not far from the tree

In 2009 we harvested a few treats that we hadn’t harvested in 2008: plums, sumac drupes, black walnuts, ginkgo nuts, and my own personal forage for quince. It’s amazing what the trees in the city can provide for our food needs. But the urban forest has even more to offer, including non-foodstuffs from its plentiful bounty.

We were lucky to connect with Toronto artist Jason Logan and his curiosity to make art materials from urban trees. He was especially interested in using some of our harvest to make natural dyes, particularly black walnuts. So when Marc was finished the gruntwork of hulling our one tiny harvest of black walnuts, the husks were handed over to Jason to see what he could make of them. I’m told the exchange happened in a very seedy fashion: deep in the bowels of the subway system, the husks were handed over in an unmarked garbage bag.

Despite the small harvest, Jason was able to distill a bottle of ink from the black walnut husks that Marc offered him. To our great delight, he appeared at the End-Of-Season Celebration with three very playful posters to demonstrate what the ink could do. Here they are! Aren’t they lovely?

And next year he hopes to try out even more dyes, like elderberry and sumac. If you have an idea for an artistic collaboration, send us a note!

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 harvest the fruit or prepare it. But learning something new about food in the city is the premise upon which Not Far From The Tree was started. At our very first pick in August 2007, I had never picked fruit from a tree before and now the organization has picked over 11,000 lbs collectively!

This fall I noticed a few fruits hidden amidst the foliage of this unassuming frontyard shrub. At the same time, I had bought myself a book about preparing fruit and encountered a recipe for quince tart tatin. While we don’t yet have any quince trees registered with Not Far From The Tree, I figured this could be a good experiment to see if it was worth actively soliciting quince tree owners to sign up their trees. Plus I had a dinner party coming up where I dreamed of serving quince tart tatin.

A little bit of research helped me understand that:

• Most varieties of quinces need to be cooked before they can be eaten as they are too sour when raw;
• They can often be confused for apples and pears and, indeed, these ones looked like small granny smiths;
• Turkey ranks first in world quince production by producing a quarter of the total; and
• While quince is fairly common in Mediterranean regions and quince jelly is popular in Great Britain, the fruit doesn’t have a large following on this side of the Atlantic.

Talking up my own courage, I approached the house to seek permission to nab a few quinces. The guy who answered the door didn’t seem so surprised at my request and went on to explain that an older Italian woman had already come by and harvested a few herself. Ah, so I was not alone in my quince foraging quest! And last year at the farmer’s market I learned that Surkl used neighbourhood quinces in some of their baking.

The fruits were still a bit under-ripe – more green than yellow. But they came off fairly easily and ended up cooking up beautifully. The pale yellow flesh of the quince transforms into a bright ruby red when simmered slowly with some water and sugar. Even though I had read about this colour change I was still surprised to see how dramatic it was.

And you, what are your experiences with quince (if any)?

Tags: quince

This is Safiya leading the way to our first Not Far From The Tree pick in 2008.  Safiya is my five-year-old daughter, and if you’ve been to a ward 31 pick, you’ve most likely met her.  She has been my right-hand girl all season, and I’ve been privileged to have found meaningful work to share with her, and privileged to have her help.

We are a homeschooling family.  One of the reasons why my husband and I have chosen this path for Safiya (and if one day she wishes to choose another, that’s certainly her decision), is that, as a friend of mine put it; “we homeschool to expose them to more of life, not less of it”.

She saw a lot of life this season: connecting with her food, learning how to pick the differing harvests, what happens to that fruit after you pick it, properly storing it, why we need to be gentle with it to prevent bruising so it lasts longer, subtraction (weight of person + bag of fruit) – (weight of person) = amount of fruit in bag, respecting other people’s property, experiencing work with others, preserving to extend the harvest, practising patience (ahem – mine), working joyfully, working hard…

Sometimes I wondered about the wisdom of dragging her along, as there were a couple of instances when her enthusiasm waned (to put it politely), and I found the discussion turning to “obligation” and “this is just part of what we do as a family” and “commitments”.  That was the exception rather than the rule, as she happily trudged along, chatting with the volunteers, sorting fruit and memorably showing off her aptitude for the word “foliage“.

There were signposts along the way that let me know this was the right path for us; for her.  Like the picture above that she drew during an apple pick.  It’s her, picking apples with an apple picker, and that’s a ladder beside her. I like how all the apples are on the inside of the tree – so hard to get when you’re five!

And final reassurance came at the last team meeting with Laura and the other hub coordinators when we discussed plans for next year.  As I’m due to have another baby just before the season starts, I was chatting about how to stay involved in some capacity other than a hub coordinator, when we all heard Safiya’s rather distressed voice from the other part of the room, where she had been quietly preoccupying herself; “but what do you mean we can’t be the hub coordinator next year? don’t I get to do any more picks – will there be more picks?!”

Don’t worry honey, there will be many more picks, for you and any other kids who want to come and help – under the apple tree is the best classroom anyone could wish for.

Tags: education, kids, ward 31

Not Far From The Tree now has t-shirts for sale! They come in kids, babies, and adult (women’s and men’s) sizes. Aren’t they so adorable? Can you believe you can be so fashionable while supporting a great initiative? Don’t you want one for yourself and for all of your loved ones?

They make a great holiday gift, and come with a gift tag that explains the great charity that your purchase has helped to support.

You can order yours online or send an email to store@notfarfromthetree.org.

Twelve eager preservers arrived at The Stop’s kitchen at the Wychwood Barns last Tuesday with dreams of crabapple jelly in their heads. They came armed with peelers and glass jars, small and large. Our mission – to take about 10 lbs of raw crabapples and create a marvelous jelly of deliciousness. Luckily, we had on hand several jelly-making pros. Special thanks must go out to Pam Bonnycastle for her knowledge, skill, snacks, and her totally cool jelly bag!  So crabapple jelly making. Sounds complicated? Not so much, in fact.

Having been washed and sliced, the crabapples were ready for some cooking after which they were strained through a jelly bag or a cheesecloth. Some people, we were told, strain the fruit overnight.. We had considerably less time and were ecstatic to have a few litres of juice after an hour, so we squeezed the bag a bunch of times to hurry things up (a practice that is somewhat frowned upon by jelly-making purists who like their jelly to run clear).

While we waited for the crabapples to strain, we had over 50 lbs of red delicious apples to peel, core, slice and cook. But our team was up for the challenge. The result was delicious applesauce!

Yum! So, back to the crabapple jelly. After an hour of straining, the crabapple juice that remained was brought back to the stove and sugar was added. Within 15 minutes, the first jars were filled with the most gorgeous colour of sunset red jelly.

The kitchen was quickly filled with a lovely fragrant scent. Having worked very hard over the evening, participants were deservedly rewarded with jars of apple sauce and crabapple jelly to take home. As we parted ways, we vowed to make preserving a more regular event in Ward 21. Next year, we’ll start with cherries!

Tags: jelly preserving apples crabapples "Ward 21"

Our amazing cider press caught the attention of many-a-youngster this season. Catching an eye, I would ask the little ones, “what do you think I’m making?”  The usual (screamed) reply was, “APPLE JUICE!!!”  When I’d offer the correction of cider, not juice,  said Excited Child would either give me an adults-think-they’re-so-smart-with-their-semantics eye rolling, or a vacuous stare of incomprehension.

But really…aren’t the kids right? After all, if I squeeze an orange, I get orange juice. Squeeze some grapes – grape juice. So what the heck is the difference between cider and juice?

In my research (on, ahem, the interweb), I’ve found a lot of information and anecdotes surrounding the difference between juice and cider. Some folks stipulate that cider is made from apples picked a little early. Others say that juice comes from whole-crushed apples, instead of pre-shredded ones. Even others contend that pasteurization makes a juice, full stop. (NB: Pasteurization involves processing a food to slow and/or reduce the number of microbiological ‘food baddies.’ Heating to a certain temperature does this, as can using UV light. Note that pasteurization is not the same as ‘sterilization,’ which will kill any living thing and usually make whatever food product a lot less tasty).

But in reality it’s in the filtration of the liquid. Apple juice is usually filtered to remove particulate matter as well as pasteurized to lengthen its shelf life.  The filtering removes those tiny, tasty apple floaties which cloud the liquid and make it oh-so rich and creamy. To many peoples’ chagrin, we at Not Far From the Tree have been pasteurizing our cider, just to ensure that we’re keeping folks safe from anything harmful that might be in our cider.

So what if you’d like to try making your own apple cider but don’t have the cumbersome contraption that we were lucky enough to get our hands on this year? Don’t fret – you can do it at home!

How To Make Your Own Apple Cider

Wash, core and quarter some apples (removing any bad parts), then throw them in your blender (you could add a bit of water if you need to).  There’s no need to peel them, but you can if you’d like to. Usually a variety of apples makes a better taste. Take the pulpy mash and strain it through a cheesecloth. (I prefer to use a clean pillow case).  You’ll have to put a bit of finger muscle into it to squeeze as much of the liquid out as possible. To pasteurize, heat it to 71◦C for one minute, add some cinnamon to taste, and serve. Ta-da!

Tags: apples cider press DIY

Pureed pears; perfect for baby food. And, as the girls at Humewood House can tell you, it’s an easy DIY.

Last Wednesday Laura and I dropped in on Marc’s baby food making class at Humewood House. We got there just in time. The prep was complete and the pears were ready for steaming.

All we had to do was sit down and enjoy baby naming conversations, Halloween talk, some light banter, and of course – fruit discourse.

Marc prepared a full pear puree workshop for a dynamic group of young moms. The girls were embarking on new ground; baby food: fully sourced, produced and processed in Toronto. Nutritious and delicious food you can’t buy at the store, yet…..but these girls maybe on to something.

By Marc’s estimate the girls peeled and chopped 10 pounds of fruit – roughly 30 pears. After the pears had been prepped, they were steamed until soft. With the help of a masher and a little elbow grease, they ended up with A LOT of baby food.

By the time I left they had at least 6 jars, and were still going.

Marc’s workshop included a canning demonstration that taught the participants how to preserve food. The girls learned about sterilizing jars and hot water baths. The hot water baths help draw moisture and air out of the jars allowing fruit to preserve for prolonged periods of time. This was something someone like me, who had never canned, did not know; a very valuable trick indeed.

The workshop demonstrated the far reaching potential for Toronto fruit. Volunteering as a gleaner I had taken home my share of the bounty, and enjoyed it with family and friends. Of course we all know the majority goes to a food agency, but actually seeing these young women enjoy this fruit was quite rewarding.

The workshop brought together a group of young moms. They learned about Toronto’s fruit and how to use it to make healthy, economical (read: free) baby food. What could be better! The girls all went home with their very own jar of pureed pears; probably a month’s supply.

During the workshop one of the women remarked, “ We should sell this”!  The jars definitely deserve a Made in Toronto stamp!

During a recent trip to New Hampshire, I stopped in to a small ICM orchard for the season’s final harvest. After all, I had been away from Toronto for a week and was getting anxious without having picked any fruit! On this gorgeous fall day, what struck me most was the beauty of the apples against their fall foliage.

There couldn’t be a more theme-appropriate art show to Not Far From The Tree than Su Rynard’s Apples (malus domestica). On show at Paul Petro Contemporary Art until November 14th, this is a must-see for all interested in the questions of local orchards and city development in Toronto. I had the pleasure of checking out the exhibit this afternoon and it was a mesmerizing experience, bringing to light the need to plan (and the exciting potential) for food production in our city.

Over 7500 different kinds of apples (malus domestica) are known to exist, but only a few are grown today. Each cultivar has it’s own characteristics, and it’s own name. I was intrigued by the names of apples that have all but disappeared – names such as Maidens Blush, Primate, Duchess, Snow, Wealthy and decided to document apple orchards on the older surviving farms around the perimeter of the city of Toronto. Journeys to this fray of urbanity lead me to discover another interesting series of names — street names in housing developments and industrial areas named after the apples and orchards that once grew there.

The resulting dual projection piece juxtaposes two culturally constructed landscapes, the suburban and the agricultural, asking the viewer to consider how we live in the natural world. The lost cultivar names found on street signs draw attention to our dwindling biodiversity, yet naming is often a way to remember — an act of commemoration. In this way, the apple names re-purposed as street names create a kind of pastoral history, evoking an image of what once existed, to market what now stands in its place.

The show is only up for another week, so be sure to check out the upstairs exhibit at 980 Queen Street West while you can!

Last night’s End-Of-Season Celebration marked the many successes of our second year. A large crowd came out to provide a drumroll for our final tally of pounds picked: 8,135! Many more had hoped to join in on the fun but we sold out ahead of time. Next year we will be sure to book a larger venue!

Many thanks to those who made the evening possible: Carole from The Local Cafe (who not only catered the event but also happened to attend the very first meeting to form Not Far From The Tree), DJ Wes Allen (a first-class fruit gleaner with excellent musical taste), Greenest City (our beautiful hub hosts in Parkdale-High Park who loaned us their projector), Robin Newman (community arts intern for Not Far From The Tree who made a gorgeous fruit tree memory sculpture, prepared the slideshow for the event, and took the photos in the slideshow above), Eco Flora (who donated materials for Robin’s sculpture), Scott Loubser (whose cider press we’ve borrowed for much of the season), and Jason Logan (who brought wonderfully playful posters to show off the black walnut ink he made using husks from one of our forages).

There’s more! We’d also like to thank Steam Whistle Brewing (for donating their delicious locally-made beer), Suresh Doss of Spotlight Toronto (for acquiring donations of VQA wines), Sharon Bergey of Jamie Kennedy Kitchens (who designed our signature cocktail that proved to be quite the hit), the Wychwood Barns Community Association (a volunteer board that manages the Community Gallery), and of course the amazing crew of volunteers who made the evening happen without a hitch (Heather, Leehe, Meagan, Janet, Steve, Dena, Malgosia, Laura, Lark, Kris, John, Hilary, Xiana, Linda, and Matthew).

Special thanks goes to the local businesses and not-for-profits who donated items and services as door prizes:

The Stop Community Food Centre
Arsenal Pulp Press and Jae Steele
LEAF (Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests)
Whole Self Fitness
Tarragon Theatre
WellPreserved.Ca
Alternative Grounds
Bonne Vie
Boom Breafkast & Co.
Bicycles At St.Clair
Ellington’s Music and Cafe
The Stockyards
Sutherland-Chan
St. John’s Bakery
Whitecap Books and Lorraine Johnson
The Shoelace Collective
Mabel’s Bakery & Specialty Foods