Once again, it’s the end of a busy and fruitful season for Les Fruits Défendus! Despite a challenging start to the season, where the spring cold affected cherry and plum yields, our dedicated harvesters managed to collect an impressive 6,785 pounds of fruits across 86 harvests, setting a new record! These fruits represent 17 varieties harvested from trees and vines spread across 16 neighborhoods in Montreal. The collective is proud to have donated 4,658 pounds of these fruits to 23 beneficiary organizations.
One of Les Fruits Défendus’s primary goals is to raise awareness about urban fruit trees and encourage community harvesting. This year, we took various initiatives towards this goal, including the production of an informative sheet on gleaning, packed with fascinating data. You can explore it here. This sheet was made possible through a collaborative effort with the David Suzuki Foundation; you can find their announcement here.
Beyond the harvests, the core of the collective organized five training workshops for new harvest leaders, two workshops focusing on the pruning, maintenance, and grafting of fruit trees, and discovery walks exploring nourishing trees in Montreal’s alleys. Additionally, we actively participated in numerous fairs and events!
Recently, the collective engaged in discussions on mobilizing urban agriculture during Cultiver Montréal’s Rendez-vous de l’agriculture urbaine on November 28th. Encouraging harvesting also involves making necessary equipment accessible in Montreal neighborhoods. In this regard, we successfully established three new equipment points: at Vert-Cité in St-Laurent, Multicaf in Côte-des-Neiges, and La Place in Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie. In total, we now boast seven equipment points distributed throughout the City of Montreal.
As we look ahead to 2024, Les Fruits Défendus anticipates many exciting developments. Stay informed by subscribing to our newsletter and following our Facebook page! If you’re eager to get involved with the collective, please fill out this form to let us know your interests. To support the impactful work of Les Fruits Défendus, consider making a donation here and be sure to specify that it’s for the Les Fruits Défendus collective.
– The members of Les Fruits Défendus