This week’s Back Roads is the work of The Land Correspondent Richard Siemers. Luverne’s food forest

“Afood forest, also called a forest garden, is a diverse planting of edible plants that attempts to mimic the ecosystems and growing patterns found in nature. Designed to operate as an ecosystem, a food forest focuses on trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, and self-seeding annuals that, once established, will need only a little help from people to be very productive.”

That’s the definition of a community food forest you will find at the website of Project Food Forest. While Project Food Forest is headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D., their first demonstration project is in Luverne, Minn. You will find it stretched for about two blocks along Blue Mound Ave. It is called Prairie Ally Outdoor Center.

That’s Ally, not alley, as Kimberly Rockman points out. Rockman is the Prairie Ally site manager. The site happens to be located on land where she grew up on the east side of Luverne. It is called “Ally” to indicate that food production is an alliance.

“We see it as an alliance between what the humans need and what the rest of nature needs, so it’s an alliance of the annual gardens, the perennial plants, and the habitat,” Rockman said.

It is a community food forest because members of the community are invited to harvest what they need from the trees and bushes. Volunteers help with maintenance; but they need to be trained so they don’t pull out some unfamiliar plant thinking it is a weed, Rockman said.

The trees and bushes are what you see along the avenue. Native flowering plants are included to attract pollinators. The rest of the five-acre plot, which is not so visible from the street, includes prairie and wetland restoration, and an annual garden surrounded by a deer fence.

The initial food forest planting was in 2018, so it is far from mature. But people have harvested berries, and the plum and apple trees had quite a bit of fruit in 2022, Rockman said. What she finds gratifying is that the food forest has inspired some Luverne residents to plant fruit trees in their backyards.

Prairie Ally is configured to invite visitors who may not choose to harvest anything. There is interpretive signage and a self-guided tour booklet. The two-block walk among trees and bushes includes two picnic tables and three sculptures (which were funded by AARP, one of the many partners and sponsors listed at the website.) The sculptures were assembled by local artists and welders using pieces of farm and garden equipment.

Project Food Forest’s goal is to empower people to feed themselves through agro-forestry, edible landscaping, and education. Their demonstration project, Prairie Ally, has had a good response from the Luverne

Luverne, Minn.

community, Rockman said, and Project Food Forest is ready to consult with any group which wants to consider edible landscaping in their community. There will be guided tours scheduled at noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 3 as part of Luverne’s Buffalo Days. They also offer guided tours by appointment. To volunteer, donate, or schedule a tour, contact them by email at info@projectfoodforest.org, or call (605) 9510227. Project Food Forest can be found on Facebook at projectfoodforest, or on the web at www. ProjectFoodForest. org. v

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