Guide to Backyard Fruit - Harvesting Options - What to do and who to call if you can't harvest your fruit.

Progress on the Guide to Backyard Fruit is coming along nicely.  I'm currently working on the "Harvesting Options" section.  In this chapter, I'd like to list as many options and ideas for homeowners who are unable to harvest their own fruit as possible.  The goal is to have fruit being used not wasted.

What ideas would you suggest for this chapter of the Guide?

Here's what I've got so far...

Harvesting Options 

If you are unable to harvest your fruit yourself, for whatever reason, here are some options to consider:

• Register your fruit with Fruit Share to come harvest your fruit for you.  Fruit Share will send a team of volunteers who will pick your fruit and then split it three ways 1/3 stays with you (if you’d like), 1/3 is split between the volunteers and 1/3 is shared with community food charities.  
• Host a family fruit picking party.  Turn the chore of fruit picking into an annual fun, family event.  In return for picking all of your fruit, serve light refreshments, order in some pizza or turn it into a potluck. If there's too much fruit for your family, add a trip to a local food charity to donate any extras.
• Ask you friends and neighbours for help with harvesting fruit.  And, while they’re picking for themselves, ask them to pick an extra bag for the neighbour down the street who isn’t as mobile but would appreciate some fresh fruit.  It’s a great way to build positive relationships with people on your block.
• Hire a neighbourhood teenager to harvest your fruit for you.  If you don’t know who to call, ask your community centre for a list of neighbourhood babysitters or dog walkers. These keen, young individuals might consider adding fruit picking to their repertoire of services offered.
• Ask your local garden club, church or community centre to post a notice asking for people to pick your fruit in return for a share of the bounty.
• Put a classified ad in your community paper or online at places like Kijiji Winnipeg.  Offer free fruit in return for fruit picking.  There are a lot of people who welcome the opportunity to get some fruit.
• Ask some of the vendors at a local Farmers’ Market if they would be interested in picking your fruit.  For a list of Farmers’ Markets in Manitoba visit the Farmers’ Markets Association of Manitoba or call (204)485-7574.
• Ask a local community group to pick your fruit in return for a share of the harvest.  For example the Boys and Girls Club.
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Would welcome any ideas and links to other organizations that are interested in picking fruit.

Thank you

Spotlight on Teen Challenge

Here's another worthwhile organization to consider for making food donations.

Teen Challenge

Teen Challenge is a 12-month, faith-based, residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. The program has a strong faith-based approach and offers spiritual, academic and vocational training that helps equip individuals to return to society as responsible citizens.

Teen Challenge uses donated fruit to prepare meals, fill food hampers, share with other organizations, and process for future use.

Contact Information:
Street Address: 414 Edmonton
Phone: 949-9484 ext. 2011
Website: www.teenchallenge.mb.ca

Donations Accepted
Fruit
Apples, apricots, berries, crab apples, grapes, rhubarb, sour cherries, plums
Other Food Items
Homemade preserves (labeled & dated), frozen fruit (labeled & dated), homebaked products (labeled & dated) garden vegetables, fresh or frozen meat (labeled & dated).
Non-Food Items
Men's clothing and personal hygiene products, bedding, towels, mugs and cutlery

Donation Logistics

When
Monday to Saturday 7:00 am to 9:00 pm
Where
- back door of 414 Edmonton Street
- park in back lane by door while unloading
- ring buzzer (high on a silver pad on the red brick wall)
Special Notes
Please phone ahead to 949-9484 ext. 2011 or try Mike at 232-2905 or Jane at 688-7605.

Cannot accept heavily bruised fruit.

Teen Challenge has a freezer and refrigerator for storing perishable food.

Spotlight on Forward House Ministries

Consider Forward House Ministries as a place to donate any extra fruits or veggies you might have available. And, if you're thinking about all those extra preserves from last summer that you need to move to make room for this year's harvest, Forward House will gladly take those too.
Here's the description of Forward House Ministries that will be included in the new"Guide to Backyard Fruit".

Forward House Ministries

Forward House is a Christian home for men and children who are trying to get their lives back on track.  Forward House operates five houses in a row and uses donated food to prepare meals for 40 people three times a day, every day.

Contact Information
Street Address: 407 Chalmers Avenue (main house)
Phone: 204-471-1244

Website: www.forwardhouse.ca

Donations Accepted
Fruit 
Apples, apricots, berries, grapes, plums

Other Food Items
Homemade preserves (labeled & dated), frozen fruit (labeled & dated), homebaked products (labeled & dated) garden vegetables and any other food items.

Non-Food Items
Men’s personal hygiene products

Donation Logistics
When

Monday to Sunday from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm

Where
 - Back door of 407 Chalmers Avenue
 - Parking available at the back

 - Knock on the back door

Special Notes
 - Forward House has walk-in freezers and coolers that always have space for donated perishables.
 - Fresh fruits and vegetables are always welcome.

Guide to Backyard Fruit - Coming Soon!

It's official!  Fruit Share received funding through the Manitoba Alternative Food Research Alliance (MAFRA) to develop an online Guide to Backyard Fruit. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I'm thrilled they chose to fund the guide.  Here's what's going to be included in the guide:

Identifying Manitoba Fruit

o   pictures, descriptions and illustrations to help homeowners identify what’s in their backyard

o   particularly useful to new homeowners and new Manitobans

Recipes for Manitoba Fruit

o   recipes for enjoying local fruit

o   a minimum of 2 recipes for using for backyard Manitoba fruit (eg. Rhubarb, cherries, apples, crab apples, and grapes - not including U-Pick type fruits which are already well described by the Prairie Fruit Growers Association)

o   links to other organizations and sources of recipes (e.g. PFGA)

Preserving Manitoba Fruit

o   complete how-to instructions for preserving backyard Manitoba fruit

o   a minimum of 2 preserving techniques for backyard Manitoba fruit

o   links to other organizations and sources of preserving techniques

Harvesting Options

o   complete listing of organizations/groups who help harvesting fruit ( eg.Fruit Share, neighbourhood associations, Hutterite colonies, etc.)

Sharing Options

o   complete listing of organizations that will accept fruit and any specific criteria that must be met (eg. Agape Table, Siloam Mission, Winnipeg Harvest, Teen Challenge, etc.)

If you have recipes, preserving techniques, contact names or any other information that would be useful for the guide, please let email me at info@fruitshare.ca. 

We're still waiting to see if we get funding for a printed edition of the guide book as well.  We'll keep you posted.