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Loading ...Community Fruit Picking – Not Far From The Tree
5 Jun2009
Since I’m on the topic of gardening this spring, I’ve decided to continue the theme with the up and coming season of fruit picking. Community fruit picking is an old idea that has been revisited in recent years. In Toronto, a new not-for-profit group, Not Far From the Tree has emerged. With so many fruit bearing plants in Toronto, in 2008 the first full season of picking was completed with 3003 pounds of fruit picked.
I’ve decided to volunteer this year and have spoken with Laura Reinsborough the project coordinator. So popular is the program that they have successfully received more volunteers then they have fruit to pick. If you are interested in volunteering – they need Gleaners, a fancy way to say Lead Pickers that help other volunteers get involved. You can contact Laura at laura@notfarfromthetree.org for further information. They are also looking for homes that would like assistance with picking.
So what is the program and why did it capture my attention? If you didn’t visit the link above, here’s a quick recap. The program started in order to capture the abundance of fruit in Toronto gardens and keep it from going to waste. Volunteers help pick the fruit and it gets divided 3 ways between the home owner, volunteers and community organizations. They also pick flowers and fruit from Spadina House. This prevents the fruit from being wasted, assists homeowners that have a difficult time picking and gives back to the community and volunteers working with the program.
A very special act of green, sharing and bringing a community together while reducing waste and increasing awareness. Does your city have a similar program? Are they interested in starting one up? Post a comment on the website and let me know about the programs that exist in your neck of the woods. After all word of mouth is a wonderful thing.
6 Responses to Community Fruit Picking – Not Far From The Tree
graceonline
June 18th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
What a fabulous project! I didn’t find one in San Francisco, but I did find Forage Oakland. I’ll be posting about them on my blog next week, so expect to hear more from me on that. Thanks so much for sharing about the Not Far From the Tree program.
admin
June 18th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
Forage Oakland looks great…There are often community plots in many cities for people to plant gardens. Maybe you will inspire someone to start a program in Oakland/San Fran!
Speaking of foraging, I’m hoping to find a mushroom guide for Ontario picking. Hopefully, one with knowledge of other hidden goodies too. I enjoyed mushroom picking in the Yukon, but with each region it’s important to learn the new mushrooms – what looks the same could be deadly.
I am looking forward to my first picking…cherries in July!
graceonline
June 19th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Yes, SF does have some community plots, though difficult to find one nearby that has an opening. I keep looking. One of the cool things we have is a commercial enterprise, My Farm, which for a fee will turn your backyard into a beautiful organic garden which they maintain. You get a share of the produce raised in the garden. The rest is sold CFA style to others SF’ers who don’t have garden space and want fresh, local, organic. Cool.
admin
June 21st, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Kathryn…that sounds like a wonderful program. For many elder people and those with busy lives it is a way to not only beautify a garden but to take an unused space and create a healthy outcome. Well done SF.
Cooperative Farms are a very underutilized option – I’m considering this option in the future and I think I hear a post coming. Thanks for your input and ideas.
The Power of Pears: Simple Living Personified
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:34 pm
[...] me explain. On Saturday, I went volunteer pear picking with Not Far From The Tree an enjoyable and fruitful (sorry) couple hours. We picked a lot of pears and I came home with a [...]
what is community
March 12th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
[...] I have community offline too with programs like Community Fruit Picking at Not Far From the Tree. [...]