Atlanta just turned a former “food desert” into a “food forest” that will provide citizens with free, organic fruits, nuts, veggies, mushrooms and herbs

Instead of developing it into townhouses, the City of Atlanta recently votedto transform a vacant, old, overgrown pecan farm into a food forest.

The 7-acre public park will feature fruit-producing trees, shrubs and vines along walking trails, a community vegetable garden and restored native forest and stream-side areas by 2020.

The vegetable garden has already been plantedalongside preexisting walnut and pecan trees. More than 100 fruit trees have also been planted including figs, apples, plums and peaches.

The plans include a community composting facility, rainwater collection system, a medicinal mushroom walk,  and an apiary to house bees for pollination.

The city bought the land for around $150,000 the Conservation Fund, who’d bought it up to help keep it affordable and will be helping maintain…