Plum Picking with Not Far From The Tree

Last weekend, I attended my first fruit pick with Not Far From The Tree (NFFT). It was a great experience to share with fellow fruit lovers and volunteers! With all of the fruit trees in multiple neighborhoods, it doesn’t come as a surprise that NFFT will be reaching their 100, 000 pounds of fruits this season.

Initially founded by Laura Reinsborough in 2008, after being inspired by a guerilla fruit picking initiative in California. NFFT is on their 8^th pick season across 14 different wards across the GTA. With roughly 1,600 registered trees and 1,000+ interested fruit pickers in the city it’s not a small picnic. To my surprise, NFFT actually only has a very intimate group of employees, around 6-7 during busy harvest season and 2-3 in the off season, which means the program activities are predominantly run by dedicated volunteers.

For my first pick, I went plum picking with our pick leader Leslie with a few other pickers, some first time pickers and experienced pickers. Some of the ladies told me that they have gone apple picking, cherry picking, grapes, apricot, mulberry and so on. Who knew we had these fruits in our neighborhood backyards? Literally!

If you’re looking for a fun volunteer experience to fill in your volunteer hours for school, interested in urban agriculture, or just looking for a fun way to connect with your community over food, register with NFFT for a delightfully fruitful experience!