Harvesting the Urban Fruit Forest

[Rachel Butler]

When I first heard the words "fruit forest" it made me think of some fairy-filled magical land with the branches of the trees bowing, heavy with fruit. Magical and wonderful. Kind of how I remember my grandpa Butler's garden. It was filled with orange, grapefruit, loquat, kumquat, banana, papaya and mulberry trees. I'm sure I've missed a tree or two in there somewhere...oh yeah, peach.

Now, as an adult, I sometimes get strange looks when I stop by a mulberry tree on Ladybird Lake (Town Lake) and have a mid-run gnosh or when I force my poor roommate to go picking loquats with me around the 78704. I really enjoy the opportunity to share with others the knowledge and understanding that we can enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, touch and TASTES of nature and the world around us.

I've been excited to hear more and more about urban harvesting. Usually, volunteers pick excess produce from abandoned orchards and residential backyards, and donate it to the fruit to local
food-assistance programs, helping to alleviate food insecurity and provide a substitute for unhealthy processed, canned or packaged food typically supplied to those in need.

Check out the video!



Love- Rache

[Nicole Telles]

This reminds me of living on White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. It was packed with pecan trees and the Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops would go around the entire post and gather up as many nuts as we could and take them to the homeless shelter in the nearest town (Las Cruses New Mexico). In El Paso my mother's pear tree in the back yard produced more fruit than every house hold in a 3 block radius could use and the extra (often at least 5 bushels of pears) was taken to the homeless shelter. They were always so excited to get so much fresh fruit. I miss having fruit trees in my yard now.