REAL food, real fruit, real fun
By Contributor
The gardening season is coming to an end in Rossland, and people all over town are pulling in the last of their harvests and putting their gardens to bed for winter. In keeping with these seasonal changes, the Rossland REAL Food group is hosting a variety of fall activities.
On Thursday, October 6th, from 4:00 to 7:00pm, everyone is invited to join in the Work Party and Harvest Celebration being held at the Community Garden. Plot holders and REAL Food volunteers will be turning over garden beds, weeding, watering and tidying up the garden space to make it ready for winter.
“This is a big job made more fun by many hands. Please come and join in!” said volunteer Hanne Smith.
The day isn’t all about digging and weeding, however. Weather permitting, a Rossland-style potluck will follow. Those joining in for the meal should bring food to share, a blanket or folding chair, and their own plates and cutlery. Amidst the garden plots and the food, current plot holders can indicate whether they would like a plot again for next year. Anyone else who would like a plot for next year is also encouraged to attend, to join in the activities and to request a spot on the list for 2012. The Rossland REAL Food group would like to hear feedback about the Garden, and to generate ideas for how to make the Garden even better next year. And of course, the Group is always looking for more willing hands to join in on this rewarding venture. At this time the group specifically needs volunteers to join the Community Garden committee, and anyone who is interested is encouraged to step up.
FREE FRUIT PICKUP
the plums, apples and pears are ripening in town, and the local bears have noticed. Over the next month, if you are unable to pick all of your fruit and veggies, Harvest Rescue Volunteers will help by doing the picking for you. These volunteers will haul away your edible fruit for free, or they will compost/dispose of your rotten fruit and veggies for a small fee. The Harvest Rescue service is provided by Rossland REAL Food volunteers in partnership with Bear Aware. The goals are to enhance community safety by reducing bear attractants, while also making use of the harvested fruits and veggies. And what happens to the fruit? Edible fruit is used by the volunteers who pick it, and inedible fruit is taken to the landfill for composting. To arrange for a harvest team, or for more information on the Harvest Rescue service, call David Klein at 362-9557. Interested people may also wish to look at the facebook page Rossland Harvest Rescue or the Bhubble posting . FRUIT PRESSING Those able to pick their own fruit might like to participate in the Community Fruit Pressing Day. Bear Aware is bringing a fruit press to the Community Garden on Saturday, October 15. From 9:30am to 4:00pm, Rossland REAL Food’s trained volunteers will use this press to turn fruit into juice. To make juice, fruit is ‘fed’ into the press, which squeezes the fruit, producing both juice and pulp. The juice is drained into a large container such as a Rubbermaid tub. A large container is definitely necessary, as one pressing of 4 large boxes of fruit can produce up to 35 liters of juice. The fresh juice can be consumed right away, or preserved via canning or freezing. Pulp from the pressed fruit is loaded into boxes and composted, or donated to farmers for use as livestock feed. Anyone wishing to take advantage of this opportunity should call David Klein at (250) 362-9557 to book a time. Participants will be asked to pay a fee of $20 for one press, and will also be expected to bring their own fruit and juice containers. Funds raised from the Fruit Pressing Day are used to pay for repair and maintenance of the fruit press, and to provide an honorarium to the volunteers who will be setting up, running, and cleaning the press, and disposing of the pulp. Submitted.
