Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Philadelphia Orchard Project (POP) has for
nearly fifteen years worked to establish local
orchards and food forests in a variety of neighbor-
hoods, often on vacant land. POP also works with
community members or through partnerships on
institutional lands (e.g., University of Pennsylvania)
and public parklands (Bukowski and Munsell 2018).
Beyond its designed food forests and orchards,
Philadelphia is home to a vibrant community of
urban foragers. For example, the efforts of The Wild
Foodies of Philly span more than a decade and focus
on sharing knowledge about the usefulness of native
and non-native species found in the city's diverse site
types (e.g., formal parklands, riparian areas in parks,
and street trees) (Hurley et al. 2015). Using social
media and online tools, The Wild Foodies have facil-
itated dozens of meet-ups or tours throughout the
years, growing the network and introducing young
and old to a range of species to forage across the city.
Even during the pandemic, when access to parks
was curtailed, the group's email communications
focused on how "stay-at-home" orders still allowed
for outdoor exercise and how foraging could be
incorporated into walking, running, or biking trips.
Weekly email newsletters continued to focus on
edible species that were beginning to appear in the
landscape, including along sidewalks in cities or road-
sides in the countryside, and spotlighting little-known
species. Other emails announced locations where
curbside pick-up of wild gathered foods could be
found in the city. As parks began to reopen, meet-ups
flourished and waitlists for events became a regular
Less manicured areas in parks can offer an abundance of forageable foods, medicines,
and materials. Dandelion greens foraged in Kissena Park in Queens, New York
are a much valued early spring green. Photo by Ricardo A. Rodriguez
16 CityTREES
