We have been humbled to say the least by the inflow of folks eager to bring this idea to their local communities. Hearing your stories and visions of what you wish to share with your communities is touching and inspiring beyond words. Within 24 hours, we heard from cities all over Texas, California, Nebraska, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and western Australia. And we know this is just the beginning. We are truly honored to share this mission with you and are excited about the ideas that we will co-create as this journey moves forward.

It seems that the simplicity of the idea is really what resonates with many of the neighbors who walk past our first Food is Free garden. Folks from all different ages and walks of life. One thing I know for sure…most people I know eat food 😉 and more and more of them each day are getting in touch with where it comes from.

Though Food is Free has only come into fruition in November, the attention and interest inspires me daily to push the limits of what is possible with the power of community. That being said, the vision of this project is still forming and will continue to grow organically, so we’re working to put together online tools where we can collaborate and brainstorm with each other about what’s working in our own neighborhoods and what lessons we learn along the way.

A Food is Free garden doesn’t have to be or look a certain way, so long as it is growing food and that food is free for harvest by the community. Down here in Texas we’ve discovered the glory of wicking bed gardens which allowed us to grow lush swiss chard through the 110-degree August heat without watering for 4 weeks. Low-maintenance tools and techniques will be key to introducing gardening to folks who don’t think they have the time or energy to take it on.

Here is an awesome how-to on wicking beds to learn more:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Wicking-Beds/

We are working over the winter to get communication tools, wicking bed designs, sources of salvaged materials and community building methods online and available to all. This is an open-source project and we are excited to bring your ideas to the table. Don’t hesitate to share your vision or inspirations with this community.

We will have www.foodisfreeproject.org operational very soon, but in the meantime, I invite you to join:

our facebook group –

http://www.facebook.com/groups/281520735221130/

and page –

http://www.facebook.com/foodisfreeproject

We are so grateful and blessed to be a part of a project with folks from around the world. Food really is a key that opens countless doors, not only to community but to new ways of living, and new possibilities for a truly wholesome human experience on this green Earth. Please reach out to us if there is any way we can support you to prepare for a Spring launch.

Onward through the fog!