Ever heard of a food forest? Community gardens are another matter, which are lovely and useful, but more about the individual, according to executive director of the Boston Food Forest Coalition (BFFC), Orion Kriegman.

On August 13, in the Roslindale Branch of the Boston Public Library, BFFC stewards provided an interactive overview of what their mission is and how community members can get involved to make this dreamscape a reality. Who wouldn’t want to upgrade their neighborhood greenspaces into something lush, inviting and for the public? In this case, the vacant lot is Poplar Street Park, a stone’s throw away from Roslindale Square.

So far, BFFC has transformed 13 vacant lots into food forests, including: Edgewater Food Forest on 640 River St., Mattapan; Egleston Community Orchard, 195 Boylston St., in Jamaica Plain; Frederick Douglass Peace Park, 1001 Tremont St., in Roxbury and Maple Street Food Forest, 44 Maple St., in Roxbury; among others across the city. The group hopes to bring two to three more food forests by the end of 2026 and the goal is 30 by 2030.

Liz Luc Clowes, engagement and construction director for BFFC, spoke animatedly, swinging her arms as she spoke about all the good work the organization does and its reliance and interest in community participation. The City of Boston has also backed the organization with funding much to the delight of Kriegman, who began the effort 10 years ago, he said.

Kriegman lives in Jamaica Plain, and BFFC grew from community work in Egleston Square where he and neighbors were clearing up trash and then planting fruit and nut trees. The City of Boston initially blocked his efforts for technical reasons and listed the various hoops to jump through in order to be legitimate. Kriegman then discovered many other kindred groups doing similar work. The food forest is more than just food, Kriegman said. For example at Egleston Community Orchard, they offer movie nights in Spanish and English and JP Porchfest took place there too, as well as barbecues, birthday parties and Easter Egg hunts.

On the planting front, Kriegman tends toward perennials as they keep growing each year which is good on the environment. He added it makes for easier work which drew some laughs.

It was also a learning experience for the group members to discover berries that Native Americans and ancestors ate and trying to bring that back to the community. The efforts have been cross cultural because of Boston’s diversity. That led a food forest in Norwood that is loosely affiliated with the BFFC to plant Pawpaw trees, one of New England’s few native fruits. That notion became the theme of the BFFC – creating equity among community members. To accomplish this, Kriegman realized they needed to own the land.

Kriegman brought up one of the food forests in Dorchester where the neighbors were piling up tires and planting in them and then bringing wheelbarrows of water to nourish the plants. When a future board member of BFFC saw this he had a vision of the possibility of trees lining this vacant lot. He talked with the neighbors and realized their intent was to put a stamp on this land for community so no one could steal it.

Kriegman said the real challenge was the developmental process and meeting the needs of everyone, including affordability. “We deserve the full quality of life in our neighborhoods,” Kriegman said while also saying that not every available space needs to be open to the community. He said open spaces are known for helping children with their mental health. Climate change is another motivating factor to upgrade vacant lots into green spaces for the cooling effects and such spaces provide animals with safe spaces too.

“It took us a long time as a scrappy grassroots group of neighbors who were dumpster diving for cardboard just to repair the soil – no budget, everyone was volunteer — and now we have a staff of 11. We can get access to real resources and budgets and make sure we are doing state-of-the-art design, irrigation and solar panels, water pumps. We’ve upped the game in these recent years.” He said his group is now part of many of Boston’s existing environmental organizations and working alongside the city to help fight climate change issues. Mayor Michelle Wu has endorsed the group’s vision, he said.

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“Tonight is a chance to start gathering ideas for what you want in your food forest. I won’t say start because we have some folks who have been working and putting ideas together for the last couple of years. This is really an extension of that and this will be a part of the design of what is coming next,” Clowes said.

She passed around large blueprints of Poplar Park for people to sketch their ideas in small groups before sharing with everyone. About 15 people were at what felt like a brainstorming event. Clowes asked each person to introduce themselves and share their hopes for this space. A young person named Avery Lepczyk, of Roslindale, was seated next to their mom and gently shared ideas with the group regarding their hopes for this parcel of land.

“I really like nature and animals and I want there to be a gaga ball pit.”

The audience laughed and Clowes and this reporter needed an Internet search on the meaning.

A gaga ball pit is an octagonal enclosed space filled with composite lumber. One of the eight walls is a little lower so kids can enter. The game played is similar to dodge ball except the kids throw balls at the knees and in some cases using the wall is allowed to jump higher. Rules need to be agreed upon before the game starts.

Someone else suggested integrating art into the space by way of kids designing stepping stones as a way to make the area feel more special and perhaps invites artists to create open studios. Lepczyk said, “I think we should make bat boxes or shelters for bees and places for bugs.” The group cheered on those ideas.

Creating spaces in the community for people to relax, gather food or just enjoy communion seems in everyone’s best interest or at the very least to put their phones down for a few minutes.

To learn more, visit bostonfoodforest.org.