Posted in Foraged, In Backyards, In the Kitchen on Feb 1st, 2010
Throughout the winter months, I find oatmeal to be one of the loveliest breakfast dishes. It’s warm, hearty, and delicious. The greatest pleasure of this winter morning meal is to add a few tastes of summer into the mix.
When the first summer pears were ready last year, I set some aside [...]
Posted in Foraged, In Backyards on Dec 11th, 2009
In the spring of last year a friend pointed out a blossoming quince bush just a few blocks from where I live. “Quince?” I asked. I had never heard of the fruit before, let alone be able to recognize its blossoms. Nor did I know the first thing about how to [...]
Posted in Foraged, In Backyards on Oct 19th, 2009
Not Far From The Tree recently had an intriguing proposition from the city’s much-loved St. John’s Bakery: “Bring us some nuts from local trees and we’ll bake them into our bread.” Wow! Sounds great!
We had a few black walnut trees already registered with us, despite not having harvested any [...]
Posted in Foraged on Jul 17th, 2009
Enthusiastic volunteer Chloe and I stopped by an incredibly pregnant mulberry tree. The branches hung low, some of them almost sweeping the ground they were so heavy. The sidewalk and lawn underneath the tree were covered in ripened berries.
We were munching away, and a friendly passerby commented on the “health [...]
Posted in Foraged on Jul 10th, 2009
I stumbled across the Green P cherry tree while on an evening walk earlier this week. I’d been wondering about its location ever since I’d heard about an intrepid market volunteer picking from it last summer. Anyhow, I was over the moon and was indulged in a little late night picking. [...]
Posted in Foraged on Jun 10th, 2009
Last fall the New York Times reported on fruit tree projects around the States, the kind like Not Far From The Tree that organizes fruit picking and then shares the harvest.
Today they’re putting their finger on the pulse once again with a beautiful article on public fruit foraging. It mentions the [...]
Posted in Community Orchards, Foraged on Jun 2nd, 2009
My fruit-themed vocabulary has improved tremendously since embarking on this project (see pomological and usufruct). I can also initiate fascinating cocktail conversation about heritage apple varieties, though sustaining them depends upon the interest and/or benevolence of others.
The world of fruit has many interesting words to offer, such as my latest discovery, [...]
Posted in Foraged, In Backyards, Resources on Apr 12th, 2009
The city is full of maple trees but most of them are Norway maples, so until this spring I was sure they couldn’t be used to make maple syrup.
Then one day, I happened upon an urban experiment in my very own neighbourhood. Somebody had tapped a Norway maple in their front [...]
Posted in Foraged, In Backyards, Spadina Saturdays (and Sundays) on Nov 28th, 2008
As we reflect back upon our first full season, it is the volunteers who must be celebrated most of all. Indeed, they are the backbone of this project. Here are a couple of stories they have to tell:
Theresa: “Below is a picture of the pear tart I made for Thanksgiving. I [...]
Posted in Foraged, In Backyards on Oct 8th, 2008
A week or two ago we held our very first late-night pick. The timing wasn’t all that different from other evening picks, but the spookiness grows as the days get shorter. We donned headlamps, flashlights, and spotlights to find our way under the thick canopy of this tall golden delicious apple [...]
