Archive for July, 2011

How to pick rhubarb

Rhubarb season is just about over but in case you still have a rhubarb patch in your yard that you’re getting ready to harvest, here are a few tips for the best ways to pick it, ensuring that next year you’ll still have plenty of rhubarb at your disposal:

  • Pick from the outside in.
  • Slide your hand to the base of the stalk and pull gently.
  • If pulling does not work, carefully cut the stalks as close to the ground as possible.
  • Leave the smaller, center stalks on the plant so it can continue to grow and thrive during the summer – NEVER pick all of the stalks from a rhubarb plant.

Rhubarb harvested in River Heights on July 8.

Do you have any tips for picking rhubarb? Share in the comments section below! Some of our volunteers are long-time experts at rhubarb-picking, whereas others (me ) are just learning the techniques to help the plant survive whilst reaping a good harvest. We can use any advice you have!

- Sagan.

Learn how to compost

Composting is an integral part of Fruit Share. At each picking location, once the fruit has been divided into thirds (for each the volunteers, the homeowners and a local charitable organization), we compost anything that is inedible. We are delighted to note that many homeowners have compost bins on-site, but there are also public compost bins available in different areas of the city.

If you’ve ever wondered what is involved in composting, how it works and how you can get the most from your compost, you should definitely check out this July 19 workshop, co-hosted by SoulFude.com and Urban Eatin’ Gardeners Worker Co-op. Adrienne Percy of SoulFude.com and Mark Klassen of Urban Eatin’ are both extremely knowledgeable in food policy and growing local food, respectively (and they are also lovely individuals to boot!). It looks like it will be a fantastic workshop, so sign up today if you would like to learn more about composting and how you can reap the benefits of household waste!

Partners of Fruit Share

We have a brand new page on our website dedicated to the partners of Fruit Share! Please visit the page to view some of our fantastic supporters who are making Fruit Share possible, including:

- Canadian Home Economics Foundation

- Food Matters Manitoba

- Manitoba Alternative Food Research Alliance

- Moffat Foundation

- Morrow Family Fund

- South Osborne Community Cooperative

Thank you to all of the friends of Fruit Share!

Green smoothie recipe

Trying to think of an innovative way to use your freshly-picked fruit? Look no further! “Green” smoothies are a fantastic way to drink your fruits and veggies. Forget the caffeine: when you need an energy boost, a nutrient-rich homemade green smoothie will be just the ticket.

Sometimes my "green" smoothies turn out purple or pink because I use a higher quantity of fruit - but I just love this shade of bright green!

The best part about green smoothies is that for the most part, you can’t taste the leafy greens at all. As long as you use a higher ratio of fruit to leafy greens, the flavour of the fruit will completely override the green taste. The banana is really useful for making the smoothie creamy, and the seeds offer high-quality protein and fat to compliment the fruit and leafy greens.

This recipe is highly adaptable in terms of the various leafy greens, liquids and fruit that you can use. Have fun playing around with it! And be sure to email us at [email protected] with your new creations. We love finding new recipes for using all the local fruit we pick, so keep those recipes coming.

Basic Green Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients

- 1 cup water (can also use 100% pure fruit juice* or any type of milk)

- 1 handful leafy greens (my favourite is spinach because it breaks down easily in the blender, but green leaf lettuce and romaine lettuce work very well too)

- 1/2 frozen banana (peel the banana before you freeze it and put it in a tightly-sealed container to save yourself hassle when you bring the frozen fruit out of the freezer)

- 1/2 cup other frozen fruit (blueberries work awesome here, but any fruit will do)

- 1 – 2 tablespoons ground flax or chia seeds (optional)

Directions

- Add all ingredients into a blender

- Blend on high until everything is very well-blended and smooth (add more liquid if necessary, a couple tablespoons at a time)

- Pour into a tall glass and enjoy!

What’s your favourite smoothie recipe? Have you had a green smoothie before? What creative recipes do you make with the fruit you pick?

*Try pressing your own fruit at home and make fresh fruit juice with the fruit you pick through Fruit Share!