Batteaux Park Food Forest

Batteaux Park Food Forest is one of 2 Free Fruit Forests that have been planted in Barrie, Ontario Canada.

The other one I have visited so far is located at Shear Park in Midtown Barrie.

The concept of Free Fruit Forests is a rather brand new idea that seems to be catching some good support in addition to the good vibes :)

It is reminiscent of the peace and interest in communal living in the 60ś and 70´s. There will always be those who consider these kind of efforts to be wasteful or indulgent. But they are easy to ignore. 

Community supported Free Fruit Forests bring out the best in the community. They  are a teaching opportunity for local schools, so the children can make a tangible connection between the fruits and berries they can eat and the trees and berry bushes that they can touch with their own two hands. Seeing fruits that your mom or dad bought at the grocery store is not the same as an apple that you pulled off the tree yourself, or a gooseberry you hunted down and plucked from the bush.

No one can argue against the great health benefits of eating fruits and berries fresh from the tree, harvested at the peak of ripeness with your own two hands.

The only draw back that may be put forward is that there may be some in the community who take more than their fair share of the ripe fruits rather than leaving some on  the bushes and trees for others to enjoy.

I was happy to see that the trees in the Fruit Forest at Shear Park were plucked absolutely clean. Not one berry or apple or pear or plum to be seen. That´s a great thing. That is something to celebrate. Hungry folks are eating the abundant harvest. Humans are being fed. Hallelujah :)

On a side note, since I have had numerous opportunities to volunteer for church and public food programs, I want to give you a gentle word of encouragement. The need for food support is big right now. If you  have started a food bank or food suppport program and are overwhelmed with the amount of food that people are taking, please don´t stop what you are doing. Even if you need to cut back on the amount per family that your program is giving out, please don´t cancel the program because you are overwhelmed with food requests.

Food banks must be fed with the right spirit. A spirit of kindness and generosity. Food banks are not a work program. You can not force people to work for you to ¨earn¨ the right to access your food bank. Food banks are donation centers. 

Although it may be really frustrating if you feel like people do not appreciate the free food in a sincere way, please don´t stop giving. Why? Because somewhere somehow, in the midst of the shenanigans and the occasional dishonest user, there is a vulnerable senior citizen or a young child who is finally getting their belly fully of good quality food. Never let dishonest or scammy folks dissuade you from supporting a local food bank. If you are going to be involved in food charity, you will come into contact with those who will pretend to be poor just to take advantage of a free food source.  It doesn´t matter. Those who work in charity must develop a rather thick skin. Focus on the quality and availability of good quality food, to ensure it gets to those who need it most.

Are food banks the ¨end all and the be all¨ to end community hunger? By no means. But it is just one piece of a puzzle that deserves attention. 

Hungry people can not focus on getting a job, or taking good care of their children. Hungry people are ¨hangry¨  and irritable. The lack of protein and fats,  inhibits their ability to think calmly. They may find it difficult to focus and form a good plan. 

If you have the privilege of working in or at a food bank, you may want to also spend some small chunks of time praying for those that you meet. Pray for their peace of mind and pray that they will accept the food without shame or guilt. Pray for their families that God will help them to get over their temporary troubles in Jesus´ name.

Well friends, thanks for listening to me chat about free fruit forests and food banks. If you ever get the chance to plant a berry bush or fruit tree in a public location, I encourage you to go for it! 

There´s a great book ¨ The Man Who Planted Trees¨ by Jean Giono. It is a tiny book with a huge heart. What one man can do  who just starts planting trees ....is transformative and inspiring.

It is along the same lines as the store of John Chapman, the man behind the story of ¨Johnny Appleseed¨.

Great stories build up good hearts. Take part friends in reading and repeating these great stories.

 

May God bless your adventures, big or small in tending to the earth whether gleaning parsely from a pot on your porch or planting a grant fruit forest in a public park.

Peace,

Carla

Eat Common Chives Right from the Garden

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Today I grabbed a handful of fresh chives right from the backyard and ate them raw....with no dressing or additives. Ahh....that to me....is living.

I discovered that the kind of chives we grow here are called "common chives".

They are almost maintenance free and grow back every year. They seem to like it when I pull away the weeds and dump a wee bit of new dark rich soil to their space.

Up here in Northern Ontario, it can be a challenge to grow foods easily, unless you have a sunny location and great soil. Some things grow easily and somethings require more effort than I am willing to provide at this time in my life.

Wild raspberries are another favourite that grows easily in our rough climate. Our location's climate is usually about 5 degrees colder than Toronto, Ontario, Canada....(just in case you are new to my blog and don't know I am Canadian eh.)

If you are thinking about planting some low maintenance food supply type of plants, I think that the common chive is a good option. It doesn't provide a lot of calories, but they freeze up well in a simply zippy bag....and you can throw them easily into your fave soup or stew or salad. I love plants that don't require fancy fertilizer or any special spot. They like to have their own space, free of weeds and they don't need much more than one square foot of space to produce a healthy patch. 

If you would like to learn from the Farmer's almanac, here's their link :https://www.almanac.com/plant/chives

Happy Growing Season, my friends.

Peace,

Carla.

A "Food Not Bombs" Dinner Invite

Well, I had read about it for years on the net and was always just a wee bit curious as to what it was all about. Feeding humans for free can't really be all that controversial can it?
Apparently so...... I read that "Food Not Bombs" was at one point, considered to be a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Perhaps that was many years ago, when even John Lennon was considered a "suspicious" person by the U.S. Government. Perhaps passivism was not quite in line with those who had a penchant for "war".

But anyway, my family and I were invited the other day to a "Food Not Bombs" community dinner to be held in a local politician's head quarters who would get some good free publicity from the event.

So, remembering the event at the last minute, I convinced the family to join me in an adventure at our very first invite to a "Food Not Bombs" community dinner. As we arrived, I noticed that several of the dinner guests had arrived on foot or by bicycles parked near the tidy white building. As we entered the politician's domain, the dinner guests had sprawled around a few haphazardly placed rough wooden tables and chairs. Most were chatting quietly and scoping out the looks of the other unfamiliar attendees. The dinner guests, a colorful array of local humanity,.....no two alike, each with a different world view, a different kind a life, home and way of being. No talk of economics or stock market fluctuations could be heard. Just forks scraping plates and jesting between those who happened to know one another. Fertive glances towards those, like my family, who didn't know our way around. Glad to see that the courageous gal who had invited us, was there too, happily hosting and welcoming the motley crew.

No paper plates, just real Correlle and a hodege podge of unmatched over-sized ceramic plates to claim as we made our way to the buffet array of vegan dishes. Some were hot..... some were cold... but all were very clearly prepared with love and concern and a certain spartan determinism.

You see, all of the food that was used to prepare the dishes served at the "Food Not Bombs" dinner was donated by local businesses, and generous individuals. I was informed in advance that the meal would be vegan, but I must admit that I was unprepared for the delicious and broad array of brilliant dishes to choose from.

The only thing I really missed was having "traditional" mayo or salad dressing to add to the great veggie salad. But the silky homemade hummus more than made up for it's absence.

A radio turned to a local pop rock station floated and bounced tunes round the room. The guests outnumbered the wooden chairs, so we sat down on the edge of a landlocked dock out back.... taking in the cool breeze and bright evening sunlight dancing on the wild grasses just behind the landing.

Munching on my vegan feast, I mused quietly.Can it be possible that we can really "just feed" other humans, without having some kind of ulterior motive? Can it really be this simple, just to invite other humans for a meal, prepare the meal and be ready to dine in style with perfect strangers? It's so amazing, I hadn't heard anyone talk about  money for the entire meal. No collection plate is passed and no tickets were sold for the event. Just free food, for free humans. Amen sister. Amen brother.

The vegan feast included a hearty veggie salad complete with dark leafy greens, tomatoes, sesame seeds, and chopped fresh mushrooms. A dollop of homespun hummus smoothes it all out.
Then there was a potatoe and kale hash dish, warmed and comforting. A wholesome dish, that I don't really know the name of,  contained veggies and ripe red kidney beans. All and all, the meal was fresh and complete.

 There were several other dishes and a pot of soup that I didn't get a chance to sample, as I was simply just too full from the monster size salad and bean dish.
For desert there were fresh local pears, shiny vegan chocolate cake, of which my son helped himself to two slices, and a crunchy apple crumble in abundance.

How can all this be vegan, so tasty and satisfying and still be "free"???

Well, as nerve wracking as it can be to force oneself and one's family to venture into completely new social settings, it was an adventure that I am glad we undertook. To be met and greeted by the lady who prepared the meal and gave us the invite created a good friendly community vibe. Photo ops and thanks were made to the politician who let "Food Not Bombs" use her campaign head quarters at no charge.

I must say that it is ultimately VERY refreshing to meet a group of people who simply believe in feeding other human beings, without any other strings attached.

Not to get too philosophical.....but let me close by saying the obvious: Some folks talk a lot and others folks like me.......sure do write a lot....and then there are those blazing trails with their practical example.

Thank you for the bountiful meal. God bless.