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How to be an urban fruit forager

September 11, 2022

Foraging
 Photo by Alex Ciobanu on Unsplash

How to be an urban fruit forager

Helena Martin co-founded the foraging platform, RipeNearMe. A Singapore native, her travels led her to Malaysia, Sydney, and ultimately Adelaide, South Australia. Here, Helena — a lifelong forager — shares tips to help other urbanites begin their own foresting journeys. 

My love affair with fruit goes back a long way. Our property had many fruit trees and I climbed almost all of them in spite of insect bites and other hazards. As kids, we were the best neighbourhood foragers although our fearlessness often landed us in trouble.

Neighbours were receptive to us kids, although I have now knocked on many doors and offered to pay for fruit and have been told to help myself. People tell me they would rather see the food eaten than rot on the ground as they don’t know what to do with the surplus.

Our modus operandi was, and still is, to scour the neighbourhood for anything edible and keep a record of what’s around. (I no longer climb fences so I can’t always see what is grown in the back, although I do ask). We had been warned about what fruit was edible and, if in doubt, to leave well alone. We sussed out the friendly neighbours and gave the unfriendly ones a wide berth.

Nowadays I drive and can go further but my MO remains the same. In the 10 km radius of where I live I can source 80% of my favourite fruit, mostly for free, for a token sum, or in exchange for my own homegrown produce. There are also fruit trees in community gardens and public areas. Today we feasted on sweet public mulberries, picked off the trees and straight into our mouths. Life doesn’t get better than this.

Everyone can get in on the foraging action.

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How To Start A Fruit Orchard!

May 13, 2020

How To Start A Fruit Orchard!

Nothing is more freeing than growing your own food. If you’ve already started growing vegetables in a garden, you know how good it is for your health and mental wellness, so why not try a fruit orchard?

How To Start A Fruit Orchard!

Nothing is more freeing than growing your own food. If you’ve already started growing vegetables in a garden, you know how good it is for your health and mental wellness, so why not try a fruit orchard?

A home orchard can supply you with delicious, low-cost fresh fruit, attract pollinators, and provide shade and beauty to your property. It requires a relatively small investment of money but a large investment of time and patience. The time and patience that you put in are more than worth it, however.

Being more self-reliant can change your life! It will offer a wonderful source of freedom and help you save some money in the long run.

How To Choose Trees

Not all fruit will grow well in all areas, but the same is true of vegetables.  You should visit USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to learn what agricultural zone you’re in and talk to those at greenhouses or nurseries to get a better idea of what will row well.  Nurseries should be able to provide you with information about the zones where their plants will grow. For example, we live in zone 4, and that means red and golden delicious apples are some of the best to grow in that climate. If you live in a colder climate, apple trees might be a great choice in general because they are hearty.  Cherry and plum trees will also be able to withstand some brutal cold, but you should make sure before you start to plant them.

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Amazing Apples

March 21, 2018

AMAZING APPLES

These days when we hear the term apple we sometimes have thoughts of the latest iPhone or what the hottest album on iTunes is. Perhaps if you’re a 90’s fan, the line Matt Damon delivers in Good Will Hunting “How do you like them apples?” is what pops into your head. However, at the core of it all (pun intended) is the delicious, bright, crunchy, crisp fruit that hails from the Rosaceae (Rose) family we call the apple. Along with the wonderful apple (Malus domestica) this family produces beautiful roses, strawberries, cherries, and almonds.

History of the apple is long, and full of some very true stories and some very well-known fairytales. We couldn’t have the story of Snow White without it! Apples have been around since prehistoric times, with remains even found in dwellings in Switzerland. The apple tree is thought to have originated in Central Asia from the wild ancestor, Malus sieversii. From there, thousands of species have spread through Asia and Europe, and eventually brought to North America by European colonists. Although Native Americans did have a version of crab apples growing before the introduction by colonists.

If you would like to grow your own apples you will need a minimum of these four things: space, patience, chill time, and two trees of differing cultivars. Apple trees can grow over 20’ tall; although there are dwarf varieties that only reach a maximum of 10’. Apple trees take a minimum of 3 years to produce fruit and some take up to 8 years. Because apples require cross-pollinationyou will need at least two apple trees that are different cultivars. However, if your neighbor has an apple tree close by this usually works. Apples also need a chill period when temperatures are below 45°F, but above freezing, in order to set fruit. The amount of time needed is variety dependent.

As the spring season rolls around in your area this is the time to plant apple trees. Be sure to plant your trees in full sun and 20’ apart from one another, unless you are using a dwarf variety, which can go as close as 10’. Keep your trees out of low lying areas where cold air settles. Your soil should be loamy and at a pH between 6-7.

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How to Harvest Your Own Seeds From Fruit and Vegetables for Propagation into Nursery

October 12, 2015

How to Harvest Your Own Seeds From Fruit and Vegetables for Propagation into Nursery

Harvesting your own seeds from fruit and vegetables for propagation into a nursery significantly reduces your costs by over 50 percent. In order to reap the maximum benefit, you must give your plants the help they need to produce healthy seeds. Harvesting and storage techniques require particular attention because they impact seed quality. To achieve the best results, one must harvest at the right time, clean with the proper techniques, and dry and store in optimum conditions. Prior to harvesting, keep in mind the following recommendations.

• SEED TYPES

If you are planning to harvest your own seeds, then you should avoid purchasing hybrids, which are artificial and usually designed for only one planting season. Instead, purchase heirloom and/or open-pollinated varieties, which are natural and produce crops that yield continuously reproducing seeds. After planting, clearly mark each type with a nametag so you can monitor how different varieties perform.

• DISEASE CONTROL

Most seeds will germinate and grow to become plants. Some plants will contract disease. During harvesting, do not collect seeds from disease-infected plants; whatever ailment infected a plant will be transmitted to all future ones.

• SEED SELECTION

Select seeds from the healthiest plants. Characteristics such as total fruit yields, size, disease resistance and early fruit-bearing/maturity are reliable indicators of good health. Identify robust plants with a special wooden tag, ribbon or loosely tied string.

• SEED RIPENESS

It is advisable to allow seeds to fully ripen before harvesting. Allowing them adequate time to mature enables them to store sufficient nutrients for germination and healthy growth. This will help to ensure that they achieve the best germination yield for the following season.

• DRYING

Dry your seeds before storing. A moisture content of about eight percent is recommended; however, a range of 5-13 percent is also good. You will need to use your best judgment to assess moisture since scientific methods are expensive.

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Do Warmer Winters Mean Less Fruit?

February 24, 2015

Do Warmer Winters Mean Less Fruit?

Californians have been enjoying summer weather in the dead of winter, but the downside is that unseasonably warm temperatures could threaten many of our favorite foods. The state experienced its warmest winter on record last year, and according to current reports, this year could shape up to be another record breaker, compounded by a four-year drought.

California produces the vast majority of our country’s fruits and nuts, and farmers are worried because they depend on water and winter chill for their trees to produce.

The drought has been a top concern for Stan Devoto at Devoto Garden & Orchards, who grows nearly 100 heirloom varieties of apples in Sebastopol. Many of his trees are dry-farmed, meaning they receive no irrigation besides what falls from the sky and is stored in the soil. His farm has received about 27 inches of rain this season (compared to the usual 40 to 50).

Right now, though, Stan is more concerned about the lack of cold than he is about the drought. “We don’t anticipate a good crop this year unless we start getting some really cold temperatures,” he says. “During winter we sometimes get down into the mid to low twenties, but this year there’s been no frost on the roofs, no frost on the grass. It’s scary.”

The Big Sleep

Winter chill is a vital part of the annual cycle of most fruit trees, including stone fruit (cherries, apricots, plums, and the like), pome fruit (such as apples and pears), and nuts. To bear fruit each year, the trees must undergo a period of winter dormancy, when the tree essentially goes to sleep, dropping its leaves and slowing its metabolism to conserve energy and protect itself from the cold.

 

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Olduvai IV: Courage
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Olduvai II: Exodus
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