Fruit Share and Food Security

By Rebecca Hiebert

When most of our food is trucked in from all over the globe it is comforting to know that there is local food available. The question is how do you get a hold of it if you don’t own your own fruit trees or large garden? The answer is Fruit Share Steinbach. Fruit Share is non-profit organization that harvests unwanted and unpicked fruit and shares it with those who want it.  Once you have the fruit what can you do with it? You need to preserve the bounty of the summer so that you will have the security of healthy food to eat throughout the year. This year Fruit Share Steinbach is giving a number of Preservation Workshops to teach how to save that tasty, local fruit so it can be enjoyed even in the coldest of winter months.

At Fruit Share Steinbach we connect fruit owners who cannot pick their fruit with volunteer pickers who want to pick fruit. The harvested fruit is then shared three-ways between the fruit owner, the volunteer pickers and a local charity. Often this results in a volunteer going home with boxes of something that tastes delicious but perishes quickly.  Although food preservation used to be common knowledge, younger generations are loosing that knowledge. Without preservation knowledge a box of crab apples can go to waste quickly. Conversely, when crab apples are properly processed and canned they can be a healthy food to cherish on a cold winter afternoon.

This year Fruit Share Steinbach is pairing up with different community centres to host a number of preservation workshops to share the knowledge of different preservation techniques.  This past week Fruit Share Steinbach and Anna’s House connected to offer a Rhubarb Jam Preservation Workshop for their “Kid’s in the Kitchen” program. Eight lucky kids got to make rhubarb freezer jam from start to finish and each one got to take two whole jars home to their family. Now these children have the satisfying knowledge of how to process local fruit to help provide for their families.

In August Fruit Share Steinbach will be pairing up with Steinbach 55 Plus to organize an Applesauce Canning Workshop.  A senior from 55 Plus will lead the class, teaching participants to safely process crab apples. Each participant will take home delicious and healthy canned applesauce that will be shelf stable and can be enjoyed at any point during the year.

Food security means having a pantry full of healthy, nourishing food that can be accessed at any time. The comfort of knowing that your family is well provided for is invaluable. Fruit Share Steinbach strives to increase the food security of community members by sharing the fruit to enjoy and teaching the skills to preserve it.

If you would like to participate with Fruit Share Steinbach by donating fruit, becoming a volunteer picker or by attending a workshop visit www.FruitShare.ca, email fruitsharesteinbach@gmail.com, or call 204-326-3919.