You're never too far from a tree

The following article that I wrote for my CSA newsletter was published at the start of last week.  Below is a combination of what I submitted and the newsletter version (as far as I can tell, the difference was in formatting, a subtitle, a few words and links). I’ll try to remember to republish here it next spring when Not Far From the Tree’s next season begins:

YOU’RE NEVER TOO FAR FROM A TREE:
A WONDERFUL LOCAL INITIATIVE INTRODUCED BY ONE OF
OUR MEMBERS

Have you noticed the abundance of fruit trees in Toronto’s front and back yards? Do you have a fruit tree that serves little purpose but to look pretty and feed the urban wildlife?

Now in its second full season, Not Far From the Tree is a residential fruit-picking program. Residents with fruit trees can register their trees with Not Far from the Tree and volunteers will come harvest the fruit. The harvest is then divided up three ways: One third goes to the fruit tree owners, another third goes to the volunteers for their labour, and the final third is distributed to community organizations in the neighbourhood who can make good use of the fresh fruit.

Trees vary in size and yield.

I recently went on my first pick, harvesting pears from a small tree in the backyard of a house near Dupont and Ossington. The result was under 40 pounds. Earlier over 300 pounds of apples were picked from a tall tree in Parkdale, where ladder and pole fruit picker were required. Not Far From the Tree provides tree picking apparatus.

In 2008, their first full season, they picked over 3,000 lbs of fruit in Toronto’s Ward 21, an area spanning Dupont to Briar Hill, and from Winona to Spadina. In 2009 they expanded their pick area to East York and Parkdale-High Park. Many of you live within these areas and may have fruit trees of your own.

If you liked climbing trees as a child you might enjoy volunteering for a pick. Over 7000 pounds of fruit have been picked this year.

As for my fruit haul, I’d hoped to take home enough to make pear ginger jam. Because of the small tree I ended up taking just 8 pears. So far I have used one in breakfast
smoothies but have been thinking about making pear ginger muffins.

For more information, to volunteer to pick or to register your tree(s) for this year or next, visit http://www.notfarfromthetree.org/.

[Bio omitted for the blog]

P.S. It’s too late for this year, but you can volunteer or register for next year!