Millions of pounds of edible treats are produced each year as many of us pick our fruits and nuts out of grocery bins rather than the branches overhead. And when you start to think about food security (there are only about three days-worth of fresh food in Toronto at any given time) taking advantage of this makes a whole lot of sense. Our friends at Not Far From The Tree and Growing for Green must be on to something…
For the past few years we’ve partnered with them to hold the Edible Tree Tour. And since we started, more urbanites are getting behind the idea that those millions of pounds are better off feeding our stomachs than our sewer drains. In 2011, we got to try the sour berries of the European mountain ash, horse raddishy buds of the southern magnolia tree and some delicious backyard apples.
Growing food in cities, or more professionally dubbed as urban agriculture, is an emerging trend that looks at how we can transform concrete jungles into living spaces. And as we look forward to the Urban Agriculture Summit (put on by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities and Foodshare, which hits Toronto from August 15 to 18), we can’t help but get giddy for this tour.
And consider this your invitation. The Edible Tree Tour will take place on Saturday, August 25, starting in Ben Nobleman Park (just across the street from Eglinton West Station). Laura Rainsborough, founder of Not Far From The Tree will lead us through an urban harvest, Susan Poizner of Growing For Green will explore how a community converted underused space into an orchard and Amanda Gomm of LEAF will share some tree ID tips and hints on how we can get the most out of our urban forest. Take it from me, if you like fresh food, you should not miss this. Click here to register.
