Become a Fruit Picker
Fruit Pickers are the berry center of our Fruit Picking Program!
When a Tree Registrant indicates that they have more fruit than they can use, Fruit Pickers join a picking team to head to the tree – led by a Pick Leader – and pick the fruit. We split the harvest three ways – ⅓ is offered to the Tree Registrant, ⅓ is shared amongst the Fruit Pickers and Pick Leader, and ⅓ is delivered to a community agency tackling food insecurity.
By joining as a Fruit Picker member with Not Far From The Tree, you become acquainted with a whole other part of Toronto – the city’s huge (often hidden) urban orchard, full of an abundance of cherries, mulberries, apricots, plums, pears, apples, grapes and more! It’s a great way to spend time outside in lush backyards, meet new people, and enjoy fresh, locally grown fruit in your own neighbourhood.
Fruit Pickers can register for up to 3 picks per season, and will receive email invitations to pick fruit in the neighbourhoods they indicate interest in. Throughout the season, depending on demand, some picks may be opened to all Fruit Pickers even if they have completed their seasonal maximum of 3.
To support the program, we ask Pickers to become a Not Far From The Tree member and contribute a minimum of $10 per season*.
Guide to Picking Fruit with Not Far From The Tree
Jump to:
- How to join a pick
- How to prepare for a pick
- What to expect on a pick
- How a pick wraps up
- Picking Program Policies and Procedures
1. How to join a pick
Once registered in the Portal, you receive email invitations to picks held in the neighbourhood(s) you selected. After registering for a pick, you will be able to see the address of the tree you are picking as well as any relevant details provided by either the Tree Registrant or Pick Leader.
If the pick you’d like to join is full, we have a waitlist feature to receive a text notification when a spot opens up!
2. How to prepare for a pick
Review the Pick details on the Portal before you head out, and ensure you arrive on time.
Please dress appropriately: wear sturdy closed toe shoes you don’t mind getting dirty (no sandals, please), clothes you don’t mind getting a little messy, and a brimmed hat to avoid debris in your eyes or hair.
What to pack with you: containers for your share of the fruit, gardening or vinyl gloves if you don’t like your hands to be dirty or sticky, ample water, ice packs if it is very hot, and any emergency medication, such as Epi Pen (especially if you are allergic to bees).
3. What to expect on a pick
If you arrive before the Pick Leader does, wait for them and do not begin picking. The Pick Leader will give all Fruit Pickers a quick welcome and orientation to the tree and pick, including introducing the fruit and how to pick it, the fruit picking equipment, etc.
There are many roles on a pick! These include hand picking, climbing a ladder or tree, spotting a climber, tidying the yard by picking up windfall or sweeping up falling grapes/leaves, sorting the picked fruit, and weighing.
A Pick begins by gathering and composting any fruit that has fallen before the pick, called debris. Debris cannot be eaten, only composted, as we don’t know how long it’s been there, and it may be infected with bacteria. This step is important for us to differentiate between debris and windfall during the pick. We do not donate fruit that has touched the ground during the pick (called windfall). However, it is often still of good quality, and so can be shared between volunteers (just make sure to wash it very well!). In order to do this safely, we place windfall fruit in a separate bag, weigh it separately, and include it in the total ‘pounds picked’ count.
Every tree and every pick is different, and it is important to remember that while Pick Leaders do their best to ensure a successful and enjoyable harvest, some elements can be out of our control. Sometimes there’s an abundance of fruit, and sometimes there’s not. That’s just the diversity of our city’s Urban Orchard!
4. How a pick wraps up
When the tree has been picked clean, or in the last half hour of the pick (whichever comes first), the Pick Leader asks the Fruit Pickers to collect all the fruit they’ve picked so that it can be weighed to be distributed among the Tree Registrant, picking team, and the agency that will be receiving the donation.
During weighing, it’s helpful to support the Pick Leader by packing up all the picking equipment and cleaning up any further fallen fruit or debris. We do our best to leave the yard looking as clean – if not cleaner – than we found it!
Once the yard is clean and the fruit is all divvied up, you’re done. You can head home with your share of the fruit with the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve helped divert a ton of fruit away from the green bin and into your community!
Picking Program Policies and Procedures
Flexibility is key: Working with the land means nothing is ever guaranteed! Sometimes we get to a pick and discover the fruit has dropped overnight, or critters have eaten all the fruit we planned to pick. Please know that flexibility is a needed part of this work, and your patience is appreciated.
Waitlisting is a commitment too: Please only waitlist for picks you’re certain you can join, and do your best to avoid last-minute cancellations.
Canceling: If you feel unwell, have been in contact with someone who is ill, or simply can’t go anymore, please give up your spot as soon as possible so someone else can join and the Pick Leader has a sense of numbers of folks joining!
No surprise guests: Please remember that when joining a pick, you’re reserving one spot for yourself. Don’t bring a guest (unless they’re signed up for the pick too!). Want to bring a person younger than 16? You must check with the Pick Leader first — safety and suitability can vary, and they have the final say.
Weather policy: We pick rain or shine; but not in heavy heat, bad air quality, or with the risk of a thunderstorm! If the following weather events are occurring at the site of the pick, anticipate hearing from the Pick Leader that the pick is canceled: temperature at or above 31C, humidex value at or above 40, air quality health index at or above 7, thunderstorm.
Remember that everyone brings their own unique experiences and abilities to each fruit pick. We ask all Fruit Pickers to treat everyone, including the land and the Tree, with compassion and respect, and make sure that you leave space for everyone to share the joy of fruit picking.
All Fruit Pickers agree to the Volunteer Fruit Picker Agreement and Release upon registering with NFFTT. Thank you for helping us keep things intentional, fair, and fruitful.
* Not Far From The Tree is continually working towards making our Picking Program accessible to as many as possible. We will waive the membership fee for anyone for whom the membership fee will be a barrier to participation – no questions asked! Contact picks@notfarfromthetree.org to make this request.