Food Forest & Permaculture Education
Come taste pawpaws, the delicious north American native fruit and learn how they fit into resilient urban food forests! You’ll sample different named varieties, talk flavor (banana, mango, caramel, cinnamon oatmeal, custard, etc!), texture, and harvest info, and see how perennial plants can anchor community-based food systems.
Named variety pawpaws will be available for sale.
Your registration supports Portland Food Forest Initiative’s work to turn lawns into community-tended, perennial food-bearing ecosystems that build soil, increase food access, and create inclusive neighborhood spaces.
PAWPAW TASTINGS
Friday 10/2/26 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Saturday 10/3/26 10:30am - 11:30am
Tours, Classes, & Events
We are focused on public education in the areas of urban regenerative agriculture, perennial ecosystem stewardship, and practical steps in conversion of grass monocultures into spaces of gathering and abundance.
We are available to come to your event or organization to teach a class on perennial food forestry, regenerative agriculture, and place-based land tending. Contact us for details.
Sign up for upcoming
Food Forest Tours, Classes, & Events
Join us for a day of connection with each other and over 20 organizations committed to creating a more beautiful and connected Portland! This exciting day at Tabor Space is filled with opportunities to network, attend workshops, and engage in meaningful discussions that empower our community to take action with a focus on regenerative agriculture, placemaking, social justice, mutual aid, community building, climate resilience, and land tending.
ACTIVATE PORTLAND!
Milwaukie Chestnut Festival
Join Oregon Sustainable Agriculture Land Trust for the Second Annual Chestnut Festival among a grove of giant chestnut trees! We'll celebrate, learn about, and most importantly EAT freshly roasted chestnuts while building community at this unique food forest where you can become involved in its stewardship. The Yamane-Bose food forest features 6 giant sweet chestnut trees and assorted fruit trees and shrubs on an acre of peaceful land tucked away in a Milwaukie neighborhood.
Food Forest Tours
Join us for an in-depth look at 2 of our demonstration food forest sites in the Cully neighborhood of NE Portland. You’ll get an up close look at urban-scale syntropic agroforestry and forest garden designs that focus on regenerative food production and habitat creation. You’ll have an opportunity to ask all your food forest questions, see & taste some unusual and unexpectedly edible plant foods, and enjoy beautiful alternatives to lawn. Tours run May through September.
To ensure that those who sign up actually show up, we charge a nominal fee of $10 for each person for these tours. With this in mind, we will refund your $10 when you attend the tour you signed up for (unless you want to make it a donation).
Tours are done for 2026!
Check back for tour in May 2027
Food Forest Classes
This classroom-based session will introduce participants to the principles and practices of urban food forestry, regenerative agriculture, and agroforestry with practical strategies for both beginners and experienced growers.
Topics include:
Converting a lawn into a thriving, productive ecosystem
Exploring different design approaches in food forestry
Fertility management strategies
Recommended plant choices for the Portland area
Integrated pest management techniques
Core principles of permaculture design