Category Archives: news

Become a Member of OFRE for 2016

The fruit season is almost started!

If you want to volunteer to rescue fruit with us, you must have a membership with OFRE.

Perks of becoming a member:

- Participate in fruit rescue, donate fruit to food charities, and take home fresh picked, local fruit for your efforts
- Attend workshops on canning, cider making, etc.
- Work with various community organizations to help support the local food movement.
- Learn about your local fruit biodiversity, and what types grow in the greater Edmonton area. (you will be surprised with what grows here!)
- Attend and vote at our annual AGM.

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To purchase a membership click on the appropriate link below:

**Low income (If the membership fee is more than you can afford, contact us by email and we can work towards a solution. admin@operationfruitrescue.org)

Each membership is valid from January 1st to December 31st.

*NOTE* To sign up as a FRUIT RESCUE VOLUNTEER, click on the link at the end of the PayPal payment that directs you back to the site, and WAIT for the form to load. Filling in this form will set you up to get email invites to fruit rescue events.

Thanks for a great 2015 season!

We are closing fruit registration and rescue for this year. Stay tuned for a report on how much fruit we rescued this summer.

Thanks to the great volunteers and all generous homeowners who shared their bounty. OFRE would not happen with out you! saskatoons

Once again, the demand for fruit to be picked far exceeded our volunteer capacity. If you or someone you know has some time to give and a passion for local food, encourage them to join OFRE and become a fruit pick volunteer.

We are looking forward to more fruit rescue next year. Thank you all.

Message from the President

Hello, OFRE volunteers, growers, and members of the community.

It is unfortunate that I must issue this statement to inform you that the OFRE cider shack at the McCauley School and the site of the OFRE orchard was broken into on the night of Saturday 13th, 2015. Critical components for our pedal-powered apple crusher were stolen from the shack, which makes our one-of-a-kind pedal-powered apple crusher unusable. These items include the stainless steel hopper, and two 20″ bike rims for the seat.

We are upset that someone would break into our shed and steal customized equipment that has no other purpose than to crush apples. We have used the crusher to bring joy to families, OFRE members, growers and volunteers by crushing thousands of pound of apples over the past 3 years. OFRE will continue to put on events, with slightly modified equipment to ensure that we continue to educate Edmontonians on the value of locally grown fruit, what type of fruit can grow in the city, and what you can do with that fruit.

We have reported the incident to the police, and a police report has been filled out. One of our volunteers also contacted the Edmonton Journal on behalf of OFRE to report the incident, and a story was published on Sunday night. You can find the article here:

If you or anyone you know has any information about this, please inform the police, as we would really like our custom equipment back, especially since this is our busy time of year and have events planned for the next two weekends which were supposed to showcase the pedal-powered apple crusher (pictured here).

We will also be starting a fundraising effort to rebuild the critical components to the pedal-powered apple crusher, and hope to raise funds. Please stay tuned.

Sincerely,
Mike Johnson
OFRE president

OFRE micro-orchard planting party! May 31st, 1-4pm

OFRE officially invites you to our spring planting and orchard clean-up. May 31st from 1-4pm.

Last year OFRE undertook the ambitious task of planting one of the first urban orchards on public property in Canada!

OFRE volunteers plant trees in the orchard behind McCauley School on Saturday Sept. 13, 2014. Photo by OFRE

It took a lot of effort, and we are thrilled to see the fruits of our labour this year. There are buds on several of the trees, and some even have flowers. As many of you know the FIFA world cup of soccer is coming to Edmonton this summer, and will be taking place at Commonwealth stadium, which is just down the street from the orchard. So this spring planting and clean up is vital to show the city and people from all over the world what citizens of Edmonton are capable of achieving when we get together and share in a vision of making our city a healthier, more fruitful place to live!

Light refreshments and snacks will be provided.

List of things to be done. This is an permaculture designed orchard. If you are new to any of these tasks, that’s ok. We are a educational organization and happy to teach and learn together!

Move the remaining compost to desired locations around the orchard.
Spread straw around the edgings
planting the cover crop to fix nitrogen and other nutrients to the soil, increasing soil fertility
Relocate 5 trees
Plant additional fruit trees and shrubs
(if material is provided in time (clad the shed/cider shack with corrugated metal)

What to bring:

Dress for the weather – it’s a rain or shine event, unless it’s really awfully stormy. Clothes you can get dirty in, and approriate footwear
Bring your own reusable water vessel
Work gloves
Tools if you have them – shovels, pitch forks, wheelbarrow

Fruit Registration will be available soon!

Thanks to excited growers who have been keen to register your trees with us!

We appreciate your enthusiasm and will have our forms available shortly. Please check back at the end of the month of May to sign up your fruit!

Our picking season get starts in June with Rhubarb and is in full swing by August with berries, cherries, and apples galore, winding up in mid October weather permitting with apples, pears, and crabapples.