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. Once a pick is complete, 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.
To support the program, we ask Pickers to become a Not Far From The Tree member and contribute a minimum of $10 per season*. Membership expires on January 1st every year.
Fruit Picker Guide
After signing up to pick fruit with us, please familiarize yourself with the details of being a Fruit Picker.
Registering for a Pick
- Once registered in the Portal, you will receive email invitations to picks held in the neighbourhood(s) within our boundaries you selected
- After signing up 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!
Preparing to Pick
- Please review the Pick details on the Portal before you head out, and ensure you arrive on time
- We ask that you wear: clothes you don’t mind getting a little messy or stained; gardening or vinyl gloves if you don’t like your hands to be sticky; a hat to avoid debris in your eyes or hair (especially if picking grapes); weather appropriate gear: sunscreen, sunglasses, a towel if you anticipate sweating
- We ask that you bring: containers or bags to take home your share of the fruit in; water; personal snacks; emergency medication, such as Epi Pen (especially if you are allergic to wasps)
Arriving at the Pick location
- If you arrive before the Pick Leader does, wait for them to get there and do not begin picking
- The Pick Leader will give all Fruit Pickers a quick welcome and orientation to the tree, the fruit and how to pick it, the fruit picking equipment, etc
- Roles during a Pick can include picking while on the ground, tidying the yard by picking up windfall or sweeping up falling grapes/leaves, climbing a ladder or tree, spotting a climber, and sorting the picked fruit
- 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
Picking fruit
- Every tree and every pick is different. Sometimes there’s an abundance of fruit, and sometimes there’s not. It represents the diversity of our city’s Urban Orchard!
- If you’re not sure how to pick the fruit, ask your Pick Leader for tips. If you want to come to a pick prepared, our Fruit Picking Guides might be up your alley!
- 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
Wrapping 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 Owner, Picking Team, and the Agency that will be receiving the donation
- During weighing, some folks support the Pick Leader in 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!
Additional things to note…
- 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
- If you want to bring a young person to your Pick, please email your Pick Leader to see if the pick site is suitable for anyone under the age of 16
- Do not bring along friends/partners/coworkers/crushes to Picks – anyone over the age of 16 who attends must be registered
- We pick rain or shine, but not in lightning! If there is thunder or lightning within an hour of the beginning of the pick you can presume the event is cancelled
- 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!
- Remember that everyone brings their own unique experiences and abilities to each fruit pick. 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
* 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.