It can be produced locally, unlike gasoline – have you ever heard of a back-yard oil refinery?”

Sean wants to see whether it’s feasible to make fuel alcohol on a community scale.  One of the requirements is a supply of feedstock, like waste fruit.  He’s hoping to partner with the Vancouver Tree Fruit Project Society to turn waste fruit into fuel and will keep VFTP informed about the performance of the fuel in small engines.  As locally-made fuel proves itself, he’ll invite members of the community to test the fuel in real-world driving conditions, then use the momentum generated to build a larger plant that can turn waste into fuel for everyone.

Sean explains,

“A garbage can full of waste apples will produce enough juice to run a test.  Depending on the kind of yeast used, the wine that results from fermenting the juice might be 10% to 14% alcohol.

“An efficient still can remove 95% pure alcohol from the wine, yielding maybe 10 litres of fuel.  The rest of the wine can be composted.  Fermentation also yields carbon dioxide, which plants need for photosynthesis. In the future, I’d like to put the fermenting tanks in a greenhouse so plants have a rich environment for growth.”

“The law requires the alcohol to be ‘denatured’, that is, poisoned, so no one will be tempted to drink it – it’s for cars, after all.  We’re not moonshiners!

He continues, “After the fruit harvesting season is over, there are other sources of feedstock.  For example, day-old doughnuts are full of sugar and starch that can be converted to sugar by using enzymes.  Think of all the waste food that could have another use before it goes to the  compost!”

Since we’re in the middle of fruit-harvesting season right now, and Sean has a day-job, he’s hoping to go on some VFTP picks to collect the groundfall that won’t make B-grade (or be used for VFTP donations) and use that as feedstock.

Sean would welcome a helping hand with this project: any volunteers who would like to help out Sean and deliver this fruit to a central location would be greatly appreciated. You can contact him via  grenada_sean@yahoo.com.

The workshop went pretty well, though as usual I feel like I am still learning. And as usual there were a few jars that just did not behave properly, leaking upon removal from the boil. I still cannot figure out why this is as we were so careful to get the correct headspace and all. Maybe there were too many air bubbles that we missed getting out. Anyways, like gardening, canning is a continuous learning and experimenting experience.

I actually just returned the day before from a trip to the Rockies and back through the Kootenays and then Keremeos and Cawston where I stopped to load up on amazing fruit. There are three wonderful organic fruit stands that I know of – Blush Lane, Parsons Farm and the third I forget, but which also has organic wine to taste and buy.  Basically we stopped at each thinking we had already bought enough, but then laid down another $50 for more fruit. My favorite fruits are the small ping pong ball size (or smaller) apricots from Parsons Farm. I forget the name of the variety, but they are wonderful.

Ian Marcuse,  Coordinator, Grandview Woodland Food Connection

My name is Dominic and I am a Katimavik volunteer in East Vancouver in an Eco program. Part of my job is working with the Vancouver Fruit Tree Project. During the week I also work at the Pedal depot, a bike co-op and during the weekend my group and I volunteer with diverse events and organizations. I have been here since July 6th and I am staying until December 16th.

I’m from the Province of Quebec and I grew up in a very little town call Taschereau (close of Rouyn-Noranda, 7 hours of driving in north of Montreal). After my high school, I went to Quebec City for a couple of months learning about music and violin making. After, I came back to Rouyn-Noranda at Cegep and I studied in botany and forestry for one and a half years. I am passionate about a lot of things but mainly about music and Biology and I hope that my knowledge will help here in the field of fruit trees.

So now that I’m here, enjoying the beauty of British Columbia and Vancouver, I’m really happy to work with the Vancouver Fruit Tree project. I hope to meet you soon and I will be happy to talk with you and answer your questions.

Also, in the coming months I will write articles in the blog about Forestery, botany, harvesting etc.

Dominic

by Artful Danni on Flickr.

Despite a serious slack of genuine summer weather and a worryingly late fruit harvest season, we are at the beginning of apple season. One of the best and brightest summer apple varieties is the Sunrise apple. For those not in the know, the Sunrise apple is a cross between the McIntosh apple and the Golden Delicious apple. It was developed in Summerland, BC[i]. Being an early harvest apple, it does not store as well as the later season apples, but it has a great crisp sweetness. A medium apple (approximately 154g) contains 80 calories, zero fat and sodium and 5g of dietary fibre[ii].  If you are doing a large harvest or making a large purchase, it is good to know that Sunrise apples make excellent applesauce. They also make a damn good apple tart. It sounds posh, it looks posh but if you don’t make the pastry dough yourself, it is a very simple treat to pull together. Remember, if you have a producing fruit tree in your yard, contact the Vancouver Fruit Tree Project to set up a harvest schedule that will help you help your community. Share the apple tart wealth.

FRENCH APPLE TART[iii]

•  1 sheet of frozen puff pastry , defrosted
• 4 Sunrise apples
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small diced
• 1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm apricot jam (any kind of jam will work as long as you like it with apples)
• 2 tablespoons Calvados, rum or water (choose rum if you use apricot jam)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Roll the pastry dough slightly larger than 10×14 inches (or whatever size your baking sheet is). Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4 inch thick slices. Place overlapping slice of apples diagonally down the middle the tart (the dough on your pan is the tart at this point) and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. Sprinkle with the full half cup of sugar and dot with the small diced butter.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. The apple juices may burn in the pan but the tart will be fine. When the tart is done, heat the apricot jelly together with the rum and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a spatula so it doesn’t stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

You can find the recipe with dough making instructions at http://aisforaubrie.blogspot.com/2010/08/contessa.html .

It was over five thousand years ago when mankind first dabbled into the art of cultivating fruit.  Slowly but surely, fruit farmers around the world have tinkered away at what was once simply a mechanism of seed dispersal.  Through artificial selection, the biggest, brightest and sweetest crops have risen into prominence. Seeing the disparity between modern breeds and their wild relatives makes me wonder what I’m actually eating.  More importantly, is it healthy for us to be tampering with our natural sources of sustenance.

Although the dangers of fruit farming aren’t about to hit the headlines, some researchers are making note of the issue.  A common claim is that cultivated fruit contains too much sugar and too little fibre, and as a result, they cause bigger spikes in our blood sugar levels than wild fruit.  Another issue is the reduced nutrition, because today’s fruit is optimized for harvest long before ripening.  If we are to believe these reports, does that mean we need to be wary of the fruit we eat?

Personally, I’m not sold on this.  Guided evolution is still far more natural than the chemical engineering of foods today.  It’s not like we’ve totally eliminated the vitamins, minerals and enzymes that are being produced by the plants.  Maybe there aren’t as much, but these nutrients do allow us to process the sugar in fruit much more effectively that if we were eating, for instance, a slice of chocolate cake.  Besides, a large portion of wild fruit doesn’t mature into anywhere near the calibre of what we’re lucky enough to eat today, and I’m positive that most people would eat less fruit if it didn’t taste as good.

In the end, what matters most is that people are getting fruit in the first place, which is why it’s great to have an organization like the VFTP to distribute it to those in need.  Unless you plan on becoming a “fruitarian”, I doubt you’ve got anything to worry about.

by Mundoo on Flickr

It took me quite a while to really get into figs. I have zero claim to any sort of Asian, Middle Eastern or Mediterranean heritage and I didn’t even realise my mother had a fig tree until she mentioned she was having it removed from the yard. I suppose I always assumed figs were an acquired taste, an ‘adult’ taste. It turns out, I’m a nut and figs are delicious. The tricky thing about figs is that they are very delicate and do not travel well. Luckily, the Lower Mainland has a climate that supports the fruit so it doesn’t have to go far to get to your table. And if you don’t appreciate the figs growing in your yard, let the Vancouver Fruit Tree Project harvest them and share them within the community. A large, raw fig (approximately 64g) has a mere 47 calories and is packed with calcium and fibre[i].

Fig salads are simple. Wash your figs, slice them into quarters, sixths or whatever makes you happy then make the big decision of whether to serve them cooked or raw. If you want to mastermind a roast fig salad, place the figs skin side down on a baking sheet, drizzle the tops with honey, sprinkle with salt and pepper and smear with a bit of butter. Roast at 400 F for 10 to 12 minutes. Sweet, roast figs are often served with prosciutto or other thinly sliced cured ham. If you prefer to use your fresh figs raw, wash, slice, choose some greens and a creamy goat’s cheese then build your salad. Dress it simply with oil (olive, grapeseed or walnut) and a light vinegar (use a third as much vinegar as oil).

Now let’s talk about dessert. I know you were waiting for it.

RASPBERRY AND FIG GRATIN[ii]

• 3 cups fresh raspberries
• 6 fresh figs, quartered
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• a small handful of mint sprigs

Set the oven to “broil”. Arrange the raspberries and figs in a 10-inch-diameter baking dish. Stir sour cream in a separate bowl until smooth and then spoon evenly into your baking dish over the fruit. Sprinkle all over with brown sugar. Broil close to heat source until brown sugar melts and bubbles (that would be about 4 minutes). Garnish with mint and serve warm to a thoroughly impressed (and hungry) small group of friends.

Cherries are here!

I came home from work on Friday to find three big containers of cherries waiting for me! I’d been watching our trees – one was showing very little fruit and the other…well, it had lots of fruit but it was waaaay up there for only the birds to enjoy. Or so I thought! Our trees are 30 years old and over 30 feet tall. Of course, most of the cherries are in the top 10 feet - well over ladder and even picking pole reach. Hence my amazement at seeing all these cherries in my kitchen!

Read on for details… and if you don’t want to miss a volunteer update, email Erica at coordinator@vancouverfruittree.com.

Pick Leader Training

Are you interested in becoming a pick leader??? Its a great opportunity and a fun way to gain valuable leadership experience! You would be responsible for picking up equipment (in a coop car provided by VFTP), meeting volunteers at the location and guiding them through the pick, filling out pick report forms, delivering fruit to our community partners, and returning the equipment.

We will be holding a pick/pick leader training this week. It will be on Tuesday or Wednesday evening in the area of Fraser & 49th. If you are available and interested in participating please contact me for details.

We’re looking for drivers!!
We have partnered with Savoury City and are selling apple galettes at the West Side Pocket Market in Kits. We’re there every other Thursday from 3-7pm. I’m wondering if anyone has a vehicle and is available to help transport the galettes and equipment from Savoury City (Fraser & 23rd) to the market (7th and Vine). So we’d do two trips, one at 2:30 and another at 7pm. The next market date is July 28th.

Again, please let me know if you available.

Calls to Tree Owners
We’re hoping some folks are able to donate a bit of their time to help us phone our tree owners. We’re just looking to touch base with them and see if they would like to continue working with VFTP and if so, when they think they’re fruit might be ready.

And as always, please let me know if you are aware of any fruit trees in your neighbourhoods! We’re always looking for new tree owners. You can print this flyer and put it in the owner’s mailbox: VFTP Fruit Tree Owner Flyer 2011

Please don’t hesitate to contact me at coordinator@vancouverfruittree.com if you have any questions or are looking for some additional information.

- Erica

- Want to join the fruit picking brigade? Email info@vancouverfruittree.com and you’ll be added to the specific fruit tree picking information list.

- A big thank you to the City of Vancouver for the Greenest City Neighbourhood Grant. We will be able to replace new picking equipment this year.

- Sign up for our enewsletter on the right to stay in touch about our events and food security projects, including the logo contest (still accepting entries), movie night, farmers’ market, bike cargo trailer volunteering and more.

- And welcome to Erica as the 2011 Coordinator, and to the new volunteers helping already with blogging, equipment repair, and our social enterprise. It’s great to have you with VFTP.

- Next meeting: August 6th, 6:30 at Britannia Community Information Centre. Everyone welcome. Read previous minutes here.

solution! Vancouver Fruit Tree Project brings groups of volunteers together to pick fruit from your tree, and then the fruit gets redistributed in the community to those who need it, like daycares, community centres, etc.if you are the owner of a fruit tree in your backyard (or front yard), contact us and let’s work together!(joey is a new blogger with the vancouver fruit tree project society. like a good vancouver resident, she really loves food & coffee. she works at a local restaurant, & she also photographs & writes her own random little food blog. recently, she’s become increasingly interested in the topic of food security. she wanted to know more, & she wanted to know how she could be involved in her community. in her research, she stumbled upon the vancouver fruit tree project last month & really liked how they care about food, people, the environment, and about waste (or not wasting), among other things.)