Introduction to Pick Leading
Hello, future Pick Leader. Welcome to our new self-paced Pick Leader Orientation!
To get a good sense and introduction to the world of NFFTT and fruit picking, this orientation has been structured to build your knowledge and give you a taste of the sweet role Pick Leaders take in our community.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at picks@notfarfromthetree.org.
Become a Pick Leader!
As a Pick Leader, you get to schedule as many picks as you want each season, at times and locations that work for you.
Alongside fresh fruit throughout the season, you’ll receive Toronto’s love and affection (except maybe from the squirrels and raccoons), and get to host 1 private fruit pick per season just for family and friends.
Complete orientation.
Learn more about the role and process of planning and leading a fruit pick!
There are two ways to do this: join a live Pick Leader orientation OR review the online training and submit a final quiz to check your understanding. After receiving your final quiz submission, staff will follow up with you on next steps!
Get started with the online training!
Attend picks to shadow and practice.
Attend 1-2 picks to shadow an experienced Pick Leader. Observe, ask questions, acquire fruit-picking techniques, check out the equipment bin, and take on responsibility as you feel comfortable, such as supporting Fruit Pickers, delivering donations, weighing fruit, etc.
Practice leading! These shadow picks are great opportunities to practice tasks like delivering the “Pre-Pick Welcome and Instructions” to fruit pickers, supporting the Pick Leader, sorting fruit, and more – let the Pick Leader know if you want to be involved in this way!
Lead your own ‘grad pick’.
When you feel ready to start leading, sign up for a pick and reach out to the Pick Leader to ask if you can make this your grad pick. Decide together how you want to share equipment pickup/drop off, fruit delivery to the agency, and filling out the Post Pick Report. Lead the pick from start to finish, arriving early to the pick, delivering the Pre-Pick Welcome and Instructions, and facilitating pickers.
PLITs are able to attend 3 picks per season, just like other Fruit Pickers. If you’re not ready for a graduation pick by your third pick, please reach out to staff and we can work together on it!
Begin leading!
If the Pick Leader is satisfied with how you did on your Grad Pick, they’ll follow up with staff to confirm you’re all set, and you will be “graduated” to a full Pick Leader in the Portal, giving you access to a list of registered trees, equipment, and other resources!
Staff will be in touch to congratulate you, ask you to sign waivers, and set you up with all you need.
From here, you’re a Pick Leader! Go forth, and happy picking!
We ask Pick Leaders to lead a minimum of 3 fruit picks in the season (planning and running 1 fruit pick can take between 3-5 hours total).
Review Pick Leader 101
See the Google Slides below for an overview of NFFTT, the role of the Pick Leader, and the process of a fruit pick from a Pick Leader’s perspective!
Further details on everything mentioned will be found in the Pick Leader Handbook, which is sent following submission of your quiz below.
Register in the Fruit Picking Portal
Sign up as a Fruit Picker through the Fruit Picking Portal.
Do not pay – your membership will be manually waived by staff later!
Check Your Understanding
Once you have submitted the quiz, a staff will email to to follow up with you with next steps.
After this point, you are a Pick Leader in Training (PLIT), able to attend picks to observe and learn, soon to plan and lead your own!
Additional Resources
NFFTT Social Media: Instagram, Newsletter, Fresh News Blog
Participant Guides: Fruit Picker Guide, Tree Registrant Guide
Fruit Ripening and Picking Guide We pick berries (elderberries, grape, mulberries, serviceberries), stone fruits (apricots, cherries, plums), and pome fruits (apples, crabapples, pears, quince). We also sometimes get to pick unique fruits, such as jostaberries, currants, pawpaws, cranberries, and more!
Tree Care Guides The sustained health and longevity of the fruit trees of Toronto’s Urban Orchard is our top priority at Not Far From The Tree. These resources have been put together by the NFFTT community, over many years, to help us all learn together how to care for the land and each other through fruit trees for many more years to come.