What is expected of me if I become part of The Accidental Orcharding Project?You can be as involved as you want to be! If you prefer to simply allow us to glean from your trees, with no additional involvement, that is completely fine. Otherwise, you can help harvest, prune, rake, and more. Emily is happy to share her knowledge of trees, apple history and more, and there is plenty to learn! We'll probably be looking for volunteers to do other activities as well once the market portion of the project gets up and running next year.
You don't have to do much at all! Simply contact Emily (accidentalorchardist@gmail.com) and let her know that you're interested.
What if I don't own a fruit tree?
Even if you don't own a fruit tree, you're always welcome to help out. We are on the look out for volunteers to help prune, rake and harvest. You'll learn tons and meet some great people!
You can also help by enlisting your friends and family members with fruit trees. Tell them about this site, the project and how they can get involved!
When will you visit my tree(s) and what will you do?
What's in it for me?
This depends on your desired level of involvement. Due to the nature of farmers market liability, we have to harvest the apples ourselves and cannot accept pre-picked fruit.
During summer and fall harvesting seasons we will stop in, whenever is convenient for you, and pick from your trees however much you would like to donate. We can also use this time to look for possible fungal/viral infections, as well as pest infestations and other potential problems in your trees, as well as to apply lime, help you balance your soil and help rake away leaves and fallen fruit that could harbor fungal spores and pest larva.
If you would like some help revitalizing your trees, we can stop in during the dormant winter season (February and March) to prune your trees, using sterilized equipment, to allow for better air circulation and fruit production, or to correctly train your tree's shape and size.
In spring, depending on the size and productivity of your tree, we will help you apply natural remedies to your trees including locally sourced fertilizer and compost. We use sustainable, holistic methods to treat orchard trees and are your fruit.
Through a variety of methods, we will attempt to bring health, longevity and productivity to your trees. Emily is happy to teach budding orchardists how to maintain their trees, as well as how to plant new trees. This program is designed to help you become more confident and involved in the world of orcharding and the preservation of heirloom/heritage trees.
What about the Farmer's Market?
Beginning with the harvest season, The Accidental Orchardist will bring fruit from your trees (as well as fruit from other participants' trees) to sell at the local farmer's market. Most farmer's markets are not yet accepting applications for the 2014 season, so we are unsure of at which market(s) we will be selling. Our market sellers will be knowledgable in apple history and will be promoting the project, as well as interest in heritage fruits.
Where do farmer's market profits go?
While we are not a "non-profit" organization, we will be donating a percentage of profits to local food banks and agricultural historical societies at the end of the season. More information on the organizations that we choose will be provided in the quarterly newsletter.
Do I get to keep some of my fruit?
Of course! We will only take as much of your harvest as you want us to. For some people, this is a bushel of fruit, for others this may only be a handful, and others still, this may be the entire tree's harvest. It is totally up to you to decide the percentage we take from your trees.
What else does The Accidental Orchardist have planned?
Local food seems to go hand in hand with great community. We are planning a few meet-ups for participants for 2014 including a summer farm crawl and a fall harvest gathering! We'll also be adding willing participants to our mailing list, and we'll send out quarterly posts that include recipes, tips and local food history.
