If you ask fifth grader Genecia Facen what her favorite part of the day is at Lake Stevens Elementary School, she’ll tell you it’s the food forest.
In the perennial garden located directly to the right of the school’s main entrance in Opa-locka, butterflies soar freely around a labyrinth of edible flowers and plants, while the sun twinkles through its cracks and bounces off its edges. It’s a shaded, green oasis that sets the stage for each day at the school.
The real magic begins, however, when dozens of students like Genecia file into the garden one by one, notebooks and pencils in hand, ready to learn and – if hungry – ready to eat.
“I run around sometimes and even go eat cranberry hibiscus,” Genecia said of her experience in the forest.
“We’re really informal with the kids out here,” said Deborah La Belle, food forest program manager at The Education Fund. “Like, if you’re hungry, come eat a leaf.”
The Education Fund, which has had a public-private partnership with the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district since 1985, manages food forests at a total of 30 elementary schools throughout the county. The nonprofit additionally runs 21 edible gardens which work similarly, only on raised garden beds in place of the forest’s in-ground structure.
