Virginia

The city of Andernach, Germany planted 101 varieties of tomatoes in the town center and told everyone to take whatever they wanted. It was such a hit they did beans the next year, then added onions, fruit trees, lettuce, zucchini, berries, and herbs. All free to the public and maintained by the city. Andernach is now known as the "edible city." Philadelphia has been doing a version of this since 2007. The Philadelphia Orchard Project has helped establish 67 sites across the city with thousands of food-bearing trees. Baltimore is planting fruit trees on sidewalks. Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, and Asheville all have public urban orchards. A mature apple tree produces 400-500 pounds of fruit per year. A mature pear tree can produce for 75 years. We've decided our cities should have trees. We just haven't decided those trees should feed people. Would you support urban fruit trees and vegetables in your city?

Today marks 52 years since the 1974 Super Outbreak which ravaged parts of the South and Midwest. 149 tornadoes occurred from Mississippi to Michigan. 30 of these tornadoes were “violent” (23 F4’s & 7 F5’s). 315 people were killed and damage totaled $600 million.