest a class topic or help with facilitating a class at BFF? Propose your idea to the team.

Young People’s Garden

The Young People’s Garden or YPG is a dedicated space at the Beacon Food Forest that provides opportunities for young people to learn about growing their own food, building a healthy environment, and working and having fun together. Since work began on the Young People’s Garden in 2024, students of all ages as well as adult volunteers have cleaned up the garden space, contributed to the garden design, built garden infrastructure, and added plantings. We are grateful for a grant from the Northwest Horticultural Society, which paid for raised beds and farmstand materials and child-sized garden equipment. The YPG includes areas for annual vegetables, berry bushes, herbs, and Pacific Northwest native plants. The goal is to have a young-person designed & led garden space, where older children and youth share their knowledge & provide mentoring to younger children. The YPG is located downhill from the lower shed and P-Patch plots, between the Food Bank Plot and BIPOC Garden. Here are some ways to get involved with the Young People’s Garden:

· Visit on your own. Find Education Resources to give you some ideas for your visit, and check for information at the farm stand when you get to the Young People’s Garden. The Young People’s Garden is downhill from the lower shed and P-Patches, between the Food Bank Plot & BIPOC garden.

· During Monthly 3rd Saturday work parties, activities suitable for all ages are offered in the YPG. It’s free – just show up. (We meet at the BFF Gathering plaza at 10am; YPG activities typically happen from 10:30-1:00). Depending on the time of year and the ages and interests of participants, activities may include planning, planting, garden care, games, or cooking or craft projects using materials harvested from the Beacon Food Forest. Please contact us if you are bringing a group of more than 6 people.

· Schools or youth groups who wish to visit Beacon Food Forest regularly and have a garden plot to tend are encouraged to adopt the YPG. Sharing the work (and the harvest) with others helps everyone enjoy a well-maintained garden.

· There are various opportunities for volunteer & service projects in the YPG.

Education Volunteer Opportunities

Many Education-related volunteer opportunities are available! We are eager to work with youth and adult volunteers. Here are some ways you can get involved:

Join a 3rd Saturday work party and help out in the Young People’s Garden (* if you need school volunteer hours, bring form for signature by BFF staff/lead volunteers)
Help out with classes. You will assist with setup, be an extra pair of hands during the class, or answer general questions like “where’s the bathroom?” Not only will you help make classes run smoothly, you’ll get to learn about the class topic, and it’s a good starting point if you are considering teaching a class yourself
Join the Education Committee (more details below)

One-time and long term volunteer projects for individuals and groups are possible. Contact us to learn how to get started.

Join the Education Committee

The Education Committee coordinates classes, workshops, and other educational programming at the Beacon Food Forest, and manages the Young People’s Garden. Bring your ideas, energy, teamwork, leadership, communication, technical or organizational skills and let’s make things happen! If you are passionate about helping share educational opportunities with people of all ages, this is the committee for you!

The Education Committee meets every second Wednesday of the month, 6:30-8 p.m. on Zoom. The Zoom link is here and on the BFF events calendar.
Contact us to be added to the email list or to for any other inquiries. This is the place to contact us if you’d like to join the Education Committee or find Education-related volunteer opportunities for all ages.nd