Not Far From the Tree

 

Not Far From the Tree (NFFTT) is an organization that is helping Toronto make the most of its existing food resources by tapping an under-utilized resource - the fruit and nut-bearing trees and shrubs in the city's yards and green spaces. Almost 150,000 pounds of fruit have been picked since they started in 2008. Their system is structured to provide wins all around.

• Homeowners get their fruit picked by volunteers at the peak of ripeness, saving them time and labour. They also get to keep 1/3 of the yield and have the satisfaction of knowing that the other 2/3 won't go to waste.

• Volunteers get to spend their time enjoying the outdoors, putting their picking skills to use, and meeting other like-minded people. They also get to take home a share of 1/3 of the yield. These pears that I received on a pick were enough to make jam.

• Local community groups which partner with NFFTT, like shelters and community kitchens, receive deliveries of fresh, nutritious fruit, equal to 1/3 of the yield from each pick. 

• As an added plus, the environment benefits from the group's commitment to using cargo bicycles for deliveries.

If you have a fruit tree on your property that you aren't able to take full advantage of, consider registering with NFFTT. They currently only operate in the most central wards in the city, but knowing where accessible fruit lives will help to guide their expansion plans. Their website also has a handy fruit guide which can help you determine if your fruit is ripe. 

If you want to get in on the fruit action, you can sign up to become a volunteer. Once you register and tell them what parts of the city you'd like to pick in, you'll start receiving notifications of when picks are happening. Then it's up to you to sign up. Picks, especially for things like pears and apples, are extremely popular and it can take a while before you're successful. Having a flexible schedule and willingness to travel helps. 

If you're intrigued by this whole concept, follow them on Twitter @NFFTT. They post about all kinds of neat stuff like urban gardening, sustainability, and beekeeping, and of course you'll also find great recipes and kitchen tips. 

Thanks to Not Far From the Tree for providing the following images and permission to use them: logo and bike image

House Seats

One of the best things about Toronto is that there is an incredible variety of amusements available. Plays, music, sports, film events - you name it, Toronto has it. The problem is often how best to take advantage without breaking the bank. There are lots of discount deal sites, of which I'm a fan, but there's also House Seats, which is a little different.

House Seats is a service that you join by paying a subscription fee. Once you're a member, you have access to a motley assortment of ticketed events - all for free. Even if you only take advantage of 1 or 2 events, you'll have paid for the subscription. Members can check the online calendar, or they can sign up for email alerts that notify you when new tickets are available. The tickets are provided to House Seats by their partners, so even they don't know what tickets will be available - but that's part of the fun. You learn about things going on in the city and beyond that you may not even have known were happening (House Seats caters to all of southern Ontario, so events in Brampton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Stratford, Fergus and other cultural hubs come up all the time).

Tickets usually come up close to event date - usually no more than a week or 10 days in advance. If you want to go, you just reserve tickets for the event and pick them up at the box office on event day. To ensure that people don't abuse the system, if you reserve seats and then don't use them, you are charged a per ticket no-show fee of $20, so you need to be fairly sure you can go. And you have to pick up the tickets yourself - which means no reserving them and having your brother go in your place.

The main drawback of House Seats is that they're very protective of their partner list and don't release specific information on what sort of tickets they offer until you become a member. For those of us who like to do research before they commit, it's annoying how little information is on offer. Even a wider search reveals little, as part of your sign-up agreement as a member is that you won't disclose details of tickets available on blogs, in articles, etc. Fortunately, they offer a short 2-month subscription for only $39, which is what I started with - and I was sold on the service almost instantly. I've been a member now for about 6 months and I've been to see comedy shows, live music events, film screenings, sporting events and several plays. All have been in Toronto, and most have been great nights out. I admit there's been the odd lemon, but as I always pair the event with a nice dinner beforehand or drinks afterward, it was still a good night out.

Details:
Open House Membership: $39 +HST allows you to reserve up to 2 tickets for each available event for 60 days.
Two Seater Membership: $89 +HST allows you to reserve up to 2 tickets for each available event for 1 year
Full House Membership: $169 +HST allows you to reserve up to 4 tickets for each available event for 1 year