The Apple Capture Project

Apple Capture: For people with trees and those who want fruit
Shared equipment brings “off the ground” solutions to harvest and use local tree fruit

Kimberley, Cranbrook, B.C. — They say the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree. If you have an apple tree in your yard, you understand: The ‘apple’ falls all around the tree, clogs up the mower, attracts deer and bears and takes forever to compost.

“It’s spring and people are looking at their fruit trees and wondering how they’re going to maintain them, harvest them—how are they going to use all that fruit?” said Karly Ross, who coordinates The Apple Capture Project for Wildsight Kimberley-Cranbrook.

This is the first year for the Wildsight Kimberley-Cranbrook Apple Capture Project.

The project includes a pruning workshop and the creation a database to connect people who have apple trees to those who want to harvest the fruit.

“The most exciting part of Apple Capture, though, is the shiny new equipment we have to share with the community,” Ross said.

The equipment includes a new apple press, apple grinder, food dehydrators, and picking and pruning equipment that will be available for public use for a nominal rental fee.

“The right tools make all the difference,” Ross said. “These are the tools you need to harvest and preserve your fruit—they’re portable and anyone can learn to use them.”

The purchase was made possible by grants from the Interior Health Organization and the Kimberley and District Community Foundation.

“Equipment is key; much of the produce in the area is not palatable without processing,” Ross said. “Renters must have a little training in how to use the equipment, but it doesn’t take long.”

Speaking of training, on April 16, Apple Capture will run a free fruit-tree pruning workshop between 1 pm and 3:30 pm in Kimberley.

“David Couse, an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist, will demonstrate how to prune apple trees,” Ross said. “He will help demystify the whole pruning process for people.”

To register or find out more, call Karly Ross at the Wildsight office: 250-427-2535. There are 15 spots available. The workshop will be held at the Cominco Gardens in Kimberley.

The third part of Apple Capture is the apple sharing database.

“This is a webpage to connect people who have trees to people who want fruit,” Ross said. “It’s user-friendly—just post your fruit tree. People who want fruit can then contact you. They might even offer to help you care for your trees throughout the growing season.”

Ross encouraged people call her right away to get listed in the database.

“This is a system to connect people,” she said. “We’re not sending teams of pickers out—but we are helping people find pickers and pickers find fruit.

“We’re also facilitating connections between people who may want to care for a tree with those who have trees and don’t want to maintain them.”

To find out more, visit the website: www.Wildsight.ca/KimCran/Apples.

Apple Capture is an idea whose time has come, Ross said. “Kimberley people have been picking apples to reduce bear attractants for years,” she said. “Last year, some volunteers got very interested in the picking and preserving prospects and demonstrated that, with the appropriate equipment and participation of community members, there was a significant reduction of excess fruit.

“That initiated a search for funding to purchase appropriate equipment that will be publicly accessible and durable,” said Ross. “And it will lead to dried fruit, apple juice—from local apples.”

The Apple Capture Project got help from the Kimberley and District Community Foundation and Interior Health. (Interior Health recently invested $66,784 to support community food security projects in 16 communities in the region. It did this through its Community Food Action Initiative [CFAI], a province-wide strategy to promote food security programs and to encourage British Columbians to make healthy food choices. CFAI is a collaborative effort between local communities, Interior Health’s community nutritionists and the Ministry of Health Services.) Wildsight gratefully acknowledges this funding of nearly $5,000, as well as the contribution from the Kimberley and District Community Foundation.

“The long term goal is to make Apple Capture self sustaining,” Ross said. “And to make it so much a part of how life is lived in this area that when fall comes around no tree goes unpicked, and no apple—or other lovely fruit goes unused.”

“We are doing this as a community—and that’s what puts the apple in the apple pie of this project.”

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About Wildsight • www.Wildsight.ca
Wildsight works locally, regionally and globally to protect biodiversity and encourage sustainable communities in Canada's Columbia and southern Rocky Mountain region. This area is internationally recognized as a keystone to conservation in western North America.

Contact:
Karly Ross • Apple Capture Project Coordinator
(250) 427 2535 • Karly@Wildsight.ca